The iPad $499 and up.

[alfredo]

http://www.apple.com/ipad/#video

[romana]

1. :D

I am SO buying one as soon as you can order them.

[alfredo]

2. I've signed up too.

[Ezlivin]

3. Will it run HyperCard or MacPaint?

I'll upgrade from my Mac Plus if it does!

:)

[Touchdown]

5. Brushes is the program in the demo.

Finger usage, no stylus input.

For the artist, the iPad is a digital easel. At the launch, the Paint program named "Brushes" looked as if it were real painting without the mess, especially on the hi-res screen.

http://newsblaze.com/story/20100127114225j112.nb/topstory.html

[alfredo]

6. I'm still in mourning over the loss of HyperCard.

[Touchdown]

4. Video is up.

http://www.apple.com/

...and it won't have flash.



Shitty name by the way.

[alfredo]

8. By the time I can buy, the second generation will be available, so maybe

there will be flash.


BTW, it's a 1gig processor.

[Touchdown]

9. 1st Gen 3g won't come out for 90 days. Eat soup and Chef Boyardee ravioli

You can save that much in by May first.

[alfredo]

12. I don't need the 3g, It will stay home and go sometimes to the coffee shop.

I need a new mattress and box springs, so the iPad will have to wait.

[tomm2thumbs]

17. I found it hilarious that he hit several Flash elements that wouldn't work even in his own surfing!

that is basically malpractice for the web, and to say it tops netbooks when most cheap netbooks have a cam is really silly

[alfredo]

25. Flash will be this decade's floppy discs.

http://spiralofhope.wordpress.com/2009/06/11/i-hate-flash/

[tomm2thumbs]

33. that blog needed some Flash - talk about dry - bwahahahahah

i jest

[alfredo]

37. When I was a kid Flash was what the old pervert down the

block did when women walked past his house.

[Touchdown]

38. Really? When I was a kid, Flash was this guy.

[alfredo]

43. When I was a kid, Flash was this guy.

Or in the movies:

[Touchdown]

7. I'm going for the top of the line.

$829... not too shabby with a data plan I don't have to keep paying for. $30 a month unlimited. Any AT&T wifi hot spot for free (AT&T has 6 times the hot spots Verizon has) I can't wait.

90 days though? Damn them!

[Touchdown]

10. Look at all that real estate on the back.

Perfect place for a solar panel. Maybe second gen?

[alfredo]

11. They really borrowed from their display/iMac in the design of the iPad

[Touchdown]

14. I don't like the icons on the screen. Looks cluttered.

Hopefully they will allow movement to the dock in landscape with a scroll flick.

Or, an iTunes like accordian selector for more apps than the dock can hold.

[alfredo]

15. I don't care for that too much either, but it isn't a deal breaker.

[Touchdown]

13. The haters are out in force poo pooing it already in GD.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7582878

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7582873

Still clinging to that $999 price tag and laughing at their cleverness.:eyes:

[alfredo]

16. Fuck em, let them play with their Zunes.

[nadinbrzezinski]

44. Actually the price point vs a vs a netbook will be a problem

mark my words on that.

Remember the Macbook Air?

I considered an Air... ended up getting a netbook

The market for the netbook is the same as the IPAD and the Air... either people who need a very cheap computer, or people who KNOW computers and need a secondary machine for whatever reason.

I know that I will give a look at the IPAD by second or third generation and AFTER it drops its price, maybe. I use the camera on my netbook to use skype with my mother, as well as the camera on the macbook. NOT putting a camera was actually stupid.

Flash, well I am not a fan of adobe, but that is another story.

Oh and books... what about it? I can read them on a netbook too. For that matter in my IPOD too.

[Touchdown]

45. From what I'm reading, it's the iPad's screen that sets it apart from netbooks.

All the bloggers that actually played with this thing are universally impressed with the clarity and vividness of the screen itself, not to mention the speed and responsiveness of the device. They also note that it feels solid and high quality... 3 things that netbooks usually are not.

And... a camera just might be in them by release date...

http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/23892/

"A screen-grab from the official video of the event shows nothing but a small dot above the screen, opposite the home button. Taken alone, this isn’t much, but compare this with the picture of the iPad leaked just hours before the event (below). If you remember, these showed an iPad locked down in a security frame, and you could clearly see the camera in the bezel. I even pointed out the cutout in the frame that let us see the webcam," Sorrel reports. "Still not convinced? What about this screenshot from the iPad emulator in the new SDK ?"

Sorrel reports, "That sure looks like the iPad thinks it has a camera. Up until now, this is what any good TV lawyer would call circumstantial evidence. The last, and oddest, piece of the puzzle comes from Mac and iPod repair company Mission Repair. The company has, somewhat strangely, already received replacement parts for fixing iPads. On the company’s blog, employee Ryan Arter has posted pictures which show a spot for a camera in the main iPad frame... Jobs was most likely using a prototype on stage, just like he did when the iPhone was first revealed. A prototype would be likely to have the camera intact."

[nadinbrzezinski]

46. And if I need a machine that can multitask

and has a camera... guess what? Screen resolution or not... the IPAD ain't doing that.

You'll see.

I once considered a Macbook Air... after all in concept IT WAS a netbook... you know why I did not? You guessed it, the price point.

And before you say it, I HAVE a Macbook, but for travel I use a Samsung Netbook that works just dandy. In fact, guess what I am using RIGHT NOW to type this message?

You guessed it.

And the PAD could not have been used to let my dad SEE his grandkids the other day over SKYPE. To me that is worth every penny I paid on this "glorified word processor" with internet abilities and ahem MULTI TASKING.

And if it should break... well it is not going to break the bank to replace it either.

The I-PAD on the other hand....

To me it is a LARGE IPOD Touch, and lord knows I love my touch, but why pray tell me should I buy a larger one? To read books? I already do on the Touch.

To word process first drafts of short fiction? dito... to edit them... that's what we have a capable computer for.

[Touchdown]

47. Ok, not everybody computes like you.

If you were just speaking for your self, I wouldn't say anything, but you seem to be speaking for everybody two posts above with your "mark my words" warning about slighting the typers of the world.

Netbooks are truly awful for editing photos, with a slow processor and cheap, off color monitors. Provided there is software (and I see no reason why there shouldn't be) the iPad already has a top of the line screen, as well as the multitouch functions that are much better suited to photo editing than mouse clicks.

Yeah, you type. BFD! Not everybody does, and I'm fracking sick and tired of the typers demanding that the entire computer industry bow before them so everybody has to click a fracking mouse to do something our fingers were designed to do... work with photos!

Is everybody like me? Nope. I do hope it's successful enough so that I can continue using it long into the future. Books and games may help.

[nadinbrzezinski]

51. It is not just me saying that

multiple folks in my circle of friends are saying that.

IF they added a camera to the unit, AND a full OS it would be a different story.

By the way I LOVE my Touch... but to me, and others, it is a larger Touch.

Oh and I forgot to add... we either own macbooks or macbook pros, or are IT pros

[romana]

52. Give it a rest already

Nobody ever said the iPad was a netbook. So I don't know why people continue to complain about how it's not a netbook. Continuing to compare it to a netbook is only going to result in disappointment. I kind of think of the iPad as a Kindle on steroids more than a netbook. It's a reader and a video device, and it can do a little light word processing, nothing more. If that's not enough for you, by all means buy a netbook. I'm just sick and tired of reading posts from people whining about how the iPad doesn't solve world hunger. Don't buy one if it's that lacking--the machine wasn't meant for you anyway.

And you know what, I can't tell you how many times I've been out and about with my iPhone, trying to read something on that dinky little screen, and thinking "If only I had a bigger one of these, it would be perfect!"

EDITED for grammar.

[nadinbrzezinski]

53. Then don't read the posts

and by the way, it was APPLE who said at one point that yes, they were competing with ... Netbooks.

And it is Apple that has refused to release product that competes with that product.

Oh and yes, I READ books on Kindle for Touch ALL THE FUCKING TIME. I guess the Pad is for you... congrats. I will not pay almost double for a machine that is LESS CAPABLE... yes it is that simple.

[romana]

54. Well...

He did say this was aimed at the netbook market, though I'm not convinced he meant for it to directly compete with netbooks. I think he meant that it's for people who want light, portable computing, but don't necessarily need a full-powered machine, to get them to maybe think about what they're really looking for and what they plan to use it for. I think it's a mistake to position it as a netbook item, because it's not.

I'll give you that one, however, and admit I was wrong. I apologize.

I'm excited, and I'm sorry you seem to be so angry about the iPad. Maybe, a few iterations down the line, those of us who are adopting it early will help make it a machine that'll work a little better for you in terms of power and price. If not, it sounds like you're pretty happy with your netbook, so that's good.

[nadinbrzezinski]

55. I am not angry

I stated the reasons why I think it is an overpriced product. My critique is actually similar to the Macbook Air.

If (and when) they drop in price, I might give it a second look. That will also mean second gen...

At this point it is the price point, and the critique from techies is valid. Putting in a camera would have made it that more acceptable to techies like me. Since I use the netbook (and my macbook) for SKYPE... (And yes I use the IPOD touch as well, but far less... see camera)

[Touchdown]

56. This is what hets me about IT pros and others like them

Since they can't see a use for something, then it shouldn't be available to anyone at all, and NOBODY should have a use for it. "How dare any of you not listen to us? We're IT professionals! Nobody should buy this piece of shit because it doesn't have a shitty computer camera on it. Now you have to buy a Nikon!"

[nadinbrzezinski]

62. I am an average user like you

and as an average user... it lacks certain capabilities that in MY OPINION it should have at THIS PRICE POINT, given the DIRECT COMPETITION.

You got a problem with that?

Now if you want one... am I telling you not to buy it? Go on, buy it, hell get ten for all I care!

But as an AVERAGE USER... it is LACKING one thing I use almost every day now. You got a problem with that? And that is one major driver for me to say... no thank you.

On and for the record the Nikon would SUCK for SKYPE... but I am sure you knew that.

[Touchdown]

65. You came off in your first post as a know it all. You very words were...

"Mark My Words..."

I got a problem with people telling me that I am stupid, or a money waster because I'm interested in a product that lacks a feature that I give no shit about. Like it or not, that's the tone you took, and that tone only amplified with your patronizing little response below.

You came charging in here, as if you are one that must be heard, and must be heeded because the entire universe is depending on your unsolicited expertise to not buy anything without a shitty camera on it.

And... Fuck Skype. Got a problem with that?

[nadinbrzezinski]

67. no go ahead, buy twenty units

be happy.

And mark my words, the sales curve will be similar to the Macbook air, for the reasons I have stated. Yes fanboys WILL buy them, some even in twos and threes. But after the fanboys are done... which is what happened with the Macbook air.

Yes fanboys of (insert product here or company here) never see the problems, and are always shocked... when others are right. Seen this movie before, for OTHER companies and other products, as well as a Mac product.

[Touchdown]

68. So, the 20,000 per hour pre-order reports are

precognitive buyers remorse? Marking words from somebody who failed to address even one of my points isn't a hobby I would find enjoyable. I think I'll boot up skype and show some dude my cock on Chat Roulette.

[nadinbrzezinski]

69. Go for it, if that gives you pleasure

:-)

I really do not give a fuck what you do.

[Touchdown]

70. Considering the incessant need for your words to be marked...

I think you give more of a fuck than is healthy.

[nadinbrzezinski]

71. Welcome to my ignore list

I mean I really do not need this from you.

Have a good life...

Oh and do me a favor BUY my I-Pad will ya, make it the top of the line... :sarcasm: and enjoy it.

Fanboys... I should have learned by now. They are always the same way... blind to the nth degree.

[Touchdown]

72. Not a fan boy, but you got thin skin.

Of course, you chickened out and won't answer, but... What part of my assessment that you think nobody should buy this did I get wrong.

[alfredo]

18. Let's get this out of the way now instead of later: Mad TV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFNQE_TzQNI&feature=player_embedded

[supernova]

19. Will the iPad replace the clipboard?

It's light enough to be carried everywhere. But we still use clipboards for making notes, especially while walking around.

:shrug:

The iPad seems to be light enough to walk around with a make notes on.

[alfredo]

20. I can see Real Estate agents or other salesmen using them Maybe POS

at Lowe's or Best Buy.

[Touchdown]

21. Oh' Now you've done it! Office efficiency experts!

See an iPad, it's one of THEM!!!!! Run for the breakroom, take up smoking and go outside. Get AWAY! run faster if it's a ....consultant!

The iPad is now a TOOL OF THE DEVIL!!!!!!:scared:

[ChairmanAgnostic]

74. For a lawyer, it is PERFECT for depositions.

you have your docs, database, and note taking all at your fingertips, 10 hours of use, AND light and mobile?

[struggle4progress]

22. See pokerfan's thread "iPad is iBad for freedom" in Open Source and Free Software

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=240x1781

[supernova]

23. The great thing about computer tech is

as sure as you find out how to make your product "proprietary," some one else will come along and figure out how to "liberate" it. :D

Witness how many people now have unlocked iPhones.

[alfredo]

26. It wasn't Apple that insisted on DRM, it was the content creators. If you were

a film maker, would you want your movie pirated? Would you want the millions you spent and years you gave to come to nothing? Accepting DRM was the only way Apple could have gotten access to movies and music. Copyright and patent laws give some ownership to the inventor/creator so they can profit from their efforts. It isn't perfect, but it does protect the small operator from big predatory companies.

Remember when the auto companies had to pony up for the use of the intermittent windshield wiper? They were profiting from the invention and the inventor was getting nothing, even though he put his time and money behind the development of that invention.

Sure, I like free access and use of technology and the arts, but I also appreciate artist and inventors wanting to be paid for their work.

Remember, Steve J and Steve W's first product was a device to allow free long distance phone calls: The Blue Box.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_box_(phreaking)

[alfredo]

24. My wife is a writer, I want her creations protected from piracy. Does that make

her bad for freedom?

[supernova]

27. You're misunderstanding here

It's not that artists shouldn't be paid for their work.

I'm a writer as well, by the way.

What I'm talking about is opening up the platform and the software, not the end products that we might use with it. But there too, I think needs a rethink on the distribution model. You can't control your profits by controlling distribution. This is the same problem the music industry is running afoul of and refusing to learn from.

[alfredo]

29. It seems that Apple's model has not hurt them. They have a market cap larger

than Dell, HP and IBM.

They keep a tight hold on their platform because they see the mess in the PC market. You don't see the same compatibility issues with OSX as you see with Windows.

the general public doesn't care that there is tight control over the 99cent apps on their iPhone. They just want it to work. Until the public demands open platforms there won't be any changes.

I have a friend who's been online for eight years, and he still doesn't know how to attach an image in e-mail. He's a very smart guy, but lazy and a bit phobic when it comes to computers. Do you think he cares if his platform is open or closed?

[struggle4progress]

31. Of course, copyrights deserve protection. That's not the issue being raised: the claim is

that Apple's DRM controls everything you put on your machine. Open Source software? Out! Commercial websites that rely on Flash? Out! Etc etc


... All applications must be signed by Apple if they are to run, an unprecedented level of control for a general purpose computer. On top of this, Apple can push updates to the device over its wireless connection, letting them add or remove capabilities at any time ...
iPad Shredded for DRM Restrictions
10:07 am, January 28th, 2010, Nicole Martinelli
http://www.cultofmac.com/ipad-shredded-for-drm-restrictions/28267

[alfredo]

32. Do you think Apple would have gone this route without the pushing of the

copyright holders? Would the record companies have signed on to the iTunes store without robust protections for their products?

[struggle4progress]

34. As far as I can tell, the issue is consumer lock-in: the claim seems to be that everything you do on

the ipad has to be preapproved by Apple. I've seen at least one site that indicates content can only be bought through an Apple store; and people are also claiming apps can't be installed without Apple approval.

[alfredo]

35. We'll have to wait and see when it is introduced. On the

up side, notice that there hasn't been problems with malicious code on the iPhone/Touch. The only iPhones vulnerable are the jail-broke iPhones.

I realized last night that the criticism over rejecting flash and embracing HTML5 and H. 264 ignores the fact that Apple is rejecting a closed standard and accepting two open standards.

Tight control on software ensures that what is installed is safe, doesn't affect the user experience in a negative way, and is not needlessly duplicating functions. How many word processors do you need? Tight integration between hardware and software has always been a strong suit with Apple. It has worked for Apple for decades and I do not see a huge upheaval of discontent among users to change it.

I like open standards and open source software (I'm an old Linux user), but Apple has found a business model that has worked well, and I have to admit, it has worked for me. I've only had one serious software problem that needed professional help since the days of the Macintosh Plus. It was a permissions problem with an OSX update back in the early 2000's. I've never had a virus, or other such problems that dog the Windows platform.

Some musing about future uses of the iPad.
http://www.macrumors.com/2010/01/29/excitement-about-ipad-a-large-screen-multi-touch-platform/

BTW, I don't need Linux anymore because two titles that attracted me have been ported to OSX. (Inkscape and GIMP)

[Touchdown]

36. I think this argument is total double standard city.

First off, most people who claim to be so adamant for "open source" content is lamenting that the iPad's Safari won't do Adobe Flash, and by extension MS's Silverlight. Both are proprietary softwares, that Apple has more than valid technical reasons for not supporting. Both are memory hogs. And they're denying these two PROPRIETARY pieces in favor of HTML5, and open source format.

Second, about the consumer lock in double standard. Nobody has a complaint about Sony or Nintendo having control over the distribution or approval of content available on their game hardware. Open source videogaming is why Atari is no longer a company, but a name under Hasbro. With such stringent approvals for quality, Nintendo approves less than 1000 games over the life of any of it's systems. Sony is more liberal with their Playstations in that regard, but the only way to put out a Playstation game is to go through Sony, where they manufacture, and distribute the games.

With over 140,000 apps available to the iPhone, and the vast majority of them utterly useless, and some even glitchy, it doesn't seem to me that Apple's approval process for apps is stringent compared to the other two companies, aside from the truly offensive, such as Baby Shaker (See Nintendo approve that). Apple doesn't set price points on anything. Tom Tom's app is $100. Star Wars Light Saber is free. They may take a cut of the sale, but it's their store, the costs of maintaining it fall on Apple, and it's their hardware, which they spent money designing, manufacturing, and marketing. The "open source" fan spent nothing to develop and make successful of Apple's devices, but still think they have a right to dictate terms to a hardware maker that did.

The single app store distribution channel is just a window so the thousands of app makers can show off and sell their wares in one easy to find space. Would it be more profitable for them if the consumer had to go to 20,000 separate websites to be able to download each maker's apps? I don't think so.

[onehandle]

28. Steve Jobs says that the iBooks store prices will be the same as the Kindle. Kindle go bye-bye.

They will be $50 on eBay by mid year, imo.

Considering that there is a Kindle app for the iPhone, you can bet that Amazon will beef up a version for the iPad to keep their e-book sales.
_______________________

The conversation between Walt Mossberg, of The Wall Street Journal, and Jobs was captured on video by BoomTown's Kara Swisher. Mossberg asked Jobs why customers would want to purchase books for the iPad, when they were rumored to cost between $13 and $15 while Amazon charges $9.99. Jobs responded by saying, "the prices will be the same."

"Publishers are actually withholding their books from Amazon, because they're not happy with it," Jobs added. The comment carried a different tone from his keynote, when Jobs complimented Amazon for pioneering the e-book market with the Kindle.

Mossberg also asked Jobs if he should write his review of the iPad in the Pages application, which will cost $9.99 in the App Store. The journalist said he would need to save it as a Microsoft Word document, though, because his editors "don't know anything about Pages."

Jobs told Mossberg that the mobile version of Pages would allow him to save the file as a Microsoft Word document. "Write it in Pages, you could make a Word version and send it to your editors," Jobs said.

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/01/29/steve_jobs_ipad_to_offer_word_support_10_ebooks_6_days_of_music.html

[alfredo]

30. Good article.

[romana]

39. I have a nasty feeling

that when Jobs says iBooks and Kindle books will cost the same, it means that the Kindle prices will go up. He doesn't come out and say iBooks will cost $9.99 like the Kindle, he says they will both cost the same.

I just think that quote is ambiguous. Hope I'm wrong. If anything eBooks should be cheaper than their print counterparts unless the contain a lot of extra features that you can't put in a regular book (video, weblinks, etc).

[onehandle]

40. It's already started. Steve's right about one thing. Publishers hate the deal they have with Amazon.

Amazon Caves To Macmillan’s eBook Pricing Demands

A new development in the Amazon vs. Macmillan fiasco. Amazon just posted an announcement indicating that it will be “capitulating” to Macmillan by selling the publishers’ books for their desired prices.

Macmillan is trying to price their e-books at $15, while Amazon prices e-books at $9.99. Macmillan’s CEO John Sargent said that unless Amazon sets the price of new e-books to $15, the publisher will not distribute new books to Amazon when they are released. On Friday, Amazon basically banned titles, both paper and digital, published by Macmillan by refusing to directly sell them. And Macmillan took out an ad in the Publishers Marketplace magazine protesting the tactics being used by Amazon regarding pricing.

Amazon is now giving into Macmillan’s demands because of the publisher’s monopoly over its titles. In a passive aggressive manner, Amazon says that readers will decide whether it’s reasonable to pay $14.99 for e-books. And that other publishers will compete by offering their books and lower prices.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs said last week that publishers were unhappy with Amazon’s pricing mode, foreshadowing this disagreement with Macmillan. Jobs revealed that publishers are withholding their titles from Amazon because of Amazon’s pricing model. Jobs also said that prices for books on Apple’s new tablet device, the iPad, will be the same as Amazon’s pricing.

http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/31/amazon-caves-to-macmillans-ebook-pricing-demands/

[comtec]

42. The kindle costs about half as much as the lowest level ipad

in addition it has a massive battery life.

I bought my wife a Ebook reader (non-kindle, as we're in Europe I wasn't sure Amazon had fixed the no-wireless problem here) and it's fantastic.
the E-ink is incredible. as long as there is light of any kind in the room it can be read. no matter how bright the sun is, it can be read. It suppose about 9 formats including txt, PDF and all the open formats.

It lasts 24 hours on a charge (done over USB mini, a standard apple seems to shun, when EVER OTHER MANUFACTURER embraces).
It has a SD/MMC card reader, and plays MP3's.

I'm not saying the imaxi-pad is a bad device. I think it's a great concept, however I also think that apple's far too restrictive on what you can do even with yuor i-touch (I have an ipod touch, and while I like it, I hate not being able to multi task)

We should all remember that jobs killed the newton JUST as PDAs were coming into fashion.

He's too much "My way or fuck you!" which is probably why so many software companies LEFT apple in the 90's.

weather jobs like it or not, Flash is standard on the web. And Flex - the programming language that can create flash pages on the fly - IS open source - to the extent the compiler is free.

Jobs has never understood, he's not selling hardware, it's ALWAYS been about the interface software.

[Touchdown]

48. Not the one with a similar sized screen.

And considering that it's in much more demand than the already too successful iPhone, it will be a hit, despite the techies bitching about what it doesn't have.

[comtec]

58. You are determined to not listen are you?

you blame all criticisms, no matter how valid, or logic, as being "techie bias"
dude, please, come up for air!

Can you not accept valid criticism about apple?

Sunshine does NOT flow from steve job;s ass, I'm sorry, but the propaganda is wrong!

No is saying the imaxi is a BAD product... we're pointing out it's deficiencies, and where it could improve.

there are mostly internal, OS issues, however the lack of a webcam of any kind WILL drive people away - like me - from getting one.

I refuse to spend 500+ for a computer/gadget that does NOT have a 5 dollar camera, even, in it.

The iphone, while popular, is still seen as rather quaint and backwards outside of the US for lack of a 'forward' facing camera.
OS is pretty good, but the lack of any real kind of multi tasking (and the hardware can easily do it, as jail-breaks have shown) is a illogical screw up.

I LIKE my itouch, I LIKE the idea of the imaxi (horrific name aside) but i DO NOT like the illogical constraints placed on it.
I mean... really... it doesn't even have a built in microphone!

[Touchdown]

59. And I refuse to pay a $50-$100 premium for a camera I won't use.

This device is hand held, unless you want your skypers getting sick, I would recommend you not use it on any tablet you hold in your shaking hands.

What deficiencies you see, I see as useless add-ons that will drive the price up of the final product. I don't video chat, and have had these cameras on 3 of my macs. I block Flash on my Safari and rarely click on it. Of Adobe's top 10 sites that use flash, iPhone can already access and have full use of all but 2 of them (Farmville and Hulu, which is going to have it's own iPad app anyway). I try to read on the iPhone, but it's really too small. I like to watch movies, again the iPhone has a perfect interface to watch them, still again, the screen is too small. I need a portable photo editor, portfolio presentation device that is elegant and unique, that also has the ability to load photo files onto flash sticks. Apple has made a product that can do all that already. The only other thing I wish for is portable printing ability (for those Canon/Epson AC/DC printers), which all that would need is a driver or app installed. A keyboard isn't necessary for me, as a matter of fact, it's useless weight/width when I have a backpack full of camera equipment. Multi-tasking would be great, but I can live without it for the time being, as I can the lack of printing ability, since I can still get prints at any drug store. It's also small enough to fit in that camera bag of mine.

Second; pointing out deficiencies. That is all you and others are doing. It would be one thing if you can balance that out with what does impress you, but without even holding one in your hands, it's automatically a POS because it's not the vibrate your ass perfection you wish it to be. The tone of you and others regarding the lack of camera, mike (which is debatable since the shell does have a hole for one), lack of Flash, lack of keyboard, lack of multi-tasking, lack of this, lack of that, not 16X9, is just repeated from all the tech pundits and bloggers who were itching to shit all over this thing before they even got their hands on one. And like monkeys, you guys come in here and shit all over this thread with the repeated talking points. It may be one thing if you had anything new to say, but you don't.

I can and have accepted the criticisms, but these same criticisms are being repeated ad nauseum so much as to make me believe there's another agenda at work here. That you, and a few others are dumping turds into this thread to de-rail anybody from talking about what it DOES do, and getting us to talk about what it doesn't, as to ensure it be a failure, so none of your wants will ever be addressed since there will be no second generation Ipad.

I can take criticism, but if that's all you have, then you've said your peace. I have listened, and have dismissed the "logic" as something that may be important to some, but won't bother me one bit. Repeating it only makes you annoying. My uses are obviously different than yours. The problem I have is the myopia of the "deficency pointers" that if it doesn't serve them, then it must not serve anybody else, no matter what they use their computers for. Therefore unless EVERYBODY dismisses the iPad, then we're just not listening to the sage advice of the techno-weenies who must be heeded!

[nadinbrzezinski]

63. I still remember people saying how well the MacBook Air would sell

tell me, where is the MacBook Air these days in the line up? Oh yeah, at the Cupertino Museum.

Look, I SKYPE with my mom almost every day... and there are ways TO USE a camera on this sucker without shaking like nuts. Been done you know, like with cells.

You do not see the problem with this since you don't use it... so why pray tell me should I be critical of it NOT having one?

Precious one... grow up and realize that just as it might be a hit (design wise like many other apple products it is beautiful)... but it is highly deficient, and it is not just competing with netbooks, which are far more capable, but realize it is ALSO competing with Tablets (yes they do exist... hell I even owned one at one time... bought in 2001, surprised?) And that Tablet had a camera on it, as well as a full OS that was like capable of multi tasking.

So that is what this TABLET is facing. And I do not kid myself, this is a mere tablet, that is LESS capable than tablets that have preceded it, except in ONE area... weight.

And if you think tablets are not in wide spread use... there are applications where they are fairly common. Hell, just last month I WAS using one at a hospital, to answer a survey, on a machine that had a far more capable OS... and a shocker, a CAMERA. Oh and it wasn't that heavy. Hell, I'd consider one for my PERSONAL use.

Go ahead, call me a techie... but this one... Mac is truly screwing (my opinion purely) the pooch. Why? Well if it wants to be a Netbook killer, which was one thing Jobs at one point hinted, not at that price point. And if it wants to compete with true tablets... well dear, the entry level is at the right price point, but any tablet user worth his or her salt need a little more HD space... like a LOT more. Of course it also needs the ability for expansion and a few other things.

But I will give Apple props for design... that they did VERY WELL. Hell perhaps if I needed a machine for light typing... and it went for 200 I would go and buy one. Yes, I still remember my Tandy portable word processor... and in some ways yes it reminds me of... that... a toy.

[Touchdown]

64. You expect me to listen to you after that patronizing display of yours?

I already have a mother, so save your "precious ones, and well Dears" for your children. I'm sure they appreciate it.

I just watched opening part of the keynote from late Jan this morning. He said nothing about competing with netbooks. What he did say, was that they wondered if there was a third product category that could fit between a notebook and a smart phone. The criteria would be that it would have to be better at doing certain things than the other two. Some have said netbooks are that third category, but the problem is... netbooks aren't better at doing anything. They have poor processing power, cheap screens and cramped keyboards, and they run bloated PC software. They nothing more than cheap laptops. We think we've come up with the third category...

At no time else did he, or anyone else mention netbooks again.

What had to be better than the other two categories?
Internet
photos
books
music
games
video
e-mail
... notice video chat isn't on there. Why? Because as I said in my prev post, notebooks/netbooks are better at video chat than this would be. So... no camera. So, deal breaker for you, but it doesn't bother me one bit.

Yes, I know that tablet computers have been around for almost a decade, and they've remained a niche market ever since. The iPad is not a classic tablet computer. It would've been out years ago with a copy of Panther on it if that's what they wanted to do. What you want is a notebook. All of the criteria you've mentioned describes a 1st category, not a 3rd. And still, no matter the feigned pleasure at "design" your still repeating talking points from the tech blogosphere.Will they succeed in creating a 3rd category? Who knows, but it will be fun to watch. What it isn't is what you have access to right now, and I don't really think Apple pays a lot of attention to concerns about kitchen sink loading of current products into a new one they're trying to define.

I would agree with you on the memory space. 64g is not a lot these days, but then so is cloud computing and access to your home hard drives is only a free app download away. I wish there were more, but considering that 128g solid state drives are still very expensive, I can wear this one out and upgrade in 2 years. And I bet it will have your precious 3mp color bleeding/artifact heavy camera on it.

EDIT: And... my shrink has a MBA. He loves it... and the bossy little people who talk down to me is the main reason why I'm still going to him.

[nadinbrzezinski]

66. I don't expect you to listen, you have not

and I took the same tone you did.

Now if their marketing guys pushed this angle... IT IS A BOOK READER THAT CAN DO ALL THIS TOO... they would do better.

But the two angles they pushed... no way, no cigar.

Oh and book reader... it is a good one... so your point?

For the record I already own a book reader. It is called an IPOD TOUCH... (I also own a SONY Touch,) and I actually LIKE the dedicated one for long flights.

[romana]

61. I agree with Touchdown

I have to agree with Touchdown. Criticism is one thing, but repeating the same thing over and over again is really not productive at this point. I think most of us are well aware of Apple's shortcomings, as well as the things they do right.

Personally, I can't wait to see an iPad in action--I've heard the display is amazingly fast and responsive. I will also be delighted not to have to read Kindle books or journal articles via Pages on my dinky little iPhone screen. :)

[Touchdown]

41. Stephen Colbert uses one at the Grammys

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10444898-71.html

[Touchdown]

49. Pre-Orders Begin this Friday. March 12th.

For both versions, all six models.

wi/fi released on April 3rd. 3G in late April.

[romana]

50. I'll be ordering

Have the money saved up, going for the 32GB WiFi version. I can't wait.

I bought an iPhone the day they were released and love it more than pie. I am looking forward to using the iPad--I've been thinking about an eReader anyway, and this does a lot more than that.

[alfredo]

57. Could Verizon be on the iPad?

from Mac Rumors dot come

[onehandle]

60. No. What the are talking about is MiFi.

Which is a 3G device that functions as a WiFi Base Station. The WiFi only iPad could connect through it without it's own 3G.

They may sell some of these to iPad users, but not many. It's not cheap and you would have to haul around another device. The MiFi unit itself.

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/mobilebroadband/?page=products_mifi

[Touchdown]

73. Pics of Apps and new App store.

FYI: My Cro Mag Rally just got a massive 56meg upgrade, and there is an iPad version... I wonder if I got it already.





A piano app.



Kindle app.



Sparkle



Real Racing

[alfredo]

75. Review at Boing Boing.

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/03/31/a-first-look-at-ipad.html#more