Slog
News & ArtsWednesday, January 27, 2010
Tech Will You Buy an iPad?
Posted by Paul Constant on Wed, Jan 27, 2010 at 11:37 AM
Yesterday, you were unimpressed. Today, we know more about the iPad, with e-reading, optional 3G connectivity, games, and movies. You can read the basics here and here. The cheapest will cost $499 for 16 gigs and no 3G. The most expensive is $829 for 64gs, with 3G and WiFi.
So let's ask again:
2
Eventually, yeah. I'd like to see it do a bit more heavy lifting than iPhone apps first, but I like what I've seen.
3
It's not going to replace my iPod, or any other carry-with media; it has hardly any storage. 64 Gb tops. My iPod has 148.79, and it's almost full.
4
@1: The service plan is a steal...unless you're already paying for 3G on your iPhone. Why the fuck are they making their customers pay twice for the same service???
6
@1 - nice try Apple. iPhone as big as a laptop? I think I'll just keep my laptop and iPhone and pass. I love mac products but I'm skipping this one.
7
Yeah, double-dipping for 3G is ridiculous. You're not going to use your iPod and iPad at the same time. If it's still AT&T, how could they *not* announce some sort of small add-on fee for using both devices? Plus, this thing has no camera, no GPS, can't multitask, and 16GB for the $499 version - really? Pretty underwhelming - just a bigger iPod Touch, really. And if you want to use a keyboard you have to buy their "keyboard dock", not use your own USB or Bluetooth keyboard, at least it seems that way. Not that I can afford something like this anyway...
9
In a year, when I can spend $600 for the useful one? Yep! I dig it. Only question is, will I keep the iPhone, or get a tiny cheap phone and carry this thing around? Or ditch the phone altogether and use Skype? Not sure. But I'm always Apple's target audience (yes, h8rs, a clueless brainwashed 24/7 swallower of Job's overpriced spunk), and I totally get this thing. Want.
What I really wish they had is a phone version of the shuffle to go along with this thing. A tiny pretty cheap in-ear device that does nothing but handle voice for $10/mo or whatever.
What I really wish they had is a phone version of the shuffle to go along with this thing. A tiny pretty cheap in-ear device that does nothing but handle voice for $10/mo or whatever.
10
@1, the service plan for the Kindle is pretty good. Free forever. Hmm. This thing is $360 a year on top of your phone contract.
The storage is a biggie. It's permanently tethered to another computer to swap media in and out, unless you only stream online. Obviously that's what they expect you to do, but that doesn't seem like enough for large music libraries or even small video ones.
The storage is a biggie. It's permanently tethered to another computer to swap media in and out, unless you only stream online. Obviously that's what they expect you to do, but that doesn't seem like enough for large music libraries or even small video ones.
11
I agree, don't get the first generation Apple product. I would wait awhile until they up the storage on the iPad to at least 128GB and work out the problems that will happen with this first series.
But honestly the pricing is a little less than I thought.
Ask us in 8 months if we'll get one.
But honestly the pricing is a little less than I thought.
Ask us in 8 months if we'll get one.
12
There's always something that they leave us screaming about (I am not paying for data twice, bitches! And where the fuck is the camera?!) so that they can triumphantly announce 6 months later that things now work the way they should have to begin with. Which is why sane people wait.
14
If somebody comes out with a few 'killer apps' for music performance, like a cross between a cut-down version of Ableton Live and the existing Beatmaker iPhone app, I'd love to Velcro an iPad to the top of my keyboard rig instead of using a laptop + hardware control surface.
Check out how much a Jazz Mutant "Lemur" costs. This thing could take the place of a Lemur and a laptop if somebody writes the right live-performance music app for it.
Check out how much a Jazz Mutant "Lemur" costs. This thing could take the place of a Lemur and a laptop if somebody writes the right live-performance music app for it.
15
@10, I gave up on storing my music and movies on my mobile devices long ago--I have a 1TB drive 80% full of that stuff, so I already have to create playlists and select certain stuff for uploading. But as a mobile user, the idea of ditching the macbook pro for casual reading, surfing, coffee-shop type stuff is quite appealing. I appreciate what the iPhone tries to do re: surfing & e-mail, but I have big paws and the little keypad (not to mention the small screen & my aging eyes) isn't quite right for me.
If this thing will run skype I can eliminate the phone, ipod and the laptop, pay far less, have access to just about everything and enjoy using it. Yes, the Kindle has no monthly fee, but it's also a one-trick pony that this trumps in just about every meaningful way.
If this thing will run skype I can eliminate the phone, ipod and the laptop, pay far less, have access to just about everything and enjoy using it. Yes, the Kindle has no monthly fee, but it's also a one-trick pony that this trumps in just about every meaningful way.
17
If this thing was compatible with Wacom-type stylii, it would be a great on-the-go sketchbook/drawing device, and I'd be tempted just by that. Not so sure I'd want to be limited to drawing with my fingers, though...
18
People also need to stop comparing this with a Kindle. They're two different devices with to different functions. If you need something to compare an iPad to, do it to a netbook.
19
#18 is right. The Kindle is a $489 device that only runs proprietary ebooks in monochrome. The iPad is a $499 device of the same form that runs proprietary ebooks in color HD, open ebooks, e-mail, web browsing, videos, music, photos, maps, games, audiobooks, documents, a million apps, etc etc etc etc.
Completely different! E-INK!!!!!!!!!111
Completely different! E-INK!!!!!!!!!111
20
@18, one of the key areas Apple is targeting with this device is e-book sales to the extent that they've got an iTunes-style store set up for e-books. Between that an NYT, why wouldn't we compare the two things? They are two totally different devices, but saying that they have different functions is just incorrect. Both are electronic book shopper/readers. Where's the disconnect?
21
I'll probably also wait and see what the 2nd gen of these things is like, but the presentation today upgraded me from yesterday's "can't imagine ever wanting one" to "wish I had that instead of my Macbook"
22
It's a very cool toy, but I have no need for one in my life.
#21 - Really? But a Macbook is a legitimate tool, the iPad (ew!) —best I can tell—is just a dedicated content delivery device.
#21 - Really? But a Macbook is a legitimate tool, the iPad (ew!) —best I can tell—is just a dedicated content delivery device.
24
@20: I guess I should have been more specific, because you're right there is a segment of the future iPad owners who would consider it a replacement for a Kindle so for that segment I suppose it's fine. However for the rest of the people who would want to buy an Apple branded tablet computer as a replacement for...something, I don't feel it's fair to compare.
I'm personally really disappointed in today's announcement as I look at the iPad compared to a netbook, MacBook Pro and iPhone all of which I already own and the iPad can't do a reasonable job of replacing any of them. Maybe if I had $500 and wanted a giant replacement for the Touch I never use I'd look at one but outside of that I don't see the point.
@19: I'm not white-knighting the Kindle because I think it's a flawed device, but I would never buy an LCD screen book reader. It's murder for your eyes, so yes E-ink really is worth it. Also the BASE Kindle model has 3G connectivity that's free. The same can't be said for the iPad.
I'm personally really disappointed in today's announcement as I look at the iPad compared to a netbook, MacBook Pro and iPhone all of which I already own and the iPad can't do a reasonable job of replacing any of them. Maybe if I had $500 and wanted a giant replacement for the Touch I never use I'd look at one but outside of that I don't see the point.
@19: I'm not white-knighting the Kindle because I think it's a flawed device, but I would never buy an LCD screen book reader. It's murder for your eyes, so yes E-ink really is worth it. Also the BASE Kindle model has 3G connectivity that's free. The same can't be said for the iPad.
25
@22, probably 99% of what I use my Macbook for is content delivery*, and it's almost light enough to be able to lie back and read from, but not quite.
27
iPad? Really? It sounds like they're making tampons and pads now. My data flow is really heavy today... but my iPad has wings... so it's ok.
29
#24: Lol it's so hard to read without e-inkz. Good thing I read all my Slog comments and news and e-mails on e-inkz or else I'd be blind because of all the murders on my eyes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
30
@24: Thank you. The iPad's main function (contrary to what @20 suggests) is not book reading anymore than an iPhone's main function is music playing or a netbook's is web programming. Yes, you can do these things on said items but they're not dedicated to that single function.
iPad is no more an e-book reader than the iPhone was. People who actually want to read on a device will stick with e-ink (I hope! If the only item I can buy to replace my Sony years down the road is an iPad--or some other backlit POS--I will shed yet another tear and go back to watching my HD-DVDs).
iPad is no more an e-book reader than the iPhone was. People who actually want to read on a device will stick with e-ink (I hope! If the only item I can buy to replace my Sony years down the road is an iPad--or some other backlit POS--I will shed yet another tear and go back to watching my HD-DVDs).
31
@10, I'm seeing it as a replacement for traveling with a laptop. Not much storage, but my google docs, gmail, and gchat don't need any. And at home, with a keyboard doc (and can I use an external hard drive?) there's no difference between it and my laptop--at the same pricepoint, of course, but this one is much more portable (1.5 lbs? heck yes). It's like they finally figured out how to make a massmarket Powerbook Duo.
@27, I had the same thought, but you phrased it better.
@27, I had the same thought, but you phrased it better.
32
First rule of thrifty spending on internet technology: NEVER buy it first-gen. It's slower and more expensive than the inevitable 2.0 version.
33
It's different than your laptop in that it can't run any non-app software, and if you want to put any content on it, you need to sync it with a computer...unless you're going to buy all your media in iTunes. And even then, I doubt you'd be able to hook up an external drive and back things up. This doesn't sound like it will work for a casual user's only computer...?
34
no. between a smartphone and a laptop (and you can get tablet laptops now), I don't see a need. it's too big to be really mobile and too small and not as broadly applicable as a laptop. ymmv.
35
Okay... No mulitasking... no ability to make phone calls... no SD slot... no Flash support. With anyone of those it could be good. Without them all, it kind of sucks.
40
This wouldn't replace my kindle, though I suppose for people who only read an hour or so a day it might. I take Kindle to the beach in a ziplock, and this wouldn't even show up. I read for hours at a time (and usually have a computer around as well, but there I'm often multitasking, online while cleaning the house, cooking dinner, whatever. I would instantly miss the read aloud feature (use it all the time while driving), the cursor-over dictionary, and it's unclear whether I can make notes on the Ipad books. That 10 hour battery life is, I'm sure, optimistic with the lowest brightness setting and the networking turned off, and with the networking off Kindle can go two weeks without a charge.
I would be over the moon if someone made a tablet where an LCD was actually directly above an electrophoretic display so that you could switch between them and use either. One when you didn't care so much about refresh rate and wanted low eye strain, good behavior in sunlight, and fantastic battery life...and one for when you didn't have much ambient light but access to plenty of wall power and needed to run high speed refresh applications like video. It's a few years away, though, I imagine.
This might be a boon to the ePub format, though. All told, it's about exactly what I would've expected, although the network pricing and lack of contract were a pleasant surprise. I'm waiting to see where I'll be moving, but I do like that it doesn't lock me into a crappy plan I can't get out of when moving overseas. It *might* replace my iPhone, along with a prepaid phone to talk to the 3 people on earth who still make voice calls. If google voice came out with a nice app to make calls? Very tempting all of a sudden, although it's still big (but about the same size as my kindleDX).
More...
I would be over the moon if someone made a tablet where an LCD was actually directly above an electrophoretic display so that you could switch between them and use either. One when you didn't care so much about refresh rate and wanted low eye strain, good behavior in sunlight, and fantastic battery life...and one for when you didn't have much ambient light but access to plenty of wall power and needed to run high speed refresh applications like video. It's a few years away, though, I imagine.
This might be a boon to the ePub format, though. All told, it's about exactly what I would've expected, although the network pricing and lack of contract were a pleasant surprise. I'm waiting to see where I'll be moving, but I do like that it doesn't lock me into a crappy plan I can't get out of when moving overseas. It *might* replace my iPhone, along with a prepaid phone to talk to the 3 people on earth who still make voice calls. If google voice came out with a nice app to make calls? Very tempting all of a sudden, although it's still big (but about the same size as my kindleDX).
41
@37: That had fallen from the SLOG front page by the time I found this posting. I did not feel inclined to dig beyond this posting to drop the comment. I was working a couple of hours ago while you read the original iPad posting. :)
I like the flavour of fail this product oozes. Yes, I so just went there. I hope this is the new "Apple's heel".
I like the flavour of fail this product oozes. Yes, I so just went there. I hope this is the new "Apple's heel".
46
I remember all the snark over Nintendo naming their console a "Wii", back before Nintendo sold 53 million of them.
47
@40
There is a company making a screen like that, it can switch between color LCD and monochrome e-ink, and saves a little power. Pixel Qi is their name, the "3Qi" screens are supposed to start appearing in consumer electronics this year.
There is a company making a screen like that, it can switch between color LCD and monochrome e-ink, and saves a little power. Pixel Qi is their name, the "3Qi" screens are supposed to start appearing in consumer electronics this year.
48
I'm buying one. And yes, I'll buy it instead of the Kindle. While I like eInk, the iPad is just much more functional a device for the money spent. I don't ready for 10 hours at a time, and have never had eye strain working on monitors. I've been reading kindle books on my iPhone, and the iPad will provide a much better experience.
As for buying gen 1 Apple products? I bought my iPhone on day 1 and it's still a great device. Never had a single problem with it, and via software updates, have most of the new features that the other phones have.
Count me in.
As for buying gen 1 Apple products? I bought my iPhone on day 1 and it's still a great device. Never had a single problem with it, and via software updates, have most of the new features that the other phones have.
Count me in.
50
The people who voted no to the poll are liars or plan to steal one from someone who did buy it. Thieves...
51
I'm really glad I waited until now to replace my watch, cell phone, and laptop.
Plus, bonus points, it works with the new HDTV set I'll be getting.
Proud owner of Apple products since my first purchase of an Apple II+ and AppleWriter II software.
Plus, bonus points, it works with the new HDTV set I'll be getting.
Proud owner of Apple products since my first purchase of an Apple II+ and AppleWriter II software.
53
Right now I don't think I need it, but it looks like a really nice device for someone who doesn't already have both an iPhone and a MacBook.
54
I'm definitely going to get me one of these, but I'll probably wait until they add a webcam. Next year, please?
55
@54 - I figure by Xmas there will be versions with a webcam attachment, with a keyboard attachment (you can get that in 90 days according to Apple).
The basic concept is sound though - it's not for people who want an iPhone, or people who want an iPod - it's for all the people who just want something that works for them.
Besides, if you need all the cruft, just wait for the hack in 6 weeks that runs Linux or BSD.
The basic concept is sound though - it's not for people who want an iPhone, or people who want an iPod - it's for all the people who just want something that works for them.
Besides, if you need all the cruft, just wait for the hack in 6 weeks that runs Linux or BSD.
56
No. Because it doesn't support flash. Which, in this day and age, is fucking ridiculous. I'll stick with my MacBook Pro which, despite being designed by Steve Jobs' Apple, supports flash.
57
There's a dock adaptor, so theoretically one could put a 360 degree rotating camera there. Not necessarily elegant but easily solvable.
58
@56 - Flash is just virus central. No way I want Flash.
I like your idea for camera placement. I probably will just use the one built in to the monitor for my Mac Mini tho. Have way to many cameras and mikes I never use.
I like your idea for camera placement. I probably will just use the one built in to the monitor for my Mac Mini tho. Have way to many cameras and mikes I never use.
Advertisement
Most Commented on Slog
-
Hating People Doesn't Make Them Thinner by Jen Graves
-
Los Angeles Gay Bar Bans Bachelorette Parties Until Marriage Equality Is Attained by David Schmader
-
Fill in the Blank by Grant Brissey
-
This Reminds Me of the Great Calculator Scare of the Late '70s/Early '80s by David Schmader
-
Idiot Tries to Defend Bigoted Anti-Gay-Marriage Preacher on Anderson Cooper by Paul Constant
-
Six Moms with Too Much Time on Their Hands and a Shitty Website Decide to Fight Gay Superheroes by Paul Constant
-
Why Mayor McGinn's Wife Canceled Her Family's Seattle Times Subscription by Eli Sanders
-
What the Hell Is Wrong With Seattle's Pride Parade? by Dominic Holden
-
The Saturday Morning News by Unpaid Intern
-
NYC Man Ticketed for Not Riding in the Bike Lane by Jonathan Golob
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (58) RSS