Apple releases Ipad

[VaKo]

Indeed. I will however say that the iPad represents the general direction that computers will take in the future, but this particular product is lacking in my mind.

[Whig]

I'm just waiting for the one person to come on here 6 months later, drag up this *future* buried thread, say we all suck because were Apple haters, and then rant on about how it looks so pretty and his rich ass parents bought it for him..

:-) I'm not apple hater (I use touch,macbookpro,airport extreme and so on...) but I just can't find any use for iPad. Or at least not yet. Some peoples say that it has great design... well... for me it looks like typical digital photo frame.

Other peoples say that it's good for reading ebooks... well... IMHO kindle and that sony device are much better (better battery life and so on) or maybe I'm just only one who doesn't need cute colours and icons to my books?

For me it's just over size ipod touch right now. But I'm 101% sure that apple fan boys will buy that and tell how revolution that is :-D

[Whedgit]

everyone i know is making references to a certain feminine product :P

not very revolutionary like most are saying but i think the apps will make or break the future of it. like to see what people create to run on it.

[anguish79]

iPad. Not impressed. Nuff said.

[Charles]

Now if it was an actual pad of paper that was super cheap I might get it..

[555]

Is it just me or does Steve look like an evil genius in this picture? I personally like it but am not going to pay 899$ for a 64gb ipad. I will wait for the price to come down.. I would pay 300$ for one

[wh1t3 and n3rdy]

No multitasking. Game over.

[h3%5kr3w]

I just had a thought.. Maybe it's like the jitterbug version of the i-pod. :D

If this device were: About 2" smaller, had multitasking, supported most audio/video formats, did 1080p, 1 gig/ram, 500gb ssd, had 12 hr battery life, and was about $200 cheaper I could see this being a killer addition to anyone's tech-arsenal, but alas.. I call it fail at the starting line...

You can get a 12" HP touchsmart from walmart for ~$900 that blows this straight out of the water in everything but the screen.

[VaKo]

500GB SSD's are around $1700... you need to be reasonable here. The 32GB/64GB points are prefect for a device of this size.

[h3%5kr3w]

Your right. :X I don't know what I was thinking about on the SSD. I do believe I see where Apple wanted to be with this, and their vision if it were the same as mine is pretty sharp, but I just think they maybe miscalculated themselves somewhere with this thing.

I mainly see this thing coming down to the simplicity of people who want to carry it around all day vs those who don't. I don't think it's going to be a specs deal breaker.

I don't think that most techies will want it either. For one it does not really replace any current devices that are on the market, so that's an addition to what you usually carry around. You still need a laptop if you generally need to bring one around wherever you go like me.

I more or less see this as the Weekend or Friday warrior type of device. Good for bringing to work when you know you don't need a laptop or other device, or maybe if you want to conveniently watch a video outside while you are bbq'ing.

Anyone and everyone these days has either a multimedia enabled cell phone or an mp3/mp4 player. This however would be a cute tech toy for the stay at home mom or elderly couple... But we all know these days, most of these types of people cannot afford something like this.

Also in terms of style this i-Pad device falls WAAYY short. People don't want something that looks like an overgrown i-Pod touch or i-Phone. They want something different. Something that identifies that product as being unique, but an overgrown i-Pod is the first thing that comes to people's minds when they see this thing. They should have changed the bezel and button colors at least. To be frank their design is getting a little dated. It would look pretty bad ass in something like gun metal grey with a dark grey border or something.

Sure the screen is nice, but as far as an e-book reader I am not 100% confident that when it comes down to the price of e-books, that Apple can compete with the likes of other e-book readers unless they sign up with certain companies, and I am not sure if Apple is that lax to sign up with multiple e-book companies or really their vision usually is to add it to the i-store.

[macrohard]

I have to admit, it does look cool.....

My CIO and I talked about it, and whether tablets like it would work and benefit us where we work (a financial institution)

There are currently too many drawbacks that outweigh the benefits currently at the moment for our regular users, IPad would never work for us short of it being used say, in our Marketing department, who currently use Mac laptops.

I don't know, I think I will take a wait and see approach on this one before considering a purchase.

As for hacking......have at it, lets see how it can be liberated..... B)

[555]

Looks like a huge iPhone with no phone capabilitys. (also way over priced)

[VaKo]

Something we all need to remember here, todays biggest selling point for the Touch and iPhone are the apps, something that Apple spent months fighting before they released an SDK. While this device is pointless tech frippery today, it may well be the start of something beautiful.

[subl1m1nal]

Here's my thoughts:

1. No multitasking - Seriously Apple, the little droid in my pocket can multitask...

2. eBook fail - Too late to the market with this. Too many kindles and others out there.

3. No OSX - means not a true tablet. tablets have been running full OSes for a long time.

4. No camera - theyre so cheap to implement. why not?

5. No flash - might have some problems viewing web pages without this.

I think it will fail. I won't buy one. Kindles are cheaper and I have a netbook.

[Netshroud]

Here's my thoughts:

1. No multitasking - Seriously Apple, the little droid in my pocket can multitask...

There are rumors of Multitasking support of iPhone OS 4.0, which is expected around June. It makes sense for Apple to get people hyped and get units out the door soon, and keep working on iPhone OS 4.0, rather than to delay and let competition get ahead.

2. eBook fail - Too late to the market with this. Too many kindles and others out there.

Only time will tell.

3. No OSX - means not a true tablet. tablets have been running full OSes for a long time.

Yet other tablets have fallen flat on their face.

4. No camera - theyre so cheap to implement. why not?

What, you're going to snap a photo with your huge tablet? That's almost as ridiculous as trying to make a phone call with it. Just imagine holding it up to your ear.

5. No flash - might have some problems viewing web pages without this.

Is flash still neccesary? This is a topic of debate, and apparently Flash causes the most crashes by a large margin on Macs.

[VaKo]

A camera would be useful for video conferencing, which a device like this would be perfect for.

Is flash still neccesary? This is a topic of debate, and apparently Flash causes the most crashes by a large margin on Macs.

Yes, it is. Talk of HTML5 video aside (its still a long way off from being used in any more than handful of places on the web) flash is the only way for a large amount of rich media to be delivered on the web. Without it, your missing a huge amount of content. Yeah, you can watch youtube, iplayer and a few others, but thats a tiny amount of sites compared to what you can't browse. Loads of sites support it, Adobe have made it for the iPhone OS and apple don't want it because it will cannibalize app sales (show me 50 apps, and I will show you 45 you could do in flash). As for the crashes, i've heard that stat before but until I see numbers and specifics I'll think its crap.

Apple are good at selling things and marketing, thats why they seem so successful. Remember Steve's big talk about being bigger in mobile devices than Nokia? Nokia sold 432 million phones in 2009 alone. Apple have sold around 40 million iPhones since they started making them.

[subl1m1nal]

There are rumors of Multitasking support of iPhone OS 4.0, which is expected around June. It makes sense for Apple to get people hyped and get units out the door soon, and keep working on iPhone OS 4.0, rather than to delay and let competition get ahead.

They'll probably fix this. But still, I think it's bad PR to release a product that's lacking when your company has been known for releasing innovative products. They're letting their fan base down. I wouldn't say people are "hyped" for it unless they're true apple fanboys/girls.

QUOTE (subl1m1nal @ Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:38:58 +0000)

2. eBook fail - Too late to the market with this. Too many kindles and others out there.

Only time will tell.

I think there are cheaper alternatives. The only reason I can see people wanting an iPad over a Kindle is for games. Most people already have a music player of some kind. But you're right, I guess only time will tell. I think the iPad is Apple's way of trying to improve their media dominance in the eBook market and nothing more. I think it will flop like the Apple TV.

QUOTE (subl1m1nal @ Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:38:58 +0000)

3. No OSX - means not a true tablet. tablets have been running full OSes for a long time.

Yet other tablets have fallen flat on their face.

Very true, but it has been done before. I've supported Windows XP Tablets before in the past and I think they worked out ok.

QUOTE (subl1m1nal @ Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:38:58 +0000)

4. No camera - theyre so cheap to implement. why not?

What, you're going to snap a photo with your huge tablet? That's almost as ridiculous as trying to make a phone call with it. Just imagine holding it up to your ear.

They're cheap and you could use it for iChat or whatever they call it. Not that I'd use it for a camera, but if Apple's calling it a "netbook killer", they at least need to match some of the features. I honestly don't use the camera in my netbook. It's better than carrying an iPad AND a camera. You never know when you'll need it. Also, if they really wanted to, they could enable bluetooth phone calls. Holding that thing up to your head would look rediculous and probably cause brain cancer.

QUOTE (subl1m1nal @ Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:38:58 +0000)

5. No flash - might have some problems viewing web pages without this.

Is flash still neccesary? This is a topic of debate, and apparently Flash causes the most crashes by a large margin on Macs

Are you serious? Think of internet without flash. No Hak5/Revision3. No youtube. No hulu. No stupid facebook games/flash games. No webpage animations. If flash causes crashes on Macs, than Apple should be working with Adobe to fix these problems. It seems they're in a stalemate over some beef that's happened many months ago. It's not good for the Apple community.

[Darkmist!]

if you could write applications for it, then it would be a great hacking tool. you could run all of your wifi cracking sofware on it as well as probably install the metasploit framework. if they hack it to install anything on it i will get one.

[NegativeSpace]

I have to say, I was slightly intrigued by the (always overly dramatic and over hyped) announcement the other day. My first thoughts are that the iPad probably has very little chance of becoming a revolutionary digital age product like the ipod has proved itself to be, but despite that, I believe that the iPad will become very popular within a certain demographic that want's "cool" devices and care little for the functionality. Despite my predictions of popularity, I believe that over the next year or so, consumers will become aware of the redundancy and relative uselessness of what the iPad will most likely turn out to be. I can't believe that a company as forward thinking and 'non mainstream' as Apple has come to the market with such a device. I mean, this device is like a compilation of the most useless features and designs of a collection of great products. The ipod touch is a great device with it's huge collection of useful applications, portability, nice design, etc. Portable touchscreen computers can be very useful and convenient to certain people, especially professionals (though I think most people buy them because they are cool). "Adequately powered" sub-compact devices such as the Cherrypal Africa, and an array of other devices, employ a very cool concept with their ability to provide (even if only in theory) what people genuinely need in portable digital hardware at low cost. All that said, I think the iPad is destined to become an exercise in all of the things that are wrong with those previously mentioned devices. I think the iPad is too big for it's intended purposes. If the ipad is in fact ARM based, many of its potential capabilities seem to have been overlooked by it's designers. The way that Apple has priced these things is kind of silly. Having the option of 3G, rather than the standard that it should be, means that many people who end up owning iPads will not be able to use their hardware in it's most obvious and useful application, and I believe that those users lacking 3G will find the iPad to have the exact same capabilities as an ipod touch. Not having 3G standard is a big mistake, as many people who would have considered buying one of these things will be forced to decide, when the decision should have never been a factor in hardware choice. Added to the apparent situation of most iphone users being unhappy with their 3G service, is the most likely event that iPad 3G service will suck just as bad. So what is the iPad actually useful for? I mean, when people start getting their hands on these things, what are they going to use them for? I'm afraid that most people will find that they paid way to much for a netbook with well below average functionality and ability, and a crappy virtual keyboard. Also, because of the price of these things, I believe that many people are going to be reluctant to use their iPads for the abilities that they actually do have, opting instead to keep them on a desk at home, and to use them as a secondary home "computer". If the iPad were priced at $299, had a traditional "clamshell" design with a real keyboard, standard 3G, removable storage options like an SDHC or maybe a dockable flash drive, some more price appropriate sensors such as a camera and microphone, a real operating system instead of basically being a bloated iphone, software wise, and a removable/replaceable battery, it might have a chance at being a good device. As it stands, the iPad is not a good device, and I don't think that non-Apple fanatic extremists are going to be buying these things.

[Whig]

if you could write applications for it, then it would be a great hacking tool. you could run all of your wifi cracking sofware on it as well as probably install the metasploit framework. if they hack it to install anything on it i will get one.

Why would anybody buy iPad when there is joojoo: https://thejoojoo.com/ ?

[subl1m1nal]

Interesting Whig. Definitely looks like an iPad competitor. Runs flash, has camera and USB port. It's $500, same as the iPad, but the real question: does it run linux? Chrome maybe?

Is the battery replacable?

However, the battery life isn't as good as the iPad. Hackability will make or break this product.

[h3%5kr3w]

@NegativeSpace

I can't believe that a company as forward thinking and 'non mainstream' as Apple has come to the market with such a device.

Actually it's the complete opposite. What Apple does, and what made the i-Pod and i-Phone what it is, is make it uber-mainstream to the point that it looks really cool, but still really easy to use. You have to remember there was nothing 'revolutionary' at all about the i-pod. Multitouch has been around for ages. MP3 players completely dominated the market when the i-Pod came out, and gaming/mp3/multiuse apps were available on cell phones at that time and before, AND flash support on a few phones. The only thing that made it what it was, was all the features in one device that was widely available... And that's about it. The only other thing was that it was hyped as the best thing since the wheel was invented.

The reason why I don't believe that this i-Pad will even poke it's head above water in the market is the fact that it does NOT have anything that is not already out there, it is LIMITED even more so than anything out there now and does not incorporate one single feature that is not already packed into other devices.

To make things worse with the fact that it does not multitask or anything else is a very big problem with the device, because what it tells me is that it's going to go for further hype. IE their i-Phone strategy.

1. Come out with the device, have it do not very much, hype it as much as possible.

2. Come out with a revision and make it even more hyped

3. Come out with a revision and add... ONE single feature that should have been on the original

4. Come out with a revision and add... Two single features that people have been bitching about it not having since the beginning.

5. repeat and stop support on subsequent versions, and on the last version drop the price.

With this strategy sure it worked with the i-Pod and i-Phone, but this comes with a big price now, because the fact is the market have learned to maneuver Apple on everything it comes out with by making products that has all in one, for a lower price, make it more widely available, with better support than in the past. This is showing to be very apparent with Android, and also even for the Blackberry these days.

I rarely see anyone anymore with an i-Phone.

[NegativeSpace]

@NegativeSpace

Actually it's the complete opposite. What Apple does, and what made the i-Pod and i-Phone what it is, is make it uber-mainstream to the point that it looks really cool, but still really easy to use. You have to remember there was nothing 'revolutionary' at all about the i-pod.

By 'non-mainstream', im talking about the company itself, not the product. By saying that the ipod was revolutionary, I am more referring to what happened as a direct result of the marketing of the ipod, and not the design or function of the ipod. Just imagine where we might be with portable devices if the ipod had never been made. Possibly one of the biggest things that happened was the waking up of electronics companies to the fact that people love these kinds of devices. The iPad will cause no such revolution in thinking and manufacturing practices. I have to disagree with you that the ipod was uber-mainstream. I would call cell phones, home computers, and certain other types of products as mainstream, but not the ipod. The ipod was directly marketed to a specific set of demographics, and those people represent the largest portion of sales. I'm afraid that Apple is going to make the mistake of trying to market the iPad to the same general crowd when it should probably be marketed as a mainstream product if Apple wants it to have big sales outside of fans and rich people. As it's already been said by many people such as yourself, the iPad doesn't do anything 'new', but once again, Apple has hyped it to be a brand new idea in computing. Maybe myself and many others will be proven wrong in the near future, but at this point all I have to say to Apple is HAHAHAHAHAHA Pwn3d!

[NegativeSpace]

Quotes don't seem to be working for me lately, human error no doubt. I'm a forums noob

[moonlit]

Quotes don't seem to be working for me lately, human error no doubt. I'm a forums noob

Fixed.