The Truth Behind Apple's iPad

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While it is pretty limited I have a use for it that it fits perfect "IF" the vendors will make the programs available for it. Remote control of digital audio mixers and audio analysis programs. Instead of dragging your laptop around the auditorium or being stuck behind the board you can move around the building making adjustments as you go. Most newer professional audio equipment can be adjusted remotely now by computer and this would give you a compact very portable method to do so. Some of these things can be done with an itouch or iphone but the screen is just too dam small for my old eyes. In these cases your not multi tasking anyways so it's not an issue.
 
[citation][nom]back_by_demand[/nom]There is no truth, there is only opinion.Is there a market for this?Yes, but then again there is a market for 200 year old paintings by dead artists that go for $100 million.Is it value for money?Well if you consider paying twice the money for something that does half as much, I suppose yes again.Is it innovative?If you consider innovative to be taking a concept that has been around for over 20 years and actual products that have been around approx 9 years then giving it less connectivity, accessibility, upgradability, functionality - but making it "thinner" - then yes, it is innovative.Opinion is a wonderful thing, i'm sure no single snowflake thinks it is responsible for the avalanche. This device is a total fraud.In my opinion.[/citation]

Instead of criticism, why don't you come up with something better at the same price points, then I'll give you my money for it.

Or simply submit your idea to the design team of any computer company; "enlightening" them with your opinion, and see what their responses will be.




Yeah ...

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[citation][nom]supa721[/nom]Instead of criticism, why don't you come up with something better at the same price points, then I'll give you my money for it.Or simply submit your idea to the design team of any computer company; "enlightening" them with your opinion, and see what their responses will be.Yeah ... ---[/citation]
I do believe the products already exist, so I don't need to "do" very much. Even the HP Slate shown by Fatty Ballmer last week is more functional, cmon, full Windows 7, USB connectors. Even without CPU or RAM specs it already does more.
Problem is neither device is new or innovative. But out of the two I will lay even money that the HP Slate will be cheaper at the same time as being more functional. So thanks HP, I was challenged to think of a better idea so I will just direct them to you. Or any other tablet made in the last 9 YEARS
 
This is a risky move, and its no surprise that it has no big takers here, but we aren't the market. This is the first serious entry into a brand new style of computer that has been hinted at over the years by palm pilots, smart phones, and kindles.

Saying its just a large iTouch/iPhone may be correct, but it isn't the whole story. For the iTouch/Phone things like watching videos or surfing the web are possible, but they aren't what its optimized for. This is the reverse of that. The iPad is optimized for videos and web crawling, and would provide a much better experience than the others.

The biggest difference between this and standard portables is the massive limitations on user input. No keyboard means you won't be sitting at a table writing the great american novel with this. But at that cost it gains a massive streamlining of output possibilities.

And while not putting in OSX may bother people, remember that this ins't a normal computer. Putting OSX on this would be like jamming a round peg into a square hole. Recognizing that type mismatch is part of the reason that netbooks have become so popular by using a more limited OS to increase functionality in the things people really want.

The real make or break thing here will be the apps. Currently apps are all designed around the performance and screen limitations of Touch/Phone, this product could open a whole new realm of possibilities. Actually calling it a console is a pretty good description, except that it won't just be for games.

Some of the missing elements are confusing and poorly thought out, like an RF transmitter or a USB port (who doesn't put one of those in!), so it may be too strange of a product with too many glaring ommissions to work well, but I think we will be seeing many more computers of this style in the years to come.
 
What a waste. I hate Apple, but as a stockholder I do expect better things from them. If they had put in a specialized OSX operating system instead of the crippled iPhone OS I may have bought my first Apple product. iPad having the iPhone OS means no multitasking and no flash, which for me means no purchase. You almost had me Apple, but you fucked up. For $599 I can buy a mediocre lap top or high end netbook that will let me do any of the things the iPad can do and much much more.
 
waiting for Sony, Toshiba, HP, Dell to come out with a similar product but lacking multi-touch or an easy and snappy gui in 5.....4......3.....2...1
 
razorblaze42: Its not an e-reader. Having a backlit display means its impossible to read outdoors when sun is on the screen. You can read Kindle at the beach. This is not a competitor to kindle.
 
[citation][nom]MikosNZ[/nom]razorblaze42: Its not an e-reader. Having a backlit display means its impossible to read outdoors when sun is on the screen. You can read Kindle at the beach. This is not a competitor to kindle.[/citation]
So you mean even the Kindle is better than this? Sinks to a new low already...
 
[citation][nom]The Schnoz[/nom]What a waste. I hate Apple, but as a stockholder I do expect better things from them. [citation]

As a stockholder I wouldn't jump the judgement gun. Apple has one of the strongest stocks out there right now, actually trading higher than before the recession right now, and its not because they make products no one wants. Even if we don't.
 
[citation][nom]back_by_demand[/nom]Everyone is entitled to their opinion, I think your's may seem valid, but this device is not priced competatively as the Kindle is also massively overpriced for it's limited features.Compared to a netbook with XP or 7, if there are any video or audio formats it cannot see then codecs can be installed. Even OSX could have done that, but the iPad will not. The apps store is a massive cashcow and nothing else. The rule of business is you can afford to sell an expensive product cheaply if you get the cost back through software revenues, exactly as games consoles do. So if every single additional bit of software is going to cost you money then the device itself should cost less. Charging high for both is blatant profiteering.I propose a new name for this device.iPaid (too much)[/citation]
Kindle DX $489 at Amazon, so a $499 Ipad is competitively priced, and offers color, touch screen, movie playback and photos. I think a lot people are missing that’s this is an ARM-based CPU, not an x86, so don't expect to see feature native to x86. Kudos to Apple for trying to expand ARM and loosen Intel ‘s x86 stranglehold on the market
 
Yes it is a luxury. No you don't have to drag 3 devices around with you, if you own a laptop you would probably take that with you and leave the ipad at home, or leave the laptop at home depending on where you were going and why.

Honestly I think around the home this would get more use than my laptop, and 'drowned' most people don't watch a movie and browse the net and check their email at the same time, tech-heads do, but most people don't. Most people want to watch a movie and not be distracted by doing other things that reduce the enjoyment of the movie. For people that aren't 'into' computers, multitasking isn't as attractive as you'd think. Having multiple apps open is annoying to many non tech users, they'd rather close one thing and open the other, especially when it happens basically instantaneously. The most they want is to have music in the background while they do things.
Honestly, at home all I see non-tech people do is check facebook, check their mail. listen to music, kick around on youtube, shop online and read the news or other articles online. I go into their homes to setup or repair their computers and for 99% of my clients, this thing would suit them better. Not waiting for it to boot, little worry about viruses, quiet and lightweight. The docking station is what makes it, they can clip it on on their desk if they do want to write something long-winded (like this post).
This product won't appeal to techie people in general, it doesn't do what they want. It does however do almost everything that the non-tech people want. But throw a camera in it, a photobooth type app and a USB port for throwing your photos on there and it will have broad appeal. As it is, it is a good first shot, the only problem I see with it is that you still need a computer to get your photos and existing music collection on there, remove that hurdle and a whole generation of people that currently *hate* their computers will love this thing.

Apple is possibly the only company that realises a lot of people want the simplicity of *less* features. This is why the Leica digital camera is so popular with pro users, it doesn't have millions of features that get in the way of taking great photographs, whereas as tech users think the Leica is a piece of overpriced crap because it doesn't have all the bells and whistles.

This product isn't for us, wasn't meant for us and we won't like it, but there are plenty of people who it will be a great fit for, and that doesn't make them morons or lesser people, just people with different needs and priorities in life.
 
How many of you are up for a bet? I bet 100 to 1 that the iPad will become more popular then the iphone and that it will become a main stream device by December 2010. Why... you "hardcore" techies are maybe 10-25% of the total population. Now my 65 year old father, iPad... Perfect. My 6 year old son, iPad... Perfect. My 45 year old sales rep who is a professional sales person and not a techy, iPad... Perfect. The kids in Africa, trying to learn English, Math, Science and does NOT have a Geek Squad, Best Buys, or even an IT guy to call, iPad... Perfect. So Apple has made a console (Yes, I'll agree to that) that fits 85-90% of the worlds population for organizing, viewing, limited creation/editing, gaming, educational, multimedia content and information device that is Virus free, 10 hours of use, light weight, near instant on/app opening AND... Affordable for most Americans! (I know the argument about the Africans can't afford it... BUT their governments CAN!) Yes, you have to buy app versus getting them off of BitTorrent, but isn't that the nature of the beast? The beast, being a FOR PROFIT business? The iPad is starting with 100,000+ apps, yeah but their not iPad optimized, HEY GEEK! Who cares??? My father, son, sales rep, teacher, mother won't know the difference and for that matter, won't care... does the app turn on and work is all they are going to worry about, something you can't say about Windows Tablets. Now on that on different note; Multitasking, camera, flash, etc... Ah, did you know that the USA government had a full size RV run on water across the entire USA...ON WATER, Don't hear any of you crying to GM, Ford about not having Water ran vehicles. Or how about the FACT that the Macintosh OS was 1,000,000,000,000 time easier in 1987 then Windows 3.11, Windows 95 or for that matter Windows XP! It has taken Microsoft up to 2009 to release Windows 7 for even the hardest core PC person to say, "Final, we are catching up to the Apple Macintosh experience!" (LOSERS) Apple knows they can add Multitasking, it's actually in there now... iTunes and mail run in the background right now!!! Hey Geeks, what causes Memory leaks the most on Desktops... THIRD PARTY APPS!!! Flash, seriously... Adobe has never taken Flash on Macintosh serious, so why should Apple add Flash??? F Flash!!! Go h.264 and HTML5!!! Camera, WHAT!? ATT 3G network is already reaching capacity and you want to have Video conference, so you can show your Geek friends the Star War figure you found at a store!? Don't worry, 100:1 Odd Apple already has plans to add a camera. So here we are, facts are facts and the iPad is here to STAY!!!
 
[citation][nom]MikosNZ[/nom]razorblaze42: Its not an e-reader. Having a backlit display means its impossible to read outdoors when sun is on the screen. You can read Kindle at the beach. This is not a competitor to kindle.[/citation]
valid point, grant you that one. but indoors it can be used as an e-reader, and for 10 bucks more than the kindle dx, you get web surfing, video play back, music, photo's, color screen and touch pad.....beat that.....
 
This is really stupid. You should read through an Apple annual report or quarterly earnings filing. The bulk of Apple's revenues from content sales go right back to the content provider.

Not to say that Itunes and the app store aren't profitable, they are. Apple has stated before, during earnings calls, that the App store runs a little over break even.

They don't break out Itunes profits, but most analysts think they are around $1B last year... Which sounds ridiculously high, until you realize that Apple earned $4.7B in net income last quarter.

Again, Itunes and all are nice, but Apple makes money, gobs of it, selling hardware.

 
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