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[JimH]

Just wondering how people view the launch yesterday of the iPad from Apple.

$499 for starter edition.  Add $100 for more memory.  Add for 3G connection from AT&T.  No contract obligation.  Full blown version $800 something.

It was described after the introduction by a commentator as a "big iPhone, no .. wait, it doesn't make calls, so it's a big Touch".

Are you tempted?

[glynor]

I'm tempted, but (like any Apple product) will wait for v2 and to see what the competition does.

I'm torn... What I'd really like would be something just like this, but without the Apple lockdown, and with the ability to run regular desktop applications.  However, I don't want it to run a regular desktop OS, unless they spent a lot of time making a version of the OS completely finger-friendly.  If you ever need to use a stylus, it is a complete non-starter for me.  The iPhone OS is good, but not perfect, and I don't like the App Store lockdown.  I can at least partially understand the need for the lockdown on a smartphone (don't love it, but wouldn't love malware either), but a device like this is a different story.

If v2 of this is the same but with these changes, I'd probably buy one:

• multitasking of third-party apps is an absolute requirement
• front-facing webcam
• full, touch-friendly versions of each of the iLife apps (iPhoto and iMovie, especially)

I am looking forward to see how the ASUS Eee Tablet turns out.  If it is just like the iPad, with better I/O options (like maybe a mini-USB port and an HDMI or DisplayPort, please?), a camera, 16x10 aspect ratio, and Android, it could be a very good device.  Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of faith that they'll do a good job.  If it ends up with a resistive touch screen, no multi-touch, a physical keyboard, or any number of other ways to mess it up, I won't be surprised.  Then we'll just need to wait to see what HTC does.

Android is far from perfect for a device like this, and I'm not positive that it will turn out well, but I don't see a lot of other options available that would be viable.  I'd be interested to try a full Windows 7 tablet, but I suspect that you'd have to have a stylus (which, as I said, is a non-starter).

[wombat66]

I would be interested in the iPad if I could use it to control MC. I would love to have Theatre View on a multi-touch screen.

[jmone]

The iPad is an additive device, it will not replace the SmartPhone, Laptop etc.  If it takes off it will need to carve out a niche that people think they need that is not already covered adequately by the other device you already own....

[Health Nut]

Like I mentioned earlier, I will be all over the maxiPad like Tiger Woods.  What will be needed is someone to write an application to control Media Center that will take advantage of the much higher resolution and surface area of the iPAD.  

I'm very excited about this.

[glynor]

The iPad is an additive device, it will not replace the SmartPhone, Laptop etc.

Agreed.  I would not buy one instead of a laptop.  However, there are many situations where a laptop form-factor is not ideal, but where a smartphone's small form-factor is too limiting.  They've been trying to sell netbooks as an option to fill this space, but they don't work because they are still laptops (and so they're still difficult to use standing up, on a couch, in a car/plane seat, etc).  Besides, most netbooks are just crappy computers with crappy keyboards and an OS designed for much more powerful hardware.

A good tablet device could perfectly fill this space for lots of people.

[tcman41]

Not a good concept from the Apple Boys, people are better off with a netbook.

[jmone]

+1 Glynor - the commercial Q is then if there will be enough willing to pay $500-$1,000 to fill such a role....

[runemail]

If the web surfing experience is so great, why do many websites develop applications of their websites? Doesnt make sense to me, so what im I missing?

Usually Apple products look really nice, but this one looks just like a ordinary Apple design with wrong proportions, probably the weird aspect ratio of the screen and the bezel.

Im sure its going to be nice to have, but I think Android/Windows/Linux-clones is going to be cheaper and more versatile, probably never as elegant though.

[glynor]

+1 Glynor - the commercial Q is then if there will be enough willing to pay $500-$1,000 to fill such a role....

I think there will be, but v2 will probably be $100 less.  Or they'll throw in 3G on all of them... Why would you ever buy this without 3G or GPS since it is contract-free?!?

people are better off with a netbook.

In what situation would someone be better off with a netbook vs. a good thin & light laptop (like the CULV lines out now from Asus and Acer)?

I own one of the best netbooks out there (the ASUS EeePC 1000H).  It is okay, but frankly... I hardly use it.  It is too slow to be a good laptop, the keyboard is crappy (even though Asus makes the best keyboards on netbook-class machines), the screen is REALLY crappy (600px height doesn't cut it, and the TN panel is about as cheap as they come).  It just isn't a very good computer.  AND, I can't use it in literally any situation where I couldn't instead use my "real" laptop.  And that's what ends up happening.  If I'm going on a trip where I think I might need more than my phone, I end up bringing my laptop.

On the other hand, if I could have my 1000h with no keyboard, a good touchscreen (and associated touch-friendly UI), and a nice, big, high-quality screen... I could use it in bed, on the couch, standing up in the hallway at work or in an airport, in the car/airplane without having it on my lap and hurting my wrists using the touchpad, throw it on the kitchen counter while I'm cooking to read or watch a show, and lots of other similar uses where a laptop isn't ideal (due to the L shaped form-factor and UI).  The promise of a netbook was of a companion device that you could use while traveling that would be lighter and smaller, but still useful enough that you wouldn't need a full-sized laptop.  But that isn't how it turned out...

I'm certainly not saying that the current version if the iPad announced yesterday is perfect, AT ALL.  Like I said before... I would never even consider buying a tablet as a replacement for a laptop, but I'd say the same thing about a netbook (which is just a small, crappy laptop).  But there are many times when I'd rather use or carry a tablet instead of a laptop, and other times where a real laptop would be more appropriate.

[Mr ChriZ]

I think there will be, but v2 will probably be $100 less.  Or they'll throw in 3G on all of them... Why would you ever buy this without 3G or GPS since it is contract-free?!?

In what situation would someone be better off with a netbook vs. a good thin & light laptop (like the CULV lines out now from Asus and Acer)?

I own one of the best netbooks out there (the ASUS EeePC 1000H).  It is okay, but frankly... I hardly use it.  It is too slow to be a good laptop, the keyboard is crappy (even though Asus makes the best keyboards on netbook-class machines), the screen is REALLY crappy (600px height doesn't cut it, and the TN panel is about as cheap as they come).  It just isn't a very good computer.  AND, I can't use it in literally any situation where I couldn't instead use my "real" laptop.  And that's what ends up happening.  If I'm going on a trip where I think I might need more than my phone, I end up bringing my laptop.

On the other hand, if I could have my 1000h with no keyboard, a good touchscreen (and associated touch-friendly UI), and a nice, big, high-quality screen... I could use it in bed, on the couch, standing up in the hallway at work or in an airport, in the car/airplane without having it on my lap and hurting my wrists using the touchpad, throw it on the kitchen counter while I'm cooking to read or watch a show, and lots of other similar uses where a laptop isn't ideal (due to the L shaped form-factor and UI).  The promise of a netbook was of a companion device that you could use while traveling that would be lighter and smaller, but still useful enough that you wouldn't need a full-sized laptop.  But that isn't how it turned out...

I'm certainly not saying that the current version if the iPad announced yesterday is perfect, AT ALL.  Like I said before... I would never even consider buying a tablet as a replacement for a laptop, but I'd say the same thing about a netbook (which is just a small, crappy laptop).  But there are many times when I'd rather use or carry a tablet instead of a laptop, and other times where a real laptop would be more appropriate.

Hmm... BUT!!

Would your netbook work any better if you flattened it out?
I can't see typing on an IPad as being a pleasant experience.
And if your netbook is top of the range why is an IPad going to be any faster?

[glynor]

Would your netbook work any better if you flattened it out?
I can't see typing on an IPad as being a pleasant experience.
And if your netbook is top of the range why is an IPad going to be any faster?

#1 - Not flattened.  However, if the keyboard (and L-shape) is removed, then lots of times, yes.  I listed a few situations above.

#2 - I don't type very much in the situations where I'd want to use a tablet.  If I was going to type a lot, a netbook would be equally crappy.  That's my whole point.  If an OS is designed to not require a keyboard, then you really don't need one very often.  I wouldn't be typing a novel on a tablet, but then, I also wouldn't be typing a novel on a netbook.  I don't understand people's weird love for physical keyboards all the time, even when they're crappy.  Generally, I'd rather have no keyboard at all than have a bad one (so long as the device UI is designed that way).

#3 - Because a) a Cortex A9 CPU is much faster than the current Pine Trail Atom CPUs, and b) because it is running an OS designed for the resources that it actually has, rather than an OS designed with much more capable desktop hardware in mind.

[gappie]

im not tempted. seems like a big and clumsy remote control to me.

 
gab

[Daydream]

Totally uninterested in the iPad. Besides the name jokes, besides the "n reasons why it fails" lists, I see it as a power grab from Apple to actually extend they're crappy DRMed monopoly over other venues, to force their unbelievable bad iTunes program on even more users. This is not gonna fly. For cool small gadgets, the balance between features provided and restrictions was Ok enough to buy into whatever they sold. To try and sell me something that resembles a netbook/notebook, locked down, that will fail.

It doesn't matter that it's a tablet, that is cool, that it can pour apple juice on a hot day. For all I care it can even read minds, I would still say no.

It's not enough to (closely) resemble something that we desperately want - a tablet that can be customized to control all the media in your house. It has to BE that. This one is not.

[gappie]

and what does not help is that iPad is a bit funny in my language..... like iToad.

 
gab

[Health Nut]

The bottom line for me: It seems like a great way to control J RIVERS Media Center if the appropiate APP is written for it...  

Looked at touch screen monitors, looked at all kinds of solutions....  and this seems like an OUTSTANDING 'remote control'  

I can't think of anything more ideal that this iPAD in terms of size and portability.  touch screen 17" displays are fixed and not portable.  This is a PERFECT size and MUCH BETTER TOUCH capability than an LCD monitor. 

Looking forward to iPAD and J Rivers together!!

 

[Mr ChriZ]

The bottom line for me: It seems like a great way to control J RIVERS Media Center if the appropiate APP is written for it...  

Looked at touch screen monitors, looked at all kinds of solutions....  and this seems like an OUTSTANDING 'remote control'  

I can't think of anything more ideal that this iPAD in terms of size and portability.  touch screen 17" displays are fixed and not portable.  This is a PERFECT size and MUCH BETTER TOUCH capability than an LCD monitor. 

Looking forward to iPAD and J Rivers together!!

 

Bet it still gets lost down the side of the sofa. 

[JimH]

Hey Health Nut -- the name of the product is "JRiver Media Center".  No "Jrivers" in it.  Thanks.

[glynor]

Bet it still gets lost down the side of the sofa. 

With a nice big scratch on that beautiful IPS screen for your trouble.   

[rick.ca]

I'm convinced. I'll wait for the iSofa.

[Health Nut]

GO iPAD!  

http://www.cepro.com/article/4_ways_apples_ipad_will_change_custom_electronics/

Sorry guys, as a way to control Media center, the iPAD is AMAZING in my view.  I don;t care what else it can or cannot do.  I was going to buy a $600.00, 17" touch screen LCD monitor, and this beats the hell out of that...

[Merv]

GO iPAD!  

http://www.cepro.com/article/4_ways_apples_ipad_will_change_custom_electronics/

Sorry guys, as a way to control Media center, the iPAD is AMAZING in my view.  I don;t care what else it can or cannot do.  I was going to buy a $600.00, 17" touch screen LCD monitor, and this beats the hell out of that...

Only if someone writes a realy cool app for it...one that has'nt got Apple restrictions on what/how you access.

[Health Nut]

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/01/iphone-voip/

Posted by: daren_gray | 01/28/10 | 9:32 pm
FINALLY! Somebody figured it out. This is the best article written on the iPad yet. I’ve been saying this for months, if not years. The iPad is Apple’s end run around the global telephony monopoly. Apple doesn’t need to release a non-AT&T iPhone, because by 2012, there will not be such a thing as an iPhone. Nor MacBook. Nor iPod. Nor iMac.
.
There will only be iPad.
.
THIS guy posted a parody of what he calls the “iPod Nano.”
.
http://laughingsquid.com/ipad-nano/
.
But without realizing it, he has struck on Apple’s strategy with the no-contract, unlocked iPad. Apple *WILL* be releasing an “iPad Nano,” and, of course, it will be an iPhone, in the same way that an iPod touch is an iPhone. One might say, why rebrand the iPhone as an “iPad Nano?” What’s the point? The point is that seemingly insignificant semantic difference is worth billions. The global telephony monopoly has built its planet-wide legal chokehold around the concept of a “phone.” But what about a “mobile computing device” that just happens to feature voice communication? That’s the wedge that Apple will use to finally, finally cast the global telephony companies into the **** trash where they all belong.
.
By 2012, no one will own a phone, iPod, or laptop. You will have a pad with whatever peripherals you choose to attach. A small iPad. A medium iPad. And a large iPad. Just like the silly three bears, person. Of course, Apple will be joined by every other tech company’s variation on this, but that’s where we are going.
.
Believe me or don’t. I’m spot on and we’ll all have a chuckle about this in a couple of years. Booyah.


Read More http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/01/iphone-voip/#ixzz0e1Pgl4XR

[gappie]

i like your enthousiasm, health nut. really.

i think this scene with the great bruno ganz is misused to often.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQnT0zp8Ya4

i think the p88 looks much more interesting, usb and more power. guess it will work nice with mc and i could really use it for more than just gadgets from the apple store...

 
gab

[prod]

I think it will do marginally better than this....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/witness/january/10/newsid_4111000/4111177.stm

[InflatableMouse]

IMO they should have done this instead of make a tablet with the iphone OS. I know what I would choose...

http://www.axiotron.com/index.php?id=modbook

[prod]

Yeah, it's an average-to-good idea poorly implemented. It's like a late xmas present for Apple fans though, I just don't "get" it myself.

[BullishDad]

Since Apple's announcement, I've been reading lots about the iPad, trying to determine where it will fit in the marketplace.

The comment that stuck with me most, was how the iPad could be used around the home as a media and web surfing device.  Use it for music, watch a movie, check email or play a game.  If it's going to be a success, it will be driven by the apps that are optimized for the bigger screen that will give people a reason to want one.

On the other hand, I don't think it will be as successful as the iPhone.  Because the iPhone is a pocketable, go anywhere, use anytime device, people will carry it and use it daily.  The same can't be said for the iPad.  Even if the iPad can make phone calls, will it ever replace your cell phone?  Not for most people.

However, it think it will sell well enough that the tablet format will become a sizable part of the computing market.  We'll see other companies develop competing products, and in a sense, it's just the continuing evolution of the laptop market.

I'd be interested in one if I was looking for a laptop for occasional use.  I have an old Dell Inspiron that I use when I go out of town for a few days, and the iPad would be a lot nicer to use, but I can't justify spending the money on it.

[Magic_Randy]

No appeal for me at all.

Too big to make calls (does not do it anyway).

Cannot replace my PC.

So instead of hauling around 2 devices I need to haul around 3? I don't think so.

Plus I'm sure they will lock it down. So much for open.

But it looks really cool.

[Merv]

Since Apple's announcement, I've been reading lots about the iPad, trying to determine where it will fit in the marketplace.

The comment that stuck with me most, was how the iPad could be used around the home as a media and web surfing device.  Use it for music, watch a movie, check email or play a game.  If it's going to be a success, it will be driven by the apps that are optimized for the bigger screen that will give people a reason to want one.

On the other hand, I don't think it will be as successful as the iPhone.  Because the iPhone is a pocketable, go anywhere, use anytime device, people will carry it and use it daily.  The same can't be said for the iPad.  Even if the iPad can make phone calls, will it ever replace your cell phone?  Not for most people.

However, it think it will sell well enough that the tablet format will become a sizable part of the computing market.  We'll see other companies develop competing products, and in a sense, it's just the continuing evolution of the laptop market.

I'd be interested in one if I was looking for a laptop for occasional use.  I have an old Dell Inspiron that I use when I go out of town for a few days, and the iPad would be a lot nicer to use, but I can't justify spending the money on it.

One of the mains reasons IMHO for the bitter reaction from most people is that we were expectng a touch screen Mac tablet running OSX, and the iPad is'nt it

The iPad still has a place... maybe, but its firmly in the home and of little use carried around.

[flac.rules]

The iPad itself is interesting, but IMHO its usability is severely limited with the Iphone-OS, it's just too limited for a lot of uses. It doesn't even multitask, and every little app has to be on the apple-approved list

[ThoBar]

I'll be waiting for a better w7 option to come out (ASUS/HP etc).

My wife has a tablet, and while hers is a bit on the chunky side (its a laptop with a touch screen that converts form factor HP TX2) I actually really like the tablet experience. The advantages over the iPad are numerous - including excellent handwriting recognition, however so is the cost.

Once HP's slate or similar is unvieled, it could be interesting to see where we all sit.

For me, I'll likely be going the non-iPad route - then the best remote for MC is MC

[paps]

without mc14 for ipad i don't need it.

controlling my music system requires mc14 cause of best GUI.

has anyone seen mc14 on "archos 9" or "eee t91" running windows 7?

[HTPC4ME]

<bought t91mt. returned it. wasnt fast enough for huge library. tried logi dinovo mini to small. ive since went with harmony remote, with a wireless keyboard for heavy surfin, and will stick with this until i hear someone has invented the ultimate remote.

[flac.rules]

Ok, so you need the controlling device to be fast when using it as a remote in MC? That's good to know

[gappie]

[park]

From my end, I won't buy one simply because I'd have to use itunes to sync with it. Never again. I want to jump ship to the google phone when it comes out here.

[benn600]

I still reminisce of my old days with my trustee iPaq devices.  Started by Compaq, HP took the product line over.  Those things just gave me endless control over files and software I could only dream of on the iPhone.  I was streaming all my music and 640x480 videos over wifi.  I had a 36** for a short while, a 3835, and still have my HX4700.  Is it possible that Compaq started the i-names or was it Apple, or someone else?  It looks like the iBook and iPaq debuted very close together so it's tough to say...unless there was an earlier product.

It really depends on the type of user.  My conclusion was that if you are a big-time computer user it is going to be problematic.  I know I basically cannot actually use a computer for extended periods if it doesn't have my suite of applications and abilities.  The iPhone has the same limitations but has a huge benefit of being highly portable.  The iPaq is the worst of both worlds: definitely not pocketable while not having full-sized (miniatured, I guess) capabilities.

As time goes on I find myself trying to simplify and condense as much as possible and I especially like selling old equipment.  Every item I sell makes me think longer about each buying decision realizing that I'll probably not use it.  I already have a nice array of gear that is either essential or is in that gotta-have category (travel items used from time to time).

It was awesome to see how the final device really does look much like an iPhone enlarged with the same button.  The image manipulation rumors were not far off.  The starting occurrence at the Grammys was very cool.  I liked seeing the screen rotate as Colbert pulled the iPad out--a well timed, very strategically completed, publicity act.

Oh yes, and the locked-in thing is really starting to irritate me beyond belief.  I am worried because more and more products offer too much convenience to longevity/openness ratio which will cause problems down the road.  I would like to see an iPad in person but (it may have these) without Finder or some desktop-class abilities it will be more of a let down than anything!  I often get upset about the things I can't do on my iPhone and can't imagine how inabilities would fare on a larger device with basically a net-book sized display.

[glynor]

Is it possible that Compaq started the i-names or was it Apple, or someone else?  It looks like the iBook and iPaq debuted very close together so it's tough to say...unless there was an earlier product.

While it is certainly possible (even likely) that someone else had an iProduct name before Apple, they were certainly out with their first iProduct well before Compaq released the iPaq.

original iMac G3 (Bondi Blue): shipped August 15, 1998
iBook G3: "unveiled" July 21, 1999, shipped later
iPAQ: "unveiled" April 2000, shipped later

It really isn't disputed that the subsequent iCopy computer and CE products were obvious copycats off of the original iMac's marketing success (which was substantial for Apple at the time).  While it is entirely possible that another company had their own iProduct before Apple, nothing in the computer or CE space ever had the presence that the Apple product did.  The actual name iMac was, incidentally, created by a guy named Ken Segall (who also dreamed up the "Think Different" campaign).  He was a long-time creative director for Apple's ad agency at the time.  In fact, according to Segall "teh Steve" absolutely hated the name iMac at first, but was later brought around to the idea.  I'm a bit skeptical that Apple pursued ANYTHING that Steve actually truly hated.  More likely he was lukewarm on it, and had to be convinced (or convince himself).

Apparently, Jobs never actually "officially" approved the name.  He rejected it a few times, along with a bunch of other names, and Segall and his team just kept bringing it back and saying that they liked it the best.  Eventually one day, they say, there was the Bondi Blue with the name silkscreened on the side.  Jobs had apparently done it just to "test it out" and then before anyone really knew what was happening, it was being announced.

[newsposter]

Considering that most of the e-readers out there are just barely approaching the functionality of my 10 year old HP 5550 iPaq, I'm not impressed.

So Far.

I like eInk and AMOLED screens, but the prices, sheesh.

[glynor]

I like eInk and AMOLED screens, but the prices, sheesh.

I guess I'm just too "multimedia" focused of a person (being an A/V nerd and video editor by profession), but... eInk is completely uninteresting to me.  Yes, yes, it has super-long battery life, but I want to be able to have, you know, color pictures.  Maybe a video or animation here or there?  It is the year 2010, after all.  Besides, one of the BENEFITS of reading at night on my iPhone's Kindle App is that I don't have to turn on the lamp on my nightstand.  I just keep the Kindle app in "white text on black background" mode, and it is crisp, easy to read, and doesn't wake my sleeping wife up (which is worth more than anything, really).

AMOLED screens are nice in good lighting conditions, but people way downplay the glare and color accuracy issues on them.  The reviews always say "OMG, the AMOLED screen looks BEAUTIFUL!!! It doesn't look so good outside, but OMG it is SO BEAUTIFUL!".

First off, AMOLED screens just look super-saturated to me, but that could be the fact that I spend my days surrounded by high-quality, color corrected IPS panels.  For "normal" people, the glare issue is even more important for a mobile device.  It seems like the same mindset that lead to all laptop screens having these crappy glossy coatings on them.  They look great in the store under controlled lighting conditions, but once you get out in the "real world" trying to use it on a city street or on an airplane...  Give me my old matte screen with good viewing angles and the ability to use it outside or in front of a window, please!

I have a friend at work who has a shiny new Google Nexus phone.  It is nice and all, but if you take it outside here (especially on a clear winter day here, with snow on the ground) and hold it side-by-side with my iPhone, the difference is literally night-and-day.  Her Nexus is almost unusable under bright conditions with the screen brightness at maximum.  My iPhone is dim, but still perfectly legible, with the brightness at 50-60%.  The AMOLED on the Zune HD is even worse, from the couple I've seen around.

I just think that AMOLED has promise, but needs a few years to mature.

[swinster]

I would love such a device to be used as a Remote for Media Centre. There is a thread somewhere about this, but unfortunately the Remote site of MC relies on a Windows platform.

Now, if J River implemented a web server into MC, with a fancy interface so that ANY tablet device could be used as a remote, then that would make thing a whole lot more interesting. I would then agree with Health Nut and say that this would be the ultimate remote.