The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20110604030251/http://allthingsd.com:80/20100127/apple-ipad-impressions/
Walt Mossberg

Walt Mossberg

Recent Columns by Walt Mossberg

Mossblog

First Impressions of the New Apple iPad

It’s about the software, stupid. While all sorts of commentators were focusing on how much Apple’s new $499 iPad tablet computer looks like an oversized iPhone, the key to whether it can be the first multi-function tablet to win wide public acceptance probably lies in whether consumers perceive it as a suitable replacement for a laptop in key scenarios. And that, in my view, depends heavily on the software and services that flow through its handsome little body.

I have only spent a short time hands-on with the iPad–too short to fully run it through its paces and formally review it yet. But, after attending the rollout of the new device today, and trying out some of its features for myself, I have some first impressions.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs positioned the iPad as belonging to a new category of device between the smartphone and the laptop (since the netbook, in his view and mine, is really just a small, cheap laptop). But, as the demos unfolded, I kept thinking it was more like a hybrid of the two. 

It uses the iPhone’s basic user interface and physical design. But, taking advantage of a 9.7″ screen and a fast Apple-designed processor, the iPad adds some user interface elements and functionality that aren’t available–or at least typical–on smart phones, but look more like computer software. For instance, its photo program works more like iPhoto on a Mac than the photo app on an iPhone, and it will be available with a touch version of Apple’s iWork productivity suite, which is Apple’s take on Microsoft Office. This is a much more powerful program than the phone-based office suites for the iPhone or BlackBerry, and Apple (AAPL) is only charging $30 for it.

Also, Apple has rewritten most of the core iPhone apps so they look more like, and have more of the features of, Mac or PC programs. But they aren’t mere clones of full computer apps. For instance, many forego standard menus for clever overlays and sidebars that work more naturally with the iPad’s multi-touch interface. Other app developers can do this, too. But, even if they don’t, the company said the iPad will run most of the current 140,000 iPhone apps, either in a small window on the screen, or in a full-screen mode. That’s a huge plus for a new device.

Mr. Jobs said after the onstage program ended that he sees the iPad’s user interface as a fuller expression of the one on the iPhone, which had been limited by screen real estate.

And, although the reported video and music streaming services were nowhere to be seen at this preview, Mr. Jobs did offer a taste of how the iPad could deliver content, beyond simply downloads from the iTunes store. He showed off a new e-book reader app with built-in online book store that, visually at least, blew away the Amazon (AMZN) Kindle, even if it seemed to lack all of the Kindle’s features and may have a smaller catalog. Representatives of the New York Times (NYT) showed an iPad digital version of their newspaper that seemed vastly more usable than the clumsy version now on the Kindle and its ilk.

So, the iPad is more than just a giant iPod Touch or iPhone, even though it looks like one. But the question is, will that be enough to get consumers to shell out for it, and make it part of their daily lives? Or will it be a niche product, like Microsoft’s (MSFT) Tablet PC or Mr. Jobs’ own Apple TV?

On the plus side, the device is handsome, feels comfortable and solid to hold, and has all that beautiful software built in. Oh, and it’s amazingly low-priced for an Apple product, with that modest $499 price tag for a base version with 16 gigabytes of memory and Wi-Fi, but no cell phone data connectivity. (A fully loaded model with 64 gigabytes, Wi-Fi and a no-contract 3G cellular data plan is $829, and there are variations in between.)

It also boasts a decent 10 hours of battery life, and Mr, Jobs told me after the event that, for some functions, like playing video and music, the battery should last even longer. 

But there are minuses. First, since it’s too big to go in a pocket, people might perceive it as just another thing to carry around, despite the fact that it’s only a half inch thick and weighs just 1.5 pounds. It also lacks a common and popular laptop feature–a web cam. So, it can’t be used for video chats or for the creation of web videos.

Steve Jobs behind the iPad's virtual keyboard.

Also, the carrier for the iPad’s 3G plan is the deeply unpopular AT&T–there were groans and boos among Mr. Jobs’ otherwise excited audience when this was announced. AT&T is offering bargain prices for iPad data service compared to what it charges laptop owners. But its network is overwhelmed in many big cities and many iPhone lovers, who are strong candidates to buy an iPad, curse the carrier daily.

Finally, while it’s too early for me to say without lots of testing, the size of the iPad’s virtual keyboard may be a liability. I found it almost too wide for thumb typing, and a colleague who’s a whiz at touch typing and tried it briefly found it awkward to type on. Apple is offering an auxiliary physical keyboard that docks with, and charges, the iPad. But you won’t want to lug that around.

Still, the software looked impressive, and that could help Steve Jobs do the one thing even he has never done in an amazing career: get the public to love not just a better version of an existing type of gadget, but a whole new category of gadget.

iPad Event Slideshow

1 of 33  Back  Next
Steve Jobs introduces the new iPad.

Steve Jobs introduces the new iPad.

comments so far. Add yours.

  • DevStar

    Unlike the iPhone, where I was just making a choice of which phone to buy, with the iPad I have to make the choice to buy a device that yesterday I had no intention of owning.

    Unfortunately, I don’t think Steve convinced me that I need a tablet of any sort yet.

  • Anonymous

    Looks great but a huge minus without the camera, thats the deal breaker for me. I was hoping to replace my MacBook Pro on business trips and vacations but without video conferencing and the ability to run more than one app at once…. no sale. Maybe a camera will be installed on version 2.0, I’ll keep my fingers crossed!

  • Anonymous

    Check Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, etc, etc. They all show the plural of scenario as scenarios.

  • Anonymous

    Remember that Steve Jobs does not want to cannibalize his line of laptop computers. This is a CONSUMER product that will not replace the desktop or laptop computer, but will go where they cannot or should not go. This is not a geekgasim for the geek squad. You use it for both work and play, at a price that is below the amount the talking heads were guessing. It is about $170 less with the most capable model announced today. And half at the basic priced model.
    I want one and I want it NOW.

  • Anonymous

    i think we’ve overlooked something major-this was the first time in years that Jobs looked fairly healthy. Here’s to health.

  • Anonymous

    That niche is the netbook. Which is not as sexy, but does all the iPad functions, plus camera, flash, multitasking, usb ports, sd slot, and is $300-$500 range. It doesn’t do touchscreen, but a keyboard interface is much each anyway for most things.

  • davebarnes

    @Walter,
    The plural of scenario is scenari. The word is Italian.
    ,dave

  • nedparks

    With AT&T in the game, I am out of the game, no matter how sexy this thing is.

  • Guest

    “get the public to love not just a better version of an existing type of gadget, but a whole new category of gadget.”

    The tablet’s a whole new category of gadget? I see this almost exactly like the original iPod.

  • Gogo001

    http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scenario

    Not according to webster, maybe you should check your sources next time before you jump the gun grammar police.

  • http://twitter.com/realBillBrown William J Brown

    How could Jobs not have insisted that a Web cam be included in 1st Generation?!? You're going to sit on the couch using the thing … but you can't conduct a video chat? I've assumed that it's bluetooth-enabled, even at $499 base product … but w/o web cam, maybe I shouldn't assume anything …

  • mediagrunt

    Perhaps I'm an outlier, but this perfectly fits a niche use for me—surfing the web on the sofa, reading in bed, using online recipes in the kitchen, showing videos or other cool web things to family members. My laptop is too awkward and bulky for that, my iPhone is too small. I can see a family having one or two of these lying around the house for shared use. I think the form factor and the apps are very important and that people will find many uses for this, even without leaving the house. My 13-year-old iTouch-owning son is dying for one. I only wish it supported Flash video and had a wireless charging pad.

  • gearheadgal

    I think the fact he had to sit down to type the demo was interesting. Its size makes this a keyboard I can only use while it is in my lap or on a tabletop (not easily thumbable with petite hands like mine). It will be hard to stand and type.

    Also, if it is the iPhone interface, but runs iWorks, is the print command enabled in the UI for any email attachments or photos, let alone iWorks files? I'm wondering if at this size, and with the apps demo'd, if printing might be more likely.

    I also

  • gearheadgal

    I think the fact he had to sit down to type the demo was interesting. Its size makes this a keyboard I can only use while it is in my lap or on a tabletop (not easily thumbable with petite hands like mine). It will be hard to stand and type.

    Also, if it is the iPhone interface, but runs iWorks, is the print command enabled in the UI for any email attachments or photos, let alone iWorks files? I'm wondering if at this size, and with the apps demo'd, if printing might be more likely.

    I also

  • http://dcncrowley.posterous.com dccrowley

    The iPad, It’s a nice to have… no more and no less. But it is also very restrictive. To have any fun on it, you’ll need to jailbreak it. It’s the software stupid. The software does not support flash or multitasking. It has no camera – so no video chats on the couch! No usb is a pity as well… and 3 stores! books, apps and music. Why can’t it be just one? Serious lock down issues imo, not all that happy about it.

  • textgenie

    scenarii, surely, if scenario was the Latin root, but in fact that would be scenarium, which is not the current form, of which the plural is scenarios in current dictionaries.

    Meanwhile why a netbook sized tablet with 16GB memory when a netbook sized laptop-tablet should cost about the same or less with 120 GB, if someone else started making it? Just be a bit thicker with the keyboard spun around on it hinge and stowed behind the screen.

  • Anonymous

    Big niche, across the world many people read in bed…

    PF

  • http://www.billpetro.com billpetro

    Walt,

    I agree that part of the success of this is the realization of a new category. With tablets currently holding only a single digit of market share, the iPad's success remains to be seen. Nevertheless, I'm optimistic of this first version of an “in between” product, and believe that it portends the future of a computer platform. My take on it is in an article I wrote here: http://bit.ly/awqqHV

  • timjones17

    netbooks work great for my 12-year-old iTouch-owning son, and me

  • RogerKnights

    Perhaps the omission of the webcam enabled Apple to negotiate a lower rate for the data plan from ATT. (Less bandwidth needed.)

    PS: It's forgo, not forego. (Unless you're talking about preceding.)

  • Fanfoot

    @textgenie For me, its because of where I'll use it. I will use it on the couch, leaning back, while I watch TV. I'll use it in bed, either proped up or lying back. And the WEIGHT of it is critical. And that's what would kill a convertible for me. Plus of course virtually all of those Windows programs aren't touch enabled…

  • hardmanb

    Its looks perfect for mobile web surfing, readers, and compulsive bloggers.

    Remember there are a lot of consumers that the iPad will be all the computer that they need.

    …a little more capability than offered by an iPhone, and

    for those who don't need all the capability of a laptop.

  • Anonymous

    But you need a computer to sync it to! I will probably buy one just because it’s fairly inexpensive for what you get, but I don’t need one. I think the biggest barrier to sales is that need factor – I can already do everything the iPad can do, so a lot of people will find it hard to justify buying one, especially in a recession.

  • mediagrunt

    Meh. Underpowered. No tablet, in many cases. No touch. Close but not quite. …

  • mediagrunt

    Meh. Underpowered. No tablet, in many cases. No touch. Close but not quite. …

  • Anonymous

    I think its awesome. Sure there is stuff missing that I would have liked; a version of the iPhone remote app to control music around my house graphically; a camera; a standard SIM; more book publishers; magazines like those shown online; a less intrusive bezel; multitasking; a slimmer body; multi-touch on the back of the device; but, its a pretty good start, and these things will come.

    I think the product has a huge chance of success as its distinction is not so much what it does, as how it does it. Those many comments indicating that the same apps can run on cheaper netbooks or existing laptops I think miss the point. This product is cool because makes it delivers this functionality in such an easy and intuitive fashion. No clunky machine to heft about when you want to show photos, sit on the loo surfing the web, or relax in the garden with a book.

    So I’m very excited and can’t wait to get my hands on it.

  • Anonymous

    It’s only because he hasn’t mastered one handed typing yet.
    The new touch-typing will be taught for one hand – DONE!

    Frankly I won’t buy one without a webcam.

  • Anonymous

    The anal retenti crowd need to focus on the issue at hand. This was silly.

  • Anonymous

    Remember this is flash memory, not HDD. Of all the things people seem to have taken for granted, the fact that the iPad turns on instantly and all apps open instantly is a really big deal.16GB Dell Mini-9 SSD is around $70, and off-the-shelf 64GB SSD is going to set you back over $200. Then there’s the caveat that there’s currently no OS build to make the most of flash storage better than iPhone OS… Desktop OS’s still operate with scratch disks and clumsy file systems (which people are adept at cluttering up over time), and we’ve yet to see an Android tablet (HTC have abandoned theirs).

    Add to that the fact that there’s zero noise, and fewer moving parts to damage (i.e. disk heads), and the list of attractive aesthetics just keeps growing. Of course, you probably wouldn’t want to sit on it, with that curved back…

  • Anonymous

    Strange that it wasn’t demonstrated, considering it’s something people will really need with the greater-scope of functionality and content holding.

  • http://azitravel.com/blog taige

    why don’t you just get a webcam that plugs into the 30pin connector?

  • http://www.bealoud.com/ Daniel Peiser

    First of all, it’s “scenari”. Then, I can assure you that you will buy an iPad, because it’s exactly what YOU need:

    1. You just want to check email, browse the internet and watch movies from bed
    2. You are glad the iPad doesn’t have a camera because it gives you a good excuse to buy another one in a year or so
    3. You need a color screen to read books because you just look at the pictures
    4. You agree that those ugly USB ports and memory card slots are useless and would ruin a beautiful design
    5. You need a third device to carry with you along with your iPhone and your MacBook Air
    6. You think that Adobe Flash is a lightning fast guy wearing a red costume
    7. You own a small iPhone and the iPad looks like augmented reality to you
    8. You own an iPhone and you want to see your Apps bigger
    9. You just want a device to surf the web while watching tv on the couch
    10. It’s just the best toilet web browsing gadget ever.

    ;) Top 10 reasons NOT to buy the iPad are here:
    http://www.bealoud.com/technology/apple-ipad/

  • Wes D.

    Right now, as a web-browsing device, what prevents me from liking it to the point of buying one is lack of multi-tasking and lack of flash support. It’s nice to have Apple set this price point though, so when the fully functional devices come out they will likely be under this.

  • Anonymous

    …”…a new e-book reader app with built-in online book store that, visually at least, blew away the Amazon (AMZN) Kindle…”…hardly!!…yes, it LOOKS pretty but is it truly FUNCTIONAL?…it’s an LCD screen…as such, it is BACKLIT…reading a book on a backlit screen is a strain on the eyes…I suggest people try staring into a bare lightbulb for a few seconds to experience the effect of trying to read a book on an LCD screen…THAT is what “blows away” the ipad as an e-reader…I’m willing to bet that anyone who sits down for an hour and reads a book on each device will ultimately conclude that e-ink “blows away” LCD screens…on the other hand, I’m not surprised since Jobs is quoted as saying “no one reads anymore” — a reflection of his concern for readers…

  • Anonymous

    People are amazingly ticked off because the iPad has no camera for videoconferencing or video chat. I think that, unless you had it in a dock, it would be difficult to hold in position during a chat or a conference. I personally couldn’t care less.

  • http://twitter.com/ilamont ilamont

    If most consumers make the “iPad = giant iPod touch that doesn’t fit in your pocket” connection, things don’t look so good for Apple. It will probably turn into a niche product that some of the Mac will appreciate, but ultimately fails in the marketplace, like the Newton or G4 Cube.On the other hand, if Apple can amp up its marketing in the next few months to clearly differentiate the two products (for instance, by not showing video of people playing driving games on the iPad, or using a lookalike Facebook app) AND some clever developers come up with new killer apps that leverage the iPad’s size and other features, then I think the company might be able to pull off a win.

    Another issue to consider is how the other e-reader manufacturers react. For anyone who has used touched interfaces, going to a device that doesn’t have it is awkward. That is actually a selling point for the iPad, albeit with a smaller population of experienced touch users. But what if base Kindles incorporated touch functionality?

  • Anonymous

    Walt, what’s the combined weight of the iPad and its keyboard dock? If someone was traveling with this, would the weight of those together come close to the MacBook Air?

  • Anonymous

    Why do you even need a 3G version? Just get the WiFi version and ignore the whole AT&T thing. This isn’t going to replace your smart phone anyway, and with some luck, you’ll *hopefully* be able to tether this to a smart phone in those rare cases you do want to use this where there isn’t wifi.

  • Anonymous

    A keyboard/mouse is inferior to a touch screen for *everything* except typing. And this is mostly for browsing, reading, listening, not composing text.

  • Anonymous

    No Augmented Reality??? (Isn’t that what Avatar is for these days? :) )Flash is going to find itself competing heavily with HTML 5 in time. Google’s TestTube is testament to it’s light weight, cleanliness and power over Flash – try comparing it to standard YouTube, it’s amazingly good. Anyone closely familiar with Flash can tell you it’s a dog that hasn’t kept up with the power of modern computers.SD card, camera, e-ink, multitasking, and the rest are all factors in personal taste; personally I’d love to see multi-tasking, but hey, I know we can’t have it all our way. Tablets have never worked because they’ve tried to run full (and very messy) operating systems. Love it or hate it, Apple’s mobile OS is a taste of things to come, and the training camps have already proven successful with over 50 million people learning how to get along with it.Desktops are great for some of us. For others, iPhone OS is better. More suited to their needs.As for “It’s just a bigger iPod touch”, perhaps the proper statement should be “iPod touch is just a pocket-sized iPad”.

  • Anonymous

    To me, the big news is the rollout of the “iBook Store”. That really seems to be where Apple has been making a difference in the last ten years. iTunes? Revolutionary. AppStore? Revolutionary. iBooks? Is only going to be revolutionary if it changes the market, but it has potential.

    As for the iPad, two things are holding me back from being excited about it. (1) I want the ability to write notes, write not type. It needs to let me sketch notes in quickly, and then assist me in translating them to typed notes – but keep my original. I realize this is a software issue, but it would make a big difference. (2) Multitasking sure would be nice. Either that or the device needs to seriously compensate for the lack of multitasking by providing other features and quick-app switching, having that extra step of going back to the home screen might be a deal breaker if you are moving a lot of text and information between two different apps.

  • Anonymous

    another Apple product tied to the abysmal carrier AT&T.
    i use an IPod Touch to do basically everything this will do.
    the comparison to netbooks (which generally run any windows apps and don’t require a platform of their own) is apples and oranges.
    the comparisons to the Kindle are also apples and oranges. the Kindle has a free data connection that doesn’t soak the user for a monthly fee. I can also comfortably read Kindle books on my Touch.
    The touchscreen is an impressive feature if it works as well as the Touch, but there’s really not anything all that revolutionary about this product, it’s just products that already exist repackaged in a sexy package.
    I’d be much more excited about this product if allowed ME to choose the data provider rather than forcing one down my throat.

  • Anonymous

    Probably the most important point – this is a long-term love child of Mr. Jobs that will be his lasting legacy at Apple – he will not have the energy factor to design another product line so most of his time will be spent on improving this line of iPhone OS and software based devices.

    As a side note, I have always found that Mr. Jobs is one of the few sane-minded modern executives, rich guys around. Out of all the puppets, he is one of the “good guys”…

    Sad to see him come up with a premature enveloping of such a promising product. Hope for the better in the future.

  • Anonymous

    I keep hearing this same argument.

    Is there an army of commentators writing their posts on e-ink displays? It strikes me as something of an oxymoron, given that most modern computer displays are backlit LCDs, and nobody’s complained about it till now (beyond the occasional hypochondriac or non-blinking types).

  • Anonymous

    The Truth of the Matter, Sir/Madam!

  • Anonymous

    Probably, as Apple’s docks are usually weighted for stability.That said, if you get the folding case (which can double as a stand), iPad works with existing bluetooth keyboards, which may turn out lighter (and slightly more convenient to carry).

  • Anonymous

    Lack of a webcam is a blessing. Seriously, this thing is meant to be held like a book and that’s got to be about the most unflattering angle for a videoconference you could adopt while still being able to view the screen.

  • Anonymous

    It’s true that you have a rough deal in the U.S.. Much of the fault lies with the carriers as well though, who seem unable to stick with a common standard (i.e. Verizon using CDMA).

    We have it slightly easier elsewhere, in the UK there’s going to be a lot of choice as the devices are unlocked.

    Bum deal indeed.

  • Anonymous

    Because no one has been using LCDs for reading books until now…scanning webpages on a monitor is NOT the same as reading a book…I repeat: spend one hour reading a book in e-ink and then one hour reading a book on a LCD screen…I’m confident you’ll recognize a BIG difference in terms of how eyes feel…and, yes, there probably is an army of commentators for e-ink…we’re BOOK READERS and we’re FANS of e-ink…

  • Anonymous

    Fair comment, and could apply the same considerations to any computer or gaming device. Most children are social creatures, but they’re also easily distracted by shiny things. It’s getting very hard in this day and age to hide the shiny things.On that note, perhaps one advantage an iPad (and any similar small computer) has, is that you can quite easily stick it in a drawer…

    A broader approach (if not a solution) is simply to get involved with your kids. Distractions are most interesting when there’s nothing else going on. I’ll wager that the majority of cases where parents have difficulty keeping their children occupied, or involved in “family” activities, are those where the parents aren’t available at those times when the kids need them.

    So yes, lots for every parent to learn. But who teaches them? And how many parents are willing to listen?

  • Anonymous

    Aside from the lack of camera, which I think we can expected in the 2nd generation i[ad – this looks like a winner to me. I use my Kindle because it beats carrying books and trying to read a newspaper on a packed airplane. The ipad fixes what I don’t like about the Kindle plus some. Sign me up.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Guanxis-Sin/1332187429 Guanxis Sin

    How iPad can benefit entrepreneurs – http://blog.testjumper.com/201.....d-for.html

  • Anonymous

    cdma simply seems to work better in dense locations. i have a sprint phone which allows me to choose between GSM (when i travel abroad) or CDMA when i’m home. GSM is nearly useless to me in NYC, no signal where i live, no signal where i work but CDMA works perfectly in both locations. I should add that i live a block from a GSM cell… a device like IPad is physically big enough to accomodate both radio technologies (my sprint phone is no bigger than an IPod Touch)

  • http://www.qualitypoint.blogspot.com/ QualityPoint Technologies
  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1196412716 Nancy Miller

    How is the search function on the iPad? I own an iPod Touch and the search is beyond inferior. I don't understand how a company of Apple's caliber could blow something so fundamental. I would love to know if the iPad has improved on search. Thanks.

  • retroblue

    Remember this is flash memory, not HDD.

    Of all the things people seem to have taken for granted, the fact that the iPad turns on instantly and all apps open instantly is a really big deal.

    16GB Dell Mini-9 SSD is around $70, and off-the-shelf 64GB SSD is going to set you back over $200. Then there's the caveat that no OS to make the most of flash storage better than iPhone OS… they still operate with scratch disks and clumsy file systems (which people are adept at cluttering up over time).

  • retroblue

    There are elements in the 3.2 SDK (which is exclusively for iPad, not iPhone) which mention a camera, so I guess it was pulled pretty late in the day.

    The same is widely believed to have happened with the lastest generation of iPod Touch. If the touch gets a camera in June, then I guess we can expect one in iPad 2.0 next year.

    Personally I blame the roll-out mentality: Hold off on key features to get buyers to dig into their pockets again later on.

  • davebarnes
  • davebarnes
  • Gogo001

    http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/scenario

    The plural of the ENGLISH word scenario is scenarios.

  • live2travel

    Everyone seems so surprised at the lack of a camera. Obviously Apple is just trying to placate AT&T by giving them another year to get their lame network in order enough to handle millions of people videoconferencing.

  • Anonymous

    Walt,

    Excitingly, the iPad has sensory feel and touch, can speak, sing, listen, has remembrance, friendly, etc., but without a camera it is as blind as a bat. I just cannot believe they’re going to let this gadget fly out the door without the ability to “see.” Thunk! Having a camera would make it much more appealing, generate millions more sales, allow richer communication between people, many more types of apps can be created, etc. Also, even though it has multiple maps of the world and can triangulate, it is a mediocre guide without a full-blown GPS chip. Like a bat without echo-location. Perhaps, this first iteration should be called the blind “iBad.” So much potential, so much disappointment.

  • streever

    Still incorrect. You should learn to read more carefully. Click the discuss button on the link you sent, and you'll see that scenarios is the proper usage for most applications.

  • Anonymous

    I Like not love the iPad v1.0

    What’s really exciting is the potential of the iPad for textbooks, 21st century newspapers (with multiple pictures/video, flashing headlines?), magazines. Imagine carrying around all your subscriptions, revision material in a 1.5 pound device.

    If the publishing industry get on the iPad wagon and apple adds a webcam, trust me to be in line for v2.0!

  • robertjakobson

    Call me arrogant but You can not read with this device more than one hour or so because of the backlight, it is not an e-ink device and does not suit the reading experience well.

  • Anonymous

    I would like to know how the iPads Address book can interact with a CarDAV Server and if its Calendar can interact with a CalDAV server – do you know?

  • Anonymous

    its not just the software thats crap…walt

  • Patmania

    I happen to spend many hours on my laptop and I find Apple do well at tempering the light with surrounding lights.
    I don't think this would be an issue, but let's wait and see…

  • mualexander

    ..apparently you've never played the vast majority of games or tried to accomplish anything that requires more than the most rudimentary of gestures — yes, some interactions can be simplified to a gesture of a finger or two, but many (most) are much more productive with a more efficient input mechanism (touch interfaces in these cases can often be more of a gimmick / trick / work around).

    For the case of doing anything serious (which I would expect to be the case on something larger than the phone), touch can be a nice enhancement to another input mechanism, but it is in addition to something that doesn't require me to obscure a large portion of the screen while I interact with it or something that I can use while holding a phone or something else in my other hand. Not to mention folk with fingers too big for how an iphone records touches or other accessibility issues…

  • http://herot.typepad.com/ Christopher Herot

    Some questions come to mind:
    -Where are all the magazine publishers and TV networks we would have expected at the launch?
    -Will the screen be bright enough to read at the beach?
    -Will the battery last 10 hours when Walt gives it his “torture test?”
    -Will AT&T’s network be able to handle all the video?
    -In this economy, how many people have >$1000 (when you include a few years of AT&T) to spend on something that won’t make phone calls and doesn’t run the software you can run on your PC or Mac.

    More thoughts at http://herot.typepad.com/chero.....means.html

  • retroblue

    Intelligent point.

  • Anonymous

    Personally, I think it looks like a winner. I can easily see having a WiFi version on the side table next to our couch to futz around with (web surf, play solitaire, check email) during TV commercials (and sitting through such exciting programs as “What not to Wear” that my wife likes to watch).

    I await answers to the following questions:

    1) How does the iPad compare with a Kindle when reading a book outdoors?
    2) In order to freely use AT&T’s WiFi hotspots (Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, McDonalds, etc.), do you need to buy the 3G model?
    3) How does it print (a necessity with iWork apps, I would think)?
    4) Will Apple roll out a complete “cloud” service to remove the need to own a traditional computer? The iPad seems perfect for some folks that would never own a computer, but in its current form, you need a computer running iTunes with which to sync it with. Apple needs to remove that requirement, allowing content to reside in the cloud and having it sync with the cloud.

    On another note, guess how much digital picture frames are selling for. Answer: Between $90 and $225. When charging, the iPad can “sleep” in a digital picture frame mode. Pretty slick.

  • johnmeister

    This is why you have to rely on a standard like Websters or OED — instead of an open-source site like wiktionary where anyone could add or edit an entry.

    Scenarios is plural of scenario in ENGLISH. Scenarii is plural if you are speaking ITALIAN.

  • Anonymous

    Why do people love netbooks even though they are smaller laptops ? For one reason – they are looking for complete laptop experience in a smaller and smarter device. Netbook hasn’t done the best job in providing this experience, but has left a much bigger room to improvise upon.

    This is where I expected Ipad to fill the spot by doing following:

    1) Lightweight, yet powerful to compete with netbooks. – Ipad does a great job at this.

    2) Multitasking – It’s not a computer if it can’t multitask

    3) Rich web experience – It’s not sufficient if there isn’t a flash player. Ipad fails this test as well.

    4) Freedom – Netbooks provide the same freedom a macbook provides. Install the apps from internet.
    Can i run ESPN360 on ipad ? No way. Can I install my office VPN service ? Nope.
    While App store provides safer apps, it also takes away the freedom to do what you want to do on your computer. By end of the day call it Ipad or whatever, people need a smarter computer.

  • Anonymous

    If Apple could put the basic iPad model at 499, why can’t they lower the price of the iPhone, to, say, 300? Surely the iPad costs more to produce.

  • Anonymous

    Actually what seems to be missing in the discussion and something I pointed out in my own blog is the “personal” vs. “collaborative” differences between Netbooks and the Tablet. A laptop / netbook form factor is fine when I’m working or doing something by myself. If I want to browse the web in conjunction with collaborative TV viewing or watch a movie on a plane with my kids that form factor fails everytime (saying nothing about the laptop form factor getting crushed by the reclining seat in front of me). The Tablet is about casual users looking for active or passive entertainment. The laptop is about productivity and focus.

  • Gary C

    they could have limited the cam use over 3g. i can see plenty of people using it through wifi, or using a photobooth like app for the device. my little siblings go nuts for that. easy entertainment while cooking dinner or the like.

  • Anonymous

    Why not get the wi-fi only version? You could then get a Verizon Mi-Fi and use that wherever you lugged the iPad since the Mi-Fi can fit into your pocket?

  • Anonymous

    I think the biggest draw for users will be the ebooks on the iBook store. The availability of useful apps (appstore) that are best enjoyed in large screen format, will work well for the iPad. And of course, “the best browsing experience” as Mr. Jobs puts it.
    –Brian Pereira (Exec Editor, InformationWeek, India)
    http://techwow.wordpress.com

  • Anonymous

    Curious about Walt’s final comment. Is the ipad really a “whole new category”? I mean it’s hardly the first tablet to be released, although it certainly is the most beautiful. I would argue that the tablet is right in line with the iphone and ipod in that it’s a better version of an existing product class, not a new class in and of itself.

  • grega

    It's not necessarily simply a choice of buying something you had no intention of owning before.

    If you were in the market for a 15″ MacBook Pro – you now have a choice of
    a) 15″ MacBook Pro, OR
    b) 22″ iMac + iPad
    Maybe that pricing is not a coincidence. But it makes me wonder about what I'll do when I replace my 15″ MBP.

  • Anonymous

    That’s simply not true. E-book readers aren’t a new product, and people have been reading books on the web since people started putting their own stories up there.

    You may be surprised to hear that not everyone “scans” through articles. Some of us read them. Perhaps if you did the same, you’d be have a better idea of what the web has been used for this past 15 years.

  • Anonymous

    “Horses for courses” comes to mind. I don’t think iPad is a replacement for Netbooks. Actually I think Steve Jobs completely undersold, even mis-sold, iPad.For one thing, you need another computer to sync with. As such it’s an appliance – which is probably what the original thinking behind this and iPhone was in the first place (look up Jef Raskin, and Information Appliance). There are apps for iPhone for remote desktop activities and storage management, and I’m sure we’ll see more scope to iPad apps as creative developers come up with ways to make it do the things they’re familiar with on their desktop computers.Obviously the lack of multi-tasking means different approaches, but you can never underestimate creativity – and that No Multitasking rule has a few benefits, not least being battery life. I can see a lot of non-book-reading types being quite happy with the alluded 140 hours of music playtime. And how often do Windows users complain at all the bloatware in new purchases, and mystery background processes which leave them unsure of what is *really* going on in their PC? Security is one of the greatest strengths of the iPhone/iPad OS. By not allowing multi-tasking, you’re greatly improving the chance that nothing malicious is going to spoil your users’ experience (I’d draw your attention to Rick Astley’s re-popularisation through jailbroken iPhone trojans).

  • Anonymous

    Perhaps he was being cautious, but I think Walt actually fell short of the mark. What iPad will do is reveal a new category of user.It’s not as if they weren’t already there, they’ve just never been noticed before – much like the Nintendo Wii discovered gamers in the living room. The parallels are surprising – if you look back at the news when the Wii (and DS too) was announced, Nintendo were hailed by some and ridiculed by many. I was working in a very large game studio at the time, and while the designers thought Wii was a stroke of genius, everyone else thought it was a joke. “Why in god’s name would you have a controller that looks like a TV remote?”, and “Who needs two screens?” (regarding DS).Look who’s laughing now.Apple have stepped outside the box, and as with all containers, there’s always more opportunity for growth outside than there is in.But yep, iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone, they’re all the same class, and nothing wrong with that. After all; how many laptops do Dell sell?

  • Anonymous

    Good point this: bluetooth keyboards. Every current generation iMac user ALREADY has one lying about the house/office. These people, and all other bluetooth keyboard owners will not need the keyboard-dock-combo. Another barrier less daunting than it may first appear.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=686090872 Anonymous

    Yep, classic case of features getting higher priority than necessity. Lack of multitasking is, quite frankly, noob.

    Haha … touch screen better for everything except typing? So it’s better for 10% of usual tasks?

    Since it is an American product and more Americans will buy it, makes me wonder if the screen is grease proof? Oily McDonald’s fingers will quickly “fog” that screen up.

    NetBooks are far more versatile than this and don’t restrict you to the hip thing that is “Apple Only”.

    This product counts as bling . . . sure it’s pretty, but it’s sole purpose is like that of smoking in the 50s… it looks cool.

    Having said all that, the processor does seem pretty impressive, but it could really be put to better use.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Eitan-Schwarz/100000487434193 Eitan Schwarz

    Parental full presence is the absolute key and that means face-toface, eye-to-eye time. NO distractions.

  • Anonymous

    I have to believe that they will create a user sizable keyboard for the iPad. I too thought it looked way too big and took up too much real estate on the screen and looked too hard to type on (than it needs to be or should be). I fly on my iPhone and I expect with a sizable keypad and a little practice I will on this as well.

    I for one will be getting one right away. If the iPhone is any example, developers will be creating apps that will make this a must have for road warriors who are tied of lugging a 5 pound laptop around.

  • Anonymous

    Because they are still selling like hotcakes. Why should they. If Kindle didn’t exist you can bet the iPad would be more like $899 for the intro model.

  • http://cityhues.com/ Cityhues

    I would agree, but for me, the price point is low enough that I'll certainly acquire one.

  • Anonymous

    Actually. It will make calls out of the box without 3G…it’s called Skype and it works amazingly well. When the iPad gets a front facing camera it will be game over. Jetson’s here we come. Tons of families will have one in the kitchen to video conference with friends and relatives.

  • Anonymous

    I think you have it partly right. Sure it could have more. But the price hurtle was more important than adding a camera. A year from now it will have one and in that years time tons of apps will have been created and people will see just how amazing it could be.

    However where I think you are wrong is that most people using an iPad will also be a smart phone user and have all the things you just mentioned as limitations in their phone already. Camera, GPS, NAV, Calls… I for one will be much more likely to whip out my iPhone than my iPad to to all the things you mentioned above.

  • Anonymous

    I don’t know about “arrogant”, but other words I’m too polite to say come to mind:
    I along with most knowledge workers read on a backlit computer screen (LED/LCD) 8 to 15 hours a day. Of course one can use the iPad for reading. The only place it will suffer is under direct sunlight. If you spend every day at the beach and do your reading there, don’t buy one.

  • Anonymous

    Its true: Amazon has not yet figured out how to do newspapers well on Kindle. Thats there “Achillesferse”. If iPad can do a better job and it probably will, then this will be a huge selling point as soon as 3G is embedded.

  • http://herot.typepad.com/ Christopher Herot

    But to function like a phone it will need to receive as well as make calls. But if iPad doesn’t multitask or Skype suport Push Notification then someone will have to call you on your real phone to tell you to start up Skype. I’m sure they will fix that as well, but in the meantime I’ll run Skype on a real computer.

  • Anonymous

    +1 for the iPad use during my wife’s “What not to Wear” program.

    Probably would be my main use of a product like that.

  • http://cityhues.com/ Cityhues – Jeff C

    I would anticipate a plethora of 3rd party applications to roll-out for the iPad over the next few months.

    To be effective, I believe iPhone apps, will need to be re-engineered for the iPad exclusively.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=32400067 Daniel Lee

    @Walter – One benefit you forgot to mention of having a camera build into the device is the recent introduction of AR or Augmented Reality (i.e. new Yelp features where holding up the device can show you where restaurants are located and how they’re rated). With such a large screen real estate, what could be done with AR is limited only by the imagination.

  • Anonymous

    A question I have is: how about privacy/multi-user? You don’t log on to the iPad, right? So it’s only for me unlike the MBP I’m typing this on which can be used -without mixing up mail, files, photos et cet- by everyone in the family. Surely in that sense the iPad is more of a shared device? Not?

  • http://www.webremote.de/ os

    Small steps are good steps. Apple learned this lesson.

    Today for me it´s the perfect photoframe with some nice extra accessories. ;-)

    Tomorrow a great synth… with mail checking ability.

    And what´s best: It´s evolves every day. What a fun!

  • http://www.catchingzebra.com Andy

    Sir, you make a very good point.

  • http://rvxtm.com/ RvX™

    Waiting to see this out and in use (available to buy), the iPad may look like a nice device now, but the future for this kind of devices may or may not last. I mean, where do you see this one in like 2-3 years from now.

  • Anonymous

    I’ve gotten used to typing on the iPhone keyboard so I wish Apple will include an option to SHRINK the virtual keyboard to iPhone size. That way you can hold the iPad with one hand and type with the other. The almost-full-sized keyboard tempts you to type with both hands, but then you have to hold the iPad on your lap or put it on a desk.

  • inverse137

    You were on the Audio/Video squad in High School, weren't you?

  • Anonymous

    Walt (Mossberg) and Steve (Jobs) seem to be missing the point-the TABLET was supposed to be about books but no mention of how many the IPad can hold has been made. Even the 64 GB version could fill up in a hurry. A book without a map to locate the action is only part of the story. Supposedly we can sync our IPad with our Mac so do we need another huge boost in our computer storage to account for hundreds of books? Info indicates only one program can run on an IPad at a time. How then do we have instant access to maps and the dictionary?
    The Kindle excited my interest in Ebooks but it is woefully short of meeting my expectations in the concept. Mr. Jobs: What I want is to be able to buy an Ebook for about the same as the paperback version-and be able to share it with close friends as I now do with the paperback. Oh Yes, I want the maps and dictionary immediately available along with the page in the book I’m reading. Forget the things I already have on my IPhone and IMac. They may be nice but will not convince me to buy an IPad. I carried about ten pounds of books on a recent 7-week trip to China, Bhutan, Nepal and Burma. One-fourth of my airline baggage allowance was taken up by books. I want a 1.5 pound IPad to have my complete library for my next trip.

  • Anonymous

    I think apple lost their way from previous innovations. Someone – Mossberg, the times or the Wash Post said a while ago the unknown tablet would have the following characteristics: (1) Cost more than anyone would believe was reasonable; (2) People would line up outside to buy it; (3) Have one feature you never knew you needed; (4) would be missing one feature you never knew you could do without; (5) some competitor would have to eat their words when they bad mouthed the product.I think they set the entry price way too low and by doing so left out a camera and some other clever toys (eg., extra port for commercial apps) that would have grabbed our attention. I think they violated their pricing model for two reasons: First, Jobs probably had a greater vision (he always does) but the economic slow down messed up vendor product development. Second, they are conflicted between being a technology company and being an Amazon. They should have never started down the exclusive book pathway because it forced them to set low prices to get devices in people’s hands. If they had stuck with the model then the app developers would have solved the book issue and Apple would have still gotten their iTunes fee. None of this makes the device bad – it just makes it a yawn given how long we have all waited and our high expectations for Apple’s creativity.

  • http://lead-generation-expert.blogspot.com megaresp

    When I first heard about this, I assumed it would run OSX. At last, thought I, an inexpensive way to install the iphone SDK!

    Alas, the iPad is not aimed at geeks. I already have and love an iPhone, and aren’t interested in replicating its functionality on a larger device – especially sans phone.

    I do think it will sell though. A client of mine is a couture fashion designer, and he is can’t wait for it to go on sale here (UK).

  • Spaceflightengineer

    That is the plural in the Italian language and that version of the plural has not been adopted for the English use. Dave is correct

  • Anonymous

    I’ll buy it AND an i-phone when they dump AT&T. c’mon guys, get a decent carrier! I own a Macbook pro and a mac mini, and only wish I had an i-phone, but I need the phone I use to actually work. not just run a bunch of fancy apps. Good luck Apple, great product, too bad your carrier of choice sucks!
    Matt, Temecula, CA

  • thyname

    Yes, really, why would you need 3G? Why pay a monthly fee? Just download and have every fully loaded via your wifi at home or work, or a coffee shop, and here you go!

  • Anonymous

    I agree with what is said in the article. I’m kind of confused when it comes to determining whether or not I would actually feel comfortable with owning an iPad. How would I use it in a given days of work, would it be comfortable to use? These are things i want to have answers to when the reviews start to come out. If they’re good, I’ll have no problem with buying one.

  • Anonymous

    You have got to be kidding, Steve. This thing is fundamentally flawed. I am anxiously awaiting what the competition brings out. The only “good news” is the data pricing. This will bring pressure to provide similar data pricing for other devices. The wireless providers may have figured out that $60/month is a non-starter for most consumers for a device of most any sort.

  • Anonymous

    I think much of the criticism of the device ignores a key factor: the third party ecosystem of Apple developers and hardware add-ons. Consider how many speaker docks, cases, voice recorders, and so forth have appeared supporting the iPhone/Touch/iPod.

    I feel confident that for those wishing for video chat on iPad v1 that enterprising third party developers will offer an add-on dock port camera and app. It is possible (perhaps even likely) that Apple will add a camera for iPad v2, but the reality is that at present video chat is for the average consumer a niche activity. As such, attaching a camera for those instances (and users) who require such functionality is unlikely to be an impediment to general market acceptance in my view.

    I can imagine that some of Steve Job’s confidence in the product may stem from internal knowledge of the roadmap ahead that they are not able to disclose at this stage.

    For example, folks have asked how you would print with the iPad. I assume you would do so over WiFi to your network printer. That is what I do with my current laptop. For those without a networked printer (be it via router like the Airport Extreme/Time Capsule, or a PC with attached printer) you’d have to connect to the printer using the USB iPad dongle. Frankly, at that point the dongle isn’t much of an inconvenience since you’re effectively tethering to another device anyway.

    Likewise, I think concerns over AT&T may prove overblown if Apple opens up to other providers with the release of the next iPhone update this summer (which many analysts are anticipating). I would expect that at that time they would be in a position to also open up the iPad.

    Finally, in regards the need to dock to a computer with iTunes – I think this is sensible in that the flash storage on the iPad is more limited than that of a computer. However, if Apple releases a cloud storage solution that concern may also in future be obviated.

    I think folks need to take a more macro view in regards the potential of the iPad.

  • JohnDoey

    The Wikipedia page you refer us to says it's non-standard:

    scenarii pl
    (nonstandard, rare)

    This is off-topic, and it's unfair to people whose first language is not English, like Americans.

  • Anonymous

    Well, it does run OS X. The bottom 3/4 of Mac OS and iPhone OS are the same and that is OS X. Only the interface is different. You can get a Mac mini for about the same price as an iPad and use it with your existing PC hardware. A used Mac can be had for even less.

  • Anonymous

    I think everyone is missing the point of the iPad. It’s a color, multimedia Kindle. No more than that. Kindles and Nooks have been selling like crazy. This is Apple’s entry into that market. You can read books and newspapers and pdfs like the other two, plus you can watch movies, listen to music, and play games.

    All of the complaints I hear are about features that are also not in Kindles or Nooks. Given that those devices are selling so well, I have a hard time believing that the iPad will not do the same. (That said, most tech writers have lambasted the Kindle and Nook, too.)

    If anything, though, the iPad is suffering from Apple’s own over-positioning. Instead of coming out with a “Kindle+multimedia” device. They came out with more of a “netbook computer without a keyboard” position – even showing email, calendar, and iWorks applications. It’s on that positioning I think people are focusing.

    Jobs & Co., have over-hyped what looks to actually the best eReader I’ve seen so far.

  • Anonymous

    I think your premise that Apple charges a high price for their gear is wrong. The iPhone is $99, that is less than Palm Pixi. The Mac costs the same as comparable generic PC’s yet comes with an incredible software stack including Unix, a video editor, DVD production, multitrack music and audio production, and more. And service that is better than many I-T consultants provide. I pay less for my Apple gear than my friends who have Dells and Blackberrys and anti-virus software and I-T consultants. Logic Studio is 1/4 the price of the equivalent software for PC.

    > camera

    A friend of mine said it was missing a Webcam also, and I said “how would you use it? with it moving around in your lap, your head would be bobbing around for the other person,” and he said “you’d put the iPad in a dock on a desk to use the Webcam,” and I said “in that case why wouldn’t the camera be part of the dock? why wouldn’t the camera just plug into the dock connector?”

    iPad has an iPod dock connector and it runs App Store apps and HTML5 Web apps, so if you think something is missing from it, there will be an app for that, and/or a dock accessory. The iPad is not even out yet an there is a cable to connect to your camera, one to plug-in SD cards, there are high-end music recording microphones, AM/FM radios, all kinds of clever toys.

    So if you think it should have cost $599 with a webcam instead of $499 without, then for you there is a $499 iPad with $100 plug-in webcam.

    > They should have never started down the
    > exclusive book pathway

    The iBookstore is not exclusive, and the format of the books is standard ePub, a kind of Web document you can make with any tools.

  • Anonymous

    > no mention of how many [books] the IPad can hold
    > has been made. Even the 64 GB version could fill
    > up in a hurry.

    No, you are incorrect. eBooks have about the same file size as iPod songs. In 4 GB like the original iPod, you could hold 1000 songs or 1000 books. The 64 GB iPad will hold around 16,000 books.

    Some Kindles have less than 1 GB of storage, and the high-end Kindle DX which is $100 less than an iPad has only 4 GB. The Google Nexus One which is over $500 has only 4 GB of storage.

    The reason you have not heard the book capacity of iPad talked about is it can hold so many.

    Further, in Apple’s model, your library actually lives on your Mac/PC in iTunes, and only what you want to take with you right now goes on the iPad, same as how the iPod works. So if you can’t fit all your books on iPad, you can buy a 2000 GB disk for $199 and plug it into your Mac and keep your eBooks there and have room for 500,000 titles, and keep 16,000 on your iPad at any one time. If you need more than 500,000 titles, simply add another disk. You can certainly keep more titles in your iTunes than a typical bookstore or library.

    Traditionally, Apple has doubled the storage every year as flash storage increases in capacity, so in a couple of years when you’re ready to buy your second iPad, the storage will likely be 64 to 256 GB.

    > maps

    Maps are built-in to the iPad, same as iPod and iPhone.

    > dictionary

    There are hundreds of dictionaries for iPhone OS, including rhyming dictionaries and other esoteric ones.

    > ten pounds of books

    Plenty of room for that in an iPad, even the 16GB model.

  • Anonymous

    Apple is 33 years old, OS X is 10 years old, iPhone OS is 3 years old and iPhone OS apps are 2 years old, iPod is 9 years old, iTunes is 11 years old, iTunes Store is 6 years old, and all of these are more popular now than ever before. Apple is bigger than Google and just had their biggest financial quarter ever. This device leverages iPhone OS, and iPhone is in 70% of the Fortune 500 so the iPad is likely to be successful in business as well as homes and education. And Apple doesn’t release stuff that they aren’t committed to. This is not a test, it’s not half a product that they hope may catch on. I think you can spend $499 on an iPad to use for the next 2 years with confidence.

    I’ve read a number of books on my iPhone and I loved it in every way except the screen is so small you have to turn the page about 1000 times for a typical novel. This should be a great reader, and it’s capable of running books with full motion video, audio, animations in them.

  • Anonymous

    There will be iPad cases with cameras in them, same as there are iPod cases with cameras in them, and batteries in them, and so on.

    Think of the iPad as the core of any other device you want. Whatever is missing wraps around the iPad. Same as how the iPhone slips into a holder and becomes a Garmin GPS.

  • Anonymous

    Scrolling with touch and pushing the Web’s buttons with your fingers is completely awesome. Puts a mouse to shame. Puts flipping through a newspaper to shame.

  • Anonymous

    The cheapest iPad with 3G is $629, not $499, and it doesn’t have GPS or a camera. You’re also comparing the mid-2010 iPad to the mid-2009 iPhone.

  • Anonymous

    > 2) Multitasking – It’s not a computer if it can’t
    > multitask

    iPad multitasks, just not in the traditional way.

    You can run maybe 10 apps at once on a netbook, maybe only 6 at once on an Android phone. On an iPad, iPod, iPhone, you can run 50 apps within an hour, you can run hundreds of apps in a day, and that is what users do.

    The iPhone OS aggressively multitasks … it can’t let apps sit and do nothing because there are hundreds of other apps that are going to be running over top of it.

    The reason iPhone App Store is so successful is that users run MORE apps, not fewer apps, than other platforms. Think about it. If you can’t run a lot of apps, why are there 140,000 and 3 billion downloads?

    There are a small number of downsides to the way iPhone OS multitasks, such as the only music you can have in the background is the iPod. But there are hundreds of advantages: no task killer, no stalling, all apps are immediately available when you ask for them. To iPhone users, all of the apps on the device seem to be running at all times. What Computer Science people call the iPhone’s “application launcher”, users use as a switcher, they just switch between apps all day long, dozens or hundreds at a time.

    > 3) Rich web experience – It’s not sufficient if
    > there isn’t a flash player. Ipad fails this test as well.

    Are you saying iPad can’t play video? That an iPod can’t play video? Think about it.

    The video that you see running in FlashPlayer is H.264 video, the same video from iTunes Store, YouTube, Blu-Ray, iPod, iPhone, QuickTime Player. It’s the ISO standard for consumer video. The only reason you can’t see it on your iPad/iPhone/iPod/Android/Blackberry and many other devices in some cases is the website publisher has wrapped the video in a proprietary Adobe Flash presentation because they assumed you were using Windows, which is the only platform that does not have its own native H.264 video player. This is changing now that website publishers are realizing there are more Web clients than just Windows and realizing that after 3 years and no ARM-based FlashPlayer, waiting for Adobe to get their act together is not practical.

    Further, when you run the H.264 video natively, it takes literally about 5% of the battery as running it in a Flash presentation. Flash has had its day filling in for Windows not having its own H.264 video player. Browser plug-ins themselves are a thing of the past. Both Safari and Chrome play H.264 video natively like they show JPEG photos natively.

    YouTube runs on iPad. Think about it.

    > 4) Freedom
    > Install the apps from internet.

    People HATE installing apps from the Internet. That is how you get malware. You need to install apps only from a source you can 100% trust. Not only trust, but trust that they have not been spoofed and you have not been phished.

    Google has already served malware off Android Market and they have served far fewer apps than Apple. Someone created a malware for iPhone and showed it off at a hacker conference but it was impossible to deploy on iPhone and target at actual users because it failed Apple’s inspection process.

    iPhone users install hundreds of apps with almost no thought about it because they trust Apple. Not computer geek users, but people like my brother who is an ER nurse and knows nothing about computers. He studied human anatomy, not computer anatomy. Loves his iPhone.

    > Can i run ESPN360 on ipad ? No way.

    Yes way. There is an iPhone app.

    > Can I install my office VPN service ? Nope.

    Yes. There is VPN support in the OS and there are apps. You can run your Windows desktop from the office over VPN full-screen on the iPad. That has already been confirmed.

    > While App store provides safer apps, it also
    > takes away the freedom to do what you want
    > to do on your computer.

    No, it gives people who aren’t computer scientists the freedom to do what they want with their computer. They install hundreds of apps instead of installing zero apps like they do with their Windows PC. Hundreds of safe apps from App Store trumps zero apps installed on their Windows PC.

    Further, iPhone OS includes an HTML5 browser, which means that even if you never, ever use an App Store app, you have millions of open HTML5 Web apps to run. These are the apps that Chrome OS is being designed to run, the only apps it will run. Chrome is a remix of Apple’s browser.

    So if you don’t like App Store, you can still run ISO movies, ISO music, W3C Web apps, and ePub eBooks. The native apps are optional just like on every other platform.

    Consider also that Google bans a higher percentage of websites from its index than Apple rejects apps from App Store. Linus Torvalds rejects a higher percentage of Linux kernel code than Apple rejects apps from App Store.

    > By end of the day call it Ipad or whatever, people
    > need a smarter computer.

    A smarter computer is one that doesn’t require the user to learn I-T skills to use it, doesn’t require the user to understand what malware is, or what task killers are, or to understand what kind of trouble they can get into with those computer science -based tools. A smarter computer is one that is 100% safe and functional all the time, no matter what you were doing with it an hour ago. A smarter computer is one that is just as useful for doctors and artists as for computer scientists.

  • Anonymous

    > How does it print (a necessity with iWork apps,
    > I would think)?

    To network printers that are discovered via Bonjour, same as iPhones. There are apps from HP and others.

    Your iWork apps also appear to others on the network as a file share, so in some cases you may not need to print to share documents.

  • Anonymous

    Yes. It’s the same as iPhone.

  • Anonymous

    iPhone does not have a second battery … until you stick it in a Mophie Juice Pack. Then it is a bit larger but has 2 batteries. Not everyone wants this, but for those who do, it is great. That is why it’s a 3rd party add-on.

    Whatever you think the iPad is missing, imagine that device and then imagine it with a slot for your iPad to fit into it, the same way iPhone fits into dashboards and Juice Packs and stereo systems and so on.

    I would bet there are 10 iPad cameras already under development at companies who make iPhone accessories.

    There is no reason a high-end camcorder attachment could not be made, enabling you to capture HD video to your iPad.

  • Anonymous

    Apple doesn’t force carriers down your throat. There are well over 100 carriers and in most places you can choose from 2 or 3.

    In the US, there is only one carrier that can run standard GSM devices. Verizon and Sprint use their own proprietary networks that are incompatible with the rest of the world. They did that specifically to force you to buy devices from them, not from 3rd parties like Apple. If you don’t like that system, you’re not alone. But it’s 100% Verizon and Sprint’s fault, nobody else.

  • http://lead-generation-expert.blogspot.com megaresp

    Interesting. I didn't know the mac mini could run a standard PC (i.e. cheap) keyboard, mouse and monitor. That changes my view somewhat.

    I had previously dismissed it because it's a pretty modest box in PC terms for the money, and I was mentally adding on the cost of a monitor, keyboard and mouse.

    Hmmmm….

  • WillForbes39

    Thanks for your response. I completely understand your position. It is just not mine. I have a mac book air, a max book pro and cinema screens for all computers. Mac's are special because of design – both functional and aesthetic. People are willing as the market has demonstrated to pay a premium for those qualities and Apple has always understood that they reaped a premium in profit for those characteristics. The iPhone was incredibly expensive when it first arrived on the market – as was the ipod. But these were game changing devices that disrupted the marketplace.

    My point is simply that they have changed their model. I am certain that you are right that part of the reason is the kindle – so unlike previous entries Apple is not first to market.

    With regard to your camera comment. I misspoke – I meant a camera in front like a cinema screen so you can do video conference. Yes it will be an easy add-on to buy – but isn't that an anathema to the Apple design principle?

    Finally, if iBookstore were NOT exclusive then why did Apple need to sign all these deals with publishers. The content is already out there and there are many apps for reading books. Apple is courting the publishers because they are pushing the smaller folks out – reverting to a more closed system. That stifles innovation and ultimately hurts Apple.

    The one place where the market is wide open is in specialty publications with strong graphics requirements (magazines, comics, even text books). This is also the area where the iPad will ultimately flourish and where kindle et al are woefully inadequate.

    Thanks for the dialogue.
    Will

  • rmr_nyc

    1. AT&T is not the only US carrier that uses GSM, T Mobile also is GSM network and I'm sure there are others.
    In fact, my Sprint phone does both CDMA and GSM and I know for a fact that Verizon also has phones that do the same thing.
    2. Apple has an EXCLUSIVE contract with AT&T in the USA, that is a matter of simple fact.
    3. In metropolitan areas in the USA CDMA is simply a better technology, in my apartment (which is 2 blocks from a GSM cell tower) I get no signal on GSM phones and 3-4 bars on a CDMA phone.
    In my office, Verizon and Sprint users get signal, AT&T and T-Mobile customers literally have to go outside in order to make calls.
    4. Verizon and Sprint have a far greater number of subscribers than AT&T probably for the above mentioned reasons.
    Supposedly both Verizon and Sprint will have IPhones by April, and you will see AT&T's market share plummet as people move to carriers that provide more reliable service and far better network coverage.
    All that said…. the IPad is a lemon, it's too big to carry easily, too fragile to not need a case and too awkward to use while mobile. If Apple had been really on the ball they would have simply added reliable wireless capability to the Air. The IPad is roughly the same size and has far greater capabilities.

  • Anonymous

    So Verizon choose a proprietary networks but it’s Apple’s fault? No one is ramming anytihng down your throat.. don’t but the product; buy the product with just WiFi…

    Of course – as i read in a bunch of blogs, what people really want is to but the WiFi version and then get free wifi at starbucks, mcdonals, etc…

    Cake and eat it too? huh..

  • lboylesusa

    Seems to be similiar to the older but larger version of the Palm PDR. My older PDR is still useful, just too small for web surfing. The “pad” could be useful if it would have enough features to replace all the other devices we need to carry around. As a teacher, I would love to see this device incorporated into the classroom for note-taking vs. the bulk of a laptop. I think I like it very much; just don't want another “gadget” to carry with me. The Kindle and Sony's reader seem outdated already.

  • jpintobks

    I am already in line to get mine. Also as a book publisher and avid reader, I am happy that now I can read in a full size screen.
    I agree that the iPad is the killer of the Kindle since it shows now it obsolescence and side by side how mediocre Kindle became.

  • RobtELee

    It's oh so fashionable to dump on AT&T's service and/or coverage area…funny I have used my iPhone all over the US with very few problems. In addition, AT&T is feverishly upgrading the networks. Whine about something else.

  • alain55

    Here is what i wrote in my article on my Disney and more blog about the lack of webcam: There is no webcam on the IPad and this is really an unforgivable mistake. Why? Here is why: when the first IPhone appeared, back in 2007, with his new multi touch interface, suddenly it was “the future in the present”. A kind of Star Trek device which would have been teleported to the 21st century. Of course, now we don't have this feeling anymore but back three years ago this “future in the present” effect was one of the big reasons of the huge IPhone hype.

    Do we have this feeling with the IPad? No we don't. And what enrages me is that it could have been the case. Think: you're sit on a bench in a park, or in a remote place 10000 miles from your home and you want to call AND see your girl/boy friend or anyone you wish. Then, instead to take out of your bag a laptop that you need to unfold, etc… what you have is something that looks, virtually, like a piece of glass. And thanks to it – and Skype! – your girl/boy friend would magically appear even if you're up in the mountain or lost in the jungle as long as there is a 3G connection. Wouldn't it be great? Do you remember the sequence in Stanley kubrick's “2001, a Space Odyssey” when the scientist on a space station use a videophone to call on Earth his little daughter for her birthday? In the movie they were in 2001 and we are in 2010! Okay, i'm kidding, but frankly what the hell was the problem to put a web cam on the top of the IPad? It would have changed everything.

    If Steve has to learn a lesson in all this, it's this one: ALWAYS BRING THE FUTURE IN THE PRESENT, that the key of the success. And Steve better don't tell me that Apple don't have new innovations! Just go to the excellent PatentlyApple web site , a great site tracking all Apple new patents, and read the three parts article called The Tablet Prophecies HERE, HERE and HERE where you'll discover all the great inventions that Apple researchers created for a tablet device. Sure they'll come in the future, and sure, Apple keep some bullets for the IPad V2, but honestly i'm sick to have to wait for the next version, specially when what i am asking for – a webcam – is so simple…

  • terrywbreedlove

    I hope there is an iPhoto type app from Apple for the iPad. Oh and an adapter for CF cards.

  • http://intersog.com/ Artyom

    It's even better then I expected. I wasn't sure if Apple will go with Mac OSX or prefer iPhone OS. It was a tough choice to make but now looking at the result I agree with using iPhone OS as a platform for the apps. We will see lots of apps made specifically for the iPad. No doubts about it.

  • Pallkrin

    Scenario or scenari, the Notion Ink Adam PC Tablet is by far the better IPad:

    http://www.notionink.in/index.php

  • Pallkrin

    Scenario or scenari, the Notion Ink Adam PC Tablet is by far the better IPad:

    http://www.notionink.in/index.php

  • Anonymous

    in fact, there was a dinosaur named, scenariosaurus. also, a disease called scenaritus and newly discovered element called scenarium.

  • http://www.quickfreeipad.co.uk/ Free iPad

    Bring on the iPad! Can't wait!
    The best bit is I won't have to pay for it – YAY!

  • http://howtogetmyexbackways.com/ Ex Back

    hello friend i read this site and i think this is good site!

  • http://www.wickerbenchstorage.net Wicker Bench Storage

    Thanks for information, I'll always keep updated here!

blog comments powered by Disqus

New Smartphone Targets Avid Gamers

January 01, 2010 at 6:49 pm PT

A New Tablet From Acer Challenges iPad on Price

January 01, 2010 at 6:49 pm PT

For a Song, Online Giants Offer Music in a Cloud

January 01, 2010 at 6:49 pm PT

Mac vs. Windows

January 01, 2010 at 6:49 pm PT

Camera Has an Eye for Photos, Brain for Wi-Fi

January 01, 2010 at 6:49 pm PT

Latest Video

View all videos »

Search »