Apple Tablet

[dcpoor]

Too expensive?

too expensive because:

-no camera/video conferencing

-no multi-tasking (yet)

-no flash (yet)

-no osx or some hybrid tablet

-no pen/stylus

-$130 more for 3g that should standard

etc etc

that's the jist of what i'm seeing on some tech forums/sites.

i'm not agreeing or disagreeing with those points. so don't me.

[Dusty Chalk]

i don't know if it can or not (doubt it) why would you want it to? it's a little, fairly slow, thingamajig, not a main computer.

Very simply: because it can. The only way to prevent it is in the software, which is what he's doing.

Too underwhelming? Too not-living-up-to-the-hype?

It's just a big iTouch, yes. Edited January 28, 2010 by Dusty Chalk

[thrice]

Oh man... just got some time to check this thing out. Stupid meetings.

Well, I can say that I'm getting one.... either 32 or 64GB WiFi. Don't really need the 3G or the accompanying bill.

I'm hoping that the app environment for this will e what really sets it apart. Now that you have a tablet like device that has keyboard entry capabilities we will start to see some more robust productivity apps (not that the ones on the iPhone are any slouch).

Like I said earlier... I don't need a laptop, but an electronic device that can accompany me around to meetings and act as an extension of the desktop would be killer. This looks like it could make that leap... but it needs the apps.

I'm sure Omnifocus will put something cool out for this and there are apps for creating and editing Office docs as well. Now, if I could use this to get into our sharepoint site and edit the docs we have there... that would really make it killer. It would be awesome if Microsoft made an Office suite for this. We're starting t use Infopath and Sharepoint a lot at work and this type of device could be a perfect extension of some of those applications.

Oh, and the calendar app looks fucking insane!

I also agree that time in hand will bear out the significance of this device. Over the next 60 days people will either love or hate it (there's probably a lot of hate, just due to the fever pitch the rumors created). But once it gets out there... man, the possibilities will seem endless.

I like this pre-announcement post:

20 Things Already Known About the Apple Tablet - Doghouse diaries - Gizmodo

#14 and 19 are particularly true.

Edited January 28, 2010 by thrice

[Cankin]

The base 16GB model is reasonably priced, but I'd rather pay ~$900 for a used Air than $699 for 64GB iPad.

[n_maher]

The base 16GB model is reasonably priced, but I'd rather pay ~$900 for a used Air than $699 for 64GB iPad.

See this is what I don't get, the Air and iPad are completely different things. Why you'd shop them against each other doesn't make any sense to me.

[thrice]

the keynote is up:

Apple - QuickTime - Apple Special Event January 2010

[Cankin]

Because iPad and Air are not completely different to certain people in the market.

[tyrion]

I would only in terms of both are more transportable than a macbook pro.

[en480c4]

For me, the only issue I have with it is the lack of multi-tasking. The plus is I'm not in a position to buy anything like this now, and maybe that'll be something they add down the road. But I'd be hard-pressed to part with that kind of money and only be able to run one app at a time.

[Duggeh]

Looking at the thing, if I think about getting one, it'll be under the second or third hardware revision, by which time the software for it will be I am sure very well matured. I have an iPod Touch and I've only paid for one app in the ten months I've owned it (Conquest). I have a netbook which lives in my desk in the university library and gets used as a uni machine. I don't think it sensible or necessary to own a device which bridges the two areas for which I use these two devices and if I were to spend that kind of money on a tech toy, I'd probably move from the iPod Touch to the iPhone 3G-S.

The iPad is a neat piece of kit, and would be great fun to play with, but if I were spending money on something to play with I'd get a Wii. And we have a Wii in the house.

However, if some kind of jailbreak opens up this device as an open platform. That I'd be intrigued by.

There will, imho, never, ever, ever be Flash or Java support for the iPod Touch, iPhone or the iPad. Doing so destroys the monopoly of the appstore for content control.

The furore over this was overblown. But that's how things go with Apple.

[blessingx]

See this is what I don't get, the Air and iPad are completely different things. Why you'd shop them against each other doesn't make any sense to me.

Depends on use of course, but I'd say that comparison is the most accurate I've seen. Certainly, more so than any of the others I've seen including the often sited iPad v. MacBook one.

That said as an Air or iPad likely wouldn't be ones powerhouse computer (though either could possibly be primary one), I'd rather have a iPad over an Air for consuming purposes.

And I don't see the tablet as a "third channel" but as a eventual laptop replacement for most, the way the laptop has become a desktop replacement for most. Probably the same for iPhone OS over full-blown OS X. Eventually, the need for a laptop, like the need now for a powerful desktop, will be specialty uses. I suspect this would have been further along by now if MS did any real GUI innovation. Will be Apple and/or Google now.

[jinp6301]

I think its more comparable to the itouch then the Air/MB/MBP.

I can't really see a big difference between the touch and the pad besides the screen and processor

[n_maher]

It is closest to the Touch since it's clearly a consumption, not creation device. But it does add much better functionality for low-level creation and I'd guess that those abilities will only increase over time.

[agile_one]

I sold my 16gb Touch in anticipation of the iPad (yes, I guessed the name correctly), and am not disappointed. In fact, I am giddy with anticipation, and will get at least the 32gb version as soon as Apple makes them available.

I have a cheap cell phone for communication, multiple cameras for images or video, but nothing that is small, portable, and functional for web surfing, emailing, music and video playing, and ebook reading, which is what the iPad is all about. I am down with Steve on this one.

[jp11801]

I guess for 24.99 one could buy the Jaadu app and run a mac headless using the ipad or iphone for that matter as a remote screen and controller for a mac mini? I'd be tempted to get one just for that functionality

[blessingx]

The Engadget staff is pretty impressed.

Editorial: Engadget on the Apple iPad -- Engadget

[HeadphoneAddict]

I guess for 24.99 one could buy the Jaadu app and run a mac headless using the ipad or iphone for that matter as a remote screen and controller for a mac mini? I'd be tempted to get one just for that functionality

Free VNC lite works well controlling a Mac from iPhone, so I imagine the Pro version with iPad would be a lot better than what I am using now.

[blessingx]

Paul Thurrott: Apple Drops an iDud (also fun comments) Edited January 28, 2010 by blessingx

[Hopstretch]

Paul Thurrott: Apple Drops an iDud (also fun comments)

Thurrott declared the original iPhone a dud, too, and claims Windows Mobile wipes the floor with both Android and iPhone OS. I would say that his evaluations are generally less than unimpeachable!

[episiarch]

Stephen Fry lurves him some iPad:

"It's transcendentally smooth and fast. It's astounding. God, it's beautiful. The display is stunning. I'm drooling with anticipation."

Best not to click through. Drooling isn't really the best look on him.

[kevin gilmore]

Here is the way i look at this. And i'm about as anti-apple as anyone.

With one of the remote desktop apps, and 3G this is the closest single piece thing i have seen

that would allow me to connect to and interact with my real machines. Kind of expensive for just

that purpose, but definitely worth it. The rest of what it does is completely useless to me.

Others will come out with the same thing for much cheaper. Few will have the multi-touch and

the led backlit screen, and 8 hours of battery life.

Can't wait to see how much replacement batteries will cost when they die in a year.

Other app that would be killer is a Crestron replacement at 25% the cost of a crestron.

[thrice]

Well, there's already idisk support for iphone os. I can see it not being a big deal to extend it to other disk storage.

I just read the tech specs page. It does allow regular bluetooth keyboard, the ipad case will act as a tilt stand, so you can use regular keyboard without the kbd dock.

There's also a camera attachment kit that allows use of a card reader or camera.

Looks like iPhone 3.2 will have a file sharing system

iPad SDK 3.2 Details: External Display, File Sharing System, No Multitasking - Mac Rumors

[Salt Peanuts]

Another thing I'm hoping it'll come in the future version is change in the screen resolution so that it'll be more suited to watching wide-screen shows.

[Hopstretch]

Another thing I'm hoping it'll come in the future version is change in the screen resolution so that it'll be more suited to watching wide-screen shows.

Don't think that's going to happen for a while. The iPad aspect ratio is based on 2*iPhone/iTouch screen ratio and needs to be that way so apps can scale up seamlessly by pixel doubling.

[n_maher]

Another thing I'm hoping it'll come in the future version is change in the screen resolution so that it'll be more suited to watching wide-screen shows.

I agree that the choice of 1024x768 is somewhat odd. I really expected that it would support HD video content natively but instead it'll have to scale and resample just about everything.