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

rinich.com

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

#31

Post by rinich »

kyro wrote: post #30
rinich wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Direct and in-your-face, perhaps, but this is also an article that says the iPad is magic, and we all know it's not literally magic. I refuse to believe we're that incapable of discerning not-so-subtleties.

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

#32

Post by rinich »

jkincaid wrote: post #29

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. Th…

Jason —

I think it'll appeal to more people than just that. I suspect it'll make headway into the e-reader territory — some people will pass up e-paper for flexibility. It'll also be considered by anybody enthusiastic about newspapers or magazines, and I think there might be more of them than we currently see. Certainly that's what my neighbor was excited about when he dropped by to talk.

It's going to be absolutely enormous for students. Anybody who uses their laptop for casual notetaking will want this. I use my iPod and I want it also, though for me it would be a gratuitous purchase. People that want a Macbook but can't drop a thousand dollars will consider paying half that for a tablet.

As for getting work done: I can see myself using this as a primary writing tool. I'd prefer that to a Macbook, actually, because of the flexibility. (I don't mind touch-typing.) I can also see a lot of powerful applications being made around this. Could you replicate Coda as an iPad app? I think it's possible. Could you make a powerful image editor? Perhaps not in the iPad's current state (though maybe?), but as it becomes more powerful I think there's easily enough space to create a gorgeous editing interface. I can already run Final Cut Pro on my laptop with no problem, and using flash memory means things move even more quickly; we won't see professional-class applications by the end of this year, but by 2012 I suspect we'll start to see them.

Within my immediate family one purchase has been decided (my mother wants an ebook computer and a music program) and I suspect several more are on the way. When one thing can do so many things at once, it appeals to lots and lots of people. I doubt people who already have two Apple products will need this third one, but people with only one or the other or people looking to make a switch suddenly have a brilliant bridge.

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

#33

Post by harpastum »

jkincaid wrote: post #29

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. Th…

"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."

From my personal experience of being "that computer guy" for countless friends, relatives, and random people on the street, that statement accurately describes over 90% of the home computer market (i.e. everything but business/professional use).

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

#35

Post by chrischen »

rinich wrote: post #21
jkincaid wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

The point of a digital photo frame is to display photos. The point of the iPad is to do magical fun stuff. Displaying photos is just one thing it can do. I don't think it's going to do anything to the digital frame industry. A computer can also display photos, so whatever damage that has been done has already been done.

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

#36

Post by rinich »

jrockway wrote: post #34

If HN ever wanted to make some money, I would be glad to pay to not have to see articles like this one. Seriously though, the article is pretty good -- I can feel the stickiness of the jizz on his keyboard.

Oh, jrockway. Here's to our upcoming 2-year anniversary of you being a fucker and my calling you a fucker. You've been with me since the start!

I think it's all right for me to call Apple my favorite company. If we want to be douchesnobs, they've earned their pedigree. More red dot design awards than any other company in history, more black pencils, an impressive list of advertising trophies, and business sales that shock and awe us all. As an entrepreneurial advertising major who enjoys industrial design, I think it's safe to say I've got a good excuse for liking Apple.

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

#37

Post by chrischen »

rinich wrote: post #27
alex_c wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I don't see how this would increase movie sales. Most people already have TVs, and TVs have much bigger screens than the iPad. So unless the iPad makes it much easier to deliver those HD movies on to your TV, I doubt it will do much. But even if it does do that, it'd be encroaching on the Apple TV's space.

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

#38

Post by rinich »

chrischen wrote: post #35
rinich wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

The point of a digital photo frame is to display photos. The point of the iPad is to do magical fun stuff. Displaying photos is just one thing it can do. I don't think it's going to do anything to the digital frame industry. A computer can also display photos, so whatever damage that has been done has already been done.

I think it's going to come down to how consumers perceive the iPad. If they see it as a simplified computer, then you're absolutely right. If, however, they start treating it like a household appliance, one that simply cuts many more specialized tools out of the picture, then I think digital photo frames might be among the ones to do. When you can call up your photos in a slideshow at any time on a machine that makes doing so feel intuitive, you might not like the programmable frame.

But, as I said, I could be wrong. My own apathy for the product certainly isn't anybody else's.

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

#39

Post by jkincaid »

rinich wrote: post #32
jkincaid wrote: post #29

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. Th…

Jason — I think it'll appeal to more people than just that. I suspect it'll make headway into the e-reader territory — some people will pass up e-paper for flexibility. It'll also be considered by anybody enthusiastic about newspapers or magazines, and I think there might be more of them than we currently see. Certainly that's what my neighbor was excited about when he dropped by to talk. It's going to be absolutely…

Agreed on textbook/student note taking angle. But I really think you're in the minority as far as not minding touchtyping on a glass screen — I think that would get old fast for writing anything longer than a paragraph.

I'm eager to see how this works as an eReader. I still think that reading a book on a backlit display sort of stinks. I'm wondering if people will spring for the iPad as an eBook reader because it has so much else to offer, and then realize a few days later that they just can't ignore the eye strain.

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

#40

Post by benatkin »

rinich wrote: post #26
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." Releva…

I disagree that it's just "potential" radical significance. I think the advertising claims are quite verifiable by looking at the specs and comparing with the iPhone's success, and thus it's a slam dunk. I think you made a strong argument that those who say it's not going to be a big deal because it lacks GPS and a camera aren't representative of the target audience.
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