iPad?

[glock_this]

Okay, someone who has some legit complaints not in the form of a general generic bash

Flash... not a huge concern for me, but it should be integrated for sure. That is just part of the web. Flash, JS, Jquery, etc.. all part of the web so should be runable. I do not think this is that far off.

Yes, I think multi-tasking really is a must and I am rather surprised they swept that under the rug. So, would agree that is a no brainer going forward. Likely their biggest area of needed improvement on their "i" products.

Why need a USB port? It is not like a computer, exactly, where you can just load anything onto it - for example, there is no desktop to access - so what would you use the USB access for as you would not have access to whatever you tried to place on it.

yeah, I am a huge Office user - Entourage is my mail app of choice and Word is the industry standard - and not stoked by their iLife stuff.. but it would suffice. Never will it run Office, it is a competitor for their products.

and it needs a self facing camera.. and we should be able to remove batteries ourselves. Well, you can, if your willing/able to do things like that on your own, but I am talking via a simple battery door for the masses.

[Mute]

The iPhone/iPod is popular (and well thought out) because you can just throw it in your pocket and go. If I'm going to drag something this size around, it might as well be a fully functional laptop. There are plenty (PC or Mac based) that aren't significantly larger or heavier than the iPad.

No flash? Huge fail for a web browsing device. I hate flash, but it's an unavoidable reality when it comes to the internet.

Camera? Stupid. Can you imagine holding this thing up and trying to take pictures with it?

[glock_this]

The iPhone/iPod is popular (and well thought out) because you can just throw it in your pocket and go. If I'm going to drag something this size around, it might as well be a fully functional laptop. There are plenty (PC or Mac based) that aren't significantly larger or heavier than the iPad.

No flash? Huge fail for a web browsing device. I hate flash, but it's an unavoidable reality when it comes to the internet.

Camera? Stupid. Can you imagine holding this thing up and trying to take pictures with it?

First, no Flash is so not a fail - let's be honest. I develop sites for a living. Have for over 12 years. We don't do Flash. Flash is fun and neat, but the big players don't use it - unless - it is for ads or banners or specific small pieces. It is harder to update, requires a plugin, can't be bookmarked, hard to print inner pages of full sites, less SEO friendly, more costly to develop, can take more bandwidth, harder CMS integration & limits, can be harder to integrate into sites, etc. Given non Flash technologies like Jquery, you can do awesome interactive functions, like Flash, that make Flash totally not needed for most all business sites. Yes, it should be integrated as it is part of the web. Is it essential to the web, heck no! As an example, I use a plugin in all my browsers that disables Flash unless I click it to use that piece. Most of the time, the Flash elements on most business sites are ads, banners.. nothing of real value. Ask yourself, unless your visiting a very specialized type of site like a gamers site or a music site, does not viewing Flash elements stop your ability to use 99% of the sites out there, no? Me having Flash disabled unless I enable it with a click - I hardly ever do - more often then not allows me to stick to the key content and not get bogged down in flashy BS. Flash usage is for very targeted markets. So for most, not having it is not really an issue. There is not 1 site I visit, daily or just on a whim, where the Flash not being active would have stopped me.

Second.. as I clearly said, the camera would be self facing - not for taking photos of others.. d'uhh self facing allows for iChat usage.

[JDay]

Idiots will buy anything.

[Mute]

Here's the biggest sticking point I see with the iPad. I can't think of a single situation where the iPad would be more handy than a laptop. The iPhone OS is great on a small device. You accept the limitations in exchange for handiness. It is truly a marvel that you get that much computing capability in the palm of your hand. You put that operating environment into a device the size of a small laptop and you quickly lose all of the reasons for buying the smaller device.

[Vin496]

Idiots will buy anything.

Damn well call me stupid then.

Why do people get so bent out of shape over things? If you don't want one then dont buy one, but why do you have to berate others for wanting one?

[JDay]

Damn well call me stupid then.

Why do people get so bent out of shape over things? If you don't want one then dont buy one, but why do you have to berate others for wanting one?

I just think its stupid that people will buy anything with the Apple logo on it and they actually believe its the greatest thing since sliced bread. This pretty much sums it up.

NSFW language in image

[Rekrab]

As usual, Apple just upstaged and punked all eBook readers out there - Sony, B&N, Amazon.. you all just got owned! Not to mention all the other cool shiznit it can do: iPhone apps, maps, calendar, iTunes.. games (if your a gamer).

The iPad looks like it does a lot of things, but it doesn't do them as well as the dedicated devices.

Gaming? Nope. Too expensive and there's a bigger library of good games elsewhere. I could buy an xbox360 for the price of an iPad. PsP and DS are way better anyways.

ebooks? Again, way too expensive. It also doesn't have the market penetration that Kindle and Nook already have.

Productivity? No physical keyboard with tactile response means increased strain on your wrists. It's also a proprietary OS so that means no WinOffice(industry standard) or Open Office.

General Use? A netbook is far more cost effective for the average user and offers the same amount of versatility that the iPad does.

Now, if I wanted to do all of those tasks with a mediocre, single device, I'd buy an iPad. If I wanted to do any of those individual tasks well, I'd buy the write tool.

Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of the iPad. But what I've seen from the liveblogs of the unveiling it just doesn't do what I want.

[badfish71]

All they did was add a larger screen to the ipod touch and added an option for 3G, how is that a cool idea? If I need something that size I'll get a netbook for much less and not be stuck using the apple approved apps from the app store.

maybe im just WAY behind in the times but i remember when the ipod came out then the iphone, and i could not even have imagined the technology then. obviously with rapid moving technology it has come a long way but i would not have imagined this either. i cant wait to see what is in store for the future. im glad companies bring new things out even if people think its weak or a FAIL.. it just opens up the imagination for future products.

[Gryff]

Gryff - Did they let you take home any samples? I bet the event was a logistical nightmare.

A sample? Nope. Hell...if I got a sample from every Apple event I work on, I'd need a room in my house to store it all.

As for logistics, it wasn't exceptionally bad. The issue with an event like this is having every detail thought out, and building as much redundancy into the production as possible. Apple is famous for the hype of its new product releases, so the event has to go off perfectly. From a production standpoint, there is no room for anything to go less than perfect. That adds a lot of stress, but really isn't that much more logistical effort for a two-hour event.

And for the hateboys, you can claim that it is because the product "sucks," but I have a hard time valuing the opinions of people who make $50K/year over a company with a 30-year record of insane success that generates $42 billion/year in sales.

The problem you are making is the same problem people have made with products like the iPhone and iPod. You are looking at it as a Fail in terms of replacing a netbook, eBook, etc. Your view is too narrow. The question is going to be how much can the iPad do and how conveniently can it do it. It does more than a netbook. It does more than a ebook. It does more than an iPod. What things are we not realizing that it will do? I think that the limitations of it (i.e. no physical keyboard) will be blotted out by all the things that it does amazingly easily.

I don't think it's the end-all-be-all of electronic devices, and I definitely won't buy one until it has an iSight (web cam) in it, but it's a seriously cool device that opens the door for a lot of possibilities.

[glock_this]

I just think its stupid that people will buy anything with the Apple logo on it and they actually believe its the greatest thing since sliced bread. This pretty much sums it up.

you have made your disdain very well know and clear.

too bad you think it is "just" because Apple made it, people will buy it. There is more to it than that. For me, it is more about it just so happens they did and the fact, no one else is stepping up with advances like they are. So, they did it.

The simple, undeniable fact is - that like Google for search engines, or maybe Audi for cars or maybe Hitachi for TVs - these guys rule the roost in inventiveness, out of the box thinking, great form factors, truly usable GUIs and interactiveness... that is just a fact and you know it. You can hate all you want - it is that classic "because everyone likes I will hate" mentality. Fine, frankly, I don't really care.. the fact is, and their competition knows it, they are well ahead of people in design concepts, execution, final product.

Lastly, and the best part for you, because of Apple, as much as you hate it, YOU benefit as the companies that you do like press ahead to keep up and develop and respond and that improves their products.

[glock_this]

The iPad looks like it does a lot of things, but it doesn't do them as well as the dedicated devices.

Gaming? Nope. Too expensive and there's a bigger library of good games elsewhere. I could buy an xbox360 for the price of an iPad. PsP and DS are way better anyways.

ebooks? Again, way too expensive. It also doesn't have the market penetration that Kindle and Nook already have.

Productivity? No physical keyboard with tactile response means increased strain on your wrists. It's also a proprietary OS so that means no WinOffice(industry standard) or Open Office.

General Use? A netbook is far more cost effective for the average user and offers the same amount of versatility that the iPad does.

Now, if I wanted to do all of those tasks with a mediocre, single device, I'd buy an iPad. If I wanted to do any of those individual tasks well, I'd buy the write tool.

Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of the iPad. But what I've seen from the liveblogs of the unveiling it just doesn't do what I want.

"medicore" - wow...

it is not about doing everything 100% equal to or better then 5 different devices - though I would totally disagree about them not doing it equal to if not better than some stand alone products - it is about the fact that, for the masses, it does what 5,6,7 different devices do.. and does them great. And that, for most, is worth the price of admission and the ability to leave 5 at home and walk out the door with... 1 item

[RogueSniper]

I wish Apple had a demo program. I would pay to rent/use a Tablet for a couple of months just to get the hang of it and to see if it's a good tool for my day to day computing.

External peripherals are no big deal. My laptop has a docking station for my three monitors, printers, scanner, blah blah. Who really uses an optical drive on the run? Just gimme your flash drive or I'll email you the file! Everything is BT anyway.

When the hype calms down and the Tablet reaches it's break into point and the Haters and Doubters and On-The-Fencers (that's me) are more accepting, then MAYBE I'll look at it more seriously.

[Rekrab]

"medicore" - wow...

it is not about doing everything 100% equal to or better then 5 different devices - though I would totally disagree about them not doing it equal to if not better than some stand alone products - it is about the fact that, for the masses, it does what 5,6,7 different devices do.. and does them great. And that, for most, is worth the price of admission and the ability to leave 5 at home and walk out the door with... 1 item

Mediocre may be a bit harsh.

But it's still less than perfect. This is one of those products that Apple could have done a lot better if they waited for market saturation, like they did with the iPod. See what everyone else is doing, then learn from their mistakes. With the iPad I'm not really seeing any learning going on.

Don't get me wrong, I dislike Apple; but I still rocked an iPod until I had a phone that worked better for my music needs. Apple does some things right, but on this one they seriously jumped the shark and realized a device that was simultaneously before its time and woefully behind the times. Crucial things like multi-tasking should not be left out of a modern computing device.

I know it's too much to ever ask Apple for an open platform, but the closed nature of this device means I'd never want one. Which makes me sad, because it's a cool idea.

[glock_this]

You know, in March, it will be a mad rush to the stores just to hold, touch, see it in person. I have a store within 5 miles and I will certainly check it out.

I, for one, will not likely buy right off the bat. I am generally not really an early adopter. I tend to sit back and watch.. and when the issues get worked out, I jump in feet first. And frankly, I am not even sure this is for me.. though I 100% see the value and utility of it. Does not mean it is perfect yet for me.

Plus, I read that the eBook prices are, sadly, pretty highly priced But maybe the interaction and ability of their eBooks, as compared to any of the other drab white pages, it 'might' be worth the price. "might"

Given their track record, I am willing to just bet this will be a killer product and will fly off the shelves. I am looking forward to seeing it, but 10x more forward to a Verizon iPhone running OS4 with multi-tasking That I would buy on day 1.