The best Present and Future alternatives to the iPad • Hacker News Board

Re: The best Present and Future alternatives to the iPad

#51

Post by elblanco » Sat, Apr 03, 2010, 8:27 PM UTC

metachor wrote: post #46

elblanco wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

That's a good question, and I get where you are coming from with it. The iPad/phone/touch devices let you run local apps that can take more efficient advantage of the hardware the software is running on. But from what I can tell, the vast majority of apps are simply portals to data on the internet anyway -- in some cases just exact reproductions of the mobile version of some site (Wolfram Alpha anybody). And as Google has demonstrated, pretty advanced apps can be built on the web, that work great on the phone (and has the nice side benefit of circumventing Apple's ridiculous approval process).

I think that if you look strategically where Google is heading (faster Javascript, native apps - which I think now supports ARM, embedded flash, etc.), running stuff embedded in a web page shouldn't really be any less efficient than running a local app.

The good short-term rebuttal is that Apple can do it now, with local apps.

Longer term, if the development ecosystem for web-based apps gets sophisticated enough, it won't really matter if you own an iPhone, iPad, Chrome OS device, Android phone, whatever...because the app will be pulled off of a website completely circumventing Apple's walled garden.

Your two examples, games and music-making apps, are already widely available over the web right-now. So yes, a Chrome OS box can run those things.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/open_source/sho... http://armorgames.com/ http://aviary.com/tools/Myna#googtrans/auto/en http://blog.soundseller.eu/2009/11/online-audio-editor-aviar... http://vimeo.com/8525101 http://blog.soundseller.eu/2010/03/spectrum-visualization-wi...

Re: The best Present and Future alternatives to the iPad

#52

Post by elblanco » Sat, Apr 03, 2010, 9:37 PM UTC

stcredzero wrote: post #50

elblanco wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

honest question, do you think that Apple wouldn't have built the iPad if not for the Kindle?

Re: The best Present and Future alternatives to the iPad

#53

Post by herval » Sat, Apr 03, 2010, 10:17 PM UTC

PG-13 wrote: post #27

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.

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…

"It created awe and generated desire from the moment it was unveiled."

interestingy enough, I heard a lot of people saying the exact opposite: that the iphone was a flop, and on, and on. Actually, a lot of 'gurus' still say that kind of stuff today (specially a lot of high profile Nokia fanboys/evangelists)

Re: The best Present and Future alternatives to the iPad

#54

Post by stcredzero » Sat, Apr 03, 2010, 11:53 PM UTC

elblanco wrote: post #52

stcredzero wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

honest question, do you think that Apple wouldn't have built the iPad if not for the Kindle?

No. I think the iPhone multitouch (truly intuitive interface advance) plus the App Store (walled garden combining a significant degree of safety and convenience with usefully harnessed market forces) pointed the way to this. By mentioning the Kindle, I was replying to your comment.

Re: The best Present and Future alternatives to the iPad

#55

Post by PG-13 » Sun, Apr 04, 2010, 2:29 AM UTC

herval wrote: post #53

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…

"It created awe and generated desire from the moment it was unveiled." interestingy enough, I heard a lot of people saying the exact opposite: that the iphone was a flop, and on, and on. Actually, a lot of 'gurus' still say that kind of stuff today (specially a lot of high profile Nokia fanboys/evangelists)

No, that's my whole point. People who didn't get the iPhone don't understand technology, even though they may claim to. You have to look at their records to judge whether they actually get it or not. If it wasn't obvious to you that the iPhone would be great, then your opinion on the iPad or other technology really has no value.

Re: The best Present and Future alternatives to the iPad

#56

Post by snom370 » Tue, Apr 06, 2010, 12:08 PM UTC

ZeroGravitas wrote: post #45

snom370 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"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.

Exactly, which is why it would be nice to see companies that try to not just copy the iPhone (and now the iPad), like most cell phone companies have tried to do the past couple of years. Likewise, it took the OLPC project and then Asus EEE to ignite the netbook market, and the Wii to show that gaming consoles could be fun for everyone. Most companies however avoid risks and only copy and incrementally improve on the status quo.

Re: The best Present and Future alternatives to the iPad

#57

Post by snom370 » Mon, Apr 19, 2010, 10:24 PM UTC

ZeroGravitas wrote: post #44

snom370 wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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...

They mentioned it in one slide, did they mention it anywhere else? That was my point.