The iPad might be called a non-portable PDA. It can't replace netbooks without a keyboard, and it can't replace smartphones because it doesn't fit in your pocket or on your belt; I consider it a toy rather than a tool.
Poll: Are you getting an iPad?
61–70 of 152 posts
Re: Poll: Are you getting an iPad?
#62No.It is basically just a status symbol.
Re: Poll: Are you getting an iPad?
#63No. I've had it with apple. I bought a few of their products. They're beautiful and clever, but eventually I always end up feeling humiliated by how evil they are - treating me as a user like I was a worthless money machine. Also I find it hard to imagine how I would use such a device - too big to put in my pocket, no e-ink, so it can't serve as a book reader and no keyboard, so I can't use it to create things.
Agreed on the lack of e-ink. When I read that Amazon and Sony would have to struggle to provide a touch-screen, full-color interface, I thought that meant Apple had come out with an e-ink tablet. It looks really cool, yes, but frankly I'm disappointed it's not e-ink. That specific feature attracted me to the Kindle in the first place, and I absolutely love that I'm not staring at light.
Re: Poll: Are you getting an iPad?
#64The iPad might be called a non-portable PDA. It can't replace netbooks without a keyboard, and it can't replace smartphones because it doesn't fit in your pocket or on your belt; I consider it a toy rather than a tool.
That reminds me of Biz and Ev of Twitter talking at Startup School about when they were first playing around with it (I wish I could remember how it was described). In essence, Biz said that it was neat but not very useful to which Ev replied "neither is iced cream".
Just because it's a toy and not a tool doesn't mean it's worthless.
Edit: After re-reading your post, I'm not sure that is what you were saying. Apologies if I misrepresented you.
Re: Poll: Are you getting an iPad?
#65Nope. Notion Ink's Adam looks better actually.
Re: Poll: Are you getting an iPad?
#66Maybe. I'd been thinking about getting an linux based ARM netbook or even a tablet when either showed up for casual surfing when the wife's using the MacBook. I'd also been pondering an e-book reader. This could kill two birds with one stone and maybe let me watch films and tv with headphones on in bed or the couch while the wife watches something else on TV.
On the other hand, does it do Dvorak? How does it deal with two different users with different email accounts, web histories etc? What's it actually going to cost in the UK?
If it can stream media from a linux box and it's powerful enough to do interesting things with HTML5 apps then I've probably talked myself into it.
Re: Poll: Are you getting an iPad?
#67No camera, no "real" GPS. No.
Re: Poll: Are you getting an iPad?
#68No.It is basically just a status symbol.
Not quite true — at $500 it's more affordable than a regular Macbook, so for people not in need of full computing power, it might be a viable alternative.
...once it gets flash support, of course.
Re: Poll: Are you getting an iPad?
#69No
No flash video
No SD slot
No USB (come on apple)
No writing input (newton 2?)
Weird itouch/iphone OS, means apps/everything controlled by apple, expensive
No eink display
Re: Poll: Are you getting an iPad?
#70I could get a 10 inch iPhone for a lot, or a cheap Chinese media player that runs Linux for a third of the cost.
I'm all for Linux (my primary development machine) but, really? You would favorably compare the UI of this 'cheap chinese media player' to the iPad? It's just not a contest. If my grandma needs a computer for looking at photos we send her and sending email -- well, guess which device it wont be.
Yes, but he's not your grandma. If he'd done the standard geek thing and said "why would anyone buy this..." and listed some obscure geek reasons then fine, but he didn't.
I'm actually thinking about buying one for myself but it's true that the competition I'm weighing it up against is one or more cheap, no-brand, linux devices (openinkpot e-reader, cheap netbook, tegra webpad, openpandora) at a fraction of the cost.