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Zawinski: iPad just-slightly insufficiently futurey

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Re: Zawinski: iPad just-slightly insufficiently futurey

#21

Post by rbanffy »

yanowitz wrote: post #2

Dammit. I keep resisting the lure of the iPad, but when jwz weighs in... Must. Wait. For. Next. Version. You know, the smaller one with the front facing camera. So my kids can do FaceTime with their grandparents. Or the one with a (dare I hope) retina display. I guess that's probably a few versions out.

I have set up my mother with a big Intergraph 21" from my collection (she is 75 and her eyes beg for big pixels). When I got X configured properly, the monitor started in 2048x1536.

I configured her account so that she got a humble 1024x768 screen, so she could read what appeared on the screen. I know I could just tell X to use twice as many dpi as it wants, but this was a lot simpler.

OTOH, when I have to use her computer, I am always surprised by the endless screen real-estate. And, with the pixel-density properly configured, fonts are exquisitely drawn. And that's on a somewhat big screen. I can only imagine what would happen on a iPad-sized thing.

Re: Zawinski: iPad just-slightly insufficiently futurey

#22

Post by ohyes »

""Shiny black slab" was an attractive design choice, but it may not have been the best choice if you want the device to be able to function in the presence of sunlight. Sigh. This is a shame, because the screen is surprisingly readable when it's not suffering from i-sunstroke,""

OK, from an engineering standpoint, this probably isn't the best. (It seems that apple sometimes ignores the fact that computers get hot...)

But I think we could turn this into a marketing selling point; Vampires are hot right now, vampires hate the sun.

The iPad, the latest in Vampiric computing.

Then you can sell it with sexy twilight/trueblood vampires. (In black mock turtlenecks/sweaters, of course).

It'll be awesome.

Re: Zawinski: iPad just-slightly insufficiently futurey

#23

Post by jerf »

ergo98 wrote: post #12

Everyone always leads in with the "I thought it was useless" bit. Did they really? Haven't they used a digital picture frame and though "Gosh, wouldn't it be cool if this could show the weather...and had a web browser...and let me play movies from my server..." I find it difficult to believe that so many intelligent people (of which jwz is definitely one) purportedly couldn't see the obvious appeal. I've been using s…

'Everyone always leads in with the "I thought it was useless" bit.'

Experience. The iPad is far from the first device in the tablet form factor, and far from the first tablet device to promise a revolution. It is, after all, not even the first Apple tablet device.

I think the problem has been that tablets have always lagged behind even laptops in what they could afford in terms of processing power and such; it wasn't until the Great Stagnation of CPU speeds and the relatively recent focus on low-watt-yet-powerful CPUs and GPUs that the segment became viable. No longer does it feel like you've stepped ten years back in time when you turn on a tablet. You have, except with a much better graphics card, but a ten year old-ish machine with a better graphics card is still a decent machine for most uses, so you don't feel it. Smartphones rode the same wave a few years ago. (Plus the work on faster browsers helps a lot too, even an older machine feels a lot faster on those.)

It's also pretty easy to think that a laptop is good enough. I know, because I still think a laptop is good enough for me. Perhaps my usage is abnormal but I spend a lot of time on my laptop typing, and I don't just mean for programming.

Re: Zawinski: iPad just-slightly insufficiently futurey

#25

Post by jsz0 »

yanowitz wrote: post #2

Dammit. I keep resisting the lure of the iPad, but when jwz weighs in... Must. Wait. For. Next. Version. You know, the smaller one with the front facing camera. So my kids can do FaceTime with their grandparents. Or the one with a (dare I hope) retina display. I guess that's probably a few versions out.

One of the perks/tricks of Apple ownership is the hardware retains its value. When next year's model comes out I'll probably flip my iPad for ~$75-$100 less than I paid for it. (depends if Apple drops the price or not)

Re: Zawinski: iPad just-slightly insufficiently futurey

#26

Post by michaelbuckbee »

cletus wrote: post #19
yanowitz wrote: post #2

Dammit. I keep resisting the lure of the iPad, but when jwz weighs in... Must. Wait. For. Next. Version. You know, the smaller one with the front facing camera. So my kids can do FaceTime with their grandparents. Or the one with a (dare I hope) retina display. I guess that's probably a few versions out.

The lack of a front facing camera is a common complaint but honestly (owning an iPad that I love and use all the time) I don't think the use case is as cut and dried as that. Video calls are most often made with a desktop computer or laptop. Laptops have a camera at the top of the screen. Most Webcams are attached to the top of monitors. So you are typically eye level with a desktop webcam or just above with a laptop…

Not quite digital out, but with the new Apple TV (another 99 bucks to Steve) you should be able to play iTunes video through to your TV from your iPad via the AppleTV.

Re: Zawinski: iPad just-slightly insufficiently futurey

#27

Post by cpg »

Damn. Jamie still around?! :)

OT, but I pictured him in a deserted island with big LCD monitors in the walls of the hut running kool screensvers!

OK, back on topic - I find the iPad a bit tiring to be held reading a book. My hands need rest from typing when I am not at my desk!

It's eady to drop and also calls home all the time, which I do not enjoy. It feels like every app is watching you.

Overall, it's a good device though. I hope for others that are much more open, soon!

Re: Zawinski: iPad just-slightly insufficiently futurey

#28

Post by tomjen3 »

statictype wrote: post #3

It's an instant-on appliance with a real web browser and real mail reader on a real screen. I guess that's the selling point right there. It's not a computer that requires booting and starting up system services and logging in. It's an appliance you can immediately turn on and start using.

By that estimate my computer is an appliance too - I just open the lid, and it is on.

Why more people don't do this, I don't know.

Re: Zawinski: iPad just-slightly insufficiently futurey

#29

Post by absconditus »

yanowitz wrote: post #2

Dammit. I keep resisting the lure of the iPad, but when jwz weighs in... Must. Wait. For. Next. Version. You know, the smaller one with the front facing camera. So my kids can do FaceTime with their grandparents. Or the one with a (dare I hope) retina display. I guess that's probably a few versions out.

So you want the new iPod Touch?

http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/

Re: Zawinski: iPad just-slightly insufficiently futurey

#30

Post by jackvalentine »

lancer383 wrote: post #13
yanowitz wrote: post #2

Dammit. I keep resisting the lure of the iPad, but when jwz weighs in... Must. Wait. For. Next. Version. You know, the smaller one with the front facing camera. So my kids can do FaceTime with their grandparents. Or the one with a (dare I hope) retina display. I guess that's probably a few versions out.

I would love to see Retina Display picture quality on iPad, but can you imagine the resolution of that screen? Today the screen is 132 ppi - taking that up to 326 ppi would make it somewhere in the vicinity of 2528x1896. Would Safari then be blowing up web sites so ~960px width sites don't look tiny on that resolution?

My computer here is 146 DPI (1080p 15" screen) and I have everything blown up to 125% of it's original size so it isn't too small. So in answer to your question: Yes!
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