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Consoles (Wii included) are also the cheapest point of entry for what they do...this is not. Just sayin'.

There was also a time not so long ago when people would gladly go on eBay and pay MORE than the price of an Xbox 360 for a Wii, just because they weren't available in stores. It undoubtedly infuriates power users but sometimes you can demand a premium just because you made something unique, attractive, usable and easy.

I also get the sense that the iPad is kind of a Wii-like scenario, where tech-heads will whine and hem and haw over all the things it doesn't do, but the base product will be more than enough to satisfy a mass audience. Multitasking and Flash are really the big problems. The YouTube app almost immediately solves the flash problem for most people, though Hulu needs to hurry up with its app as well. Multitasking will probably come in time -- I assume that they will want developers to make special lightweight versions of their software that they can then certify as multitask capable.

 

[Zachack]

Trackballs are just garbage. Great if you like them and perhaps better than a trackpad, but touch is just too easy and approachable since it removes the cursor entirely. I think most people prefer touch......and I'm not sure if anyone would describe a trackball as legitimately "fun". It's functional and compact, but you're constantly reminded that you would rather be using a mouse. Adding moving parts to a small, expensive device does not strike me as an exceedingly good idea either.

I'm talking about an external trackball, not something built in. In terms of usability it's just as fine as a mouse. Touch is fine for extremely basic browsing but the internet is, quite simply, designed for a cursor. Browsing GAF with my iphone and having to zoom in to hit the "off topic" button with my finger, or the cumbersome method of copy/paste, just highlights that while a touch method destroys a trackpad for basic stuff, a cursor goes way beyond. And while I can get why it's stupid to want a cursor for an iPhone, since the pro-iPad group are referring to this heavily as a "lying on the couch" device, the option to use a wireless thumb ball would make the experience vastly more comfortable since you'd be able to keep your "interaction" hand down by your side or wherever you want.

Again, I realize that the easy response is "bu bu bu maybe it's not for you", but so far that's the common theme for this thread: "It's not for you". Every time you say that the market shrinks a little, and constantly pointing to some mythical granny who will be first in line to buy one is ridiculous.

 

[GodfatherX]

I use my iPhone as a remote for my Apple TV and iTunes library. I believe there's a remote app on the iPhone for TiVos. So clearly this is possible without RF.

I use my iphone to control my itunes as well, but it doesnt give me accessto my actual tv or cable box and they both operate solely on rf,

 

[Pristine_Condition]

Umm... Q1 was about same weight as iPad @ 1.7 lbs. Q1 Ultra was 1.52 lbs.

Yeah...with a "4 hr." battery that actually gave you an hour and a half if you were outside and needed max brightness, which still wasn't bright enough. The "extended" batteries I ended up actually using were much heavier. 1.5 lbs. just for the battery. That's the total weight of the iPad right there. Plus the case. Plus the bracket/arm. It was heavy!

Believe me, I WANTED to like the Q1 solution. It just wasn't there. In fairness, the iPad isn't there yet for me either. I need to see it, I need to see software, and I probably want at least 128GB.

 

[numble]

Browsing GAF with my iphone and having to zoom in to hit the "off topic" button with my finger, or the cumbersome method of copy/paste, just highlights that while a touch method destroys a trackpad for basic stuff, a cursor goes way beyond.

You're doing it wrong.

 

[mrkgoo]

Yeah, if there's anything depressing about this announcement it's that Apple still seems really committed to AT&T.

Well, a little less committed. The announcement had them unlocking their device. And it sold me on one (even though I'm probably going to get a 3G-less version).

How important do you guys see having 3G? DO you already have a 3G internet capable device?

I have an iPhone 3G, and don't like paying high prices for data (I currently get it free), but even that said, I'm not sure how often I'd brogan my tablet into an environment where I'd need 3G. That is, I want it mostly for the toy value as opposed to browsing on the go.

 

[SuperPac]

That may be true. I think the issue however, regardless of absolute numbers, is the fact that some very popular sites are in fact Flash. Beyond YouTube, look at the quick list Adobe gave: Disney, Hulu, Miniclip, Farmville, ESPN, Kongregate, or JibJab. Obviously there are tons of others as well.

I think we're going to see, pretty quickly, that there will be apps that either replace these, or these sites will become unnecessary. So this becomes a pretty weak argument, IMO.

Disney - Has a video app. Has a radio app.
Hulu - Yeah, they're not on the iPhone/Pad. That is true. Doesn't mean they won't be, and YouTube is already.
Miniclip - App Store. Has games. Many cheap/free.
Farmville - Yes, the iPad doesn't have this. Though I would be hard-pressed to believe Zynga is not working on games for the iPhone/iPad.
ESPN - Has an app.
Kongregate - App Store. Has games. Many cheap/free.
JibJab - I dunno that this will cripple the iPad with its absence.

 

[giga]

That may be true. I think the issue however, regardless of absolute numbers, is the fact that some very popular sites are in fact Flash. Beyond YouTube, look at the quick list Adobe gave: Disney, Hulu, Miniclip, Farmville, ESPN, Kongregate, or JibJab. Obviously there are tons of others as well.

I really don't understand why people are trying to underplay the prevalence of Flash content on the web ... well, I can guess why. This is no different than pretending it's just fine that iTunes doesn't support some really popular codecs.

Hulu is the only big one that haven't provided an app for their videos, and pretty much all of their videos are H.264 so it shouldn't be a problem. ESPN mobile streams videos.

Which really popular codecs are you talking about? Pretty sure mp3 and aac are the norm for 99% of folks.

 

[Tobor]

Again, I realize that the easy response is "bu bu bu maybe it's not for you", but so far that's the common theme for this thread: "It's not for you". Every time you say that the market shrinks a little, and constantly pointing to some mythical granny who will be first in line to buy one is ridiculous.

Every single person on GAF could hate the iPad(which clearly isn't the case) and it could still be a huge success.

This is a case(much like the Wii) where tech is leaving the nerds behind.

 

[border]

Browsing GAF with my iphone and having to zoom in to hit the "off topic" button with my finger, or the cumbersome method of copy/paste, just highlights that while a touch method destroys a trackpad for basic stuff, a cursor goes way beyond.

Having to zoom-in to accurately hit a hyperlink is the worst part of iPhone browsing, but I gotta assume that goes away when you have a huge screen......as does the problem of isolating a single line of text for copy/paste.

so far that's the common theme for this thread: "It's not for you". Every time you say that the market shrinks a little

Apple will be okay without the market comprised of "People that want to use a trackball with a tablet PC, thus defeating the purpose of purchasing a tablet PC."

 

[mrkgoo]

I'm talking about an external trackball, not something built in. In terms of usability it's just as fine as a mouse. Touch is fine for extremely basic browsing but the internet is, quite simply, designed for a cursor. Browsing GAF with my iphone and having to zoom in to hit the "off topic" button with my finger, or the cumbersome method of copy/paste, just highlights that while a touch method destroys a trackpad for basic stuff, a cursor goes way beyond. And while I can get why it's stupid to want a cursor for an iPhone, since the pro-iPad group are referring to this heavily as a "lying on the couch" device, the option to use a wireless thumb ball would make the experience vastly more comfortable since you'd be able to keep your "interaction" hand down by your side or wherever you want.

They could always make a cursor and have it controlled by touch screen, but yeah, I can hit the tiny little numbers next to a topic title with suprising accuracy (seriously, I was amazed). That said, you should be suing the Webapp.

I personally think the browsing on this thing will be out of this world. I'm sold on the intimacy of having a device that you push, pull, move around.

Again, I realize that the easy response is "bu bu bu maybe it's not for you", but so far that's the common theme for this thread: "It's not for you". Every time you say that the market shrinks a little, and constantly pointing to some mythical granny who will be first in line to buy one is ridiculous.

But what else can you say to a complaint that it doesn't have a niche feature? What would you say to me if I complained the iPad didn't have a laser bar code reader, or a built in light for camping, or a system to interface with the SDK of Canon DSLRs? Afterall, there are "a lot" of people who do use that stuff.

You'd say it's not for you. (or there's an app for that ).

I use my iphone to control my itunes as well, but it doesnt give me accessto my actual tv or cable box and they both operate solely on rf,

"It's not for you". See it's a feature YOU want, but is it something MOST people would use? *shrugs* I don't even have a TV. Yeah, I know there are other features that you or other people don't want that they added, but that's the case with any product. This happens to be one of the features that you wanted, and it didn't have.

 

[flyover]

Oh man yeah, Netflix streaming app on this thing would be AWESOME.

That and a 3G-capable version of SlingPlayer (not the crippled WiFi-only version) would be amazing.

 

[captive]

Every single person on GAF could hate the iPad(which clearly isn't the case) and it could still be a huge success.

Every single person on GAF could love the ipad but it could still be a flop, what's your point?

This is a case(much like the Wii) where tech is leaving the nerds behind.

Hardly. The tech is actually somewhat impressive, a 1.5 lbs 10" screen with an allegedly ten hour battery life? Impressive. This is a case where software is leaving something to be desired.

 

[Boonoo]

I think we're going to see, pretty quickly, that there will be apps that either replace these, or these sites will become unnecessary. So this becomes a pretty weak argument, IMO.

Disney - Has a video app. Has a radio app.
Hulu - Yeah, they're not on the iPhone/Pad. That is true. Doesn't mean they won't be, and YouTube is already.
Miniclip - App Store. Has games. Many cheap/free.
Farmville - Yes, the iPad doesn't have this. Though I would be hard-pressed to believe Zynga is not working on games for the iPhone/iPad.
ESPN - Has an app.
Kongregate - App Store. Has games. Many cheap/free.
JibJab - I dunno that this will cripple the iPad with its absence.

Isn't arguing the benefits of individual apps for cites like arguing 90s AOL? I thought people outgrew the playskool internet. There's no benefit to fragmenting internet content (to the broad user, anyway).

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

Well, a little less committed. The announcement had them unlocking their device. And it sold me on one (even though I'm probably going to get a 3G-less version).

How important do you guys see having 3G? DO you already have a 3G internet capable device?

I have an iPhone 3G, and don't like paying high prices for data (I currently get it free), but even that said, I'm not sure how often I'd brogan my tablet into an environment where I'd need 3G. That is, I want it mostly for the toy value as opposed to browsing on the go.

I'm skipping the 3G option as well because I don't want to pay yet another data fee that is restricted to the device. If I feel that I will need it down the line, I'll get tethering on my iPhone, when AT&T finally starts offering it. I'll be able to use that tethering on a multitude of devices, like the iPad, my MacBook, PSPGo, etc. Seems like a better option to me.

 

[mrkgoo]

Every single person on GAF could hate the iPad(which clearly isn't the case) and it could still be a huge success.

This is a case(much like the Wii) where tech is leaving the nerds behind.

Having to zoom-in to accurately hit a hyperlink is the worst part of iPhone browsing, but I gotta assume that goes away when you have a huge screen......as does the problem of isolating a single line of text for copy/paste.



Apple will be okay without the market comprised of "People that want to use a trackball with a tablet PC, thus defeating the purpose of purchasing a tablet PC."

Thank heavens, then, that the iPad is 'made for me'.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Apps as a substitute for webpages that run now is pretty weak, IMHO. It's a stopgap, and it's always goign to lag and have things missing. Flash on the tablet would be a simple and far better solution.

This will always be a second-class browsing device as long as Flash remains popular, which is years.

 

[border]

Who the fuck is visiting JibJab? I haven't heard that name since John Kerry ran for president.

 

[mrkgoo]

I'm skipping the 3G option as well because I don't want to pay yet another data fee that is restricted to the device. If I feel that I will need it down the line, I'll get tethering on my iPhone, when AT&T finally starts offering it. I'll be able to use that tethering on a multitude of devices, like the iPad, my MacBook, PSPGo, etc. Seems like a better option to me.

I think I will miss the GPS somewhat.

 

[Shogmaster]

Yeah...with a "4 hr." battery that actually gave you an hour and a half if you were outside and needed max brightness, which still wasn't bright enough. The "extended" batteries I ended up actually using were much heavier. 1.5 lbs. just for the battery. That's the total weight of the iPad right there. Plus the case. Plus the bracket/arm. It was heavy!

Believe me, I WANTED to like the Q1 solution. It just wasn't there. In fairness, the iPad isn't there yet for me either. I need to see it, I need to see software, and I probably want at least 128GB.

Not a big fan of Q1 either. CPUs were too pathetic all the while the battery life wasn't spectacular for how weak they were...

 

[Timbuktu]

I don't know how everyone cna be judging this before they've their hands on with it. I do think that Apple has an advantage with their stores and they will sell quite a few there because it does look slick and works quite well.

 

[Burger]

Wouldn't you prefer using photoshop with a touchscreen display on a nice chair?

People who don't use photoshop don't understand that it's a decidedly two handed operation requiring a keyboard to access different tools and operations, and a stylus/mouse to perform everything else.

 

[SaggyMonkey]

I'm getting it so I can read a full size NeoGAF on the toilet.

 

[Tobor]

Every single person on GAF could love the ipad but it could still be a flop, what's your point?

Hardly. The tech is actually somewhat impressive, a 1.5 lbs 10" screen with an allegedly ten hour battery life? Impressive. This is a case where software is leaving something to be desired.

That as a group, we're not capable of determining how the public will react to the iPad. Much like the Wii.

 

[tokkun]

I don't know how everyone cna be judging this before they've their hands on with it.

It's still 2 months out. What else can we do?

 

[mrkgoo]

Apps as a substitute for webpages that run now is pretty weak, IMHO. It's a stopgap, and it's always goign to lag and have things missing. Flash on the tablet would be a simple and far better solution.

This will always be a second-class browsing device as long as Flash remains popular, which is years.

Yes, flash would be an 'easier' solution, but if Apple don't allow it, what are you gonna do?

There has to be something to be said for 'appifying' a site. You kind of get a specific dedicated version which can be useful (yet ironic considering the whole point was that it had the 'real' internet). For example, there're features of the neogaf webapp that are more enjoyable than real neogaf.

 

[teiresias]

People who don't use photoshop don't understand that it's a decidedly two handed operation requiring a keyboard to access different tools and operations, and a stylus/mouse to perform everything else.

And depending on the work need to be using it in a controlled lighting environment on a color and gamma calibrated screen.

 

[SuperPac]

I'm getting it so I can read a full size NeoGAF on the toilet.

Actually, using the NeoGAF web app on the iPad would be awesome too. That thing is SLICK.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Yes, flash would be an 'easier' solution, but if Apple don't allow it, what are you gonna do?

There has to be something to be said for 'appifying' a site. You kind of get a specific dedicated version which can be useful (yet ironic considering the whole point was that it had the 'real' internet). For example, there're features of the neogaf webapp that are more enjoyable than real neogaf.

True, but beside the point. As long as you are waiting for "appified" versions of flash sites, there are going to be sites you don't get to use. It's such a glaring omission, I'm surprised people are defending it. The next rev of Android will have flash support on phone-sized devices, perhaps that will wake Apple up a bit.

As I said, this will make you a second class web citizen. It's sorta like Web TV. Only expensive.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Apps as a substitute for webpages that run now is pretty weak, IMHO. It's a stopgap, and it's always goign to lag and have things missing. Flash on the tablet would be a simple and far better solution.

Flash is the stopgap.

Every time I see "Flash" in reference to needing it for streaming audio and video, I read it as "RealPlayer."

I realize I'm ideological about Flash though. The stopgap app method is fine with me, even if the App Store isn't such a great thing itself.

I also think everyone just forgot about that Flash to App Store converter/wrapper that Adobe announced for Flash CS5. That's just going to kill a lot of complaints right away, especially about gaming.

 

[Pristine_Condition]

You mean like set up an iPad, perhaps on a stand, shoot directly to it, and do things like zoom in and see your focus/exposure etc?

I suppose you mean separate from tethering to a laptop?

Exactly. That's what I do now, but with a laptop.

Canon even has a Wireless File Transmitter that sends the shots to your laptop via bluetooth, so you don't even need to run a cord. It's pretty slick.

By chance have you played with the DSLRemote app? I thought that was kind of a neat novelty, but they don't support my current camera, and it was required that you r camera be tethered to a computer anyway, so lost a bit of functionality there (as in, if you were tethering, why not just use your laptop).

A higher res version of that app could be interesting. Set up your camera, and remote shoot, while looking at large full-res images on your iPad (walking around).

Yeah, I have that app, and have used it occasionally. It's good for what it is. If I was an event photographer, like a wedding photographer, and had remote cameras set up someplace, or if I did a lot of landscapes/nature stuff it would be REALLY useful, I'd imagine.

 

[blu]

You can say that again.

My favorite is the people saying they want/expected this to be running OS X Snow Leopard. To quote Ricky Gervais, "ARE YOU MENTAL ?"

Didn't it take like 3-4 years of parallel development to get OS X on X86 architecture ? Wasn't it a massive undertaking which was pretty much unheard of in the industry ?

Now you expect them to do it again to port it to an ARM RISC architecture ? That Apple A4 CPU would shit its pants if you could get Snow Leopard running on it.

actually, porting/migrating serious desktop OSes to new architectures has been pulled multiple times in the industry, among the most notable of which would be BeOS - started out on hobbit, moved to powerpc, ended up on x86, and yes, with all the related hurdles for 3rd parties.

but otherwise you're right - a full-blown desktop OS is the last thing apple would put on the ipad. iphoneOS is leopard-based, btw, just not at the front end.

 

[mrkgoo]

Actually, using the NeoGAF web app on the iPad would be awesome too. That thing is SLICK.

I think the backwards compatibility is a little janky, I do wonder what things like text would look like scaled up. Will it pixellate or scale fonts?

 

[SuperPac]

Apps as a substitute for webpages that run now is pretty weak, IMHO. It's a stopgap, and it's always goign to lag and have things missing. Flash on the tablet would be a simple and far better solution.

This will always be a second-class browsing device as long as Flash remains popular, which is years.

Yes, but there will be a tipping point either way. People will ditch Flash to be on the iPad/iPhone or Apple will cave. Already, YouTube and Vimeo are experimenting with HTML5. Things on the web can, have and do change quickly. I don't think Apple's going to cave anytime soon.

 

[Raistlin]

lot of the flash video sites don't work outside of the US due to licensing reasons.

Certainly, but there are plenty of non-US flash sites as well. Regardless, the US is Apple's largest market.

Userbase is also an important number, as opposed to just number of sites that utilise it.

I was referring to the popularity of the sites.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

I think I will miss the GPS somewhat.

That's the one thing I think I'd miss too, but with the size of the device, I'm not sure I'd use it in the same way as I do on the iPhone, which I have with me all the time anyway. But I was tempted for the GPS/maps for sure.

 

[Blackhead]

Vennt, as someone who is in a very similar position to yours, can I weigh in?

The ipad makes too many compromises. I'm actually holding off this time, and I'm a gadget freak (and certainly not hurting for apple hardware--2 Iphone 3Gs's one iphone 3g, an imac, and TWO axiotron modbooks.). There were better, more capable products shown at CES that have a similar form-factor, without so many sins-by-design. And I don't just mean android tablets. Fully functioning OS's, broad connectivity options, and slick interfaces.

Oh cool. Are Modbooks great laptop replacements? I was all set (assuming i could sell my MBP, buy a new MBP on a monthly payment scheme and scrimp+save) to get one last year but they never delivered on the ModBook Pro and once the Apple Tablet rumors got stronger, my head was turned. I still kinda want a ModBook Pro though

Hitler hears about the iPad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQnT0zp8Ya4

:lol

Actually, using the NeoGAF web app on the iPad would be awesome too. That thing is SLICK.

I wonder what the useragent string for the Safari browser on iPad is...

Quick news from the iPad simulator: Six apps fit in the dock

Meh, still won't stop me from jailbreaking the beast when possible.

I posted this in the AppStore recommendation thread but it seems worth cross posting. Vennt linked to a stylus I wasn't directly familiar with, although I've gone through a couple. For tl;dr all I'm saying is you could probably get note taking capabilities for an iPad even though Apple doesn't support it:

So I just learned in the iPad thread that there are styluses available for the iPhone/iPod Touch. This could be really useful for my wife, who is a student -- is there a notepad app available that could take advantage of the stylus?

It probably isn't that useful as a note taking device. It's a pen with a conductive sponge on the end. Think about as if you were using the eraser end of a pencil. It's not ideal. Ok, for maybe more precision in some games, or if you want to draw something, but writing with such a device is not great. How many words can you fit across an iPhone screen?

Mrkgoo is half-right; I did find the Pogo Stylus not very useful for writing on the iPhone screen (mind you, all my opinions on performance are filtered through a Power Support screen protector). However, I eventually discovered the Dagi Stylus and the small versions work great--unfortunately I keep losing them ^~^. But I think the Pogo Sketch will be worth another shot with iPad's much bigger screen and I'll also order the large Dagi Stylus as well. It'd be great though if I can manage with just one stylus for both the iPhone and iPad.

The concern about the small size of the iPhone screen is a valid one but the best note taking apps have been designed to overcome that problem. My favorite two for note taking are SpeedText and Note Taker. Note Taker has a great tutorial so try the lite version if you can. Those should be great for quickly taking notes in class. For 'note creation' though you might find Tanzaku Pad another worthy purchase. While it has more useful features than my favorite two, I found it too slow for quickly taking out and jotting down notes and ideas. Beyond those three apps, there are other options worth experimenting with like WritePad (handwriting recognition), Fastfinga, Phatnotes, Finger Memo, handnotes, Sketches 2 , Draw and so on and so forth...

All those apps were designed with fingers in mind but I found them novelties, at best, without a [Dagi] stylus. It remains to be seen how the triple screen size and double resolution of the iPad will affect the usefulness of SpeedText and Note Taker's UI. I might find the no frills, 'here is your screen--write' ethos of Finger Memo or Sketches 2 much better when I don't have to worry about scrolling or how many words I can fit on a 3.5in screen. That said, if you want to jump in and start playing with the apps before iPad comes out, I'd recommend getting one of the Dagi styli I settled on.

I should also mention Evernote. Writepad is only app, that I tried, which offers handwriting recognition. Almost all the others store your notes as pictures that may be exported to the photos (although a few focus on email export, like fast finga, or even posting to twitter, like Draw). This is where Evernote proved extremely useful to my note taking setup as a feature of its iPhone app is the ability to search through pictures for words, a sort of semi OCR. So my notes were exported to the camera roll, imported into Evernote, grouped together and then synced over the cloud to their desktop app. SpeedText offers Evernote integration which is a huge plus over other competing apps. Evernote, combined with your favorite of the writing apps, should be a great tool for students.

So... er, that's it. I might do an update when I get an iPad

 

[Teddman]

True, but beside the point. As long as you are waiting for "appified" versions of flash sites, there are going to be sites you don't get to use. It's such a glaring omission, I'm surprised people are defending it. The next rev of Android will have flash support on phone-sized devices, perhaps that will wake Apple up a bit.

As I said, this will make you a second class web citizen. It's sorta like Web TV. Only expensive.

I agree, this is a flashback to the AOL/Prodigy days of the internet. I'd rather have everything available via a browser window.

And as long as you are "Appifying" websites, you open the door to charging a fee to visit them (to buy the app). I know most are free, but it won't always be that way.

I just don't think that the gated community approach to the internet is as attractive as the current web browser model. It makes sense on the iPhone because the internet is not optimized for a small touchscreen. But why require an app for something like YouTube when you supposedly have a full-featured, full-size web browser?

Can the iPad's web browser even support tabs?

 

[Timbuktu]

Certainly, but there are plenty of non-US flash sites as well. Regardless, the US is Apple's largest market.

Does any know if the BBC iPlayer would work on the iPad? It would have to, right? Does it work on the iPhone already?

 

[StuBurns]

Saw the video with Jobs earlier, genius, he has my cash. I don't care about 3G, so the biggest HDD version of the WiFi one I can afford late July. Can't wait.

 

[Buckethead]

Are there any videos of this sexy beast in action besides Apple.com, Engadget, and Gizmodo?

The speed gives be boners. I really want one, despite all the flaws. Will be waiting for Gen 2 but Day Uno when that puppy hits. Oh yes. Going to be a long wait which sucks. Can't wait for all the updates and UI refinements.

If any developers are reading please please please get some world religions, history, and sociology iBooks in there for us nerds!

 

[civilstrife]

I will henceforth refer to this device as THE PERFECT WORLD OF GOO PLATFORM until World of Goo is released on it.

Seriously. Get on it 2D Boy.

 

[SuicideUZI]

dont take it the wrong way because I think the iPad has potiential to become pretty successful if its aimed at the right market, but i think this device from MS is more innovative and more appealing to me:

http://gizmodo.com/5365299/courier-first-details-of-microsofts-secret-tablet

 

[Zachack]

Having to zoom-in to accurately hit a hyperlink is the worst part of iPhone browsing, but I gotta assume that goes away when you have a huge screen......as does the problem of isolating a single line of text for copy/paste.

I'm referring to the speed of copy/paste, not even just isolating. There are other things, too, like tabbed browsing which as we all know is very popular, which are made a lot easier with a fast, dedicated button.

Apple will be okay without the market comprised of "People that want to use a trackball with a tablet PC, thus defeating the purpose of purchasing a tablet PC."

Maybe, and this could come as a shock so you may want to sit down, but maybe there are a lot of people who want a tablet PC who'd also like the option of a cursor when a task calls for it.

They could always make a cursor and have it controlled by touch screen, but yeah, I can hit the tiny little numbers next to a topic title with suprising accuracy (seriously, I was amazed). That said, you should be suing the Webapp.

I personally think the browsing on this thing will be out of this world. I'm sold on the intimacy of having a device that you push, pull, move around.

I agree that the iPhone is surprisingly accurate and that the iPad won't have that problem due to the size. But the internet isn't really designed for 2-axis browsing, and all that "intimacy" goes out the window the instant someone starts linking to individual photos and I can't middle-click a bunch of tabs open.

But what else can you say to a complaint that it doesn't have a niche feature? What would you say to me if I complained the iPad didn't have a laser bar code reader, or a built in light for camping, or a system to interface with the SDK of Canon DSLRs? Afterall, there are "a lot" of people who do use that stuff.

You'd say it's not for you. (or there's an app for that ).

Well, all I can really do is attack the notion that what's being complained about are niche features. I don't think a USB port or multitasking or an optional cursor are niche. I don't think the idea that I should be able to plug my iPhone into my iPad and quickly transfer photos and songs or whatever back and forth while talking to my mom on MSN is NERDS NERDS NERDS. I don't think the idea of being able to go to PopCap's website and buying their latest casual-oriented game without having to wait months for a potentially iPhone-gimped version to show up in the App Store is catering to the hardcore.

Understand, I want a tablet. And a $500 iPad is not for me ($300, though...). But claiming that this is the next Wii requires ignoring some serious deficiencies.

 

[mrkgoo]

Exactly. That's what I do now, but with a laptop.

Canon even has a Wireless File Transmitter that sends the shots to your laptop via bluetooth, so you don't even need to run a cord. It's pretty slick.



Yeah, I have that app, and have used it occasionally. It's good for what it is. If I was an event photographer, like a wedding photographer, and had remote cameras set up someplace, or if I did a lot of landscapes/nature stuff it would be REALLY useful, I'd imagine.

Yeah, Iw as hoping that with the opening up of the SDK to allow hardware via the dock, I was going to see a cord or even wireless dongle to allow tether free shooting. never happened, though.

 

[mrkgoo]

True, but beside the point. As long as you are waiting for "appified" versions of flash sites, there are going to be sites you don't get to use. It's such a glaring omission, I'm surprised people are defending it. The next rev of Android will have flash support on phone-sized devices, perhaps that will wake Apple up a bit.

As I said, this will make you a second class web citizen. It's sorta like Web TV. Only expensive.

I get what you mean, but I don't use flash all that much. It's kind of a hangover from days when I had really bad internet and couldn't stream video, so never tried. ALthough, now that we have upgraded, I have recently discovered Hulu.

Also the flash gaming community is bigger than I thought.

I'm not necessarily defending the omission, it's just not a big deal to me is all.

 

[captive]

dont take it the wrong way because I think the iPad has potiential to become pretty successful if its aimed at the right market, but i think this device from MS is more innovative and more appealing to me:

http://gizmodo.com/5365299/courier-first-details-of-microsofts-secret-tablet

I'm interested in the courier, too bad the most useful and recent information is from the link you posted.

 

[gcubed]

dont take it the wrong way because I think the iPad has potiential to become pretty successful if its aimed at the right market, but i think this device from MS is more innovative and more appealing to me:

http://gizmodo.com/5365299/courier-first-details-of-microsofts-secret-tablet

thats fantastic as a replacement for notebooks, etc and would be awesome for work and school, but its not really in competition with the ipad

 

[border]

And as long as you are "Appifying" websites, you open the door to charging a fee to visit them (to buy the app). I know most are free, but it won't always be that way.

Can't you say exactly the same thing about websites viewed in browser? You're being needlessly skeptical about it.

dont take it the wrong way because I think the iPad has potiential to become pretty successful if its aimed at the right market, but i think this device from MS is more innovative and more appealing to me:

http://gizmodo.com/5365299/courier-first-details-of-microsofts-secret-tablet

Considering that Microsoft had nothing to show of this at CES and they are usually willing to show off products that are 12-18 months away......well, have a good wait.

I have a hard time imagining what I'd do with a Courier -- I wish they had a proof of concept video that was something more than an interior designer looking at wallpaper or whatever.

 

[Raistlin]

Well, a little less committed. The announcement had them unlocking their device. And it sold me on one (even though I'm probably going to get a 3G-less version).

I was under the impression that was effectively a bait-and-switch due to the new (non-compatible) SIM card.

I think we're going to see, pretty quickly, that there will be apps that either replace these, or these sites will become unnecessary. So this becomes a pretty weak argument, IMO.

Disney - Has a video app. Has a radio app.
Hulu - Yeah, they're not on the iPhone/Pad. That is true. Doesn't mean they won't be, and YouTube is already.
Miniclip - App Store. Has games. Many cheap/free.
Farmville - Yes, the iPad doesn't have this. Though I would be hard-pressed to believe Zynga is not working on games for the iPhone/iPad.
ESPN - Has an app.
Kongregate - App Store. Has games. Many cheap/free.
JibJab - I dunno that this will cripple the iPad with its absence.

While yes, this could be a work-around, I don't think it makes it a 'pretty week argument'. Using apps for these sorts of things kind of makes sense on the iPhone. Regardless of how good the browser is for a handheld, the lack of screen real-estate makes apps better in some situations.

I think this situation is quite different. With the screen real estate available, in some (many?) cases the preferred method would be to use the actual site.

If they were to realistically create an app for every site, wouldn't that lead to a pretty cumbersome interface? Pages of icons?

Which really popular codecs are you talking about? Pretty sure mp3 and aac are the norm for 99% of folks.

Sorry, when I said iTunes I kind of meant the codec/container support on their devices (stuff like divx, mkv are quite prevalent). It's the sort of thing that guaranteed AppleTV wouldn't catch on.

Regarding audio though, the lack of FLAC is a bit annoying.