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The best Present and Future alternatives to the iPad

engadget.com

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Re: The best Present and Future alternatives to the iPad

#41

Post by snom370 »

ZeroGravitas wrote: post #31
PG-13 wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The iPhone was huge because it was such a huge leap and unexpected departure from previous phones. It created awe and generated desire from the moment it was unveiled. It was obvious to those who get tech that the iPhone would be huge. People who underestimated the iPhone are now overcompensating by being bullish on the iPad because they fail to understand that these are not the same thing. The unveiling of the iPad…

I don't know if it will be a hit or not, but I started becoming uncomfortable when the biggest touted "feature" in the keynote appeared to be the number of people's credit cards that Apple had on file. That didn't sound like a typical Steve "bicycle for the mind" Jobs thing to repeatedly dwell on. Certainly doesn't excite me as a gadget consumer.

I watched the keynote and can't say that I heard it repeatedly dwelled upon. Where was it mentioned?

Re: The best Present and Future alternatives to the iPad

#42

Post by snom370 »

PG-13 wrote: post #22
lazugod wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"You just don't get it" is the new "magical", isn't it.

It's said by people who did not immediately understand that the iPhone would be such a huge success even though it was obvious to people who understood technology. These people now think that the iPad is the same thing even though people who actually get technology realize that it absolutely isn't. People commenting need to reflect carefully on their own ability to judge new tech.

A lot of people who understood technology thought that the iPhone would flop. It was too expensive, wasn't a business oriented smartphone, and Apple was a newcomer in the cell phone industry so how could anyone think that they would displace the big players?

The iPhone turned out to be a game changer. A lot of people that get technology think that it might be the only computing device that most people will need.

Re: The best Present and Future alternatives to the iPad

#43

Post by elblanco »

stcredzero wrote: post #37
elblanco wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How many people pre-ordered one of these without ever touching or seeing one? Oh right, lots. That's how Apple became big again. People buying stuff sight unseen.

And how many of those people have an iPhone and were able to do the extrapolation: "This multitouch is great with the Apps and the App store. What if we could have a bigger screen with that?" I was posting that idea well before the iPad was anything more than a rumor.

You are right, the presence of good product in the marketplace tends to feed on itself.

However, I think a good argument could be made that the first generation or so of iPods were sold sight unseen to a public with a fairly large number of mp3 players in the same marketplace. Few people remember that the original iPod was supposed to be a driver of consumers to the Macintosh platform. For a pretty long time you couldn't use one on any other platform other than a Macintosh.

iPhones sold well because the competition in the marketplace wasn't really all that great. Palm hadn't really done anything interesting in the years prior and Windows mobile has always been a joke. But remember the long lines of people trying to buy up a dozen or so iPhones at the original price sight unseen? I remember one lady standing outside a store with a stack of cash trying to buy phones off of people who got one for 2x the original purchase price.

And exactly like those two items, the iPad has people lined up getting as many as possible because their iPhones are so awesome. Even though the logic of blowing up a phone app onto a tablet makes little sense, and the iPad actually demonstrates a reduction in capability over the iPhone (no camera, seriously?).

I'd wager that it'll be just enough that people will slurp up the next version that'll have a camera and USB even though they already own the original.

The problem that people have is not that the iPad is a good product or not, it's that people are buying it without having any idea what it's like beyond "it's a bigger iPhone". If some other vendor had come out with exactly the same product, they wouldn't have flocked to it, because it's sight unseen. But stick an Apple logo on it, and have Jobs sit in a chair fiddling with it for 5 minutes, and it's sold out before it even hits the stores.

Re: The best Present and Future alternatives to the iPad

#44

Post by ZeroGravitas »

snom370 wrote: post #41
ZeroGravitas wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know if it will be a hit or not, but I started becoming uncomfortable when the biggest touted "feature" in the keynote appeared to be the number of people's credit cards that Apple had on file. That didn't sound like a typical Steve "bicycle for the mind" Jobs thing to repeatedly dwell on. Certainly doesn't excite me as a gadget consumer.

I watched the keynote and can't say that I heard it repeatedly dwelled upon. Where was it mentioned?

Screenshot of slide:

http://obamapacman.com/2010/01/official-steve-jobs-apple-ipa...

Re: The best Present and Future alternatives to the iPad

#45

Post by ZeroGravitas »

snom370 wrote: post #36
ZeroGravitas wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For every iPod and iPhone they have an AppleTV or Mighty Mouse where the magic just doesn't take and everyone buys something else instead. And the Sansas etc. had caught up with the iPod by the time they brought out the iPhone, Android has caught up with iPhone in time for the iPad. They better hope it's a big hit because Android, Chrome OS and Meego tablets are all coming soon in time to be evaluated carefully by th…

"Caught up with" being the key point here. You don't always get to 70% market share by playing catch-up.

70% market share was the iPod.

The iPhone is not the iPod, and the iPad is not the iPhone. So you may not get 70% by playing catch-up, but you don't always get it by doing whatever Apple does, even in the case of their big successes like the iPhone.

Re: The best Present and Future alternatives to the iPad

#46

Post by metachor »

elblanco wrote: post #20
nickpp wrote: post #5

Let me sum them up for you: there isn't any. Just like the iPhone when it appeared, there really is no rival to the experience iPad offers, to its hardware+software+touch combo. The closest it MAY come, could be Android, someday. Again, just like with the iPhone.

Chrome OS is intended to run on hardware not entirely dissimilar to the iPad (get rid of the keyboard, put in a touch screen), with similar types of on-line connectivity. Chrome OS will be to the iPad what Android is to the iPod.

Can Chrome OS run games, or music-making applications (synthesizers, drum machines), or really anything that isn't in a web page?

Re: The best Present and Future alternatives to the iPad

#47

Post by stcredzero »

elblanco wrote: post #43
stcredzero wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And how many of those people have an iPhone and were able to do the extrapolation: "This multitouch is great with the Apps and the App store. What if we could have a bigger screen with that?" I was posting that idea well before the iPad was anything more than a rumor.

You are right, the presence of good product in the marketplace tends to feed on itself. However, I think a good argument could be made that the first generation or so of iPods were sold sight unseen to a public with a fairly large number of mp3 players in the same marketplace. Few people remember that the original iPod was supposed to be a driver of consumers to the Macintosh platform. For a pretty long time you coul…

Well, from what I can tell, this is as slick or slicker than every other tablet, and no one else can match the App Store iTunes ecosystem.

As I said before, extra screen real estate has a nonlinear effect on UIs. It's far more than a bigger iPhone already, and this is just a start.

Re: The best Present and Future alternatives to the iPad

#48

Post by stcredzero »

snom370 wrote: post #42
PG-13 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's said by people who did not immediately understand that the iPhone would be such a huge success even though it was obvious to people who understood technology. These people now think that the iPad is the same thing even though people who actually get technology realize that it absolutely isn't. People commenting need to reflect carefully on their own ability to judge new tech.

A lot of people who understood technology thought that the iPhone would flop. It was too expensive, wasn't a business oriented smartphone, and Apple was a newcomer in the cell phone industry so how could anyone think that they would displace the big players? The iPhone turned out to be a game changer. A lot of people that get technology think that it might be the only computing device that most people will need.

If that's true for the iPhone, it's much truer for the iPad. (Posted from one)

Re: The best Present and Future alternatives to the iPad

#49

Post by elblanco »

stcredzero wrote: post #47
elblanco wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are right, the presence of good product in the marketplace tends to feed on itself. However, I think a good argument could be made that the first generation or so of iPods were sold sight unseen to a public with a fairly large number of mp3 players in the same marketplace. Few people remember that the original iPod was supposed to be a driver of consumers to the Macintosh platform. For a pretty long time you coul…

Well, from what I can tell, this is as slick or slicker than every other tablet, and no one else can match the App Store iTunes ecosystem. As I said before, extra screen real estate has a nonlinear effect on UIs. It's far more than a bigger iPhone already, and this is just a start.

I wholeheartedly agree that the execution of the iPad is superior to other tablets.

I'm just not sure it's been demonstrated yet that tablet computing is a "good idea" (TM).

Re: The best Present and Future alternatives to the iPad

#50

Post by stcredzero »

elblanco wrote: post #49
stcredzero wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, from what I can tell, this is as slick or slicker than every other tablet, and no one else can match the App Store iTunes ecosystem. As I said before, extra screen real estate has a nonlinear effect on UIs. It's far more than a bigger iPhone already, and this is just a start.

I wholeheartedly agree that the execution of the iPad is superior to other tablets. I'm just not sure it's been demonstrated yet that tablet computing is a "good idea" (TM).

The success of the Kindle gets you 1/4th of the way there. I think Apple has a chance for a game changer with this.
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