This is a leisure device, even if iWork is available for it. I was really hoping for something I can use at college, like the ability to load up PDFs, annotate them, search, report, sync, share with classmates, etc. I suppose someone will write an app to do that (no time to do one myself).
Live from the Apple 'latest creation' event
151–160 of 175 posts
Re: Live from the Apple 'latest creation' event
#152The iPAD has actually been out for a while now: http://www.currentdirections.com/hardware/fujitsu/ipad100.ht... I think Apple may have a little problem here in the trademark department.
Isn't TM by category though? Here's the Fujitsu TM: http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4004:kb... And here's the likely Apple: http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4004:kb...
Absolutely, but they are very close in functionality so I expect a lot of fuss to be made about this.
If the difference between two devices is screen size and preferred user interface (touch screen vs buttons) then I think one will have to yield.
Re: Live from the Apple 'latest creation' event
#153Earlier quoted context omitted.
$499 unlocked... cheaper than the unlocked iphone.. I say possibly wow!
I wasn't impressed until I saw the price and the thought of paying $30/month for 3G without a contract. I can take this on a trip, use maps for navigating my route, get on the road and hand it back to the kids to watch a movie on iTunes on a reasonably sized screen. I can think of a bunch of ways I could use this. I also really don't like talking on the phone, so I don't really want voice anyway. :-)
The 3G is almost compelling. However, lots of us already carry around a laptop with an expensive 3G account. I can only use one device at a time, and it's silly to me that I can't either tether to this with it's embedded 3G chip, or else use the same (capped) data plan for both. Since I can't, I'll stick with the laptop for everything.
Of course that's the cell carrier's fault rather than Apple's, but it's still going to keep Apple from getting my money for one of these gadgets.
Re: Live from the Apple 'latest creation' event
#154Waiting on that wow moment, still basically just a huge ipod touch . . .
Hmm. So, we've got a handheld device with a slick UI, that can be used for video, audio, email, games, and reading, has a long battery life, and reasonable performance ... the first iteration of the mythical "tablet" that everyone's been talking about for two years now ... and the general reaction is that it's too much like a fancy Walkman?
When you're talking about features it's awesome. But then when you look at the fact that it's almost as big as a laptop, but without the full capabilities of a laptop. Still no word on flash yet. Don't give a shit about YouTube. With my MacBook I can lug it around and I can also watch hulu. Plus I can actually do work on it instead of browing through photos.
Re: Live from the Apple 'latest creation' event
#155Earlier quoted context omitted.
No phone. Less computing power than a MacBook. Lame.
I get the reference, but can you explain why people want something that is not easily portable in a pocket, but has fewer features than a laptop? If it's basically meant to be an extremely usable netbook (low price, web/email/etc), then I can get behind it.
Well, I'm not saying it IS better, until I play with it I'm just repeating the hype. But the proposition is that it will surf the net better than an iPhone and a MacBook. As I mentioned in another comment, I owned a Toshiba Portegé TabletPC and I can honestly say it was a KILLER web surfing device. Now I'm looking at the same ability to view web pages in portrait or landscape mode, weighing way less, and without a keyboard to get in the way. I could love such a device without ever taking it out of my house.
Toss in the ability to watch all the movies and the entire Prisoner TV show collection I have in iTunes... That's fairly compelling, I can see myself using it in bed before going to sleep. Watching movies with someone in my living room requires the big screen TV. But watching movies on my laptop is not a great experience because of its battery life, I need to have an extra power adapter in my bedroom and run the cord across my floor.
Finally, this could be a killer ebook platform. I won't say it's better than Kindle, but it seems like it could be awesome for viewing all the PDF and Gutenberg Project books I already have.
So... I think there might be something to the idea of a device that does a few things (browsing the internet, personal movie watching, and reading ebooks) better than an iPhone or a MacBook.
Re: Live from the Apple 'latest creation' event
#156Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't think so. Kindle targets people reading stuff, this targets people interacting with stuff. That's a fundamental difference and e-ink lends itself to reading much more than to interaction. Also, the kindle has a battery life that this device can't hope to match and works well in various light conditions.
Sure.. but it's ugly next to the iPad and as Steve Jobs has proved time and time again looks count. At a $499 starting price this might not kill Kindle but it will take a huge bite out of its market. There is clearly no doubt about that. EDIT: I am a Kindle owner btw.. I even wrote a blog post defending it against the new Apple tablet but after seeing this I have to change my mind. I had no idea that Apple was pursui…
I have a Kindle too. It has a few things going for it that the iPad doesn't. First, its screen is really good for reading. Easier on the eyes than a backlit display. Second, it's much cheaper. $500 for the cheapest iPad, or $259(1) for a Kindle. Last, it sounds like books on Kindle are going to be cheaper ($10 instead of $15 on the iPad), though that could change.
What the iPad can do to improve on the Kindle is allow for interaction with reading materials. Note taking, discussion forums based on specific paragraphs/sentences in the text, real-time highlighting, audio/video playback, color photos. All a dream for a college student. None of this exists for iPad yet, but it'll probably come in version 2.0 of its OS. The best Kindle can do in return is its clunky text-highlighting, which isn't saying much.
So my point is, they're far apart in pricing and capabilities. Kindle will probably stay popular among book lovers, which are a fickle bunch. iPad seems like a Kindle with a zillion other capabilities. The iPad is to an iPhone as the Kindle is to a normal Cell Phone. One's very flashy and has some cool capabilities at a cost, and the other is cheaper but does a simple thing relatively well. I don't think they'll eat each other's lunch, but we will have to wait and see to be sure of course...
(1) $470 Kindle DX aside; I'd grab an iPad before a DX any day.
Re: Live from the Apple 'latest creation' event
#157Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sure.. but it's ugly next to the iPad and as Steve Jobs has proved time and time again looks count. At a $499 starting price this might not kill Kindle but it will take a huge bite out of its market. There is clearly no doubt about that. EDIT: I am a Kindle owner btw.. I even wrote a blog post defending it against the new Apple tablet but after seeing this I have to change my mind. I had no idea that Apple was pursui…
You gotta remember that Amazon has been out there in the market executing for over the last year while others have been developing. Plus Amazon has the inside lane with publishers. And Amazon's infrastructure is second-to-none. Kindle-killer? Don't think so. If I had to bet on Apple vs. Amazon I'd put my money on Amazon.
I've been watching the stocks of both companies, and apple's has just overtaken Amazon's (not for the first time, mind). The 'ibook' functionality and publisher relationships basically caused them to swap places within moments of being announced. Both are up on today's opening, though down on that of a week ago.
Re: Live from the Apple 'latest creation' event
#158Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sure.. but it's ugly next to the iPad and as Steve Jobs has proved time and time again looks count. At a $499 starting price this might not kill Kindle but it will take a huge bite out of its market. There is clearly no doubt about that. EDIT: I am a Kindle owner btw.. I even wrote a blog post defending it against the new Apple tablet but after seeing this I have to change my mind. I had no idea that Apple was pursui…
You gotta remember that Amazon has been out there in the market executing for over the last year while others have been developing. Plus Amazon has the inside lane with publishers. And Amazon's infrastructure is second-to-none. Kindle-killer? Don't think so. If I had to bet on Apple vs. Amazon I'd put my money on Amazon.
> Amazon's infrastructure is second-to-none.
That's true, but why does that matter for digital stuff? (I'm assuming you're talking about Amazon's ability to distribute physical goods). I don't necessarily disagree with your point but I don't see how Amazon's infrastructure is a factor.
Re: Live from the Apple 'latest creation' event
#159Here's a question: Will AAPL de-emphasize the iPod Touch? It seems like the Touch is now in a bit of a no-man's land: It doesn't have a phone or 3GS go-anywhere connectivity, and won't be as compelling as a game or surfing platform.
It still covers the ground between $200 and $500 for those unwilling or unable to commit to an AT&T contract, including everybody's favorite segment: teenagers.
Re: Live from the Apple 'latest creation' event
#160Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's not bad, but it is boring. This event was waaaaaayyyy overhyped.
Can you be a little more specific as to what would have met your expectations?
I was personally hoping for a new user experience. I want a tablet like Microsoft's Courier prototype. It's a book, which can easily be held with one hand. You interact with it in fundamentally different ways than both a phone and a laptop. It serves an entirely different purpose.
The iPhone works because I can operate it with one hand. They effectively took the iPod Touch and scaled it up... this left me underwhelmed. If anything they should have made the tablet just a laptop without a keyboard... at least then I could dev on it.
The thing that made the iPhone stand out was that it was a completely new way to interact and use such devices. It gave phones a level of power that previously did not exist. People were comparing the iPhone to other phones. People are going to compare the iPad with other tablets/laptops and realize how limited it is.