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Why the iPad isn't for me

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Re: Why the iPad isn't for me

#111

Post by bitwize »

GHFigs wrote: post #107
VBprogrammer wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would caution against using the music creation applications as good examples of iPad applications. Firstly, musicians rarely skim on their gear, if an iPad and a $10 App will do the same job as a bit of hardware costing twice the price more than half of them will buy the hardware. I've not used a synth very much but I doubt a touch screen provides an adequate replacement for the musical keyboard, nevermind the more…

any reasonably serious musician Snobbish bullshit like this is a bigger threat to creativity than anything the iPad does or doesn't do.

Haven't spent much time around musicians, have you? Any reasonably serious musician will have a no compromises, no excuses approach to sound quality, and that includes paying top dollar for the absolute highest quality gear you can get. Thousands -- or even tens of thousands -- of dollars is not an uncommon asking price for a single piece of kit, like a speaker or a mixing desk (knobs only; no GUI bullshit; mixing is about listening and feeling, not pointing and clicking). If it's top quality then there will be musicians and sound engineers clamoring to pay. You may pay twice the price for a 1% increase in sound quality, but a serious musician can hear that 1%, and it will drive him nuts. You may think it's snobbish, but that's reality in the pro music world.

Re: Why the iPad isn't for me

#112

Post by pxlpshr »

megaduck wrote: post #49
cwilson wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a Macbook Pro, I just don't like lugging it around on trips when it's overkill (the sucker is 5 - 6 pounds easily). A netbook? I hope that's a joke. Why would I want a cheaply built, underpowered (I'll bet the iPad out performs most netbooks), mini laptop that doesn't run OSX or iPhone OS (as in I can't stand Windows or any linux distro)? At risk of sounding like a fanboy I'm going to quote Steve Jobs himself:…

I've been using a Dell Mini 9 as my primary development machine for over a year now. There's more than enough power to fire up emacs, chrome, and a jvm (we're a JRuby shop). I love the amazing portability, and the ergonomics are adequate. 'Piece of Junk' is in the eyes of the beholder. In my experience, a $300 netbook has been the most productive machine I've ever owned. edit: Sorry about the dupes, for some reason m…

It might be the most productive machine to you because it limits your distractions, but in a head-to-head I'm about 99.9% positive I'm far more productive on my Mac Pro w/ dual monitors because I don't waste my day consuming media. And, I'll put my money where my mouth is. :)

Re: Why the iPad isn't for me

#113

Post by pyre »

rimantas wrote: post #88
csomar wrote: post #41

From the beginning, I knew this device won't go so far. I'm more optimistic with the new HP slate. When I get a device bundled with Windows 7, with the ability to run any windows application and not only Flash, it's just like tele-porting my computer to this little device. The iPad OS is a phone OS, whatever powerful it is, it'll be always way behind any desktop OS. Point 2 is multi-tasking. And about iPhone OS 4.0 m…

One guy writes that iPad is not for him and that means that "this device won't go so far"? Selling 300 000 of these on the first day means nothing I guess. The iPad OS is a phone OS, whatever powerful it is, it'll be always way behind any desktop OS. A car, whatever poferful it is, it'll be always way behind any train. So? And about iPhone OS 4.0 multi-tasking, it just made me laugh, it just proved me Apple failed to…

> Selling 300 000 of these on the first day means nothing I guess.

So you can guarantee me that the iPad will without any doubt whatsoever 'take off' solely based on the fact that they sold a ton of product on the first day?

It is by no means a guarantee of anything. It's possibly indicative of a trend, but first day sales shouldn't mean anything other than how successful the product was marketed. How well the product takes off after that is a function of marketing, how well it meets consumer expectations (i.e. it could somewhat miss on consumer expectations, but be bolstered by an excellent marketing strategy), and how much of a market there is for it.

> A car, whatever poferful it is, it'll be always way behind any train. So?

Not everyone can afford to have a device for every purpose. Many people have to budget around getting a single device that can do as many things as possible.

> Meanwhile enjoy your well thought multitouch suppor of Windows 7 on HP slate and the battery life with real multitasking.

What are you trying to say here? That because he wants 'real' multi-tasking that he's an idiot and should be sent off to use Windows 7 and have poor battery life? Is it such a crime against humanity to want to have a decent multi-touch experience and 'real' multitasking?

Re: Why the iPad isn't for me

#114

Post by blasdel »

pyre wrote: post #101
swannodette wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think it's primarily for anything. Apple doesn't ship any creative tools with OS X either. The iPad is what you think it is. I find it telling that geeks think it's primarily for consumption because they can't code in it- it's called tunnel-vision.

It also only can use Bluetooth to connect to devices. That limits one's ability to do things like edit HD video with it. It also limits the possibilities with respect to hooking a lot of things up to it (like musical keyboards, etc). Don't just assume the people are saying it's 'consumption-only' just because you can't program on it.

It can currently import files from a camera via a SD or USB2 dongle

Re: Why the iPad isn't for me

#115

Post by roc »

pyre wrote: post #96
roc wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd think if you truly cherish that goal (as I do) you'd have noticed by now that no single device or technology represents a step of any significance in any direction. It wasn't the existence of the internet that changed the creator:consumer ratio for the better. It was the use of the internet as such. And that use exploded thanks to any number of consumption-focused technologies along the way. Consider that even if…

> its net effect has been positive for entire classes of software that are as-of-yet implausible via the internet. I'm curious as to what you're referring to here.

Games. Art creation tools. Sound mixing. Musical creation tools. There are plenty of media-rich applications written by independents and minor players, enjoying far more success on the app store than they could via shrink-wrap channels or home consoles.

Re: Why the iPad isn't for me

#116

Post by doron »

dionysiac wrote: post #102
VBprogrammer wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would caution against using the music creation applications as good examples of iPad applications. Firstly, musicians rarely skim on their gear, if an iPad and a $10 App will do the same job as a bit of hardware costing twice the price more than half of them will buy the hardware. I've not used a synth very much but I doubt a touch screen provides an adequate replacement for the musical keyboard, nevermind the more…

The touch screen will not provide an adequate replacement for buttons and knobs - if you emulate buttons and knobs, that is. With capacitive multi-touch, there's a real opportunity to rethink the interface here. Interaction in the past was limited to what hardware can do in real life, so why should we keep those limitations now that they don't exist? The music world, unfortunately, has this "old-school" mentality for…

I find it very hard to imagine an interface that will replace the spring controlled hardware knob that controls the volume of sound coming out of my computer, and I have seen and used a stupefying amount of gadgets that enable me to control sound.

Consider that the passion of musicians to produce their music has led to eons of refinement in interface and design, A material technology which the hi tech world with its planned obsolescence paradigm does not often appreciate.

All innovation is welcome and exciting, few things in the world of a musician brings more joy then a discovery of a new sound, or a new technique he can learn.

but you know? that guitar interface? it just works.

... Of course the touch screen is exciting for musicians... check out Amit Pitaru/Zach Gage bring Sonic Wire Sculptor. its fun

Re: Why the iPad isn't for me

#117

Post by dmnd »

VBprogrammer wrote: post #89
troystribling wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That the iPad is consistently classified as a media consumption device seems an attempt to trivialize its significance by people who consider themselves power users. I agree that currently the use cases of most applications fall into this category, that it is expensive and I doubt you will ever do application development on a device of its form factor, but it is clearly not just a media consumption device. A few exam…

I would caution against using the music creation applications as good examples of iPad applications. Firstly, musicians rarely skim on their gear, if an iPad and a $10 App will do the same job as a bit of hardware costing twice the price more than half of them will buy the hardware. I've not used a synth very much but I doubt a touch screen provides an adequate replacement for the musical keyboard, nevermind the more…

I would caution against writing off touch screens so readily. Take a look at the Misa Digital Guitar (http://www.youtube.com/misadigital), for example.

Re: Why the iPad isn't for me

#118

Post by crux_ »

roc wrote: post #83
crux_ wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That the iPad is consistently classified as a media consumption device seems an attempt to trivialize its significance by people who consider themselves power users. Not really. It comes from an idealism that technology (especially the internet) would, speaking broadly, shift our society away from a centralized model where the many are beholden to the few and towards something more distributed and egalitarian. If y…

I'd think if you truly cherish that goal (as I do) you'd have noticed by now that no single device or technology represents a step of any significance in any direction. It wasn't the existence of the internet that changed the creator:consumer ratio for the better. It was the use of the internet as such. And that use exploded thanks to any number of consumption-focused technologies along the way. Consider that even if…

> It wasn't the existence of the internet that changed the creator:consumer ratio for the better. It was the use of the internet as such. And that use exploded thanks to any number of consumption-focused technologies along the way.

The use of the internet is deeply intertwined with its form -- television could never, even if we worked incredibly hard at it, have been used in the same way. The message is the medium, and the form of the technology we adapt does, in fact, matter significantly.

Example: we would absolutely not be having this little debate if we only had iPads. :)

(And not to start a side debate, but I'm deeply sceptical of the app store being all that revolutionary; almost everything I've seen is a usability-tweaked version of software that already existed on the desktop or web. Further, it is absolutely against ideals of decentralization when it comes to the creation of software!)

Re: Why the iPad isn't for me

#119

Post by doron »

paul9290 wrote: post #97

Apple should have forgotten about the iPad and focused on Apple TV. Selling an Internet box with a Boxee like interface and all the content from the studios we seek. Sell various subscriptions. That would be revolutionary and yet will take a years to get there due to the studios getting huge wads of their revenue via cable TV. Who the majority of us hate our cable company and long for substitute like the Apple TV men…

That would be competing with xbox360 and ps3, which do everything that the apple TV is doing and much much more.

I don't think it likely Apple will pay any attention to the AppleTV platform, its a dud.

Re: Why the iPad isn't for me

#120

Post by Bjoern »

akadien wrote: post #6

Neither is it for me. I'm sending mine back. Things I don't like: (a) Eye strain, (b)It doesn't provide enough utility for me to justify another device in my life, and I don't want another media consumption device. In short, it's another toy. (c) An awkward device angle when touch-typing and trying to read what I'm typing.

You could always use it to upgrade your car. Getting a large display for e.g. movies, navigation etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSnIXfoSU6I

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