Topic: The Tablet Computing Thread

[myrlas]

Why would it, it's meant to be a web browser/media player/ e-book, no?  HDMI playback on your TV would come in handy for movies and TV then.

I've never bought an Apple product but I have used my friends' Iphones and I was looking forward to this.  Sadly, it doesn't seem that much different to an Ipod Touch except in size.  I'm interested in the tablet form, but I'll wait til someone comes up with a reliable hand-writing input.

Well, even if i'm gonna get one of these, I'll still use my macbook or my apple TV for tasks like that.

[LFCfan4Life]

Does anyone NEED a laptop?

Does anyone NEED a smartphone?

This kind of thing might persuade the non-laptop/smartphone owning folk into the fray - after all $499 is a decent price for what it is to a layamn - a little more than an iPhone (with no mobile-contract!) and a lot less than a MacBook

seriously how many people will buy this over a laptop? if you can afford to buy this for £400+ then you would be much better off purchasing a laptop

this is for the idiots who have a smartphone and a laptop but are stupid enough to blow money on a shit gadget which is marketed as a Netbook killer but has
 
no built in camera like a netbook
no built in usb like a netbook
no built in hdmi out like a netbook
no multitasking like any other laptop on this earth
no flash like any other laptop on this earth
no 16:9 screen
the 3G needs some microsim to work so you cant use the one from your normal contract

you will find much better products from other manufacturers running Windows 7 soon enough

this needed to be a device running Mac OSX not 4 ipod touch's stuck together

[Kashinoda]

Much better tablet PC's out there really.


Sums it all up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BnLbv6QYcA

[fry]

No USB? Jesus H Christ!

The co-inventor of the usb wont be happy

[Cassiel]

I write books and the whole publishing industry is going gaga over this fucking thing. Traditional book sales are slumping and the only way publishers can flog copies is heavily discounted in supermarkets or in 3 for 2 deals - where they take the hit, not the bookseller. Stephanie Meyer's vampires, Dan Brown's hokum and Steig Larsson's pervy hack stories have triple-handedly kept things afloat, and midlist authors are getting cut right, left and centre as they pile money on sure things, or what they perceive as sure things, like recipe books from Michael McIntyre and stuff.

Ebooks sales are growing, but not quickly enough. The Kindle is a bit tinny, as well as undersupported over here, and the Sony Reader cumbersome and staid. A gadget that could do for a books what the IPod has achieved for music, or just a tenth of what it has done, is what the whole industry is crying out for. If people like the look and feel, and if it comes down in price, then it could take off. Then

Will people buy it? Who knows? But alot of people in publishing are down on their knees praying they will, and are happy to take the consequences, illegal downloads etc

[iSmiff]

i reckon this is marketed to technical idiots, i think we all do

the thing is this, how many will buy it then ask "how do i install application X that i have on OSX (assuming they're really idiots so with natch have a mac) "

when met with the answer, "you can't'"  i can see them not being pleased and "nobody told me"

[GBF]

The co-inventor of the usb wont be happy

him too knows about the Ngog thing as well?

[The Jackal]

I write books and the whole publishing industry is going gaga over this fucking thing. Traditional book sales are slumping and the only way publishers can flog copies is heavily discounted in supermarkets or in 3 for 2 deals - where they take the hit, not the bookseller. Stephanie Meyer's vampires, Dan Brown's hokum and Steig Larsson's pervy hack stories have triple-handedly kept things afloat, and midlist authors are getting cut right, left and centre as they pile money on sure things, or what they perceive as sure things, like recipe books from Michael McIntyre and stuff.

Ebooks sales are growing, but not quickly enough. The Kindle is a bit tinny, as well as undersupported over here, and the Sony Reader cumbersome and staid. A gadget that could do for a books what the IPod has achieved for music, or just a tenth of what it has done, is what the whole industry is crying out for. If people like the look and feel, and if it comes down in price, then it could take off. Then

Will people buy it? Who knows? But alot of people in publishing are down on their knees praying they will, and are happy to take the consequences, illegal downloads etc

to be honest I can't see this being a sucess as an e-reader (I can't actually see it being a success full stop). It's got an LCD screen - which is OK for browsing, but as a reader? I wouldn't want to read a whole book on it...

[iSmiff]

LCD for reading is sore on the eyes. E-ink is vastly superior.


just for that one task though

[keithcun]

LCD for reading is sore on the eyes. E-ink is vastly superior.


just for that one task though

fazackerly and I've never took a plunge on one of those, so something three times the price aint gonna persuade me either.

[iSmiff]

so apples revolutionary new A4 chip is

an Nvidia Tegra 2 pretty much, they tweaked it and called it their own

hahaha

[Jimmy Conway]

to be honest I can't see this being a sucess as an e-reader (I can't actually see it being a success full stop). It's got an LCD screen - which is OK for browsing, but as a reader? I wouldn't want to read a whole book on it...

Also, due to the nature of the screen wont there be a shit load of reflection from lights overheard, when say reading in a airport etc....
It seems flawed in so many way.

[The Jackal]

LCD for reading is sore on the eyes. E-ink is vastly superior.


just for that one task though

I'm surprised that a lot of the reviews/ press stories are ignoring or failing to mention this issue..

[timiano]

The I could do this on my desktop/laptop/netbook, it's not got a x, y, z brigade we're always going to jump on this as a piece of shit. Ah well, if you don't 'get' it, nevermind. You will eventually. Or you won't and life will go on.

Facht is, we all use technology in different ways. In my life, I'm embedded with it, as more and more are becoming, especially with the advent of iPods, iPhones and the rest. In ten years time, I want optical nano-tattoos and synaptic links to my brain. I want everything to be voice and gesture enabled, I want my fridge to maintain an inventory and hook up to my home server using 802.11z+125. I want to retinal scan my way into my front door, and have LED blind windows. I want OLED nano-wallpaper where I can gesture a 16:9 frame and watch Citizen Kane in a different spot every week.

A little iPad device like this pushes the boundaries that little bit further. Alters perceptions over what technology should and shouldn't be used for, and challenges what a 'typical' computer should be and do.

Yeh I think it could be better, but there's no doubt in my mind that I'll get one. Yeh I've got a laptop for work, and a smartphone, and a desktop. As well as a home theatre PC and a Windows Home Server, and another shared PC in the dining room with a 23" screen on the chimney breast. And lets not forget the netbook and the Sony eReader. The iPad will replace the netbook and the ereader, and on some occasions the laptop.

Too much money or not (it's all relative), I'm a big fan of technology.

[keithcun]

The I could do this on my desktop/laptop/netbook, it's not got a x, y, z brigade we're always going to jump on this as a piece of shit. Ah well, if you don't 'get' it, nevermind. You will eventually. Or you won't and life will go on.

Facht is, we all use technology in different ways. In my life, I'm embedded with it, as more and more are becoming, especially with the advent of iPods, iPhones and the rest. In ten years time, I want optical nano-tattoos and synaptic links to my brain. I want everything to be voice and gesture enabled, I want my fridge to maintain an inventory and hook up to my home server using 802.11z+125. I want to retinal scan my way into my front door, and have LED blind windows. I want OLED nano-wallpaper where I can gesture a 16:9 frame and watch Citizen Kane in a different spot every week.

A little iPad device like this pushes the boundaries that little bit further. Alters perceptions over what technology should and shouldn't be used for, and challenges what a 'typical' computer should be and do.

Yeh I think it could be better, but there's no doubt in my mind that I'll get one. Yeh I've got a laptop for work, and a smartphone, and a desktop. As well as a home theatre PC and a Windows Home Server, and another shared PC in the dining room with a 23" screen on the chimney breast. And lets not forget the netbook and the Sony eReader. The iPad will replace the netbook and the ereader, and on some occasions the laptop.

Too much money or not (it's all relative), I'm a big fan of technology.

I would imagine most of us are, but I just don't see what it offers over and above what I already have. Listen, if money wasn't an issue, we'd all have £1000 remote controls, music streamed in every room, plasmas on every wall and one of these in every room, but to me, I just can't see the point of spending that kind of money on a gimmick.

I'm not sure what boundaries it's pushing either.

[redchiz]

so apples revolutionary new A4 chip is

an Nvidia Tegra 2 pretty much, they tweaked it and called it their own

hahaha

Where's that from?

[iSmiff]

Where's that from?

http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/28/apples-a4-is-an-arm-based-system-on-a-chip-a-la-tegra-2/

[iSmiff]

A little iPad device like this pushes the boundaries that little bit further. Alters perceptions over what technology should and shouldn't be used for, and challenges what a 'typical' computer should be and do.

this is where we differ, i don't think it offers anything new at all

what's new, what does it do that isn't already available? the machine itself does nothing new or revolutionary

[redchiz]

http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/28/apples-a4-is-an-arm-based-system-on-a-chip-a-la-tegra-2/

Oh right. Well they were always going to use an ARM-based processor, weren't they? But they've designed their own SOC instead of using someone else's. So I don't get your dig, or that blog - it's a bit like saying that computers with Intel processors inside them are all the same.

[The Jackal]

A little iPad device like this pushes the boundaries that little bit further. Alters perceptions over what technology should and shouldn't be used for, and challenges what a 'typical' computer should be and do.

It doesn't push any boundaries. It takes stuff that's already available and makes it look nice and shiny. That's it.

[Paul]

seriously how many people will buy this over a laptop? if you can afford to buy this for £400+ then you would be much better off purchasing a laptop

this is for the idiots who have a smartphone and a laptop but are stupid enough to blow money on a shit gadget which is marketed as a Netbook killer but has
 
no built in camera like a netbook
no built in usb like a netbook
no built in hdmi out like a netbook
no multitasking like any other laptop on this earth
no flash like any other laptop on this earth
no 16:9 screen
the 3G needs some microsim to work so you cant use the one from your normal contract

you will find much better products from other manufacturers running Windows 7 soon enough

this needed to be a device running Mac OSX not 4 ipod touch's stuck together

I'll tell you exactly who would buy this over a laptop

My mum (technophobe)
My mates mum (technophobe)
Other technophobes who want "the internet" and somewhere to plug their camera in in a piss-easy way

Why - because they don't have to "learn" how to use a laptop, in the way they would if they had never used a laptop before. (Windows or OS X) They pick this up, press "Internet" and they are on the Internet. Press "Facebook" and they are there etc etc.

Press "iBooks" and they are reading a book.

Not open your browser (whats that?), then go to Amazon (how do I do that), download my book to a folder, then copy it/find it, find the right application something to read it with (how/why)

It's not for geeks this - it's for technophobes. And believe it or not, there are still quite a few of them out there.

The people who buy this won't give a shit about the details (hardware or software)

no built in camera like a netbook - who really uses video chat - its been around for years and you still feel like a tit using it
no built in usb like a netbook - what do you need to plug in? there's an adapter for your camera, no doubt an app to pull video from a video camera will follow
no built in hdmi out like a netbook - has video out already via the dock connector, no doubt a hdmi cable won't be far behind
no multitasking like any other laptop on this earth - fair enough, but why complicate it for the market its aimed at?
no flash like any other laptop on this earth - OK fair enough, but flash is a load of shite anyway. its amazing its still around so much
no 16:9 screen - average buyer won't care (I do however, but I'm a geek)
the 3G needs some microsim to work so yo cant use the one from your normal contract - so get the WiFi one, or leech 3G off your mobile if you really need it)

[Something Else]

It doesn't push any boundaries. It takes stuff that's already available and makes it look nice and shiny. That's it.

It pushes boundaries in the fact that, more people will now use this technology and more will develop for it.

The fact it is shite and another one of apples half arsed tech, full effort marketing ploy is nothing new

[Jimmy Conway]

I'll tell you exactly who would buy this over a laptop

My mum (technophobe)
My mates mum (technophobe)
Other technophobes who want "the internet" and somewhere to plug their camera in in a piss-easy way

Why - because they don't have to "learn" how to use a laptop, in the way they would if they had never used a laptop before. (Windows or OS X) They pick this up, press "Internet" and they are on the Internet. Press "Facebook" and they are there etc etc.

Press "iBooks" and they are reading a book.

Not open your browser (whats that?), then go to Amazon (how do I do that), download my book to a folder, then copy it/find it, find the right application something to read it with (how/why)

It's not for geeks this - it's for technophobes. And believe it or not, there are still quite a few of them out there.

The people who buy this won't give a shit about the details (hardware or software)

no built in camera like a netbook - who really uses video chat - its been around for years and you still feel like a tit using it
no built in usb like a netbook - what do you need to plug in? there's an adapter for your camera, no doubt an app to pull video from a video camera will follow
no built in hdmi out like a netbook - has video out already via the dock connector, no doubt a hdmi cable won't be far behind
no multitasking like any other laptop on this earth - fair enough, but why complicate it for the market its aimed at?
no flash like any other laptop on this earth - OK fair enough, but flash is a load of shite anyway. its amazing its still around so much
no 16:9 screen - average buyer won't care (I do however, but I'm a geek)
the 3G needs some microsim to work so yo cant use the one from your normal contract - so get the WiFi one, or leech 3G off your mobile if you really need it)

My netbook with Linux, had a nice interface. Internet, Mail, Office etc...
Again, its abeen done before with a better spec, less restrictions and a better price.

[iSmiff]

RIGHT FUCK THIS, i demand, I SAY I DEMAND that the i at the start of my username be removed, split in three and given to Paul, Timiano and myrlas

DO IT NOW OR FACE MY WRATH!

[iSmiff]

apple are turd polishers

you should all know this by now

[The Jackal]

RIGHT FUCK THIS, i demand, I SAY I DEMAND that the i at the start of my username be removed, split in three and given to Paul, Timiano and myrlas

DO IT NOW OR FACE MY WRATH!

don't you mean your iWrath.

[The Jackal]

It pushes boundaries in the fact that, more people will now use this technology and more will develop for it.

More people using it isn't pushing boundaries, it's just increasing usage.

More people develping for it *may* push some boundaries depending on what they develop, but if they're essentially going to be developing proprietary apps for a closed ecosystem (which it is) then any boundaries they push are only going to have an effect within that ecosystem and not the wider tech world. As far as I'm concerned opensource will always innovate far more than proprietary, and it doesn't get much more proprietary than Apple..

[iSmiff]

the only innovative, and i use that word very loosely, thing about it is the business model they've set up round it, with book purchasing and the 3g contracts, again all things that already exist

they're just easier now

[LFCfan4Life]

I'll tell you exactly who would buy this over a laptop

My mum (technophobe)
My mates mum (technophobe)
Other technophobes who want "the internet" and somewhere to plug their camera in in a piss-easy way - can't plus your camera in without some sort of adaptor so its not just plug and play like any netwbook on this earth. where you plug it in and a pop asks you what you want to do

Why - because they don't have to "learn" how to use a laptop, in the way they would if they had never used a laptop before. (Windows or OS X) They pick this up, press "Internet" and they are on the Internet. Press "Facebook" and they are there etc etc.

If they can do all that then they can press the On button and press IE or Safri on a PC its just as easy

Press "iBooks" and they are reading a book.

Ive yet to see it and how usable it will actually be but Reading a 200 page book on an LCD backlit screen doesn't sound too good to me

Not open your browser (whats that?), then go to Amazon (how do I do that), download my book to a folder, then copy it/find it, find the right application something to read it with (how/why)

yep ibooks makes a nice easy place for you to buy from but honestly what is was stopping amazon or all the publishers etc getting together and making such a program for the PC - nothing

It's not for geeks this - it's for technophobes. And believe it or not, there are still quite a few of them out there.

The people who buy this won't give a shit about the details (hardware or software)

no built in camera like a netbook - who really uses video chat - its been around for years and you still feel like a tit using it loads of people talk over the net using a web cam it has taken off every where its just video dialing in a phone that never took off
no built in usb like a netbook - what do you need to plug in? there's an adapter for your camera, no doubt an app to pull video from a video camera will follow an adaptor for a camera is easier than using a standard USB cable? i don't see it some how
no built in hdmi out like a netbook - has video out already via the dock connector, no doubt a hdmi cable won't be far behind so im having to fork out for another adapter to use my hdmi cable
no multitasking like any other laptop on this earth - fair enough, but why complicate it for the market its aimed at? how is it complicated? i don't see how being able to use more than one app or function at a time would make it any more complicated. would someone really get that confused by listening to music while search the net or playing a game etcno flash like any other laptop on this earth - OK fair enough, but flash is a load of shite anyway. its amazing its still around  important for many people especially if you are a footy fan
no 16:9 screen - average buyer won't care (I do however, but I'm a geek)
the 3G needs some microsim to work so yo cant use the one from your normal contract - so get the WiFi one, or leech 3G off your mobile if you really need it) - so your average technophobe now knows how to set there phone up as a wifi router but not how to use IE on a PC 

[Zlen]

Shot to the foot and Steve's to blame....you give Apple a bad nameeeee...

[Brian Blessed]

It looks stupid with the icons so spread out. And I mentioned that reading books on this would be crap yesterday, so you can all fuck off.

[Uhoh AureliOs]

When colour Eink readers start shipping this year they'll take away the ebook market from this.

[timiano]

this is where we differ, i don't think it offers anything new at all

what's new, what does it do that isn't already available? the machine itself does nothing new or revolutionary

If you look it by specification, then you're right.

And I didn't say revolutionary, I just said pushing the boundaries a little further. So in that context, the form factor of this device, the pick up, put down anywhere anytime way of using this device is new.

It is a big iPod Touch, but make no mistake about what that means. It changes the way we (probably safer to say some) use technology. I just wouldn't underestimate the illusiveness of this format in the past, and how Apple have passed, all be it not smashed, through that barrier.

[keithcun]

I'll tell you exactly who would buy this over a laptop

My mum (technophobe)
My mates mum (technophobe)
Other technophobes who want "the internet" and somewhere to plug their camera in in a piss-easy way

Why - because they don't have to "learn" how to use a laptop, in the way they would if they had never used a laptop before. (Windows or OS X) They pick this up, press "Internet" and they are on the Internet. Press "Facebook" and they are there etc etc.

Press "iBooks" and they are reading a book.

Not open your browser (whats that?), then go to Amazon (how do I do that), download my book to a folder, then copy it/find it, find the right application something to read it with (how/why)

It's not for geeks this - it's for technophobes. And believe it or not, there are still quite a few of them out there.

The people who buy this won't give a shit about the details (hardware or software)

no built in camera like a netbook - who really uses video chat - its been around for years and you still feel like a tit using it
no built in usb like a netbook - what do you need to plug in? there's an adapter for your camera, no doubt an app to pull video from a video camera will follow
no built in hdmi out like a netbook - has video out already via the dock connector, no doubt a hdmi cable won't be far behind
no multitasking like any other laptop on this earth - fair enough, but why complicate it for the market its aimed at?
no flash like any other laptop on this earth - OK fair enough, but flash is a load of shite anyway. its amazing its still around so much
no 16:9 screen - average buyer won't care (I do however, but I'm a geek)
the 3G needs some microsim to work so yo cant use the one from your normal contract - so get the WiFi one, or leech 3G off your mobile if you really need it)

Guess what, my mam and dad are both technophobes but they have been surfing the net, booking holidays, buying all sorts, using digi cameras and even printing their snaps off for years.

How? you may wonder, well it's easy, they have a son who was willing to build them both a PC and set it up so all they had to do was click on an icon that says "internet" on the desktop or when they plug the camera in, it asks them what they want to do, piece of piss. So, I ask, if your mum and your mates mum wanted to do these things you say, why the fuck have you sat around and done bugger all to help them.

[The Jackal]

If the iPad were a motor vehicle it would look like this:

[iSmiff]

the target audience for this device has spoken

http://www.stephenfry.com/2010/01/28/ipad-about/

[timiano]

RIGHT FUCK THIS, i demand, I SAY I DEMAND that the i at the start of my username be removed, split in three and given to Paul, Timiano and myrlas

DO IT NOW OR FACE MY WRATH!

Oh, and understand I'm a fan of technology, not Apple. A long way off being a fan of Apple. I've been stung by them many times before with false promises. I see they're already at it, by saying they may not have an international deal in place for iBooks on release, so the rest of the world bar USA/Canada can get fucked - and this is what I hate about Apple. Did it before in 2001 with iPhoto Coffee book printing - it took 2 years for them to sort it.

I've told you what I don't like about the iPad, and I've always been open about my feelings of the iPhone short comings. I think OS X is nothing special, but I think the engineering of the iMac and MacBooks is superb. If I like it, I like it. The iPad for what it is, is great. If you can't see it for what it is, and what the format will be, fine.

[Paul]

Just to be also clear, I don't like the iPad - it certainly isn't for me. My iPhone and MacBookPro will continue working well for me,

What i was trying to say was, it will certainly be for someone. It will fill a hole for some people, whether you want to believe it or not. And I'm willing to wager a decent proportion the people it fills holes for won't own a Mac or an iPhone (or have Steve Jobb's signature tattooed across both their arsecheeks).

Apple exist to make money, not to please geeks on the internet. And they will do that by the bucketload with this, the same way they have with the iPod and iPhone (and to a lesser extent, the Mac since the afforementioned i's have been around)

[lionel_messias]

Suggest a few of you read the Stephen Fry report. And then have a rethink.

[GBF]

the target audience for this device has spoken

http://www.stephenfry.com/2010/01/28/ipad-about/

he is right, not matter how low spec it is, millions of people will buy it because the brand is far too strong and most people are driven by the branding instead of functionality