Apple ipad

[quote name='usickenme']Here's the rub. None of those are coming out in the next 60-90 days[/QUOTE]

Also, alot of those alternatives do look cool, but the bottom line for me is they wont have the same app and media support and will essentially just be touch screen PCs, which I really have no use for.
 
What a beauty.

There are a couple cons however. No stylus support and no flash support are deeply concerning. The price is too high for what it can do. I'm also hesitant to jump in on a first gen model seeing as how much the 1g touch sucks compared to the 3g models.

I will definitely be getting a second or third gen model of this device when the features I'm looking for are implemented (at least stylus...I can live without flash) but I will pass on the first gen model unless I can get it for a steal.
 
[quote name='usickenme']Telephone OS- is that supposed to an insult?[/quote]
Yes. It's a stupid toy for morons who can't use real computers.

All the devs I know love the support Apple gives, the ease of working with the SDK
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Maybe you aren't aware, but developers have been making software for a long time before the iPhone came along.

and the opportunity to make an a$$load of money with apps.
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LOL, yeah, it's sooooo easy to make money with iphone apps:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/216788/page/1

:roll:

You may think the iPhone suck but it clearly changed the game with phone.
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Changed the game? By, what, introducing a shitty overpriced completely closed handset platform? Hoo-fuckin-ray.

Also- If you care so much about what other people buy- I think YOU are the one with the problem. Most people stop that shit when they get out of Jr. High. (apologies if you are still in jr. high).
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No, stupid people who buy apple products are still the ones with problems, thank you.

[quote name='caltab']could you be any more narrow minded...I'm guessing you've never really even tried any of their products. I like apple products, I also have a windows 7 desktop...it's possible to see the merits in both you now. You really are gonna miss out on a lot of stuff in life if you insist on being so narrow minded.[/QUOTE]

I've owned iPods, and I use a powerbook g4 sometimes. OSX is the scourge of the earth.

Tell me one good thing I can do with an Apple product that I can't do anywhere else. I'd love to hear about the "stuff I'm gonna be missing out on in life" or whatever. What "merits" am I missing out on?
 
[quote name='J7.']Easy there. We can extrapolate based on Ipod Touch/Iphone pricepoints and memory sizes. You'll see they quadrupled memory on the low and top end Ipod Touches & Iphones while decreasing price by $100-$200. Not farfetched to think a $300 64 gb ipad is a possibility in 2013. It's just possibilities not expecting to get exactly what I want.[/QUOTE]

You can't extrapolate a damn thing. 3 years is an eternity in computing. 64GB today will be paltry then (if it's not already damn near obsolete now). You're telling me you're going to wait and see if 3 years from now they have a $300 64GB iPad? Seriously? What do you expect any one person here to tell you about how this device may be in the future? It's not even available for purchase yet and you're already speculating on the price point 3 years from now. Give me a fucking break.
 
[quote name='caltab']Also, alot of those alternatives do look cool, but the bottom line for me is they wont have the same app and media support and will essentially just be touch screen PCs, which I really have no use for.[/QUOTE]

Fine. If you need stupid individual separate "apps" to do every stupid little task that you can already do online in your browser, need your hand held, and hate flexibility and and infinite supplies of freely-available software to do pretty much anything you can imagine, then yeah, PCs aren't for you. Go for the iPad, I suppose.
 
[quote name='CoffeeEdge']
No, stupid people who buy apple products are still the ones with problems, thank you.
[/QUOTE]

[quote name='CoffeeEdge']
I've owned iPods

[/QUOTE]

lol
 
[quote name='usickenme']lol[/QUOTE]

People who *BUY* Apple products are stupid. People who win iPods for free, like I did years ago, can't really be blamed for *USING* them, though. And I guess I shouldn't have pluralized that, cause I only ever had the one.

Nice try, though!

Oh, and caltab, seriously, I want to know how I am missing out. Seriously, what am *I* missing? What are the "merits" that would benefit *me*?
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']I'm kind of mixed on that. I don't need a tablet device to be a full fledged Laptop with a full OS.

So if one comes out that has stylus support, can do multi tasking, doesn't do silly shit like not have flash I'll be pretty good to go. I've never been big on tweaking and customizing stuff anway, and prefer things that just work as simply and easily as possible.

I'd prefer some kind of light OS on it so I could use word documents etc. But I don't need a full fledged one. That's what my laptop and PC are for. I want a tablet mainly to just read PDFs, word documents etc. and mark them up with a stylus like I would the printouts today. As well as browse the web etc..[/QUOTE]

They could've developed a stripped-down Mac OS that didn't have all of the features of OS X rather than going with something as limited as the iPhone software. It just doesn't seem as powerful or capable as it should be. The only upside I see is that it isn't as expensive as you would assume it would be from Apple, but that's probably because it doesn't look like it took too much to develop it.
 
[quote name='seanr1221']CoffeeEdge hates something? What a scoop![/QUOTE]

Here, lemme balance it out: I fucking love Windows 7 and the IBM PC standard. It is awesome.
 
[quote name='CoffeeEdge']People who *BUY* Apple products are stupid.[/QUOTE]

This is where your $$$$$$ry comes through.

What phone had as robust as a browser as the iPhone 2 years ago?

None. Putting MiniOpera on your Nokia or WM phone sucked back then.
 
[quote name='CoffeeEdge']Fine. If you need stupid individual separate "apps" to do every stupid little task that you can already do online in your browser, need your hand held, and hate flexibility and and infinite supplies of freely-available software to do pretty much anything you can imagine, then yeah, PCs aren't for you. Go for the iPad, I suppose.[/QUOTE]

My point is I already have PC's to do that(as I said before I have both a Macbook pro and a Windows 7 desktop). I'm looking for something different out of this device which I think only the app store can deliver for me personally. It's just a matter of preference, I absolutely love ipod touch casual games, Its what I have time for these days- 1 or 2 dollar pop cap style games that are easy to pick up and play. I'm also hoping for new and innovative ways to read magazines. If your looking for a full featured PC with a touch screen than obviously this isn't for you, but that doesn't make the millions of people who will buy this dumb.

And I already gave you some examples of stuff your missing out on- if your Plants vs. Zombies sig is an indication of your preferences, there are a lot of pop cap type games that you'd most likely enjoy.
 
I don't quite understand the appeal of tablets at all. Sure, the iPad is slim, but in terms of guys who carry briefcases, don't you already have enough room for a laptop which can do so many things better? Not to mention early impressions are saying that the iPad's keyboard isn't that great, and that you would benefit form having a usb keyboard going alone with it. That, to me, just sounds retarded.
 
[quote name='caltab']My point is I already have PC's to do that(as I said before I have both a Macbook pro and a Windows & desktop). I'm looking for something different out of this device which I think only the app store can deliver for me personally. It's just a matter of preference, I absolutely love ipod touch casual games, Its what I have time for these days- 1 or 2 dollar pop cap style games that are easy to pick up and play. I'm also hoping for new and innovative ways to read magazines. If your looking for a full featured PC with a touch screen than obviously this isn't for you, but that doesn't make the millions of people who will buy this dumb.[/QUOTE]

Uh huh. You've been convinced by Apple's marketing that you need their "apps" to do anything, that they're the only thing that can "deliver" for you. You've been convinced that everything you can already do online needs to be done via a separate individual "app." That's fine, whatever. But it's still basically computing for children and dummies.

So weren't you telling me that I'm missing out on something, or ignoring some "merit"?
 
[quote name='CoffeeEdge']Uh huh. You've been convinced by Apple's marketing that you need their "apps" to do anything, that they're the only thing that can "deliver" for you. You've been convinced that everything you can already do online needs to be done via a separate individual "app." That's fine, whatever. But it's still basically computing for children and dummies.

So weren't you telling me that I'm missing out on something, or ignoring some "merit"?[/QUOTE]


This is Cheapassgamer- the apps I'm primarily referring to are games, not ones that do random things with the exception of things like Slingbox, streaming sports and SiriusXm. There are a ton of really fun cheap games that you can only get if you have a device that has access to the app store. It has nothing to do with apple marketing, the cheap casual games on the app store are just fun. The ipad is expensive for just that purpose I'll admit, but personally I really like that type of stuff. But, you dont have to spend 500 bucks to have access to those games if you buy a cheaper ipod and with your anti anything apple stance you wont get to play any of those games.
 
I can play games on my notebooks and netbooks, thanks.

I'm anti-apple, because it's literally useless to me. They are STILL JUST COMPUTERS, just loaded with a shitty OS. They offer me nothing I can't do better on Windows.
 
[quote name='CoffeeEdge']I can play games on my notebooks and netbooks, thanks.

I'm anti-apple, because it's literally useless to me. They are STILL JUST COMPUTERS, just loaded with a shitty OS. They offer me nothing I can't do better on Windows.[/QUOTE]

This is the last thing I'll say on this because obviously we just disagree, but the games on the app store are pretty unique and really cannot be replicated on a standard pc because of the touch screen, accelerometer, and developer community that's constantly putting out quality titles for a buck. You either like that experience or you don't, I happen to really like it and find it to be a uniquely app store thing. I will get an ipad for a larger more powerful and enhanced version of that experience. I also like my windows 7 PC, 360, wii, ps3, dsi and PSP. I largely view it as just a different way to play games and hopefully get unique digital content experiences like interactive magazines(as expensive as it may be).
 
The functionality and spec are disappointing.

Another disappointment I didn't expect is the design. It's exactly the kind of copy pasta Apple's competitors are happy to indulge in: if one looks good and sells well, make fifty more of the same. Usually Apple doesn't do this: even the Air got some lines and curves that weren't in the Pros. I figured Apple would want to do something in the design -- little tweaks here and there -- to set it apart from the iPhone/Touch. Instead, it really does look like a big iTouch. It's bizarre.

Furthermore, outside of the iBookstore and some H264 capabilities, it's so close to the handheld side as to be classed a big iTouch in function, too. It sounds like they put all the tech in that battery. The processor and OS aren't impressive at all. I love how Jobs quantified the in-house processor's performance: it screams. Argh, technical terms: how many screams to a zip?

It's going to be a rough start for the iPad, and that doesn't begin to consider the tablet competitors coming on. If MS decides to toss their secret tablet (the Courier?) in the ring, Apple's going to have to come up with a big revision to retain even their diehards, who might jump ship if something better looking and more useful comes along. I thought they were going to show us something different with the iPad -- the way they did with the iPhone, which had its detractors but was far and away Something Different in terms of form and function. Instead Apple gave us effectively more of the same.
 
[quote name='cochesecochese']Also: 'Unobtainium'[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I like Avatar I'm TOTALLY CRAZY AND WACKY AND SO fuckING STUPID OUTTA CONTROL WOO YOU JUST BURNED MY ASS!
 
Who exactly is the audience they are targeting with this? I have to be missing something here. It seems to me they are just trying to throw something out there to make money off of people that have to have the newest gadgets.
 
It's basically a bigger, more expensive iPod touch. I'll just buy a fucking netbook and install OS X on it. What a bullshit product.
 
[quote name='CoffeeEdge']Yeah, I like Avatar I'm TOTALLY CRAZY AND WACKY AND SO fuckING STUPID OUTTA CONTROL WOO YOU JUST BURNED MY ASS![/QUOTE]
Gosh, CoffeeEdge. I thought I was taking your side on this one.
 
[quote name='cochesecochese']Gosh, CoffeeEdge. I thought I was taking your side on this one.[/QUOTE]
The only times people have brought up me and Avatar so far are to say I'm stupid for liking it a lot or whatever. Please excuse me if that's not what you were doing, but it's what I've been trained to expect.

[quote name='ImLuhkee']Who exactly is the audience they are targeting with this?[/QUOTE]
The people who buy anything by Apple, of course.
 
[quote name='CoffeeEdge']People who *BUY* Apple products are stupid. People who win iPods for free, like I did years ago, can't really be blamed for *USING* them, though. And I guess I shouldn't have pluralized that, cause I only ever had the one.

[/QUOTE]

But you were stupid enough to use a product that you hate.
 
[quote name='CoffeeEdge']

The people who buy anything by Apple, of course.[/QUOTE]

And the repeat cult members resign up, it's like a failed subscription service.... year after year, Mac users pay their dues.



I had really high hopes... really. I was tempted till they laid down the iFail app forcibly installed on all iPads:

No flash
No flash memory
No webcam
No real OS
Stuck with the iApp store
Basically this is the DSi XL ala iTouch
No CD drive nor addon
One app only at a time, I can chew gum and walk, yet can't play music while browsing????

http://mashable.com/2010/01/27/9-upcoming-tablet-alternatives-to-the-apple-ipad/

ANY, and ANY of these will have features that the iPad lacks. At least they don't tell you what you can and can't do; what you have to use, because there isn't an option otherwise.
 
looks like Apple saw the DSi XL and thought it would be a good idea to copy. Now I wait for google or MS to make their pad that can do the things ipad can't do.
 
[quote name='usickenme']But you were stupid enough to use a product that you hate.[/QUOTE]

Look, Mac zealot, I know you're really obsessed with trying to trip me up because you can't defend the stupid shitty products you love so much, but you're seriously going to have to do better.

I had an ipod for a year that I ran Rockbox (an alternative OS) on. Yeah, I used a product I had a distaste for (though note, when you're running your own software on it, an old ipod is basically the same as any other gray box that plays MP3s). But even I think it would have been even more stupid to go spend hundreds more on another mp3 player, when I already had that one.

Again, you're going to have to do better than that. It's okay, though, because you can't. Because you're trying to defend fucking Apple.
 
[quote name='62t']looks like Apple saw the DSi XL and thought it would be a good idea to copy. Now I wait for google or MS to make their pad that can do the things ipad can't do.[/QUOTE]

Pretty much.
 
i love how people get so offended when apple makes a product. Its like it raped and murdered their family. I am happy this tablet is finally made so we can see some competition in the market just like the iphone did, we got better phones in result.

that being said in a year or two when version 2.0 comes out, i hope they add OSX. The inability to use microsoft office, photoshop, or whatever is such a limitation for using this iPad as a laptop/onthego pc replacement.

I think AT&T w/ their 15/30$ 3g data plans are gonna help this thing sell. Netbooks are limited to wifi just like this device and being bound to a 2year 59$ a month contract is pretty stupid.
 
I'm a pretty big Apple fan (not their computers but the iPhone and iPod) and I have to admit if I was in the market for a portable multimedia device, there is no way I would buy the iPad over the Alienware M11x (gaming netbook).

http://ces.cnet.com/8301-31045_1-10428491-269.html

Granted the price of the M11x will be as low as $799 and the iPad starts at $499 but the 16GB is essentially worthless so the $599 32GB is the standard to me. I'd rather pay a few hundred more and get a netbook that plays Modern Warfare 2.
 
[quote name='usickenme']Here's the rub. None of those are coming out in the next 60-90 days[/QUOTE]

True. But I'm in no huge rush. I need stylus support for marking up documents, as that's my main interest in tablet device. So I have to wait for something that fits my needs.

[quote name='caltab']Also, alot of those alternatives do look cool, but the bottom line for me is they wont have the same app and media support and will essentially just be touch screen PCs, which I really have no use for.[/QUOTE]

True. I really want something that has all that, but has stylus support for highligthing and marking up PDFs, books etc.

Hopefully it's something Apple will add to a future model down the road. Seems like it could have huge appeal for college students if it could do all that multimedia stuff, and they could also get e-versions of their text books on their and highlight them etc. just like the can the real books by using a stylus.

Or for me to have all those features and be able to mark up research articles like I do printouts now, or be able to have students (especially in smaller master's or Ph D level classes) e-mail me their papers so I could grade them and mark them up electronically with a stylus.

So I'm hoping apple adds that kind of support. Or someone else puts out a tablet that has great multimedia functions along with that type of support. But I don't really need a full tablet PC either that has full Windows 7 etc, as I already have my work-provided laptop for those kind of tasks.



[quote name='help1']I don't quite understand the appeal of tablets at all. Sure, the iPad is slim, but in terms of guys who carry briefcases, don't you already have enough room for a laptop which can do so many things better? Not to mention early impressions are saying that the iPad's keyboard isn't that great, and that you would benefit form having a usb keyboard going alone with it. That, to me, just sounds retarded.[/QUOTE]

Well, again for me it's my specific need for something that's like a digital legal pad that I can comforably hold to read research articles, academic books, students papers, read magazines and newspapers (which suck on my Kindle), use as a light, pertable device for simple web browsing, video watching gameplaying.

I don't need the keyboard or keyboard dock for a tablet (again assuming a future one with stylus support, hand writing recognition etc.), as anything that required typing would be covered by my laptop.

I agree they sound silly if you view them as a replacement for a laptop. For me it would be a replacement for printing out pdfs of scholarly articles and marking them up and having to lug them around when I'm working on a paper or preparing course lectures (reading them on PCs/laptops sucks), replacement for newspapers and magazines (reading them online isn't the same) etc.

And I'd also use the video and web and e-mail sometimes since it's much lighter to stick in my brief case than my 15" laptop. And at 1.5 pounds is lighter than any netbook with decent battery life (10 hours on this tablet, hopefully others follow suit) and can do HD video which most netbooks can't etc.

I do realize that my needs are specific. Few outside of academia or some business jobs need a tablet device to replace paper for marking up documents, taking notes etc. So I am a bit skeptical that this device will sell to the mainstream like Apple is marketing it.

Vs. focusing in more on students and professionals who'd use it for their studies or work, with the multimedia stuff as the icing on the cake. But time will tell on that.
 
[quote name='naiku']i love how people get so offended when apple makes a product. Its like it raped and murdered their family. I am happy this tablet is finally made so we can see some competition in the market just like the iphone did, we got better phones in result.[/QUOTE]

My problem is never the product themselves, but rather the huge amounts of hype and swells of support from Apple fanboys that the product elicits. If Lenovo came out and announced this exact same product, it wouldn't generate a tenth of the publicity or community discussion.

As for the iPad itself, I don't see exactly what they're trying to do with it. This thing won't replace your phone and it won't replace your laptop. I'm having trouble figuring out what niche it's trying to fit into that the iPod touch or iPhone wouldn't. At best we can give it e-book and pdf reading.
 
IMO, all this tells me is that the iPod touch is really overpriced.

And, the only announcement anyone really wanted, iPhone going to Verizon, didn't happen.

Epic fail of a press conference IMO.
 
[quote name='Salamando3000']
As for the iPad itself, I don't see exactly what they're trying to do with it. This thing won't replace your phone and it won't replace your laptop. I'm having trouble figuring out what niche it's trying to fit into that the iPod touch or iPhone wouldn't. At best we can give it e-book and pdf reading.[/QUOTE]


Yeah, they really should have focused in more on e-books, PDFs etc. Really should have had stylus annotation for highlight, scribbling notes in the margins etc.

As I said above, I think that would sell like hot cakes to college students with the appeal of all the multimedia stuff, Apple stuff being the cool thing to have, and the ability to buy e-versions of text books and highlight them etc.

[quote name='DestroVega']IMO, all this tells me is that the iPod touch is really overpriced.
[/QUOTE]

Yeah, that does stick out and make you wonder if an iPod touch price drop is forth coming. Probably not as no one who wants a small mp3 player with web and other features is going to buy a 10" tablet device instead. So this won't really compete against it--and there's always cost add for minaturization as well which explains the touch price somewhat.
 
[quote name='Salamando3000']My problem is never the product themselves, but rather the huge amounts of hype and swells of support from Apple fanboys that the product elicits. If Lenovo came out and announced this exact same product, it wouldn't generate a tenth of the publicity or community discussion.

As for the iPad itself, I don't see exactly what they're trying to do with it. This thing won't replace your phone and it won't replace your laptop. I'm having trouble figuring out what niche it's trying to fit into that the iPod touch or iPhone wouldn't. At best we can give it e-book and pdf reading.[/QUOTE]

I really can't grasp where they are trying to go with this device, it almost makes me think Steve wanted it because his eyes can't handle the iPhone.

This iPad does nothing extra beyond an iTouch... big screen and keyboard, and multiple accessories of fail.


I've had soooo much hope and hype that it would be SOMETHING, and not a reitteration of a device that's already out.

damnit, this thing is just like the DSi XL..... JUST LIKE IT.

dsi-xl.jpg


46495680.jpg
 
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[quote name='naiku']i love how people get so offended when apple makes a product.[/QUOTE]

More or less. I understand it's easy to lambast Apple users as cultists or what-have-you - but the irony is that what I've experienced is more or less a mildly smug condescending attitude Mac users have for non-Mac users; but, OTOH, I've experienced searing, hotter-than-the-surface-of-the-sun hatred from people who don't use Macs for those that do.

But whatever. Y'all use what you like, y'hear?

I'm interested in the iPad - it seems like a nice device to have when I travel as opposed to a bulky laptop. If it implements something like an office suite, my interest goes up. If the kindle reader/pdf program allows for typed or written annotations, I'm sold.

The corollary of some folks going ga-ga over anything branded "Apple," of course, is the guttural, venomous, frothing hatred of anything simply because it is branded "Apple." Save that ire for your ex-husbands and ex-wives; Apple's just a computer company, sheesh.

EDIT: Salamando, the thing is that I see it precisely as something that could replace a laptop, if it adds certain functionalities (I notice dmaul and I are on the same page there). I think Steve Jobs hit it on the head when he introduced the presser this afternoon; he simply remarked the growing market for netbooks and argued that they're just crummier, less efficient laptops. I don't wholly agree with that, but I still see the larger point. Also, I wonder if the MacBook Air was a sales success at all (sufficiently large solid state drives still being hella expensive) - and if not, if that's what helped Apple move into developing this product.
 
[quote name='xycury']I really can't grasp where they are trying to go with this device, it almost makes me think Steve wanted it because his eyes can't handle the iPhone.

This iPad does nothing extra beyond an iTouch... big screen and keyboard, and multiple accessories of fail.[/QUOTE]

Well with the bigger screen it will be better for a lot of things than the iTouch.

Better for e-books. Better for newspapers and magazines. Ablity to do PDFs and text books. Better for watching movies or playing games.

Again, I really think it need stylus writing abilities, and it could have been a damn good e-book type of gadget as that's one thing it could do better than a Laptop.

Much easier to curl up in bed or a recliner with tablet that a laptop. I read my Kindle books at my Girlfriend's sometime on her 12" laptop using the Kindle for PC program, and it just sucks ass compared to reading on the Kindle.

I think Apple is just trying to find some mass market appeal--and don't think the can with selling it more as an e-reading device--especially given jobs "people don't read anymore" statement a few months back when asked if Apple was developing an e-reader to go up agains the Kindle.

But that's really more of the angle they should have went for though. As the video, games etc. are all things that can be done as well or better by a small laptop. Reading is the one are it can do better due to the form factor--especially if they had put in stylus annotation support.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']
I'm interested in the iPad - it seems like a nice device to have when I travel as opposed to a bulky laptop. If it implements something like an office suite, my interest goes up. If the kindle reader/pdf program allows for typed or written annotations, I'm sold.
[/QUOTE]

I'm in the same boat, though I want stylus support as I do a lot more underlining and highlighting than I do note taking (though I do scribble stuff in the margins).

I find that clunky and slow to do with a keyboard and mouse (in addition to the poor form factor for lounging on the couch or recliner and reading and taking notes), and it would be even worse with a finger touch tablet and on-screen keyboard (and put it in the keyboard doc and you may as well use a laptop).
 
[quote name='Salamando3000']If Lenovo came out and announced this exact same product, it wouldn't generate a tenth of the publicity or community discussion.

As for the iPad itself, I don't see exactly what they're trying to do with it. This thing won't replace your phone and it won't replace your laptop. I'm having trouble figuring out what niche it's trying to fit into that the iPod touch or iPhone wouldn't. At best we can give it e-book and pdf reading.[/QUOTE]

I really do not think it's so much about the device itself. Tablets have been around a long time and have failed to succeed. I think its about the digital content that has the potential to be delivered. Apple, along with Amazon, is probably the best company in the world to push publishers to get their content out in innovative ways. Lenovo could release the same device but they don't have the same power to get publishers on board. The little demo of the New York Times app to me is the potential promise of this device- and even if you don't like apple you will eventually benefit because all the clones out their will get this innovative content(for example almost all psp minis are iphone app ports). This is far from a perfect device and is locked down by apple in a lot of ways so they can sell you more content, but the device has the potential to make the content they sell you better and more innovative.

[quote name='dmaul1114']Yeah, they really should have focused in more on e-books, PDFs etc. Really should have had stylus annotation for highlight, scribbling notes in the margins etc.

As I said above, I think that would sell like hot cakes to college students with the appeal of all the multimedia stuff, Apple stuff being the cool thing to have, and the ability to buy e-versions of text books and highlight them etc.

[/QUOTE]

I was expecting more innovation in the ebook area. Perhaps we will see it later with publishers developing apps that do new things. It won't have a stylus but maybe we'll see apps that allow for notes/highlighting. They didn't talk much about magazines, but I've read that a lot of publishers are developing content for it. I think there could be HUGE potential for magazine type content.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']I'm in the same boat, though I want stylus support as I do a lot more underlining and highlighting than I do note taking (though I do scribble stuff in the margins).

I find that clunky and slow to do with a keyboard and mouse (in addition to the poor form factor for lounging on the couch or recliner and reading and taking notes), and it would be even worse with a finger touch tablet and on-screen keyboard (and put it in the keyboard doc and you may as well use a laptop).[/QUOTE]

Indeed. I've always wanted a tablet PC, and this strips away enough of the features of one (stylus writing, fully-featured OS) that I'm less than thrilled about the product on the whole. It has promise, and perhaps the next-gen iPad will include those robust features you and I and others want.

More than anything else, the inability to multitask programs is the biggest letdown I've read. I live and die by OS X's 'spaces' feature, swapping between desktops on the fly (including my Windows XP space, since I use that for stupid HLM and the occasional vidya game ;)). Having to close out of a book program to draw up some quick notes would be a real pisser. Well, not once, mind, but doing that each and every time I have something I need to take down.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']
EDIT: Salamando, the thing is that I see it precisely as something that could replace a laptop, if it adds certain functionalities (I notice dmaul and I are on the same page there). [/QUOTE]

I will say for me that it's something that will supplement my laptop, not replace it.

My laptop is my only home computer, so I need that for working at home. I do everything from clean and analyze data, crime maps, to writing articles, making powerpoints on it etc. Along with all the web browsing, internet TV watching etc. I gave away my desktop when I moved, since my job was giving me a new laptop built to my specs along with the new PC for the office on campus.

A tablet would mainly replace lugging around printouts of PDFs and academic books for me. And maybe replace my laptop on some trips where I don't need to do full work and just need to check e-mail, browse the net, read some stuff etc.

[quote name='caltab']I really do not think it's so much about the device itself. Tablets have been around a long time and have failed to succeed. I think its about the digital content that has the potential to be delivered.
[/QUOTE]

That's part of it but it was also the design of prior tablets. Many tended to just be laptops with flip around screens. So they were balky, heavy, hot, the interface wasn't ideal as it was designed to work with keyboard and mouse/touchpad and the touch screen.

Slate PCs got away from that some, but still have poor battery life, were pretty big and tend to cost $2-3K.

There just wasn't much point to get one vs. a laptop.

With a tablet this size, it fits a different niche since it's optimized for touch screen use, and is small enough to curl up and read like you would a magazine or hardcover book. Something you can't do with a bulky, hot laptop.

[quote name='mykevermin']
More than anything else, the inability to multitask programs is the biggest letdown I've read. I live and die by OS X's 'spaces' feature, swapping between desktops on the fly (including my Windows XP space, since I use that for stupid HLM and the occasional vidya game ;)). Having to close out of a book program to draw up some quick notes would be a real pisser. Well, not once, mind, but doing that each and every time I have something I need to take down.[/QUOTE]

Yep, lack of multitasking is a killer for me. If I'm reading a research article, I don't want to have to close out and open the internet app to go look something up related to it, or find an article it cites while I'm looking at it.

And I want to be listening to music while I'm doing all that.

So there's definitely a lot of improvements needed for me to bite. But I'm optimistic about the future of tablets with how much this can do at a $500 price tag, and that it can get 10 hours of battery life.
 
[quote name='caltab']I really do not think it's so much about the device itself. Tablets have been around a long time and have failed to succeed. I think its about the digital content that has the potential to be delivered. Apple, and probably Amazon, is probably the best company in the world to push publishers to get their content out in innovative ways. Lenovo could release the same device but they don't have the same power to get publishers on board. The little demo of the New York Times app to me is the potential promise of this device- and even if you don't like apple you will eventually benefit because all the clones out their will get this innovative content(for example almost all psp minis are iphone app ports). This is far from a perfect device and is locked down by apple in a lot of ways so they can sell you more content, but the device has the potential to make the content they sell you better and more innovative.[/QUOTE]

I must respectfully disagree, for one reason only - Flash. If the iPad could use Flash, it wouldn't need half the apps it currently has. Now, while I cannot speak for whatever Apps you have on your phone, I know a lot of mine could be replaced with a web link to a Flash application. Granted, it won't be able to use accelerometers, but it'll also be free. And not involve logging into itunes or whatever. And not involve an Apple approval process.

For my money, I'd rather buy something like the Lenovo IdeaPad U1 - a hybrid of Tablet and Laptop in the truest sense. The screen, when in it's laptop shell, features full keyboard and proper Windows 7. It can then be removed to shell and be a true tablet, thin as you'd want, running a Tablet OS, and so on.
 
[quote name='xycury']I've always wanted a tablet pc.... but waited, because what they have been coming out isn't really functional....

http://hk.viewsonic.com/en/products/airpanel/index.php

WHY can't they do that with a complete OSX..... hell we could hack it and run W7 in tablet style.

I first read the air panel and always wanted one.[/QUOTE]

Well, keep in mind that on OS like XP or Windows 7 that's built around keyboard and mouse isn't going to be as intuitive to use on a touch screen only display. So just making a portable desktop like that isn't ideal--and why a lot of past tablet PCs sucked.

It's much better to have an OS built around the touch screen input. Something like Android--a lot of tablets coming out will be using the Android OS.

Now nothing stopping MS from making a tablet version of Windows 7 or Apple from making a tablet version of OSX (or whatever version they're on now) rather than something as simplified the iPhone OS.

And I do think we'll see some of those devices coming out. So this is a case where it's better not to early adopt and to let the kinks get ironed out and see where the technology goes.
 
[quote name='Salamando3000']
For my money, I'd rather buy something like the Lenovo IdeaPad U1 - a hybrid of Tablet and Laptop in the truest sense. The screen, when in it's laptop shell, features full keyboard and proper Windows 7. It can then be removed to shell and be a true tablet, thin as you'd want, running a Tablet OS, and so on.[/QUOTE]

I'm mildly interested in that concept. But again I don't need something to replace my laptop as I'll always have one provided by work, so the docking ability is less of a concern to me as I don't need my tablet to double as a full PC.

And I worry that the tablet OS will be super intuitive when it's part of a device like that, or if it will have the power for HD video on it's own (if it even does docked since netbooks struggle with that still).

But it is a neat concept, and a nice options for people who kind of want a tablet, but don't want to own a tablet and a laptop/netbook. I'll be keeping an eye on how that pans out in anycase.
 
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