Apple Unveils the iPad Pro • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple Unveils the iPad Pro

#461

Post by johansch » Wed, Sep 09, 2015, 10:01 PM UTC

bduerst wrote: post #416

kailuowang wrote: post #377

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not the copying that worries people, it's the lack of not-coping, i.e. innovations. iPod is not the first mp3 player, iPhone is not the first smart phone, but they were packed with innovative ideas that stood them out. We see less and less such ideas from Apple. Their execution/quality control is still top notch though, but other companies are catching up.

I dunno - Apple kind of killed NFC adoption by waiting so long to finally include it. They should have had it back in 2012.

They still haven't included it...

Re: Apple Unveils the iPad Pro

#462

Post by dasil003 » Wed, Sep 09, 2015, 10:02 PM UTC

kailuowang wrote: post #377

austenallred wrote: post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really don't give a shit who is copying who. It's technology; we're all building on the backs of inventions created by other people. The important thing to me is who does it the best, not who does it first. The iPod was nowhere near the first mp3 player, it was just the best one. The iPad wasn't close to the first tablet. Will it be the best tablet? I don't know, but whether or not the Surface had a keyboard first…

It's not the copying that worries people, it's the lack of not-coping, i.e. innovations. iPod is not the first mp3 player, iPhone is not the first smart phone, but they were packed with innovative ideas that stood them out. We see less and less such ideas from Apple. Their execution/quality control is still top notch though, but other companies are catching up.

The problem is that after a string of successes like iMac, iPod, iTunes, iPhone, there is no way to out-do that. There is no market so ripe for disruption that plays to Apple's strengths the way that the iPhone setup. That's why the iPad is so disappointing to analysts and why nothing Apple does is that impressive now. There is no opportunity for the next iPhone-level success in the market today. It's out there somewhere in the future, but everyone carrying around a $700 pocket computer is a game changer of a magnitude that can only be approximated by physical implants. It certainly is not approached by any imaginable Watch or Google Glass type of device.

Re: Apple Unveils the iPad Pro

#463

Post by spacehome » Wed, Sep 09, 2015, 10:02 PM UTC

mikeyouse wrote: post #393

notNow wrote: post #317

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So what's with all this silly frivolous litigation by Apple over "swipe to unlock" and "rounded corners" if it's OK to copy or steal from each other?

When the litigation attorney for Samsung can't tell the difference between the two devices in open court, they might have gone a little too far in copying the iPad's design.. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/14/us-apple-samsung-l...

From that article:

> Koh frequently remarked on the similarity between each company's tablets. At one point during the hearing, she held one black glass tablet in each hand above her head, and asked Sullivan if she could identify which company produced which.

> "Not at this distance your honor," said Sullivan, who stood at a podium roughly ten feet away.

I get what you're saying, but they were asked to tell the difference over an unspecified distance.

Re: Apple Unveils the iPad Pro

#464

Post by brandon272 » Wed, Sep 09, 2015, 10:04 PM UTC

Why am I always left yearning for more with these latest Apple keynotes? I feel like Apple's innovation has gone from "groundbreaking" to "safe". All of these products are just too predictable.

It used to be that after an Apple keynote you'd be talking about the products with friends, family and coworkers the following afternoon/day and waiting eagerly for them to hit the stores. No longer. The "I need to have this!" feeling has evolved into a "maybe one day I will consider that".

I see people's critiques of the iPad Pro being countered with, "But it's not for you!" ... Then who is it for, exactly? Apple didn't seem to imply or treat it like a niche product in their keynote. Tim Cook said something about it being the centrepiece of the iPad lineup.

I'm an avid Apple TV user but they aren't doing anything groundbreaking with it. Enough with the charade and actually give me something I can replace my cable package with. Despite the nightmare that is cable TV, Apple TV's available content doesn't compete, especially for new content. Fix that and charge me for it. People have been yearning for Apple to modernize TV like they've modernized music and aside from what appear to be basic agreements with distributors for pay-per-episode next-day TV shows and some movies that they've had in place for a while, they haven't brought much to the table.

Re: Apple Unveils the iPad Pro

#465

Post by davnicwil » Wed, Sep 09, 2015, 10:04 PM UTC

jalons wrote: post #399

davnicwil wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty pleased with the specs on this, because it's perfect for my usecase: I currently use an ipad 4, with its 10" screen, as a second screen for my mpb retina 13. I like this setup because it's thin and relatively light so slots easily into my bag along with my macbook, and doesn't require a power socket to run, just USB. I also use the ipad for reading and a few other tasks so carrying it around has intrinsic…

Which utility are you using to treat it as a second screen? I've had modest luck with duet.

I'm using Duet too.

It's a little quirky - the most annoying bugs are unpredictable disconnections and occasionally screen freezes, this seems to happen mostly when my macbook locks and reopens. But these things don't happen regularly enough that it causes a major problem for me. It's a bit annoying but I can deal with it.

One thing to note for anyone considering it - it performs really well at displaying text. Things like tailing logs, or displaying docs. However, anything involving typing and using the mouse is a bit painful compared to your main screen because the lag can be tedious and uncomfortable for fast interactions. In addition, I keep the refresh rate at 30Hz when on battery to save power, which compounds this issue.

Re: Apple Unveils the iPad Pro

#466

Post by thaumasiotes » Wed, Sep 09, 2015, 10:04 PM UTC

CamperBob2 wrote: post #325

WorldWideWayne wrote: post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Speak for yourself - the Surface Pro line is sexy as hell and the fact that it's not a walled garden is a huge plus.

Walled garden, Panopticon, what's the difference.

I don't think it's particularly hard to see the distinction between "do whatever you feel like, but someone will write down that you did" and "no, you can't do that. You'll do what we tell you to do".

Re: Apple Unveils the iPad Pro

#467

Post by RexRollman » Wed, Sep 09, 2015, 10:05 PM UTC

macintux wrote: post #378

michaelbuddy wrote: post #331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

surface pro 3 has been out for over a year. also has more storage capacity for all those comics you want to read.

More effective storage space? IIRC Surface is notorious for chewing up a huge chunk of the internal storage with the OS et al.

In fairness to Microsoft, they have been working on reducing the space Windows takes on the drive. IIRC, Windows 10 introduced some new features to combat this. Also, storage is expandable by its SD slot.

Re: Apple Unveils the iPad Pro

#468

Post by WorldWideWayne » Wed, Sep 09, 2015, 10:05 PM UTC

photosinensis wrote: post #343

WorldWideWayne wrote: post #294

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok. Easier to build for? In a business environment that's running all Windows servers and workstations? I don't know any small or medium sized businesses that employ iOS devs in-house... You need Macs to build iOS software. Meanwhile, you can find Visual Studio already being employed in most business IT shops to build custom desktop and web software. I can't remember the last time I saw a job ad for an iOS developer…

I've found that most servers in business environments are Linux-based, not Windows-based. It's significantly cheaper to spin up CentOS licenses for cost centers.

Shipments of Windows servers has been dominating for years - http://www.computerworld.com/article/2469469/network-softwar...

Re: Apple Unveils the iPad Pro

#469

Post by incepted » Wed, Sep 09, 2015, 10:05 PM UTC

jrochkind1 wrote: post #432

incepted wrote: post #395

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only reason why they are growing is because they have a much smaller market share. Which is why Tim Cook only revealed relative numbers: Apple is falling behind a bit more every year in absolute numbers.

That doesn't even make sense; the only way they could be growing in relative market share but shrinking in absolute numbers is if the market is shrinking, and I'm pretty sure it's not.

If you have 1% market share and you grow to 2%, you have doubled your market share. That's the angle that Cook used.

If the market leader has 90% market share and they grow to 95%, they have grown a lot less than you relatively (so the minor player can claim they have grown the most) but they now own a bigger piece of the pie than they used to.

This is why you should always be skeptical of anyone who uses relative numbers (growth) instead of absolute ones: the reality is probably that they have lost market share.

Which is what we have seen Apple do compared to Android these past three years.

You will notice that the early keynotes right after the iPhone and iPad came out were showing absolute numbers in shipments and dollars, and now, they just stick to percents and vague claims ("We're growing the fastest").

Re: Apple Unveils the iPad Pro

#470

Post by MagnumOpus » Wed, Sep 09, 2015, 10:07 PM UTC

epmatsw wrote: post #341

saturdaysaint wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And so it continues, I point out that this has been said of every Apple announcement since Jobs' return.

"No wifi, less space than a Nomad. Lame."

Yup. It was. And no USB either, also not usable with Windows, not usable without Firewire. It was utterly useless for 99% of people out there - Rob Malda was right, despite all the retconning. It took years and several hardware generations to actually fix all these problems...