141–149 of 149 posts
I like the point about hands being in the way. That was the first thing that turned me away from iPad when I tried typing an email. I still think tablets are best for information consumption such as browsing internet and simple tasks such as making an order at a restaurant. The best uses of an iPad I've seen are mounted in the dashboard of a car, back of the car seat, table in a restaurant, and magazine basket.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Which city? I've seen a whole bunch of people in London standing on street corners using their iPads. Granted they do look pretty silly... But I would certainly not say that the iPad has been a 'huge disappointment'; not for Apple, and not for the consumer. Or did you mean for you personally?
No point debating if the iPad is a hit or not. Just see their annual report and you'd know that its a big hit. It doesn't matter if you see them on the streets or not. AAPL sells them and its makes them money which means that it is a hit.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
15 Million Ipads sold in one year would seem to handily contradict whatever argument you're trying to make. People love tablet pcs, because they simplify computing for them ... a lot of people on hacker news don't get that, because using computers (in all their delicious complexity) is generally second nature for us.
$15 million impresses you? Chump change.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
No point debating if the iPad is a hit or not. Just see their annual report and you'd know that its a big hit. It doesn't matter if you see them on the streets or not. AAPL sells them and its makes them money which means that it is a hit.
In an unrelated note, why do some people refer to companies by their stock name? I mean, you're only saving one letter, and you have to keep shift pressed down all the time. Plus, fewer people will understand what you mean. What's the appeal?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
In an unrelated note, why do some people refer to companies by their stock name? I mean, you're only saving one letter, and you have to keep shift pressed down all the time. Plus, fewer people will understand what you mean. What's the appeal?
Actually there is a minor point that I am trying to make here by using the stock name. As techies we often forget the end goals of a business, by using the stock names I try to remind myself and hopefully others that no matter how cool is sounds from a purely technical point of view, if its not a good business, it will not survive long.
I think it's important to separate the advent of the touch screen interface from the form factor of a tablet. I kind of agree that tablets are pretty poor for everything (unlike others I think tablets & the iPad specifically is a mostly poor device even just for consumption, mainly because it can't stand up by itself, and it's near useless outdoors). But I can see that the touch screen interface has revolutionized in…
"I think it's important to separate the advent of the touch screen interface from the form factor of a tablet." I think you're kind of missing the point then. Apple didn't invent touch screens, touch screens have been around for a loooong time. You need to borrow an iPad and a 2 year old, and then watch the 2 year old interact with the iPad. Heck, I've seen 1 year olds playing with them. Now I'm not suggesting that a…
Re: form factor - I agree that these things are linked - but I'm saying the touch screen is the killer innovation. Yes, the form factor allows the touch screen to be used comfortably, but people don't really care about the form factor per se. Lack of a keyboard doesn't enable me to flick photos to browse my photo album, or to pinch to zoom on them, or to draw with my fingers on the screen - the touch screen does. A device with a slide out keyboard would do that just as well. It's just that there are significant design challenges in building such a thing so we haven't seen a convincing version of it yet. But we might.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The iPad has replaced a laptop or desktop for all casual browsing (I typed this comment on mine) and a lot of media consumption. It's great for technical books. And I play games on it. I live in a large city in the UK, and throughout the past year I've only seen two iPad's. I wouldn't even remotely say that the iPad has "replaced the laptop" in any way, shape or form. When the iPhone was released it was near imposs…
I live in Los Angeles, and I've seen several people using iPads on public transit or in cafes.
> Don't get me wrong: I'll always have a tablet in my life... And how is this not a game changer? Would the author have said the before the iPad? The iPad has replaced a laptop or desktop for all casual browsing (I typed this comment on mine) and a lot of media consumption. It's great for technical books. And I play games on it. It is easily the most cost effective tech purchase I have ever made in terms of how much…
Buying the new version--pretty much whatever it is--is almost a no-brainer. You had a good reply going up until this point, but here you make me question your judgment. Even if it's true that a tablet -- a 1st generation iPad -- was an important innovation for you, it in no way follows that an upgrade from the 1st generation to the 2nd generation will justify laying out that much money again. One imagines that it's s…
Let me explain where I'm coming from:
1. The iPad was and is a discretionary purchase, a luxury. It is not something I personally need. YMMV;
2. It is something I use because I find it useful but, more to the point, I enjoy using it; and
3. With a certain nebulous budget for tech purchases the iPad has more than justified it's cost in terms of my own criteria; and
4. Apple being Apple, the upgrade is highly unlikely to be purely cosmetic. Sure if it's the same processor/RAM with the a slightly thinner design, there's no need for me to buy but I see the tablet market as being like PCs in the 90s: the pace of technology change is still huge. Compare the iPhone 4 to the 3GS in terms of display, CPU, etc.
So I don't mean "no brainer" as "I (will) need the upgrade". Rather I'm fairly certain it'll be something I will want and can easily justifying buying, even considering the switching cost (cost of a new one - cost of selling my old one).
I've long argued that the reason we haven't seen tablets take off in general is because while nobody really wants to admit it, nobody actually likes tablets. They just like Apple products.
I think therefore I exist. I like tablets, so your logic axiom is proven false. Why do I love tablets? I like having a computer I can move with, I can jump with, that is lean and lightweight. I like using my computer in my car with GPS, and tablets are awesome here. I like rotating the screen because reading is better in portrait mode. I read a lot. I like using my fingers and hands to interact with my computer. I lo…
Trust me, the keyboard and mouse that is controlled by psychokinesis has not been invented yet. Fingers and hands are a requirement to deal with pretty much all computers...