iPad: Or, why you have to look at the advertising • Hacker News Board

Re: iPad: Or, why you have to look at the advertising

#21

Post by rinich » Thu, Jan 28, 2010, 6:36 AM UTC

jkincaid wrote: post #20

rinich wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was referring to the digital frames. Maybe I'm missing something (entirely possible!) but I don't know what any other "display photos in a digital box" hardware has to offer that this doesn't. Upvoted, among other things, for making me imagine a waterfall of iPads displaying upon them photographs of waterfalls. Unrelated imagery. Thanks!

Other "display photos in a digital box" hardware has a sub $100 pricetag, which means you can leave them around your house doing nothing but display photos without feeling guilty (or stupid).

Touche! So the digital photos won't disappear instantly. I'd bet, though, that they'll take something of a hit from this, and certainly as this thing lowers in prices they'll be hurt even further.

Re: iPad: Or, why you have to look at the advertising

#22

Post by asciitaxi » Thu, Jan 28, 2010, 6:38 AM UTC

rinich wrote: post #17

csmeder wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your essay is great. It makes me feel less alone in this world. I didn't find it full of vehemence. ` It is okay to speak with force. At times force is needed to cut through layers of of mental resistance. New ideas that we don't understand scare us. We fear what we don't understand. The points you are trying to make are over the head of most people. 99.9999999% don't get "it". If they did we would have more companie…

I'm glad you like it! It's corny, but when people let me know they've enjoyed something of mine it makes it all worth the gritted teeth and the hurling laptops out windows.

Really brilliant article

Re: iPad: Or, why you have to look at the advertising

#23

Post by alex_c » Thu, Jan 28, 2010, 6:43 AM UTC

shrug

Let's see how well it actually does before we go on about how brilliant Apple's marketing guys are.

Yes, the iPad has potential. It doesn't make sense to dismiss it offhand just because some of us might not have a use for it.

No, not every single Apple product has changed the world, even though they're all introduced as revolutionary. It doesn't make sense to accept their marketing copy as gospel. Lots of companies pay lots of money for sentences like that, it doesn't mean they're all successful.

Ultimately, the market will decide this one. Yes, it MIGHT change the world, but it really is too early to tell one way or another.

Re: iPad: Or, why you have to look at the advertising

#24

Post by greendestiny » Thu, Jan 28, 2010, 6:45 AM UTC

I agree with the author of this article, and I get where Apple is coming from with the iPad. I don't know what to say to the people who are disappointed it's not an OSX tablet computer - I don't know why you thought it would be. I don't think an OSX tablet would be a good thing either, but that's beside the point, Apple could still do that if they wanted.

I think huge segment of peoples computing needs could be met by a device like this. I think there is a whole segment of computing uses now that have left the keyboard and screen formfactor behind. Rather than this device needing a niche, I think it may end up that portable computers with keyboards are a niche.

Having said all that, I was disappointed by the release. The bezel is ugly and I'm not convinced that it's necessary for holding. The aspect ratio seems wrong and ugly. The screen is much lower ppi than the ipod/iphone. Half an inch seems too thick as well. All in all its not the sleek futuristic machine it should be. Hopefully version 2 will fix some of these things.

Re: iPad: Or, why you have to look at the advertising

#25

Post by alex_c » Thu, Jan 28, 2010, 6:45 AM UTC

rinich wrote: post #5

angusgr wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, that's what I meant by "you're entirely right". I agree with you that these are points that are missing from a lot of the "geek" discussion about this, which seems to be the only discussion informing even the mainstream discussion about this so far. And the "mouth-foamy" tone (Apple "the most powerful company that’s ever existed."?) kind of helps to make your point, so I'd suggest that it works both for and aga…

Awesome! Anything that excuses my writing is fine in my book. From the perspective of an art student Apple's essentially cornered every market now. Whether you're a multimedia programmer, a musician, a filmmaker, a newspaper editor, or a novelist, now Apple controls you on this thing. Even something like HTML5 support means that suddenly I don't have to worry about web standards for this entire block of the market, t…

Whether you're a multimedia programmer, a musician, a filmmaker, a newspaper editor, or a novelist... you're unlikely to find the iPad more useful than a MacBook in any way.

Of course, I'm not an art student, so correct me if I'm wrong :)

Re: iPad: Or, why you have to look at the advertising

#26

Post by rinich » Thu, Jan 28, 2010, 6:47 AM UTC

alex_c wrote: post #23

shrug Let's see how well it actually does before we go on about how brilliant Apple's marketing guys are. Yes, the iPad has potential. It doesn't make sense to dismiss it offhand just because some of us might not have a use for it. No, not every single Apple product has changed the world, even though they're all introduced as revolutionary. It doesn't make sense to accept their marketing copy as gospel. Lots of compa…

Certainly marketing can lie. The "funnest iPod ever" didn't make the iPod touch into a brilliant gaming console. (Casual gaming, maybe, come to think of it, but that's beyond my knowledge. Anybody else know about this?) However, it's good at indicating what somebody wants you to think. Droid's ad wanted you to think: "iPhone sucks, Droid rules." Apple's ad wants you to think: "This thing was made by a wizard." Relevant to today's discussions because a lot of people seem to be wondering what Apple's thinking, when I think Apple's been pretty obvious.

I actually wouldn't call this revolutionary. That's why we're not reacting gleefully. It's evolutionary. It just happens to have evolved in a way that gives it a potential radical significance.

Semirelated: Studying advertisements is a brilliant way to study history. It lets you in on all society's biases and wants and needs and fears. Modern advertisement is as insightful to the human condition as modern poetry, though it goes at it a bit ass-backwards and rarely as tactfully.

Re: iPad: Or, why you have to look at the advertising

#27

Post by rinich » Thu, Jan 28, 2010, 6:51 AM UTC

alex_c wrote: post #25

rinich wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Awesome! Anything that excuses my writing is fine in my book. From the perspective of an art student Apple's essentially cornered every market now. Whether you're a multimedia programmer, a musician, a filmmaker, a newspaper editor, or a novelist, now Apple controls you on this thing. Even something like HTML5 support means that suddenly I don't have to worry about web standards for this entire block of the market, t…

Whether you're a multimedia programmer, a musician, a filmmaker, a newspaper editor, or a novelist ... you're unlikely to find the iPad more useful than a MacBook in any way. Of course, I'm not an art student, so correct me if I'm wrong :)

Well... yes and no. Certainly there are certain things that artists need that the iPad won't be instantly equipped to handle. However, in terms of sales newspaper people and novelists will thrive with this, and I suspect this product will increase movie sales and rentals immensely. Meanwhile, I cannot emphasize how wonderful it is to have a product adhering to modern web standards. Makes me want to give up yelling at Firefox 3 and pursuing a career as iPad evangelist.

There's another way the iPad appeals to vain, picky art types, and that's how fringeless it is. Even OS X bothers me in small, subtle ways that my iPod touch avoided with its utterly simplistic design. Taking that design and building a computer out of it means I might actually finally appreciate a piece of hardware. Simplicity means losing hardcore technique, but I enjoy the thought of being able to doodle digital images with my hands.

Re: iPad: Or, why you have to look at the advertising

#28

Post by rinich » Thu, Jan 28, 2010, 6:53 AM UTC

greendestiny wrote: post #24

I agree with the author of this article, and I get where Apple is coming from with the iPad. I don't know what to say to the people who are disappointed it's not an OSX tablet computer - I don't know why you thought it would be. I don't think an OSX tablet would be a good thing either, but that's beside the point, Apple could still do that if they wanted. I think huge segment of peoples computing needs could be met b…

That's how I feel, too. The bezel I'm uncertain about, the aspect ratio is certainly different if nothing else. I'm curious how it'll feel when held. Perhaps the radical screen change will prove to feel surprisingly natural.

I think the huge (relatively) screen will make up for the ppi. As for half an inch, I suspect that with something this big anything thinner might even seem fragile. But we'll find out on launch, and whatever we hate Apple will fix and sell to us again.

Re: iPad: Or, why you have to look at the advertising

#29

Post by jkincaid » Thu, Jan 28, 2010, 6:54 AM UTC

You say that the entire world wants an iPad. I disagree. I think this will appeal to a specific (but fairly common) kind of computer user. Namely, the sort of person who really doesn't know what they're doing on a computer, and only uses their PC for very basic tasks. This kind of person will be able to replace their laptop (or even their desktop) with an iPad, and I think it will be a fantastic solution for them.

The problem, though, is that this "magical screen" probably won't be very efficient for getting work done. Which means most people won't be able to replace their computers. And I think it's going to be hard to convince these people that they need a so-called "middle device".

EDIT: I should also add that I think the appeal will be much broader once publishers make digital books and textbooks that are actually superior to their paper counterparts. But that might take years.

Re: iPad: Or, why you have to look at the advertising

#30

Post by kyro » Thu, Jan 28, 2010, 6:59 AM UTC

rinich wrote: post #15

pavs wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you implying your audience are a bunch of idiots? Seriously, that's not even a hyperbole. That's a really stupid statement, even for a hyperbole.

I'll explain again. The point of hyperbole is to deliberately exaggerate something for effect, in this case humorous. I could have tried to estimate how much Apple will sell, but I don't care about estimation. My point is they will sell a lot. My audience is not a bunch of idiots. They got it. You're the only one out of thousands of readers who's complained.

Not to make an issue out of something so trivial, but honestly, it didn't come across as hyperbole. The general tone of the article is pretty direct and in-your-face, so it looks more like an actual attempt at estimation rather than humor, for consistency's sake.