iPad

I'm a bit unimpressed. It seems like little more than a large iPod Touch. Which isn't a bad thing, but if it isn't absolutely 100% better, than what's the point. Also, I was hoping for an adjustable screen resolution that would make reading easier on the eyes. I can't read from a computer screen for hours at a time, so I probably won't be able to with this (I'm thinking in terms of a "Kindle killer").

Why would you wait until after the product is announced and shown to create this post only to use a picture that isn't even the actual thing? Fuck you.

I couldn't find any pictures.

Fuck Steve Jobs.

iBook and iWork will be game changers. Makes theKindell and the iTouch look like used condoms.

Here's a slideshow from today's iPad introduction.

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Apple-event/photo//100127/480/f0bf62fda83d...

There.

Here's what you were attempting.

iPad, wha.

Jeebus! You Mac people, so touchy.

Anyway, I can't wait to see the complaints form early adopters, and the constant justification that will come with buying one of these.

Plus, it'll be fun to see hipster dorks in starbucks hollywood, trying to look cool and type on the horrible touchscreens.

That already looks stupid.

It can't display the screen properly if it's resting on your desk or lap. I bet they're going to sell little iPad stands for this shit and will be charging a fortune.

I literally don't own a single Apple product. I just take my gadgets very seriously.

The portfolio

Haha, I wonder if New England even knows a new apple product came out?

You're close, Six. It's a laptop that doesn't have a keyboard.

Yeah dude. You gotta buy the keyboard separately.

Haha. I was thinking the same thing when she posted that.

I can't be writin' no book with some jibber jabber touch screen bullshit!

But in all seriousness, it's really just going to be a pussy magnet at Starbucks for guys who are looking to be asked about it.

Six years ago ME: iPod? If I wanted to listen to music away from my radio I'd just bring my CD walkman.

Seriously, why fight it? This kind of culture shift is going no where but forward. I already am getting thoughts of this type of gadget taking on steam like the cell phone has over the past decade. Everyone will have one, or something like it.

Flash forward 15 years. Mothers will be working 2nd jobs (maybe 3rds?) to pay for one of these things in time for little Johnny's 13th birthday and rites of passage celebration.

You will order books, buy newspaper, shop for groceries, pick out crotchless thongs all from a single source. All while completely ignoring your surroundings in public-- ignoring all of those pesky people ignoring you back. There would be no reason to ever interact with another human ever again. Except your lame children. . .if only there was a breastmilking app (iTit?).

The future. Ahhhh, I can't wait.

Now that you mention it, anyone I saw today had no clue. That's wicked pissah.

im interested to see where this will go with the next iterations. i just finished watching the recorded video from the keynote event, and it left me with mixed feelings.

it's a gamechanger in a few areas, but lacked some key features i was hoping for.

does it kill the kindle dead? i think absolutely. with the kindle charging $489 for it's 10" screen versions versus apple's very well equipped entry $499 version, when you think of the multitude of things the iPad does that Kindle can't dream of doing, it's not a hard call for fans of ebooks.

also, this is just the beginning. kindle's been out how long now? iPad lets you play games, surf the web, email, word process, and so much more.

iPad just became the ebook device to beat, and much more. is it disappointing in some ways? yeah, i was a little let down, but i still think it's an incredible product that fills a niche for enough people that it will succeed, grow, and flourish. i'll wait a generation or two before jumping onboard, but i can see this as a potentially great device to use in a few areas of my photography & design, as well as just for fun.

plus, cheers to not being tied to a cellular contract for 3G data.

yeah that's pretty awesome bit at the end. I think I like it. The more I've been thinking about it, I think I like it. I too was a little let down.

if you had a sort of tote bag type thing it'd work. Or just a big purse. I bet.

9.56 x 7.47 x .5 inches.

Kill Kindle dead? It might offer some competition, but I don't think so. If you're serious about reading on an electronic device, the Kindle kills this thing.

• The Kindle doesn't have a back-lit screen, So it actually feels like reading a book when you use it. The iPad will be like any other monitor and cause way too much eye-fatigue.
• The iPad has a 10 hour battery (that is max, ideal conditions). The Kindle has 7 days. Yes DAYS.

There will no-doubt be a Kindle app on this thing that does well, but the Kindle isn't going anywhere. So I think you're totally wrong. If you're a big consumer of eBooks, the iPad is going to be shit in comparison. For a casual reader, this thing will probably be more attractive.

Oh and lets not forget that the iPad does not support Flash. Can you say FAIL? So all that internet and movie stuff, is basically useless.

I completely disagree as far as the ereader goes. I just got a nook, which is Barns and Nobels new e-ink reader, and I think it's better than the kindle in almost every way. The ereader on the ipad is a novelty. I don't see the point of an ereader without an e-ink display. Anyone can read books on their regular computers or ipods and iphones with all sorts of apps, but the reason people buy ereaders is for the e-ink displays. Also, the standard kindle is much smaller(because it doesn't really have any need to be bigger) and much cheaper, and wireless is completely free on it, and is a standard option, not $130 more up front and $30 more a month, so the prices aren't really even comparable.

Yeah, the ipad and play games, surf the web, play music and whatnot, all on a bigger, multitouch display, and that's why people are going to buy it,not because it can read ebooks. The ipads battery life is somewhere around 10 hours, my nooks battery life is 10 days, which is a very nice plus for people who actually want a device they can read books on. My nook also runs off of android, which means it also has a lot of room to grow in the future, just as the ipad does.

Without multitasking, flash support, a camera, or any sort of usb port I can't see buying the ipad, even though I quite liked the look of it and it's weird keyboard dock.

edit: kirk beat me to a couple of my points while I was typing all of mine out.

Someone wrote a kindle app for the iphone ages ago, and all iphone apps port over neatly. The iPad is playing on Kindle's turf before it's even released.

Flash may not be relevant soon enough. Youtube, and it's owner Google, are pushing HTML 5 to deliver video and other media HARD. Others will fall in line with that. HTML 5 is the up and comer.

iPad doesn't support flash because Adobe has a history of dragging ass when it comes to relationships with Apple.

it's true, e-ink displays are nice, but they're also limiting. when e-ink displays that support full color are an affordable option, it'll open up the e-readers to be able to compete. what i said mentioned the e-reader aspect, but in the end i decided it was a niche device capable of much more than a standard e-reader.

Wireless is entirely free on the iPad, unless you want 3G online anywhere coverage. At this point it's apples to oranges. A kindle can download books anywhere sprint has service, and browse a crippled web to some extent, but the $14.99 250 meg data plan for the iPad offers more options than any Kindle can. Videos, maps with directional GPS. It's an entirely optional monthly add-on, but you get access to a LOT for it. Hence the optional, unforced premium.

10 hours of usage is maxing the processor and display out, that's ten hours of watching movies straight. Actual battery life performing less intensive tasks, as always, is higher.

Agreed. It has a way to go, and we'll see it evolve. It does seem the most promising device to offer ebooks and a slew of other functions, at a totally decent price. It has a niche, and looks poised to fill it well.

Gentleman, I am loving this discussion.

what about the keyboard? that's what was going to make or break it for me. I heard "responsive touch screen"

It was just a touch screen. i heard that there would be some response to your finger touch. Like how the blackberry storm sort of 'clicked.' I don't know, maybe i'm being to needy. But a touchscreen keyboard on something that flat and slim is just asking for disaster. Unless you're at a table or seated (even then, that's sort of scary...) what if it flies off your lap on the bus? Or you drop it while trying to type? I guess that's why they sell all that extra crap to buy to hold it up and whatnot. Hmm.

and, there should be a camera like on my macbook. how cool would it be to skype via a 3g network on that thing??? it's like, so jetsons. You could be at a park, and your tablet's skype pop's up. Oh, it's your sister! talk to her face to face at the park on your tablet. Awesome. Missed the boat on that one.

i'm pretty sure there will be a video camera on the second generation. serverlogs all over the place have been picking up devices running iphone os 4, which hasn't been released to the public yet. that too could unlock a LOT of features on the iPad and iPhone.

did i ever tell you about that guy who was sitting in the bar by himself drinking a grolsch and reading a kindle? i was gonna ask him if he got porn on that thing but he was weird.

Flash may not be relevant soon enough. Youtube, and it's owner Google, are pushing HTML 5 to deliver video and other media HARD. Others will fall in line with that. HTML 5 is the up and comer.

iPad doesn't support flash because Adobe has a history of dragging ass when it comes to relationships with Apple.

If there is one person you don't have to talk about the merits of HTML 5 to, it's me. It is great, has a ton of cool stuff that I can't wait to begin using, but IE8 has ZERO HTML 5 support (which also means IE7 and IE6). Since IE is still far and away the most popular browser, people build websites to work with it. It sucks, but that is how it is.

Sure, Google likes web standards and will push HTML5 for youtube, but don't expect the thousands of other sites to fall in line so quickly.

At best I say we have 2-3 years before HTML5 is really well-adopted.

That isn't even addressing all of the flash web content that isn't a video. There are some things that HTML5 just simply doesn't do. Flash is the biggest non-standardized web platform out there, if you're going to make a web device, it needs to support Flash.

Apple stock went down today.

i watched this video the other night:

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

the thing is, if i hadnt already purchased my hp 1030nr netbook, i would probably go for this one. it's fascinating, that the way i use my netbook (you never know til you use something for a while) is exactly how i would use the ipad. conceptually, i thought the ipad a retarded idea, or rather contrived. something to get into the netbook market and nothing more. i did not know that theyve been working on this thing for four years. when it mexico, i would sit on the couch or out on a lawn chair in the sand and open and close slightly the netbook to adjust to best visibility only to wish it opened flat. i could nook it against my knees. or sitting on the couch, i could do what i do on the couch but with more easy, especially since i like to surf while watching a movie in the dark. this is absolutely cooler than a netbook to me. if your main computer is a laptop, i would certainly not get this or a netbook. i mean, theyre for surfing, they arent for programs. the specs are always less, et cetera. but if you want something small to take with you for basic email check and search engine function, or to watch you tube or upload to you tube, i would look seriously into the ipad. i love my netbook for those reasons, and ergonomically, the ipad seems better for that.

but, as brandon points out, i could in no way see typing a novel on this touchscreen. that's what the desktop is for. when it gets to a point that i need to type a novel on the go, i would absolutely get a laptop.

but for basic surfing, i am tempted to sell my netbook and get into one of these.

..

See I don't even think it is a decent alternative to a netbook. You can only run one application at a time. That means you can't use instant messenger and browse the web. Or listen to Pandora while you catch up on your email. Or any other number of things that you probably do. One application at a time is really, really lame.

What they are trying to do is create a new product category here. And though I can't say it will fail, one of the first rules of business is you don't want to create a new product category for yourself. Because generally, people don't relate to what your product is supposed to do.

HP stocks were down exactly the same 4% as apple stock, and Microsoft's was nearly down as much as well.

The entire Dow closed low, and tech stocks as a category were down 2.5% overall.

Bad day for the tech market.

it was inevitable. pressing play is probably not a work safe idea.

Five years ago I would have agreed with you but Microsoft doesn't dictate technology standards anymore. When Google, Apple, and Mozilla agree on a standard it doesn't matter how much MS fights it, it becomes standard. This is the case with HTML 5. IE's marketshare has been steadily slipping and if it ends up conflicting with YouTube the only market it will have left is the grannies who use it for nothing but Hotmail. The iPhone has been chipping away at Flash for the last couple years and this product is the final nail in the coffin. Flash is one of the number one security threat for computers and Apple won't let their mobile products be put in that kind of danger.

One thing that Apple has proven in the past is that they can speed up the adoption of new technologies. Within a year of the original iMac being release USB became a standard. Within a year of the iPhone being released multi-touch was everywhere. Apple has such a strong history of predicting future technologies that the market follows whatever they do. That includes websites that want traffic from iPhone/iPad users, hence the decline of Flash. (remember, Google isn't married to Flash, YouTube already used it when they bought the company. And YouTube shamelessly plugs Chrome, making IE even less relevant)

I think the real killer feature is the App store. Any of your iPhone apps transfer over to the iPad so you don't have to rebuy them. For people who want an eBook reader and just and eBook reader, they will buy Nooks and Kindles. I don't see that market disappearing, just as the iPhone didn't kill the market for bare-bones cellphones. That's the thing with Apple, they don't try to corner an entire market, they just go after high-end users.

Personally, I'll get one when version 2 comes out. That's the way to do it with Apple products.

Multitasking on a device like this kills it. That's why people have so many problems with Android. There's a limited amount of CPU capacity so it's best to make it do one thing at a time correctly rather than try to do too much. I'm sure it will let you listen to music while going about other tasks though, music is such a basic function. Also, multitasking kills your battery, especially when you forget you have applications open.

so, people still use ie ?

my sister still uses it, but she's a weird one. she believes hands-down that vista is the best os ever

she is a weird one

This made me laugh, especially because of the video Berto posted.

Five years ago I would have agreed with you but Microsoft doesn't dictate technology standards anymore. When Google, Apple, and Mozilla agree on a standard it doesn't matter how much MS fights it, it becomes standard. This is the case with HTML 5. IE's marketshare has been steadily slipping and if it ends up conflicting with YouTube the only market it will have left is the grannies who use it for nothing but Hotmail. The iPhone has been chipping away at Flash for the last couple years and this product is the final nail in the coffin. Flash is one of the number one security threat for computers and Apple won't let their mobile products be put in that kind of danger.

One thing that Apple has proven in the past is that they can speed up the adoption of new technologies. Within a year of the original iMac being release USB became a standard. Within a year of the iPhone being released multi-touch was everywhere. Apple has such a strong history of predicting future technologies that the market follows whatever they do. That includes websites that want traffic from iPhone/iPad users, hence the decline of Flash. (remember, Google isn't married to Flash, YouTube already used it when they bought the company. And YouTube shamelessly plugs Chrome, making IE even less relevant)

Sorry man, you're dead wrong on this. IE doesn't just have a small lead it is a HUGE lead in usage. This is why Google makes sure all their services work in IE, because if they didn't they would be dead.

Chrome and Firefox are all good and fine for end users, but a lot of people don't have that option because their company's IT department won't upgrade to something better.

You're also way over betting on Apple's ability to shape the market. USB didn't become a standard because the iMac had it. Most of the funding behind the USB project was from Intel and Microsoft. If Apple had their way, we would all be using Firewire still.

The thing is, huge companies like Google can afford to develop an iPhone specific version of their services, but most companies cannot. If they have the choice to code a cutting edge HTML5 site, or a site that uses Flash to deliver video content, there is no way they are going to choose HTML5 because a significantly small portion of people can actually use it. This is why real HTML5 adoption is 2-3 years out. It's coming, but it will be a while.

I'll use The Cult as an example (and it is a big example because our users are more tech savvy than a typical site)

Browsers/OS combinations

1. Firefox / Windows 35%
2. Internet Explorer / Windows 25.52%
3. Safari / Macintosh 12.80%
4. Chrome / Windows 9.47%
5. Firefox / Macintosh 7.85%
6. Opera / Windows 1.52%
7. Safari / iPhone 1.32%
8. Firefox / Linux 1.25%
9. Safari / Windows 1.03%
10. Chrome / Macintosh 0.77%

If I had to make a business decision, I'm not doing HTML5 because 25% of our audience would not be able to use it. However, If I do Flash, there is only 1.32% of our audience who can't use it. For most businesses, that is a pretty obvious decision.

Keep in mind our numbers are way outside of what is normal. On most mainstream sites, that IE number is 70-80%

I would love to agree with you on this topic, but the numbers just don't support it.

All correct. But if you can't multitask on it, it isn't anywhere near being a decent alternative to a netbook.

It might be cute for browsing the web while you're on the couch, but you certainly won't be able to be productive with this thing. Perhaps that's fine. If all they want is a 'view some stuff' device, it hits a home run. But at that point, they are creating a new product category.