The iPad

[AndyPandy]

http://live.gdgt.com...event-coverage/

 

 

 

So it's official.

 

The iPad. 9.7 in screen, 0.5in thick.

 

All iPhone apps compatible and scaleable.

 

1 Ghz processor, 802.11n wireless.

 

What do you think?

[rangeor]

So far, it looks like a very good iPod Touch. I'd even go as far as saying they've perfected the iPod Touch with this. It might also revolutionize gaming with the multi-touch feature. However, like I said before, I don't see this being entirely worth the $700-1000 the rumors have assumed unless they reveal something groundbreaking at the end.

[AndyPandy]

Oo, some models of the iPad will have 3G! Wonderful.

[rangeor]

$500! Not bad! Plus unlimited wifi for $30/month... And the iWork looks great... the iPad's looking pretty good!

 

Actually it's pretty brilliant; it takes everything most people need in a netbook and makes them better than what anyone else has done. By far the best word processing program, most interactive and fun general computer use, the easiest access to multimedia, and cheap internet access. Plus it's got what seems to be a good painting program for digital artists... For people looking for a specialized PC for gaming, music production, or 3D modeling and animation, this definitely isn't for them. But for anyone looking to buy a netbook and any casual buyer of a computer, it completes and exceeds everything they'd need in the computer they're looking for. I think that's what Apple was trying to do with this; not create a new innovative platform, but completely take control of the market of netbooks/casual computer sales. Yeah, it has everything one would need in a computer and executes it well. Plus people are saying it's incredibly fast, which is nice.

[Rainy_Day]

Looks good, but I don't see a need to get one whilst I have my iPhone.

[evil_mumm_ra]

i would be afraid of breaking it, i think i'd take a regular laptop or computer over it anyday, maybe if i did more research i'd like it better, but i don't really like the iphone or the itouch mainly because i hate touch screens, but that's not really reason enough to hate anything. i think i'd just prefer a regular laptop or netbook over it anyday. kinda seems like you drop it and it would break in horrible ways whereas laptops just seem sturdier to me.

[Mil]

Would be perfect for some casual browsing in and around the house. Also I guess one of those things you can just slip into your bag, turn it on and use.

I like it. :thumbup:

[Atom Smash40]

lame. we dont need a bigger ipod touch. no one was watching this conference for that; everyone cared about the new iphone for verizon much more, and yet they didnt annouce it.

[Clay_More12]

It looks stunning, though I wouldn't buy it as I got my own personal Laptop! :)

 

P.S How are you getting on with my Signature request?

[Ouchy]

It's using 3.2 Beta, does this mean that when it is released for iPod Touch/iPhone, we will get backgrounds now? :D

Looks pretty damn amazing, I'm curious to see what the cases and such will be like for it.

[Mirror]

Looks....interesting? I'd rather have an Iphone/iTouch instead of this thing. Maybe if I tried it out and got used to it, I would be more lenient in getting one. I just can't figure out how to use it without giving myself a headache right now haha

[Sbrideau]

Didn't someone else release the same thing? Plus with Windows 7 there's multitouch by default provided you have a compatible screen.

[Hawks]

I wouldn't buy it on principal. I'm sick of all these iThings. (Look on Twitter... It's funny in a childish way.)

 

To me practicality is also very low on the list with this thing. If I wanted a touchscreen I'd buy a legit tablet not some oversized iphone.

[Atom Smash40]

you are most likely thinking about the hp touchsmart

[indy500fan]

Is that a 16:9 screen? If so it might be good for weekly TV watching on the go but other than that I don't see it as being all that useful.

[Laura]

Didn't someone else release the same thing? Plus with Windows 7 there's multitouch by default provided you have a compatible screen.

You can implement multitouch on practically any OS. Heck, you can put Windows 95 on the iPhone/iPod touch. But building the software with the hardware in mind is by far more efficient. Windows is arguably the most efficient OS on a desktop-based platform but the problem is that is wasn't built for mobile devices. Microsoft just added multi-touch features onto the OS and you can tell. This has been the subject of much discontent, even in Windows 7.

 

I am curious about the graphics device powering this thing. It looks nice, but the iPhone has many of the same features so I can't see adding another device to my list. Certainly glad you can opt out of the 3G. I am also surprised at the IPS display, as I thought those were too thick for mobile use. No multitasking. :thumbdown:

[rangeor]

I wouldn't buy it on principal. I'm sick of all these iThings. (Look on Twitter... It's funny in a childish way.)

 

To me practicality is also very low on the list with this thing. If I wanted a touchscreen I'd buy a legit tablet not some oversized iphone.

That's very close minded. Also, the only thing it really does well happens to be practicality. It's the perfect gift for your parents/grandparents, average student going to university that needs a computer, sibling, etc. It has only what you need, but takes all that and gives it to you in a much better way than all of the other computers. Its iBook feature is better than the Kindle ever was, its iWork suite is much better than Word, Excel and Powerpoint 2010, it performs much better than windows computers, it's much smaller and lighter, and easier to navigate and use. It's practical in the sense that it uses the bare basics better than everyone else has done. Now, obviously for most of use who have specific interests that require heavier computing power this is not what we are looking for. It is however raising the standards of what a computer should be able to do at the least, and other companies will have to catch up before apple does make computers capable of doing what the iPad does as well as what other computers currently do, or some other crazy innovation.

[H2PM]

Hooray for an oversized Ipod Touch...

[stevepole]

Is that a 16:9 screen? If so it might be good for weekly TV watching on the go but other than that I don't see it as being all that useful.

 

I read that it is not.

 

This is one of those products that you should wait till the 2nd or 3rd generation before buying one. It doesn't have a build-in camera, you can't multitask (e.g. can't listen to music while browsing the web). There are just a hand full of little things that would have made the iPad a must buy that just aren't included in the 1st generation.

[Ouchy]

Agree with you there Steve. The price will probably go down later too.

[Laura]

(e.g. can't listen to music while browsing the web)

I have my doubts on that. The picture below accurately represents the underlying system architecture on the iPhone and is quite similar with OS X. If the iPad is in anyway similar, then it would be possible to listen to music while playing applications. You see in the picture a block labeled "Media." This is the layer that allows for audio and many visual codes such as Core Animation and Open GL. Because this layer is underneath the application, you are able to run it within the the application itself. Hence why the iPhone allows you to listen to music while browsing mobile Safari or playing games that take advantage of the technologies found in the layer. It's not considered multitasking to be able to do this because you're not really running two applications.

 

 

What no multitasking means is that you cannot listen to a radio (AOL, Pandora, etc) while doodling around with Photoshop Mobile (whatever the application name is). You could, however, listen to music found in the iPod application while using Facebook.

Edited January 28, 2010 by laura0077
I tried testing it for you, but the iPhone Simulator in iPad mode does not have the iPod application.

[InkofDeath]

Needs:

 

- Webcam

- USB Ports - Converter Failure

- Other Ports...

- Ability To Run 3 Programs Or More (Word, Browser, ???)

- 128GB Model under $900

- Flash/I mean, the plugin failure in the demo...? C'mon flash.

 

 

I'd consider buying it if it had these features. Current version I'd just buy a netbook for $300 or a 15" laptop for $600. This iPad or tablet should be the thing to kill laptops, not netbooks. Just saying.

[Makoto_the_Phoenix]

Interesting. This came up briefly in one of my OS classes today, too.

Looks like it'd be fine for a niche market, it's just unlikely that we'd understand what the niche is until about six months or a year from now. For now it just seems like it's an oversized iPhone without the phone part. Although I'm stunned at the low prices for it (after all, it's a Mac), and I do appreciate the thin construction, it's unlikely to catch on like wildfire unless it could do tons more for the kinds of consumers that'd be using this - college students.

 

I'll have to remain conservative though; looks like it *could* be a success, looks like it *could* be a big flop, too. Give it a few months and you'll know for certain.

 

Btw: Does anyone else dislike the name? Thought they'd go with something much, much cooler than "pad". Allegedly it's prompting jokes around the Internet, too.

[Racheya]

I think it looks cool, I'd love to have one. But it's just going on the list of 'Things I'll never be able to afford' along with most other Apple products.

[Furah]

I nearly wet my pants laughing when I was on Twitter before and saw the #3 topic was a joke about the name.

 

It's using 3.2 Beta, does this mean that when it is released for iPod Touch/iPhone, we will get backgrounds now? :D

I hope so, that and Apple works with whoever made SBSettings to bring it to the official version, I miss it so much I'm tempted to jailbreak again, solely for those 2 things.

 

Looks good, but I don't see a need to get one whilst I have my iPhone.

This.

To me it just looks like a large iPhone/iPod Touch which won't fit in your pocket, won't work with your docking station and easier to break.