I'll give you "revolutionary" to a degree. But still, the input is far from revolutionary.

I was expecting to see it function with handwriting recognition and some new and innovative user interface and navigation method. Or something nobody had thought of before.

All they did was repackage the iPhone in a bigger package. Familiar to users, hell yes. Efficient for a tablet, not quite. Magical, definitely not.

1/28/2010 11:28:44 AM

I just read this quote from Job's presentation:

Quote :

"Everybody uses a laptop and/or a smartphone, the question has arisen lately: Is there room for a third category of device in the middle?"

Is the answer not self-evidently "no"?

The iPhone rocked because it reduced the amount of things I have to carry around. The iPad was apparently designed to increase the number of stuff you have to carry.

This doesn't replace a phone (obvious), and it doesn't replace a netbook (non-iTunes programs, keyboard, flash). Why on earth would I get it?

1/28/2010 11:36:28 AM

Quote :

"how is an OS built and utilized over 2 years ago still considered revolutionary? so they made a larger ipod touch with 3g capabilities... that is hardly "magical and revolutionary""

i agree. it's not revolutionary because it's been in use and available to the masses in multiple touch devices for 2 years now. i was really surprised they came out with a new product running an old OS. seems like they would have paired it w/ 4.0. oh well. maybe it's coming soon then.

[Edited on January 28, 2010 at 11:54 AM. Reason : ]

1/28/2010 11:54:18 AM

Quote :

"Is the answer not self-evidently "no"?"

Obviously the answer to this is No.

This is a leisure device. I think its going to be a lot more successful than some of you seem to think.

[Edited on January 28, 2010 at 11:58 AM. Reason : I really dont like apple either]

1/28/2010 11:57:54 AM

Quote :

"how is an OS built and utilized over 2 years ago still considered revolutionary? so they made a larger ipod touch with 3g capabilities... that is hardly "magical and revolutionary""

Watch the video.

Quote :

"I'll give you "revolutionary" to a degree. But still, the input is far from revolutionary. I was expecting to see it function with handwriting recognition and some new and innovative user interface and navigation method. Or something nobody had thought of before. All they did was repackage the iPhone in a bigger package. Familiar to users, hell yes. Efficient for a tablet, not quite. Magical, definitely not."

This is not a tablet as we know tablets. That device is reserved for doctors, service repair men, people that hate electronics and buy garbage, etc.

Also, if you've already created an interface thats intuitive, people are already very familiar with, pretty, effective...why are you going to reinvent the wheel just because you have a bigger screen? The input device hasn't changed, thats still your finger. the best you can do is enhance it and build on it to make use of a bigger screen which Apple did. Again, watch the demo video to see what I'm referring to.

Hand writing recognition is useless IMO. I can type a hell of a lot faster then I can write not to mention my hand writing is fugly. I always chose typing something over writing it. In class I brought a laptop with me so I can type notes not hand write them.

Quote :

"Or something nobody had thought of before"

What gave you the impression that we would be getting something nobody had thought of before? Apple doesn't really invent 'new' things...they just take what others have done but do a better job and make it more appealing to the masses, at least the Apple we know today. All apple did was take a failed concept (tablet PC) thats known for its piss poor implementation, removed all the bullshit nobody cares about, built on top of an already usable UI (iPhone OS) and packaged it in a way that would appeal to the casual computer user (which is a hell of a lot of people).

Most people in this thread were expecting something completely different that would appeal to them, unfortunately for those people they're in the minority and there just isn't that much money there. Not to mention most of these same people hold Apple on a completely different level then everybody else but at the same time wouldn't buy an apple product even if it was exactly what they would want because its 'overpriced garbage'.

Quote :

"i agree. it's not revolutionary because it's been in use and available to the masses in multiple touch devices for 2 years now. i was really surprised they came out with a new product running an old OS. seems like they would have paired it w/ 4.0. oh well. maybe it's coming soon then."

lol the OS is less then a year old.

[Edited on January 28, 2010 at 12:06 PM. Reason : .]

1/28/2010 12:01:49 PM

The device is pretty slick from a technical standpoint, but I think the key to its success will be its price point. They're selling a device whose role in regular society still isn't clear for a lot of people yet: by introducing it at such a low price, people are more likely to drop the money to buy one and improve chances for people to find a use for it. If I were in the market for a netbook, I might seriously think about just getting one of these instead.

1/28/2010 12:06:57 PM

n/m

[Edited on January 28, 2010 at 12:29 PM. Reason : d]

1/28/2010 12:29:37 PM

I have a 12" Acer that I bring with me everywhere. Kitchen, bathroom, couch, bed, bus, car, friend's house, dog park, sports game, etc. It runs Win 7 Home Premium, goes 6 hours without a charge, plays HD video, stores 250gigs of files, bluetooth, HDMI, two speakers, webcam, etc. I can hold it up in one hand and pass it around very easily - it only weighs 2lbs. I paid $300 for it in November, although granted it goes for $399 most places.

There is absolutely nothing an iPad can do that I can't do with this laptop.

It will still sell some units, probably sell-out after its release. This is due to Apple aggressively marketing their products and the hype-machine that is casual gadget news media.

[Edited on January 28, 2010 at 12:53 PM. Reason : .]

1/28/2010 12:49:49 PM

you can't run iWork on it

1/28/2010 12:51:20 PM

Holy shit, this is totally awesome.

Another Apple product to not buy!

1/28/2010 12:52:54 PM

Thanks for riterating the same tired argument from yesterday.

The ipAd is a slick device. The only thing killing it for me is no flash. We still haven't gotten the full Internet promised 2 years ago

1/28/2010 12:55:14 PM

http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/28/msis-10-inch-tablet-launching-this-year-at-500-patently-ignor/

Here comes the flood of competitors.

Asus already announced a tablet for later this year (although their eBook Reader is getting most of the attention right now). Archos already had their tablet(s) out and has leaked a new 7 inch Android (hey, just like video iPods, Archos was in first with a shitty product and Apple came along with a good one that won the market). Lenovo's got the U1 that's on one of the previous pages. HP's got something cooking up, I think they were looking at a Spring release last I heard.

[Edited on January 28, 2010 at 1:02 PM. Reason : /]

1/28/2010 1:02:15 PM

It would appear that even Hitler is disappointed in Apple this time around:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQnT0zp8Ya4

Hehe

1/28/2010 1:06:19 PM

it's a in between device, for stuff that you would use or do on a iphone/ipod touch but with a much bigger screen, more memory, and more overall capability.

i can see it being a very good travel item, translator, maps, gps, movies and music, etc. it's use as a tool has yet to be seen but it has several good possibilities as a touch interface for remote access and a unique way of pulling together controls and such as well.

i do think it needs to multitask (4 items at once is probably all you would need anyways...) a usb/card reader and a bigger storage drive would also be nicer

i would expect the os to evolve from the iphone os with full backwards compatibility.

it's forcing open a new niche market to exploit.

1/28/2010 1:09:03 PM

Quote :

"Here comes the flood of competitors."

believe it or not, Apple is not the first to announce a slate computer like this. it seems Apple is coming out with their device at about the same time as everyone else.

this isn't revolutionary, and Apple isn't the first to the market with this either.

look at the joo-joo, granted no 3G, but basically same device hardware wise. it's not going to compete with the content like the iPad has, but the joo-joo was announced first, as was about a hundred other slate/tablet devices at CES.

THIS IS NOTHING NEW OR REVOLUTIONARY.

It can't be revolutionary since the revolution has already happened. It was the iPhone (& argument could be made for iTunes as an integrated delivery method). This device builds on what was already there. Apps & content-delivery = already there. This adds a 2nd device that simply just adds games, ebooks, and a very limited productivity apps that iPhone is too small for. The interface? Looks like they took a lot from Windows 7 touchscreen enhancements if you ask me.

Magical? I think not.

THE DEVICE ITSELF IS NOT IMPRESSIVE.

What makes this device marketable is it's content. Personally I don't like their use of content delivery and DRM built-in, no options, no choices, only able to run what they want you to run on it. But the content, that's what makes this device stand out from the SEA of devices that are out there that are virtually identical (running ChromeOS, Android, Skylight, etc) they just don't have the content delivery system.

There are TONS of devices exactly like this that are based on much better (IMHO) hardware like the Nvidia Tegra/Tegra2 & Qualcomm dual-core ARM based tablets. The link to the MSI tablet is just one of about 10-15 that were showcased at CES by that youtube video I posted earlier.

[Edited on January 28, 2010 at 1:32 PM. Reason : .]

1/28/2010 1:29:41 PM

Quote :

"it has several good possibilities as a touch interface for remote access and a unique way of pulling together controls and such as well. "

This is really I think where it will shine. But it all depends on third party device support. Think of all the people who were building themselves home theater systems. Now imagine this thing as a sort of universal remote for it all. A few wireless devices you can talk to and your iPad could be the controls for the screen, the media content, the audio system and the lights. And other home automation stuff would fit right in.

Or imagine a pressure sensitive stylus device and a photo editing app. Now you have a Cintiq for half the price and half the weight, and you don't have to bring your computer with you.

Or stick one in the kitchen, on the wall. Now not only can you watch video or listen to music in there, but you have a touch screen device to bring up recipes. To go with this I think one of the best things Apple could do is convince AT&T or whoever to let you link your cell service to this thing, or use it as a bluetooth speaker phone for the iPhone so that when you realize you don't have something you need for dinner, while you're still prepping you just tap the call button and tell your wife or husband to pick it up on the way home, and you don't have to wash and dry your hands and go digging for your phone, because this thing is essentially a closed device you could clean off and not really worry about getting water in the keyboard or something like that.

Realistically, this is not a general purpose computer, nor is it designed to be, though that may be what many people were hoping for. Once you get past that though, and start thinking of all the places and times you might want computing power without needing or wanting the capabilities or form factor of a laptop or desktop, you can begin to see the potential this thing has.

[Edited on January 28, 2010 at 1:39 PM. Reason : dfg]

1/28/2010 1:36:13 PM

1/28/2010 2:00:08 PM

^I think what you meant to post was a photo of Jobs holding a 13" MBP and a 17" MBP?

or hell 17" iMac and the 27" iMac

Quote :

"I have a 12" Acer that I bring with me everywhere. Kitchen, bathroom, couch, bed, bus, car, friend's house, dog park, sports game, etc. It runs Win 7 Home Premium, goes 6 hours without a charge, plays HD video, stores 250gigs of files, bluetooth, HDMI, two speakers, webcam, etc. I can hold it up in one hand and pass it around very easily - it only weighs 2lbs. I paid $300 for it in November, although granted it goes for $399 most places."

I don't think you remotely fall into any Apple computer user category. Sports games, really? never heard of that before.

[Edited on January 28, 2010 at 2:14 PM. Reason : .]

1/28/2010 2:11:22 PM

apple fags loathe sporty sports

1/28/2010 2:25:14 PM

I love going to sporting events as much as the next guy, but I can't imagine bringing my laptop with me lol.

Ok nvm, i just thought of a scenario where a laptop would be useful at a sporting event. Baseball!

1/28/2010 2:29:59 PM

Quote :

" believe it or not, Apple is not the first to announce a slate computer like this. it seems Apple is coming out with their device at about the same time as everyone else."

Did you read the rest of my post where I mentioned the Archos that's already out, and the already announced competitors from Asus and HP? Or did you just read the first sentence.

1/28/2010 3:04:50 PM

Quote :

"believe it or not, Apple is not the first to announce a slate computer like this. it seems Apple is coming out with their device at about the same time as everyone else."

Yeah what? Tablets have been out for a while.

Haha Apple didn't do their homework:

http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/28/apple-and-fujitsu-inevitably-caught-up-in-ipad-trademark-dispute/

1/28/2010 3:10:09 PM

from the chitchat thread

Quote :

"could be good, depends on usage, as a device alone, meh. as a adaptable touch screen interface for other controls (music, video, stage lights, security monitering, etc) could be a nice step forward at some point there will be devices in 3 overall sizes, wall sized (40"+), medium 'screen size' (10"-40") and portable size (10" or less) they will all do about the same thing, all be able to talk to each other, but each do something better than the others. the portable size is bag/pocket access to internet and voice net at least, but has relatively limited memory, limited performance, and of course a small screen. (small range 2ft or less) the screen size basically replaces smaller tv's and desktop computers mostly designed for more rugged processing more memory (can both be upgraded) and generally medium range distance (6ft or less). the wall size replaces your big tv and pulls in the internet access for group presentations and white board conferences etc. much more of a presentation object. but of course all of that is probably 10+ years down the road. as it is this is a good bump up of the portable size almost into the screen size range."

Quote :

"wouldn't you just turn it on it's side for "widescreen" ? i mean it's not really big enough to even have "widescreen" as a option... i would guess that multitasking is coming soon. at retail launch? i can see this being extremely useful for trips, books/music/movies/maps etc all on one thing... now i just want good high quality trail and cartography maps / charts (water, lakes, national parks and trails) as well as improved maps in general... with the adapters USB and card reading (built in would have been nicer of course) is sort of a moot point... not saying that this is a end all be all device but it has definite potential."

if you can get this to stream video/tv/shoutcast etc it becomes much more effective as a device i would think

1/28/2010 3:14:09 PM

Oh yeah, 10 years down the road, everything will be compatible with everything else, and there'll just be major device categories. Oh, also by the year 2010, we'll have flying cars, perpetual energy devices and will have colonized Mars... Oh wait.

1/28/2010 3:29:33 PM

^we already have, where you been? I've already closed on my Google Mars Condo last week.

1/28/2010 3:30:36 PM

i just watched Apple's promotional video for this on their site

whoever Scott Forstall is was annoying the shit out of me.

this thing is a waste, but it will sell a ton because it's flashy and has a lot of hype behind it

1/28/2010 3:41:31 PM

I love that all you rubes are saying the same shit over and over again.

You guys must have missed the news: the device consolidation trend sailed about 3 years ago. The market (and consumers) are no longer about "one device to do everything". The market has moved on to products that have unique subsets of functionality.

IE: DSLR's that do HD video and geotagging. GPS units with value added online services. Limited laptops with a lower pricetag. Love listening to people who don't realize they've been passed by.

1/28/2010 4:05:18 PM

Quote :

"believe it or not, Apple is not the first to announce a slate computer like this. it seems Apple is coming out with their device at about the same time as everyone else.""

maybe you guys didn't read my quote correctly or maybe i typed it wrong. but my reference was to slates like iPad, not traditional tablets. "here comes" implies that these devices are coming AFTER the Apple announcement.... i would have said, "here is" the competitors as they are arriving at the same time.

Apple iPad = 60-90 days
HP Slate = 2010
Joo-Joo = 8-10 weeks
Lenovo Hybrid = June 1, 2010
Most of the other Android / Tegra tablets are announced but not being released for another couple months.
Archos = only slate that's already out

[Edited on January 28, 2010 at 4:16 PM. Reason : /]

1/28/2010 4:09:50 PM

Quote :

"The market has moved on to products that have unique subsets of functionality."

aka, niche's
aka, luxury items

in a time of a bad economy people do not have the money to spend on such specialized devices that duplicates the functionality of other devices they already own, at least that would be my assumption. but hey, if the economy turns around, everyone might own one of these. hell they do a good job selling ridiculously expensive laptops.

Quote :

"You guys must have missed the news: the device consolidation trend sailed about 3 years ago."

then you have devices like the Droid... that does everything, i know what you mean though. but one can easily look at some of these features as "unique subset of functionality" and another one look at it and think "device integration" why would i need a GPS if my camera tags the picture for me? why would my DSLR need to do HD video when it's obvious a video camera would be a better solution? i still see that as device integration.

a good example that i'm suprised you didn't mention was the Zune. instead of trying to do everything, it was aimed at PMP devices and catered to HD video & music, connecting to HDTV and tying that into your media solution rather than incorporating email/messaging/phone


[Edited on January 28, 2010 at 4:23 PM. Reason : .]

1/28/2010 4:12:07 PM

Quote :

"they do a good job selling ridiculously expensive laptops"

What laptops do you speak of? I'm curious to see what a ridiculously expensive laptop looks like!

1/28/2010 4:36:57 PM

i think they own 90% of the market share at laptops >$1000

ridiculously expensive (for what you get)

1/28/2010 4:39:57 PM

Caveat - I love my MacBook

However, a 15-inch MBP starts at $1699 on Apple's website. That seems rather expensive.

1/28/2010 4:39:59 PM

Apple sells neither really expensive laptops nor really cheap laptops.

1/28/2010 4:48:09 PM

Quote :

"ridiculously expensive (for what you get)"

If I were getting a lenovo or gateway then I'd 100% agree with you.

1/28/2010 4:48:59 PM

^huh? Apple has always been on the side of selling hardware at a higher price than all the other laptop companies. You can get an i7 laptop with a nice graphics card for cheaper than Apple's MacBooks and it'll be way more powerful. You're paying a big premium for an Apple computer.

1/28/2010 4:51:14 PM

hmmm...I can't imagine why one costs more.

Quote :

"However, a 15-inch MBP starts at $1699 on Apple's website. That seems rather expensive."

the last PC laptop I purchased was over $3000. THAT is rather expensive.

[Edited on January 28, 2010 at 5:00 PM. Reason : .]

1/28/2010 4:58:45 PM

Quote :

"i think they own 90% of the market share at laptops >$1000"

okay, but what percentage of the total laptop population is >$1000?

1/28/2010 5:06:38 PM

^^so you're saying the premium is just because of the aluminum unibody design?

ASUS laptops are on average 20% less for the same hardware and have a higher reliability rating than Apple... you're not going to win this argument based on anecdotal evidence.

Quote :

"okay, but what percentage of the total laptop population is >$1000?"

my point is they have a market in selling premium-priced laptops, i can't believe anyone would argue against that.

[Edited on January 28, 2010 at 5:16 PM. Reason : .]

1/28/2010 5:14:01 PM

i wasn't

1/28/2010 5:18:00 PM

Quote :

"^^so you're saying the premium is just because of the aluminum unibody design?"

You focus on the bullet points on the side of the box...I focus on a lot more detail then just that when it comes to purchasing electronics.

Asus hardware designs are 35% less appealing/attractive than Apple's, you aren't going to win that argument either.

Quote :

"my point is they have a market in selling premium-priced laptops, i can't believe anyone would argue against that."

just so that we're on the same page...what categories are there? Cheap inexpensive and then premium-priced? Is there anything in between on your scale?

[Edited on January 28, 2010 at 5:22 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on January 28, 2010 at 5:22 PM. Reason : cheap sounds too negative.]

1/28/2010 5:19:44 PM

i don't understand what the percentage of overall laptops sold has to do with my statement.

1/28/2010 5:22:26 PM

Quote :

"You focus on the bullet points on the side of the box...I focus on a lot more detail then just that when it comes to purchasing electronics."

bullet points? since when do they print reliability ratings on the side of the box?

Quote :

"Asus hardware designs are 35% less appealing/attractive than Apple's, you aren't going to win that argument either."

so it's clear "lot more detail" means you purchase electronics based on looks and images you find on the internet. Asus laptops are not that bad. Acer is bad.

Quote :

"just so that we're on the same page...what categories are there? Cheap inexpensive and then premium-priced? Is there anything in between on your scale?"

there's a price, then there's a premium. they are two completely different things. for example, there's inexpensive and there's expensive (price). then there's a value (bang for buck) and a premium (paying more than what it's worth). you can have an expensive laptop and still have good value, likewise you can have inexpensive and pay a premium.

1/28/2010 5:30:38 PM

Quote :

"Asus hardware designs are 35% less appealing/attractive than Apple's, you aren't going to win that argument either. "

How do you quantify that?

Anyway. I have an Asus laptop that I purchased 3 years ago. At the time it was considered a mid-level gaming laptop and cost 1600. Usually you find "premium" to be over 2k, 1k-2k is the mid level for performance laptops, and at this point 700-1k would be a "standard" price, with >700 being budget price.

You might even be able to arbitrarily switch that 700 out for 500.

Just my 2cents.

1/28/2010 5:57:03 PM

http://www.funnyordie.co.uk/videos/167d70800c/the-ipad

1/28/2010 6:00:58 PM

somebody lock this shit, jesus

1/28/2010 6:01:01 PM

^lol? wtf for?

Quote :

"bullet points? since when do they print reliability ratings on the side of the box?"

Well that one went over your head. Bullet points as in list of specs or features.

Quote :

"so it's clear "lot more detail" means you purchase electronics based on looks and images you find on the internet. Asus laptops are not that bad. Acer is bad."

so you're still in the fog. More detail means I don't JUST look at the list of features or specs but I also pay attention to the over all design, the OS, software, over all experience, reliability, resale value, etc, etc, etc. I don't just look and say oh hey this ones 3.02Ghz and this one is only 2.93Ghz...clearly the first is the better buy!

Quote :

"there's a price, then there's a premium. they are two completely different things. for example, there's inexpensive and there's expensive (price). then there's a value (bang for buck) and a premium (paying more than what it's worth). you can have an expensive laptop and still have good value, likewise you can have inexpensive and pay a premium."

Hate to break it to you but you're paying a premium for any device you buy thats above cost by your definition because you'll always be paying more than what its worth. Paying $500 for a laptop is still paying a premium for what you get, sorry bud. At least with some manufacturers (apple to name one since this is about apple) you do get what you pay for.

Quote :

"How do you quantify that?"

You don't. I was just playing along with Prospero's randomly generated statistics.

[Edited on January 28, 2010 at 6:04 PM. Reason : .]

1/28/2010 6:01:14 PM

Quote :

"aka, niche's ... aka, luxury items in a time of a bad economy people do not have the money to spend on such specialized devices that duplicates the functionality of other devices they already own, at least that would be my assumption."

Your assumption is based on a 1980's America. It is wrong. We spend less during down economies, but as a population, the expenditures on entertainment go UP when bad events happen. People want to be distracted from the shitty reality around them.

Quote :

"then you have devices like the Droid... that does everything, i know what you mean though. but one can easily look at some of these features as "unique subset of functionality" and another one look at it and think "device integration" why would i need a GPS if my camera tags the picture for me? why would my DSLR need to do HD video when it's obvious a video camera would be a better solution? i still see that as device integration."

You missed the point. We have had "do everything" devices for 10+ years. There are lots of "one man band" sideshows on street corners, but a band with distinct members always produces better music. Doing everything != doing everything well. And features != experience. The Droid doesn't do anything well, and today's consumer would rather buy two devices that are fun to use and have less functionality, than buying one device that can do more than they want with a lot of effort.

You need GPS to find out where to go and how to get there. GPS in a camera is about being able to see where you've been and what you did. Same technology, different uses in difference devices.

1/28/2010 6:08:26 PM

Quote :

"Well that one went over your head. Bullet points as in list of specs or features."

no i think my comment went over your head. i CARE about reliability (among other things) and that is CLEARLY not a bullet-point they put on the side of the box, so your claim that that's all i look at was incorrect, nice try, i'll just assume your comments from now on are troll attempts.

Quote :

"You don't. I was just playing along with Prospero's randomly generated statistics."

do your research.... From the NDP Market Research - http://www.betanews.com/joewilcox/article/Apple-has-91-of-market-for-1000-PCs-says-NPD/1248313624

1/28/2010 6:14:06 PM

^hey fucktard, i posted that over a month ago, do YOUR research. Also, thats not even the statistic I was referencing.

1/28/2010 6:24:17 PM

Quote :

"You missed the point. We have had "do everything" devices for 10+ years. There are lots of "one man band" sideshows on street corners, but a band with distinct members always produces better music. Doing everything != doing everything well. And features != experience. The Droid doesn't do anything well,"

this is all opinion, while i agree with the logic behind this i don't think it's 100% true. since when do people buy cell phones solely because they are the best at making phone calls? they don't. they buy phones based on features, cool factor, how it looks, how good the phone carrier is, etc. heck, if it doesn't sync with email i know people that wouldn't buy a phone solely because of that. i'd argue true camera geeks buy cameras based on how well it takes pictures and ALWAYS have done that, to professional photographers, i think GPS tagging & HD video are features they can live without if it means buying a camera that's better at taking pictures. i think it entirely depends on the individual and the usage.

and while the trend has happened over the last X amount of years, i don't see it's a trend that's going to stop, nobody wants more devices after waiting so long for devices that do it all.

Quote :

"and today's consumer would rather buy two devices that are fun to use and have less functionality, than buying one device that can do more than they want with a lot of effort."

this is based on education (of technology) and preference. i for one do not find carrying multiple devices "fun" certainly if they lack functionality.

[Edited on January 28, 2010 at 6:34 PM. Reason : ,]

1/28/2010 6:24:35 PM