Okay, so Apple introduced an iPad yesterday -- a 10" thingy that's about the size of my Asus Aspire One netbook, except slower, with less storage space, less memory, two hours more of rated battery life, and much thinner and lighter. And my response is... uhm. Why?
If the thing was smaller, maybe the size of the Sony Pocket Reader, and had a full-fledged cell phone built in, it could replace my cell phone and eBook reader while giving me a display that's actually readable rather than the microscopic screen of the iPhone (which is just too friggin' small for my elderly beady little penguin eyes). But the damned thing is *gigantic*. As in, roughly the size of your typical spiral-bound school notebook. You can't fit that in the side pouch of a notebook case or in a large cargo pants pocket. Not to mention it doesn't have a cell phone voice module anyhow. And it doesn't have the battery life to compete with my e-book reader, which you can literally use for *days* on one charge, not the six or eight hours you'll get from the iPad. And it's too limited to replace my Macbook Pro for anything -- it doesn't multi-task, it won't run Mac software, it won't run Windows software, etc. At least my Aspire One netbook can replace my Macbook Pro for limited purposes such as carrying in my Jeep to program my ham radio, program my GPS, and jump on the Internet, but the iPad doesn't have a USB port so it can't be used for programming my ham radio or GPS either.
In short, the iPad is for 8th graders. I'm going to wait and see if they release the iTampon anytime soon, which will hopefully be smaller, more convenient, and have a full iPhone built into it. That would replace two devices I currently own -- an eBook reader and a cell phone -- as vs. the iPad, which is just one more device to carry when I'm already carrying too many.
-- Badtux the Geeky Penguin
Well, just because it doesn't do what YOU want doesn't diminish the product. You apparently want a full-function portable computer, and this isn't it.
ReplyDeleteI want one because it's small(ish), I don't have a laptop, and the iFone is a bit limited as an e-book reader. It'd be perfect for my traveling needs, but I hardly travel anymore so I can't really justify the cost. Still, WANT. ooo, shiny.
No, what I want is an iTampon, not an iMaxipad. Think an iPhone, except with a screen big enough for my beady little penguin eyes to actually read. Something around the size of a Sony Pocket Reader, in other words.
ReplyDeleteThe iMaxipad is just too freakin' large for what it is -- an overgrown iPhone. For every possible thing I can think of to use the iMaxipad for, a netbook does it better. My $400 Aspire One netbook has a real keyboard, more computing horsepower, more memory, 120gb of hard drive space, a USB port for programming my GPS or reading photos from my camera and posting them to the Internet (the iMaxipad has no SDcard slot for reading photos from my camera!), and it's about the same damned size and battery life (just an inch thicker and about 2 pounds heavier) -- and $100 cheaper. *AND* has a web cam and microphone built in too, so I can use Skype if I wish! *AND* runs normal Windows software, instead of being limited to official Apple-approved iPad software.
So WTF would I want an iMaxiPad for? It won't replace my netbook because my netbook does shit that the MaxiPad won't do, for less money. It won't replace my Sony Pocket Reader because, yo, the damned thing is GINORMOUS and won't fit in a side pouch of my laptop case. I'm not seeing the point even for you, for you if you wanted a travel thingy a netbook would be *much* more powerful. Not as "ooooh, shiny!". But more powerful. And cheaper.
- Badtux the PRactical Penguin
In short, for every purpose I can think of, a $400 netbook is a better choice than the iMaxiPad. It isn't oh shiny, but fuck shiny.
Think of the trees. This is a perfect replacement for textbooks at schools. Students can get updated editions downloaded to their iPad at the start of each semester, instead of using a book that was new six to eight years ago.
ReplyDeleteLook at the pricing - I'm sure there will be an "education price" for schools who buy (or lease) 'em in bulk. Compare that with physical textbooks, and I'm pretty sure the market will be there - just look at how much pull Texas and California have on what is included in a book, due to the size of the school district. So you could have the fundie version of a e-biology or e-history book delivered to some districts, and the other version to everyone else.
For the features that folks are saying are missing - who in their right mind throws everything into version 1.0? You need a reason to upgrade to 2.0, etc. While the iPad may be far from perfect, it isn't a bad beginning.
Finally, what a lot of people are missing, is that it uses a chip made by Apple. They're making the whole widget. This is just a small step towards something bigger for Apple, as the iPod and iPhone both took the lead in their markets, I'm pretty sure the iPad will come into its own too.
There were so many things they could have done. Asides from a color book. Yes they could have made a "larger screened I-phone", with a sat mix so it could be used anywhere, a crank on the side to charge it, a solar cell to charge it, gone off of AT&T, or opened it up to all the other carriers, but jobs knows shiney sells to the mac fanboys and girls.
ReplyDeleteSorry. Can't resist.
ReplyDeleteCheers!
JzB