so unless you have been hiding under a rock you are obviously aware of apple’s newest creation: the ipad. it was one of the most hyped products in recent memory. because of all the hype it certainly could have never lived to meet everyone’s expectations. all over the web today there are disappointed voices about what they wish the ipad could do, what it left out, why it didn’t cure cancer, etc. i think there is some validity to the complaints, but i also think that they overlook some key things. to be upfront, i think the ipad is the most incredible piece of technology i’ve ever seen in my life. i had to keep reminding myself that i was in the present and had not been transported to the future. it was that impressive to me.
what many of the negative reviews seem to forget is that the ipad is not a tablet computer. it is not meant to replace the mac (as jobs made perfectly clear at the beginning and end of the keynote: it is a third category product). many have compared the tablet to netbooks or macs in terms of specs. that’s fine and well and good, but it misses the point: it is not a netbook; it is not a mac; it is an ipad. some also compare the ipad to the iphone and harp on its inability to take photos. again, it’s not a phone or a camera and is not meant to take the place of those things. it’s meant to compliment both the mac and the iphone…not replace or compete with either.
once we have in mind that the ipad is not meant to compete or replace the iphone or mac, we have a better idea of how it can compliment both. when i think about what a normal day looks like for me, i see the ipad fitting perfectly into my digital life. as a student i spend most of the day in pages taking notes in classes or writing papers, on the internet doing research, or reading .pdf documents of articles or reading books. those are the exact things that the ipad is meant to do (plus more). everywhere i go during the day (campus, coffee shop, apartment) has internet connectivity, so i see great value in having a wi-fi only ipad. if i ever need to look anything up where i don’t have a wi-fi option, i use my iphone (complimenting each other…not in competition with each other). the only program that i use consistently that i would need my mac for would be accordance bible software. that’s what i have a desktop for (and accordance is also working on an iphone app which will work on the ipad). i could go on, but, in my particular case, the ipad is a brilliant product that fits perfectly within my world. at a low price point of $499, it’s incredible (i was thinking it would be $699-$999 for an entry level device).
there are some unknowns that apple didn’t address in the keynote, such as multitasking. that’s not necessarily an issue for me for two reasons: when i’m taking notes in class or writing a paper in the library, i’d rather not have the ability to check my email consistently or browse the web. it’s only a distraction. some people may see it as a deal breaker, but i don’t. the other reason is that i’m sure apple has some new features that they are working on for the next os that will include multitasking. if it is the big issue that many make it out to be, then i’m sure apple will work it into the ipad.
another unknown is file management, especially since there will be syncing between the mac and ipad version of pages, keynote, and numbers. i’m sure apple has thought of this and more information will be coming when the product is ready to ship. it doesn’t surprise me that they didn’t talk about some technical issues (i.e., file management) when introducing the product. the keynote was about showing off the product. file management is what manuals or instructional videos are for…not keynote addresses of the steve jobs variety.
the bottom line, at least for me, is that the ipad is an incredible piece of technology that perfectly compliments the iphone and mac. that was apple’s goal and i think they nailed it. as long as people continue to compare it to the iphone or mac, they will continue to miss the point. of course, these things are inherently relative and some people will continue to hate the ipad, make false comparisons, and insist on not buying one. to each his own. i will continue on my current mission of insisting that the ipad is the only thing i want for my birthday.
28 January 2010 at 1.27 pm
ipad= worst name ever. I feel like it’s a new product I’d buy to replace tampax during “that time” of the month.
I clearly think it’s ridiculous, then again I haven’t really seen anything about it, I just keep seeing “ipad” everywhere. Which I at first thought was a typo, then a new maxi pad, then finally this new thing that no one needs but will waste $500 on. Lame
Love,
Jess- ANTI MAC FOREVER! (besides my green ipod)
28 January 2010 at 1.42 pm
Uh, Jess, have you seen this?
28 January 2010 at 2.01 pm
@jess: it is an awful name. also, when i upgrade to a new iphone i am sending you my old one. i’ve been praying for your conversion to mac for years.
@jrdkirk: that is hilarious.
28 January 2010 at 2.58 pm
hahahahaha, NO i hadn’t seen that but it was AWESOME!!!
Artie… send it to someone who will use it, I won’t. Unless of course you download that timed word game on it. Then I’ll use it as a portable boggle game.
Also I got confused on a Mac computer last and it worked slower than my totally awesome and durable PC does. BURN. I’m JESSICA BOULET AND I’M A PC
28 January 2010 at 3.04 pm
@jess: i actually have boggle on my iphone…also, tetris, scrabble, soduko, life, yahtzee, life, battleship, and snood.
still praying
28 January 2010 at 4.21 pm
multi tasking is my big thing. I’m a webOS guy now and am totally spoiled. That would have done it for me.
28 January 2010 at 5.23 pm
You know, at first I was really impressed by the iPad, although I wasn’t sure if I would get one anytime soon. Then I started thinking about it more and got pretty disappointed with the whole thing. Sure, it’s a neat product and it’d be fun to have it, but there are some major flaws that I think this Lifehacker article expresses well.
Namely, it’s completely locked down and the user can only install things that Apple has decided are tame enough for its customers. Remember Google Voice? It was supposed to have been rejected because Apple was afraid it would confuse iPhone users, but it’s not available on iPod Touch or the iPad (as far as we can guess) either and those don’t have dialer functions for the users to get confused about. Apple has begun to treat it’s customers as though they’re renting the hardware instead of buying it. If I buy an iPhone, I want to be able to put the software I want on the phone and accept responsibility for whatever problems that might cause. But Apple wants to play the perpetual IT guy in the sky and refuse to let me install things without their permission.
That’s why I just can’t see myself getting one any time soon. [/too-long rant]
28 January 2010 at 6.21 pm
@danielst3: i’m sure that apple will either have something ready for the ipad launch or include it in future os. it is a bummer that they didn’t have it straightaway, though.
@chris: [this is something i included in the original post, but deleted it before publishing...so here it is as it deals directly with your comment] i like the apple ecosystem. i realize some people don’t, but i’ve found it to be a great experience. i don’t have to worry about crappy software or software that will harm my computer/iphone. i can go to the app store and know that anything i download will work fine with my phone. not everyone is a techie and not everyone has the time or energy to work through which apps may or may not brick their phone and/or ipad. apple’s app store alleviates all of that because every app needs to be approved. some people view this has harsh or apple trying to control everything or whatever. i view it as a company that is concerned with their business. they release great software and great hardware. why would they want some half-baked apps to hit their store and brick their customers phones? it doesn’t make sense because then the expense is back on them for customer service, repairs, etc. bottom line: if you don’t like it then settle for an iclone (i.e., htc, droid, etc.) or some crappy netbook with a 4 inch screen and some stripped down version of linux or windoze that still runs slower than a grandmother with two knee replacements and a plastic hip.
directly to your comment i’d say that i don’t see apple as viewing their hardware as rented. i view it as a company concerned for their products and their customer’s experiences. you can get an iphone and jailbreak it within 10 minutes and then install anything you want. of course, you run the risk of bricking your phone, having the battery life severely depleted, etc. basically, you have the option of doing whatever you want with the iphone, so that’s not a good excuse for not having one. if you want apple to back the idea of jailbreaking, then you won’t find it. they don’t back it because it is not a good experience for the customer. their phones react slower, the software is second rate, and the battery doesn’t last nearly as long. if i was apple, i would want my customers to be happy with their experience and that means making sure that they only get the best software experience they can to compliment the hardware. i understand it and i like it. i realize you disagree, but that’s fine. to each his own.
28 January 2010 at 8.21 pm
i’m very impressed with the hardware, not at all the OS.
separately, as a fan of Delicious Library, i feel bad for it’s author: http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/27/think-ibooks-looks-familiar-youre-not-the-only-one/
28 January 2010 at 8.45 pm
@gump: i’m also a fan of delicious library. i thought more of the classics app, though, when i saw the ibook app on the ipad because it is also a reader. delicious is the first app that used the wooden shelves and book covers idea and i think they should be credited in influencing both classics and ibooks. i’m not sure how that works legally, however, especially since delicious didn’t copyright or trademark their look (i’m not sure how they would go about doing that).
as for the os, i think they went with what works. millions of iphone users already know how to use the os, so it made sense to use something that many people were familiar with. i’m sure improvements will be along soon. i was impressed with the os, especially with iwork. can’t wait to get my hands on it!
28 January 2010 at 9.46 pm
@art i understand what your saying, and i agree with you to an extent. for sure, one of the reasons i love my macbook pro so much is because they’ve been so judicious about what is and is not allowed inside these things, and they don’t let anyone except themselves make a computer that can be called a ‘mac’. i think they are well within their rights to be this judicious with their computers and their mobile devices, and i don’t agree with some people i’ve read who try to make cases that apple somehow has a social responsibility to get rid of their drm and give up more control of their software. i don’t think they have that responsibility. but i do think it would be nice if they did. it would be nice if–as the author of that article i linked suggested–they maybe made a section of the app store that was open to any and all apps. they could make it very very very clear that trying some of these apps will probably brick your phone/ipod/ipad, could confuse the heck out of you, and could provide easy access to objectionable materials. they could even put apps that just haven’t been approved yet in there and move them over when they’re approved. i’m just not sure i understand why they need to completely ban some apps to protect the user experience when they could simply put their stamp of approval on the good ones and leave the rest out in the restricted, enter-at-your-own-risk zone.
look at what you made me do. this is more writing than i’ve done since i left seminary. its 9:45 and i’m typing a short essay on a heretic’s blog about tech i don’t own and can’t afford. what have you done to me?
28 January 2010 at 9.54 pm
and look what else you made me do: in my haste to hammer out my impassioned response, i typed “your” instead of “you’re” in my very first sentence, thus invalidating any reasonable points i may have made afterward. great…
28 January 2010 at 10.01 pm
@chris: hahahaha. awesome.
i agree with you that it would be really nice for apple to drop the drm. i have a headache trying to remember how many computers i have authorized with content i bought from itunes. i understand why they do it, but i wish they didn’t.
i also agree that it would be nice to have some sort of ‘openness’ to their app store. maybe even ‘open app’ store that you could download (at your own risk). basically it would be a ‘legalized’ jailbreak. i think that would be awesome for those technologically inclined. i probably wouldn’t use it because my phone would be bricked in 5.3 seconds!!
i’m off to think of another issue to enflame your emotions enough to write another short essay.
28 January 2010 at 11.13 pm
Personally, the coolest feature of the ipad will be accessing my entire logos bible software library. Thousands upon thousands of books are available right away and I don’t have to shell out the money for kindle books.
http://www.logos.com/iphone
My only concern is if prolonged reading on the ipad screen will strain the eyes in a way that the kindle or paper books don’t…
28 January 2010 at 11.13 pm
Art… I feel like you just put some of my favorite games to convince me. But you left out brickbreaker, which is actually the ONLY game i care about having on my phone. I also HATE touch screens, they creep me out, unless it’s a GPS or register type thing.
The red eye (chicago newspaper) gave reasons to hate it which are funny so I am adding them:
1. Name. Ipad? Really, Steve Jobs?
2. No adobe flash. How do I watch Hulu?
3. No camera. The ability to videoconference would put this in the hands of everyone- even Grandma
4. AT&T is the only carrier for cellular service option The exclusivity on AT&T thing hasn’t been well received by iphone users
5 No connection-wireless or otherwise- for HDTV Big missed opportunity.
THESE ARE MY OWN REASONS:
1. Another thing no one REALLY needs but just want b/c they’re so PRO MAC they MUST HAVE the latest item.
2. Another thing that is replacing real relationships. What iphone app have you used to replace me in your life Artie?!?! (there’s an app for that!)
3. More people looking pleased with themselves and thinking they’re superior…. for wasting $500.. when you have an iphone AND labtop… maybe donate it to charity or help feed a homeless person… or buy your sister something pretty!
4. It looks CREEPY. It’s too big (that’s what she said). How am I gonna carry that thing without looking like I’m trying to show off or just look ridiculous?!?! It’s the same reason I hate that kindle.
5. I will not buy any technology with the word “pad” in it. It makes me feel dirty…. and not in a good way.
29 January 2010 at 7.43 am
I’m a devoted PC guy. But I do enjoy Mac products; I’ve had iPods for several years now, and I’d be lost without my Touch. One product I wish Mac would make for the iPhone, Touch and now the iPad is a blutooth external keyboard. The Touch’s smart text entry is good, but not good enough for typing notes or long e-mails. I would love to bring just my Touch to class and type notes on a fold-up keyboard, then e-mail them to myself. That would significantly increase the value of the Apple product to me, and I don’t understand why they don’t let me choose to add that to my “Apple experience.”
29 January 2010 at 9.59 am
I personally think the new move to add a projector to a phone, which I have seen both for Apple (after market) and the LG expo, is the way of the future. I tend to think that what apple is now, Google will be when it comes to hardware.
I want a phone which projects as a screen on a wall, with high enough res. that it looks like a real screen – then what the heck else would I ever need (other than an e-reader function). Perhaps as well they could marry this technology http://www.pdahut.com/store/files/main/d_9583.jpg and I could project both my keyboard and my screen – awesome, I would be like Neo if I had a phone which did both.
p.s. Art, I sent you something via snail mail
29 January 2010 at 10.47 am
I’m not thrilled about the iPad. I can’t think of a situation in my day-to-day life where either my iPhone or Macbook aren’t better equipped–particularly given academic books are out of the question for the foreseeable future..
Now, if the iPad allowed me to hand-write margin notes in books–esp. if they could search my chicken scratches–or allow me to hand-write on papers I’m grading, then I think I could be sold. But beyond that, while I’d like to read a newspaper or book on the subway, I don’t want to carry around an extra 1.5lbs of junk; and at home, I have other perfectly acceptable–indeed, more user-friendly–options.
29 January 2010 at 11.08 am
Alot of bloggers not very pleased with this new iPad.There was just 2 much hype regarding it and alot blogers got turned off.Quite frankly, I for one see lots of the cool potential of the gizmo. Third-party soft for playing music, games, papers and magazine and FFS books, tons of neat stuff, but IMHO they just didn’t really sell it properly (excluding the books). It feels kind of unfinished
29 January 2010 at 12.56 pm
Yep, that’s pretty much I think: lot’s of potential unrealized, and what potential there is currently I’m not convinced the device genuinely improves.
I understand the iPad doesn’t intend to replace the functionality of a phone, computer, or tablet. But (a) much of what it does is redundant anyway so that point is silly. The point it that in theory it brings those applications to the same or different situations in more friendly ways. This is the debatable point I think, especially if you’re a mac user and all the more if you’re an iPhone user. E.g.: Order tickets on Fandango? Remember: there’s an damn good app for that, and it’s much better than a website. Also, (b) there are aspects of tablets that are incredibly useful in such situations that ought to be included on such a device. A pen/note-taking feature is one example. All I could think about while painfully watching Jobs awkwardly type on a keyboard too small for his hands was “yeah, I could do this 10x faster on my iPhone.” (c) Even if the iPad were all about media, it shouldn’t be. It’s one heck of a waste. But it has to be admitted as well that really, that’s not the way it was pitched.
It’s only revolutionary if you compare it to a computer and a smartphone. But that’s why Jobs never compared it to the iPhone or iPod touch–the most obvious points of comparison. To those, it’s not at all revolutionary.
Bottom line for me: In its current form I just don’t need it and can’t imagine using it except for when I’m travelling–and even then, I doubt it. If they add some stuff, I’m totally game–particularly if they keep the price tag reasonable. $500 for 16GB is a ripoff, IMO. It’s just like a 4GB iPhone: too small to be useful, but you’re somehow glad Apple remembe
29 January 2010 at 4.40 pm
Art,
I agree with your post. A friend on FB tipped me to Challie’s rant, and I thought it was lame. It’s pretty ridiculous that so many people are so critical of it, based on watching a 5 min video (or even the keynote).
Multi-tasking is likely not far behind, I figure, since you can do it on a jailbroken iPhone.
I’ve never been too keen on the file management restrictions on an iPhone, but imagine how much it saves Apple in tech support from users deleting important files. Syncing with a desktop will do fine for docs, pics, and muzak for the iPad.
One thing I’m curious about is photo editing. It would be sweet to have a version of iPhoto to edit photos and upload to MobileMe / FB, etc. Photoshop makes an app for iPhone, but it’s not the same as having iPhoto.
Accordance users are already asking for a “full-featured” version. While I’m sure it will be awesome, it will never be as powerful as the desktop app. The iPad will bring apps like this beyond the novelty they are now on a tiny screen. People will actually carry these to church, studies, etc. I’m pretty excited about it.
We’ll likely get an iPad for my wife when her Macbook dies since it will do 95% of what she does on hers now.
In sum:
Apple: 1
Haters: 0
29 January 2010 at 10.40 pm
ipad. heh. guess they didn’t use the genius function to choose that name.
I am quite unconvinced, plus I love the smell of real books. I would love an e-reader for commuting and leisure reading, but I could not give up my highlighters and books.
On another note.. I do wonder what would happen if my kids did not grow up in a house literally surrounded by books. I know that is sort “doomsday,” nerd talk, but I do wonder. I gained my love for study and books by seeing my parents immersed in books, and having them spilling out in every room of the house. Me staring at a screen is not the same thing.
30 January 2010 at 3.00 am
a: hahaha I lost it when I read they didn’t use the “genius function” to choose that name. Love it.
I agree on owning books and not these tools. I am obsessed with my bookshelf. It’s the ONLY thing in my life I’m actually anal about and I can’t imagine getting the same feel from an electronic reader. I’m now re-reading one of my favorite books and it’s all underlined, highlighted, and literally falling apart because I’ve read it so many times. And I love it
30 January 2010 at 3.34 pm
[...] folks have been warming to the idea and like some folks I know, I have been finding more and more uses for the iPad. This growing list of uses has cemented in my [...]
1 February 2010 at 9.40 am
My wish was that they would have some form of reader with no backlight……After 8-10 hours of computer use I don’t want to read ebooks on a smaller computer screen. I guess you can’t have everything, which is why I am pumped about my NOOK coming soon!
1 February 2010 at 9.45 am
i agree.
i thought apple would have figured out how to incorporate an e-ink display into a colored touch screen, but i guess i was thinking too much in the future.
i think the ipad will be used primarily for email, internet, word processing/keynote slideshows, and media. i would much prefer a nook as an ebook reader because it has a larger selection than amazon, allows users to lend books to friends via email, and it just looks and feels much better than the kindle.
3 February 2010 at 10.10 pm
Amy I totally agree with you about having books, but at the same time- I want a nook!
Jess, you are silly and MACS RULE!
3 February 2010 at 11.27 pm
yah, I admit… my commuting self would LOVE a nook or kindle.
6 February 2010 at 1.56 am
I still surprise if we have a tendency to wonˇ¦t see a flip in the ˇ§publishingˇ¨ model, too, where, instead of the publisher primarily ˇ§hiringˇ¨ a stable of writers, if we wonˇ¦t see a stable of writers pool their resources to hire an editor, marketer/publicist, and copyeditor/designer (and, presumably, some kind of accountant).