And much like The One Ring, the iPad will turn you into a weak, sniveling, evil creature. Just go look at the people in lines at the Apple stores. That's just...unnatural.
Location: The darkest timeline in the disputed territories of eastern NC
Saturday, April 3rd, 2010 - 1:54pm
Give it a week or two for the novelty of it to wear off, then people will notice the things that aren't quite perfect about its hardware design. But it's hands-down the most usable tablet I've ever held. Certainly it's good enough for me to have to remember that I can reply to threads on GWJ using it.
Good grief. Am I going to have to throw these things into the lava in some remote volcano to save mankind?
Quintin_Stone wrote:
The video message is from a gray tabby cat wearing a tiny dollhouse on its head as a hat. ... We try to tell them not to land, because of the dinosaurs, but our message isn't getting through.
To be honest, I expected more of a love-fest than what it has generated so far. I keep hoping around to different sites, and the response seems to be very muted so far. The people that have them really like them, but that quantity of people seem few and far between.
I wonder if Apple's history of price drops have first-month adopters hesitant to jump in? I don't see how they could drop it much below where they are, but maybe they'll release something with more functionality (camera?) for the same price relatively soon?
I think the only thing that prevented me from getting it (despite my actual need being more of what the MS device is potentially going to provide) is that there's not a retailer with it within 100 miles of me!
Muted? Pretty glowing reviews and ridiculous sales numbers is what I saw. 700k units in one day. It took them over two months to sell a million iPhones. The real proof will be in about two quarters and one hardware rev from now of course.
I've had times I thought, "Man, a netbook would really help me out here." And I got one.
But I haven't yet run into a situation where I thought, "Man, an iPad would really help me out here." So I didn't get one.
Quintin_Stone wrote:
The video message is from a gray tabby cat wearing a tiny dollhouse on its head as a hat. ... We try to tell them not to land, because of the dinosaurs, but our message isn't getting through.
Muted? Pretty glowing reviews and ridiculous sales numbers is what I saw. 700k units in one day. It took them over two months to sell a million iPhones. The real proof will be in about two quarters and one hardware rev from now of course.
And yet here there are 2-3 pages tops after 2 days, and on Ars Technica there are a few people discussing having bought one (with more saying their holding off). I've got one person on facebook that bought one, and 2 others saying they were considering it.
I'm not saying that it was not a success, but it does not seem to have generated the discussion outside of the blog's/review outlets that I would have expected. I was hoping to fuel my decision based on the 15 pages of discussion generated here over the past 24 hours, and that did not happen. Damn you internets! You're not living up to my needed expectations!
Well, that's a start. Is it really? No one who is not well connected actually has the "iPhone" equivalent of it yet, just WiFi. I believe it is more than an iPhone/iPod touch, and all the media outlets seem to indicate that (with a few notable exceptions), but is it really? Is the larger size and more powerful processor actually making it a DS/PSP killer too? Is it also a portable DVD killer? Is it a home media killer? It seems to be hovering on the edge of a heck of a lot more than a fat iPhone.
A lot of the conversation here is going on in the Games forum. For example:
LeapingGnome wrote:
After playing with 'our' 32GB for a little while today my wife decided she wanted one for herself, after initially saying last night she didn't understand the point it is just a big iPhone (she has been an iPhone user since launch). I think it is one of those things you really need to use to see the usefulness.
So... it's a tablet that functions a lot like a netbook? Despite all the info out there about the thing I confess I still don't quite understand what it's supposed to be.
If a person wanted something to replace a busted laptop, didn't want to spend the dough on a full on replacement for said laptop, and only wanted said device to browse the internet with and maybe watch an occasional movie or play a game on... is this the thing? Does Apple finally make something I actually want?
If so, somebody better check Hell. It's probably packed with ice flows and happy snowmen.
If you can put up with the fact that you need to hook it up to something that runs iTunes for certain basic functions like syncing music or doing OS updates, then yes this is your dream internet/video/simple games appliance.
Safari is in many ways much better on the iPad than on a regular laptop. Same with the video playback and of course things like the book app.
After my weekend with it, I can say that it's definately replacing something for me: my laptop.
No, I'm not taking my MacBook Air and throwing it out the window. But I didn't use it all weekend, and that's pretty unheard of for me. I wrote a 2,000 word article on it without any difficulty, I did all my various couch-surfing and gaming on it, checked twitter, IMd with friends. The line between what it is and full-laptop replacement is really very thin at the moment, and I imagine that line gets thinner.
Perhaps the best experience was when my near-70-year-old mom came over for Easter brunch. I couldn't pry the thing away from her. She's generally a technophobe, but has grown reasonably comfortable with her Mac over the years. Her computer use profile is super simple: email, surfing, media consumption, simple games. She spent hours doing just these things on the iPad without me ever showing her anything. She ordered one before she left my house.
That it's small enough that it fits in her purse, and can do 12 hours of surfing and games on a charge (so far that's been my experience) is a big win too. There's zero chance she's going to use a non-Mac netbook.
If you already own a netbook, an iPhone and a DSi? It doesn't naturally replace any one of these things perfectly. But it *might* replace your netbook and DSi.
I'm excited to test out the 10 hour battery life watching Videos when I fly to LA next week. I'm hoping to get 2 or 3 movies out of it on the flight over.
Aint nothing new about the world order..it's been playing since the day they put George Washington on a quarter
Well, I'll keep considering it, though I'll be hard pressed to justify it for that price.
Yeah, I'm with you. If I didn't already have a netbook, I would consider it a lot more seriously. The price is still pretty ridiculous IMO, but I can see the appeal of it for the market of people with an obsolete laptop or the crowd who hasn't actually gotten a netbook yet.
Still, though. Quality netbooks can be had for 300 dollars or less. hard to justify doubling the price on something with less capability.
Muted? Pretty glowing reviews and ridiculous sales numbers is what I saw. 700k units in one day. It took them over two months to sell a million iPhones. The real proof will be in about two quarters and one hardware rev from now of course.
Apple is now reporting sales of just 300K on Saturday including pre-orders.
I am really intrigued by the IPad as a fun device for the couch and coffee shop, but like Seth and Thin_J there is no way I can justify the price, especially as I already have a very capabale laptop that I already use in those locations and which I can also use for business.
Cut the price nearly in half, shave a few more ounces off and then we will talk, in other words I think I will wait 16 months for a couple of revisions.
I am curious how Rabbit and other new owners feel about the concerns raised in this article?
Posting on the boards is easy. The trick is to kick someone's ass the first day, or become someone's bitch. Chiggie Von Richthofen on how to transition from lurker to poster.
I want to get one but right now it doesn't do anything well. It's a giant ipod touch and without supporting high res 16x9 display, I really wouldn't want to use it for movies. I want multi tasking and flash/html5 support. I used one for about an hour and the keyboard doesn't work for me. I like the iPhone keyboard because the size is perfect for my thumbs to type but putting the thing down and typing without any tacticle feedback sucks. I wouldn't be able to use it for actual work.
I think v2.0 will be the one to buy
Tanglebones wrote:
Ulairi wrote:
If your DM isn't allowing player agency in your table top game, I feel bad for you, son. I got 99 modules, with a Lich in one.
I think if the iPad does something for you, and you enjoy using it without being stymied by the potential awkwardness of touch-screen typing, and limited portability if you don't carry a purse, then by all means, use and enjoy.
For myself, it took some time to learn my lesson, but it comes down to this:
I wanted a laptop, bought one, and discovered I really had no use for one.
I wanted an iPod Touch, but prefer my Zune for music, so it became an app toy, and little else. I barely ever use it now.
I wanted a netbook because they were "new" and small and cool. I don't think I've ever actually used my netbook for anything. I poked around on it when I got it, and I occasionally turn it on to... do nothing with it.
I think I've learned my lesson not to be tempted by the shiny and new. The iPad serves no practical purpose for me.
TempestBlayze wrote:
Mike, you're like Francis in L4D. You hate everything.
As much as I can't see the usefulness of the iPad for my personal life, I think in 10-20 years we'll consider it the nascent ancestor of the majority of tech products we all use.
I mean look at it. it's basically a tricorder -- another step in the inevitable evolution of computers from both ends (desktops evolving to get smaller, to laptops and then netbooks, while cell phones get larger and more powerful).
This product lacks some capabilities, but it's certainly an interesting step. The problem is that it's not TOO far from competing directly with the next gen cell phones (the HTC Evo already competes with it to some extent -- who puts 720p HD-out on a smartphone?).
A lot of the negative conversation here is the same as what takes place when any first generation device hits the market, Kindle, iPod, iPhone, netbook, etc. Hell, probably even cellular phones, once upon a time (why would I ever need to get a hold of someone at any given moment? Or to be gotten a hold of? Humbug!) And as techno-geeks, pointing out that there's no perceivable need at the moment is an excellent reason for not purchasing one, even if it's kind of missing the point, since these types of devices tend to prove that "need" is a moving target. But it's not a good reason for arguing against the device's quality. I mean, I don't need (and can't afford) a Porsche, but I'm not going to claim it's an inferior or flawed product.
NSMike wrote:
I think I've learned my lesson not to be tempted by the shiny and new. The iPad serves no practical purpose for me.
I've definitely learned my lesson on first generation anything, but it's exciting to see how the tablet market is developing. Whether or not you think it's a step in the right direction, the iPad has set the bar for every tablet-like device that's going to follow in the next year. Which should be great both for feature and price competition. I don't think the HP Slate is going to fare nearly as well, but whatever they screw up will serve as a warning to everyone else (Courier tablet, a WP7 tablet, Android, anything.)
Has anyone tried out the Marvel Comics application? Nostalgic complaints about the trading and feel of comics aside (and ones I think are overstated, as digital markets mature and change to accommodate those concepts), one of the reasons I stopped reading comics was the cost and that they take up so much damn space. A subscription service or $2 issues would be an intriguing selling point for me (for comics, not the iPad yet. I'm not $500 flush right now.)
Edit: Also, $500 seems like a lot, but as others have been said, it's a first generation device. I was one of the first wave Kindle owners, and that set me back $400. And considering it was sold out for the first five months of production, and exorbitant prices on eBay, it doesn't seem like I was alone.
A few comments reference the relative cost of netbooks to the iPad, but again, the eeePC debuted at $400, same as the Kindle, and that's the device that defined the netbook market. Now look at the options and prices available to the consumer at large.
It's just not a good reason for arguing against the device's quality. I mean, I don't need (and can't afford) a Porsche, but I'm not going to claim it's a inferior or flawed product.
I... don't think I did in my post.
unntrlaffinity wrote:
Also, $500 seems like a lot, but as others have been said, it's a first generation device.
It's a first-gen Apple device. Generally, Apple doesn't do price drops until either the next gen is released, or a competitor (a real one, not, for example, something like the Joo Joo) undercuts them.
TempestBlayze wrote:
Mike, you're like Francis in L4D. You hate everything.
Has anyone tried out the Marvel Comics application? Nostalgic complaints about the trading and feel of comics aside (and ones I think are overstated, as digital markets mature and change to accommodate those concepts), one of the reasons I stopped reading comics was the cost and that they take up so much damn space. A subscription service or $2 issues would be an intriguing selling point for me (for comics, not the iPad yet. I'm not $500 flush right now.)
I think the Marvel Comics app will be cool but I still like buying paper comics so for me it's not a buy-in app. I think the product is very well designed and feels great. But, it doesn't do ANYTHING that I cannot do better on other devices. It's too big to carry around with me like my smart phone, it is almost as big as my macbook and my macbook can actual do real work, and it isn't a great media device until it supports 16x9 high res display with flash/html5. Also, the thing needs multi tasking. I like being able to do multiple things at the same time and for something that is supposed to "replace" something in mylife it better do what my smart phone can do.
Tanglebones wrote:
Ulairi wrote:
If your DM isn't allowing player agency in your table top game, I feel bad for you, son. I got 99 modules, with a Lich in one.
Thanks for the in depth review. I guess that really is all we need to know.
Steam~Twitter~Raptr~B.Net
Mystic Violet wrote:
From every web site and Twitter post about it I've seen today, that is pretty much all there is to it.
Staats wrote:
Geek Bravado | Twitter | Flickr
And much like The One Ring, the iPad will turn you into a weak, sniveling, evil creature. Just go look at the people in lines at the Apple stores. That's just...unnatural.
Smidgen PC - Big News About Tiny PCs
Give it a week or two for the novelty of it to wear off, then people will notice the things that aren't quite perfect about its hardware design. But it's hands-down the most usable tablet I've ever held. Certainly it's good enough for me to have to remember that I can reply to threads on GWJ using it.
Xbox Live | Steam | PSN | Battle.net: Kurrelgyre.651
Good grief. Am I going to have to throw these things into the lava in some remote volcano to save mankind?
Quintin_Stone wrote:
Smidgen PC - Big News About Tiny PCs
To be honest, I expected more of a love-fest than what it has generated so far. I keep hoping around to different sites, and the response seems to be very muted so far. The people that have them really like them, but that quantity of people seem few and far between.
I wonder if Apple's history of price drops have first-month adopters hesitant to jump in? I don't see how they could drop it much below where they are, but maybe they'll release something with more functionality (camera?) for the same price relatively soon?
I think the only thing that prevented me from getting it (despite my actual need being more of what the MS device is potentially going to provide) is that there's not a retailer with it within 100 miles of me!
Muted? Pretty glowing reviews and ridiculous sales numbers is what I saw. 700k units in one day. It took them over two months to sell a million iPhones. The real proof will be in about two quarters and one hardware rev from now of course.
Last.fm | Twitter
"Publishers still speak in hushed tones about el bunny de la muerte." - *Legion*
I've had times I thought, "Man, a netbook would really help me out here." And I got one.
But I haven't yet run into a situation where I thought, "Man, an iPad would really help me out here." So I didn't get one.
Quintin_Stone wrote:
And yet here there are 2-3 pages tops after 2 days, and on Ars Technica there are a few people discussing having bought one (with more saying their holding off). I've got one person on facebook that bought one, and 2 others saying they were considering it.
I'm not saying that it was not a success, but it does not seem to have generated the discussion outside of the blog's/review outlets that I would have expected. I was hoping to fuel my decision based on the 15 pages of discussion generated here over the past 24 hours, and that did not happen. Damn you internets! You're not living up to my needed expectations!
It's just a fat iPhone. What's to talk about?
Elewis17 wrote:
Well, that's a start. Is it really? No one who is not well connected actually has the "iPhone" equivalent of it yet, just WiFi. I believe it is more than an iPhone/iPod touch, and all the media outlets seem to indicate that (with a few notable exceptions), but is it really? Is the larger size and more powerful processor actually making it a DS/PSP killer too? Is it also a portable DVD killer? Is it a home media killer? It seems to be hovering on the edge of a heck of a lot more than a fat iPhone.
Gah! It's the iCertis!
TempestBlayze wrote:
XBox Live
Steam
A lot of the conversation here is going on in the Games forum. For example:
I agree with this completely.
I like mine. It looks like a big iPhone but it doesn't feel like one.
Xbox Live: psu13
So... it's a tablet that functions a lot like a netbook? Despite all the info out there about the thing I confess I still don't quite understand what it's supposed to be.
If a person wanted something to replace a busted laptop, didn't want to spend the dough on a full on replacement for said laptop, and only wanted said device to browse the internet with and maybe watch an occasional movie or play a game on... is this the thing? Does Apple finally make something I actually want?
If so, somebody better check Hell. It's probably packed with ice flows and happy snowmen.
XBLive: Thin J | PSN: Thin_J | Battle.net: ThinJ.284
You know stuff. - MannishBoy
If you can put up with the fact that you need to hook it up to something that runs iTunes for certain basic functions like syncing music or doing OS updates, then yes this is your dream internet/video/simple games appliance.
Safari is in many ways much better on the iPad than on a regular laptop. Same with the video playback and of course things like the book app.
Xbox Live: psu13
After my weekend with it, I can say that it's definately replacing something for me: my laptop.
No, I'm not taking my MacBook Air and throwing it out the window. But I didn't use it all weekend, and that's pretty unheard of for me. I wrote a 2,000 word article on it without any difficulty, I did all my various couch-surfing and gaming on it, checked twitter, IMd with friends. The line between what it is and full-laptop replacement is really very thin at the moment, and I imagine that line gets thinner.
Perhaps the best experience was when my near-70-year-old mom came over for Easter brunch. I couldn't pry the thing away from her. She's generally a technophobe, but has grown reasonably comfortable with her Mac over the years. Her computer use profile is super simple: email, surfing, media consumption, simple games. She spent hours doing just these things on the iPad without me ever showing her anything. She ordered one before she left my house.
That it's small enough that it fits in her purse, and can do 12 hours of surfing and games on a charge (so far that's been my experience) is a big win too. There's zero chance she's going to use a non-Mac netbook.
If you already own a netbook, an iPhone and a DSi? It doesn't naturally replace any one of these things perfectly. But it *might* replace your netbook and DSi.
Last.fm | Twitter
"Publishers still speak in hushed tones about el bunny de la muerte." - *Legion*
I'm excited to test out the 10 hour battery life watching Videos when I fly to LA next week. I'm hoping to get 2 or 3 movies out of it on the flight over.
Aint nothing new about the world order..it's been playing since the day they put George Washington on a quarter
85's face the truth you're too dumb.
If you haven't seen it yet, the FCC teardown of the iPad. Reportedly, the logic board pictured there is about the same size as an iPhone.
TempestBlayze wrote:
XBox Live
Steam
Well, I'll keep considering it, though I'll be hard pressed to justify it for that price.
XBLive: Thin J | PSN: Thin_J | Battle.net: ThinJ.284
You know stuff. - MannishBoy
Yeah, I'm with you. If I didn't already have a netbook, I would consider it a lot more seriously. The price is still pretty ridiculous IMO, but I can see the appeal of it for the market of people with an obsolete laptop or the crowd who hasn't actually gotten a netbook yet.
Still, though. Quality netbooks can be had for 300 dollars or less. hard to justify doubling the price on something with less capability.
The Michigan Beer Blog
Apple is now reporting sales of just 300K on Saturday including pre-orders.
I am really intrigued by the IPad as a fun device for the couch and coffee shop, but like Seth and Thin_J there is no way I can justify the price, especially as I already have a very capabale laptop that I already use in those locations and which I can also use for business.
Cut the price nearly in half, shave a few more ounces off and then we will talk, in other words I think I will wait 16 months for a couple of revisions.
I am curious how Rabbit and other new owners feel about the concerns raised in this article?
Posting on the boards is easy. The trick is to kick someone's ass the first day, or become someone's bitch. Chiggie Von Richthofen on how to transition from lurker to poster.
I want to get one but right now it doesn't do anything well. It's a giant ipod touch and without supporting high res 16x9 display, I really wouldn't want to use it for movies. I want multi tasking and flash/html5 support. I used one for about an hour and the keyboard doesn't work for me. I like the iPhone keyboard because the size is perfect for my thumbs to type but putting the thing down and typing without any tacticle feedback sucks. I wouldn't be able to use it for actual work.
I think v2.0 will be the one to buy
Tanglebones wrote:
I think if the iPad does something for you, and you enjoy using it without being stymied by the potential awkwardness of touch-screen typing, and limited portability if you don't carry a purse, then by all means, use and enjoy.
For myself, it took some time to learn my lesson, but it comes down to this:
I wanted a laptop, bought one, and discovered I really had no use for one.
I wanted an iPod Touch, but prefer my Zune for music, so it became an app toy, and little else. I barely ever use it now.
I wanted a netbook because they were "new" and small and cool. I don't think I've ever actually used my netbook for anything. I poked around on it when I got it, and I occasionally turn it on to... do nothing with it.
I think I've learned my lesson not to be tempted by the shiny and new. The iPad serves no practical purpose for me.
TempestBlayze wrote:
XBox Live
Steam
As much as I can't see the usefulness of the iPad for my personal life, I think in 10-20 years we'll consider it the nascent ancestor of the majority of tech products we all use.
I mean look at it. it's basically a tricorder -- another step in the inevitable evolution of computers from both ends (desktops evolving to get smaller, to laptops and then netbooks, while cell phones get larger and more powerful).
This product lacks some capabilities, but it's certainly an interesting step. The problem is that it's not TOO far from competing directly with the next gen cell phones (the HTC Evo already competes with it to some extent -- who puts 720p HD-out on a smartphone?).
The Michigan Beer Blog
The price might seem unreal for those who entered Appledom via a subsidized iPhone purchase but it not outside their norm for 1st gen hardware.
The lack of multi-tasking prevented my purchase. It's only a matter of time for that to happen, hopefully.
Calvin: The world is a complicated place, Hobbes.
Hobbes: Whenever it seems that way, I take a nap in a tree and wait for dinner.
A lot of the negative conversation here is the same as what takes place when any first generation device hits the market, Kindle, iPod, iPhone, netbook, etc. Hell, probably even cellular phones, once upon a time (why would I ever need to get a hold of someone at any given moment? Or to be gotten a hold of? Humbug!) And as techno-geeks, pointing out that there's no perceivable need at the moment is an excellent reason for not purchasing one, even if it's kind of missing the point, since these types of devices tend to prove that "need" is a moving target. But it's not a good reason for arguing against the device's quality. I mean, I don't need (and can't afford) a Porsche, but I'm not going to claim it's an inferior or flawed product.
I've definitely learned my lesson on first generation anything, but it's exciting to see how the tablet market is developing. Whether or not you think it's a step in the right direction, the iPad has set the bar for every tablet-like device that's going to follow in the next year. Which should be great both for feature and price competition. I don't think the HP Slate is going to fare nearly as well, but whatever they screw up will serve as a warning to everyone else (Courier tablet, a WP7 tablet, Android, anything.)
Has anyone tried out the Marvel Comics application? Nostalgic complaints about the trading and feel of comics aside (and ones I think are overstated, as digital markets mature and change to accommodate those concepts), one of the reasons I stopped reading comics was the cost and that they take up so much damn space. A subscription service or $2 issues would be an intriguing selling point for me (for comics, not the iPad yet. I'm not $500 flush right now.)
Edit: Also, $500 seems like a lot, but as others have been said, it's a first generation device. I was one of the first wave Kindle owners, and that set me back $400. And considering it was sold out for the first five months of production, and exorbitant prices on eBay, it doesn't seem like I was alone.
A few comments reference the relative cost of netbooks to the iPad, but again, the eeePC debuted at $400, same as the Kindle, and that's the device that defined the netbook market. Now look at the options and prices available to the consumer at large.
"YOU SPOIL, YOU GET SPOILED! AAAAHAHAHAHAHA!"
I... don't think I did in my post.
It's a first-gen Apple device. Generally, Apple doesn't do price drops until either the next gen is released, or a competitor (a real one, not, for example, something like the Joo Joo) undercuts them.
TempestBlayze wrote:
XBox Live
Steam
I think the Marvel Comics app will be cool but I still like buying paper comics so for me it's not a buy-in app. I think the product is very well designed and feels great. But, it doesn't do ANYTHING that I cannot do better on other devices. It's too big to carry around with me like my smart phone, it is almost as big as my macbook and my macbook can actual do real work, and it isn't a great media device until it supports 16x9 high res display with flash/html5. Also, the thing needs multi tasking. I like being able to do multiple things at the same time and for something that is supposed to "replace" something in mylife it better do what my smart phone can do.
Tanglebones wrote: