IPad opinions?

[serfty]

... The iPad is portable computer with a large screen and great battery performance. ...

When compared with other portable apple products ...

 

[Gunsh0tglitt3r]

This may be true..

But, unlike the ipad/pod/phone, I like the fact that my MacBook was probably one of the last products to be released with a battery I am capable of removing myself..

Smart marketing idea.. Your break open you device because you have battery problems etc and waive your warranty..

Or.. you continue to give money to apple even after the product is purchased because you can no longer get to the battery yourself..

And hey, if my battery dies.. I can always charge a backup and place it in the back myself.. rather than plugging in an extender.

 

[Mal]

Does the iPad (With sim card) receive and send sms? Surely it would have to (ie top up data notifications), but it wouldn't be unlike Apple to leave out such functionality...

 

[Mal]

It will do anything a developer cares to design software to do, only one of which is displaying books.

Or rather:

Anything Apple allows a developer to do, and a developer does...

 

[oz_mark]

you need to have a bit more imagination. The iPad is portable computer with a large screen and great battery performance. It will do anything a developer cares to design software to do, only one of which is displaying books.

You probably found that the utilities that shipped with your PC didn't exactly meet your requirements, so installed other software packages to do whatever you like to do with your computer. An iPad is just the same.

Unless you want to use certain Adobe products.

 

[samh004]

Smart marketing idea.. Your break open you device because you have battery problems etc and waive your warranty..

Or.. you continue to give money to apple even after the product is purchased because you can no longer get to the battery yourself..

And hey, if my battery dies.. I can always charge a backup and place it in the back myself.. rather than plugging in an extender.

The last battery problems were swelling of the batteries and Apple replaced those batteries in an extended warranty program. If you have battery problems, take it to Apple.

If your battery eventually uses all its cycles and needs to be replaced, the only place you can get a spare is from Apple anyway, and the price of a replacement battery in non-removable devices is the same as for older devices. In the case of the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, it’s quite cheap.

If you’re using your iDevice for longer than 10 hours, which most of the batteries are rated roughly to, then you should look for a powerpoint anyway.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Love Mac products.. and own quite a few. But.. an Ipad? Firstly.. Bad, bad name choice.
Secondly.. ****ing useless.

Not true. Had mine since 9th April bought in NYC. Portable DVD( with films ripped to i Tunes) , photo frame, super fast web browsing ( on it now). Great apps BBC News, iBooks numerous others. Keeps little shreks amused on car trips. Wicked for playing bejeweled blitz. Syncs perfectly with iMac and iphone.
Looks amazing. I have the incase black folio case which doubles as a stand.
Truly a great piece of kit

 

[simongr]

And the price of the Ipad has absolutely no bearing on the product or its functionality at all, just like everything else that wears the Apple logo or any product for that matter.

I think you missed my point. I was not saying that because it is expensive it is good or has good functionality. MY implication was that I would not want to waste money if it was useless.

But, to clarify..

I think the Ipad is "****ing useless" because I have absolutely no use for it.
What this product provides I am quite capable and content in performing on my MacBook/Ipod/Iphone, which by the way, individually equal or exceed the cost of the Ipad.. which, in my opinion doesn't perform any task that these other three products are not capable of.

Ithink you have porved why I will find this useful: it will do most of the things that my iPhone, iPod and laptop currently can do - except I only have to carry one device. A day trip to MEL for meetings will now only require the ipad for note taking, reviewing documents and checking email. A lot less to carry on the flight.

 

[dk4]

I know that Apple users generally covet FORM over FUNCTION, but imagine a touch tablet PC that –

• Has a built in web cam
• Integrated USB
• Uses a true operating system, one which allows you to run an almost endless variety of full programs just like your desktop PC, not just phone type "apps".
• Can multi-task
• Supports Adobe Flash in all its glory, including Hulu when you surf via a US proxy or even Australian streaming TV stations.
• Enables you to play media using WMP, or run any other Windows OS based player (direct from file not just through iTunes).
• Removable/exchangeable double-life battery (10hours, third party brand) available next week.
• Base model has 60GB storage. (HDD)
• Stereo built in speakers
• Standard DC-in jack
• Stylus with an easy access storage slot

So, here I am stuck with all these extras, over what the Applet Tablet has to offer! (And for around the same price at overseas outlets.)

Of course, there are some downsides to my Archos9 - which comes with Windows Starter (so no fancy tablet functionality with that OS, but it is upgradable) and the screen is slightly smaller (but this means that the left/right mouse buttons & optical track pad are pefectly positioned & balanced for two thumb operation, if I don't want to use the touch screen) plus it weights a bit more than the Applet Tablet

So next time you see someone wirelessly connected in an airline lounge to - monitor emails, watch a Flash presentation & take a VOIP call (using a directly connected USB headset) all while they've got their DivX film on SD card paused via their USB card reader... from a tablet PC, you can share a silent chuckle with me too. (I am happy in the knowledge that my tablet manufacturer wanted to provide me with good compromise, not ensure that I would also have to buy a phone and a portable computer from them as well! )

 

[simongr]

Umm - half of that stuff can be done on an iPad.

It already multitasks and will have full multitasking later in the year
I can use skype to VOIP and use my regular headphones that I use for my iPhone so no need for a bulky usb headset.

What is the real difference between using iTunes player and Windows media player direct from file? I drag ompatible files direct from finder onto the iphone when connected to itunes.

Why on earth would I want to run Windows applications when I run OSX on my computers at home? I moved away from Windows for a reason. Why also do I want to run a desktop style OS on a device that is not a desktop computer.

Why do I need a stylus for an OS that isn't stylus based? It's like saying "Look I have a tablet here that has fish slice - does your apple device have one?"

Why do I need a third party removable battery that has 10 hours life when I have a battery with a 10 hour life?

A standard DC in jack? Are you referring to the power lead? How is that a benefit? I will now only take one power lead to charge my iPhone and my iPad.

I also don't really want to be watching movies from an SD card plugged into a USB SD card reader plugged into the side of the device? Doesnt seem like a very elegant solution.

I have flash disabled on all computers I use - web pages seem to be loading faster now.

samh004 made the point very clearly - why complain that your car isnt a boat?

I do agree that a webcam would have been brilliant and I am disappointed that OS 4.0 wont come until October.

If you want to try to imagine another scenario - I am working at home on a spreadsheet which I then publish to iwork.com to work on whilst I am travelling. In the car to the airport I review my flight details and tell the driver when I am coming back and then watch a movie of my little feller learning to walk that mrsimongr uploaded to me.com for me a surprise. I get to the airport and make some notes in evernote so I am set up for day's meetings. On board I watch TV show that I had lieing around. On arrival I check my email via webmail and keep working on that darned spreadsheet. I then have meetings all day and I take brief notes on the iPad during those meetings which are stored in evernote, or using omnigraffle or other omni products. Finally we start heading home and I catch up on personal email in the car going back to the airport. Whilst watching TV in the lounge I use skype to call my parents. Finally we board and I watch another TV show on the flight.

All this on one charge. Not once have I missed using flash, bemoaned my lack of USB or wished that I was using windows.

 

[Gunsh0tglitt3r]

I think you missed my point. I was not saying that because it is expensive it is good or has good functionality. MY implication was that I would not want to waste money if it was useless.



Ithink you have porved why I will find this useful: it will do most of the things that my iPhone, iPod and laptop currently can do - except I only have to carry one device. A day trip to MEL for meetings will now only require the ipad for note taking, reviewing documents and checking email. A lot less to carry on the flight.

Well, see I can understand that. And if it makes your day a little easier, I'm all for that!

It's just something that I don't need, or feel a need for right now!

But I certainly wouldn't buy it to play a game of Bejeweled..

Oh, and Sam, you can buy third party batteries..

Glad my opinion stirred up some Apple emotion amongst you all, and got you all posting.. haha.

 

[samh004]

I know that Apple users generally covet FORM over FUNCTION, but imagine a touch tablet PC that –

Very good points… I think HP had a device, oh wait, they canned it, and Microsoft had a very promising device too… ohh but they canned that too. Seems kind of odd that the competitors build these devices, then work out they can’t make them work and have to can them before they even go on sale.

As for having to buy multiple devices, it’s not necessary, but I hardly see why you’d want your iPad to be an iPhone, can you imagine pulling it out of a pocket and holding it to the side of your face? And how about the other way around, how many documents do you want to try and edit on an iPhone. The reason Apple makes multiple products is because they don’t try and fit every function under the sun into the wrong device.

You have an iPhone for… not surprisingly, making phone calls, primarily. You have an iPad for… supposedly books, but you can’t complain editing documents or watching a movie on it wont be good, and you have a computer for managing both devices, and storing your vast music, photo and video collection that you simply CANNOT fit on a flash-based device, unless you seriously expect people to pay $10,000 for 512GB or 1TB of flash storage!!

I have 120GB of music, 20GB photos, and about 15GB movies, a real computer is needed for their storage, and backup, not one device that could be lost so easily it’s not funny.

And if someone was having a VOIP call in a lounge I’d be a little upset, last time that happened the American woman could have been using a megaphone so everyone in the airport could hear her conversation.

Are you trolling?

Oh, and Sam, you can buy third party batteries..

Wouldn’t that void the warranty? For a $50 saving or so, on a couple thousand dollar computer… I think I’ll buy genuine.

 

[albatross710]

You have an iPhone for… not surprisingly, making phone calls, primarily. You have an iPad for… supposedly books, but you can’t complain editing documents or watching a movie

Actually I installed the Skype iPhone app on the iPad. Works just fine as a telephone. Also has been used as an adhoc base station for a teleconference with three of us in the one office with the iPad as the centre point.

One point to note though was that we couldn't join other parties to the call via the iPhone app, had to get the other party (with the Skype desktop app) to join us all together.

 

[samh004]

Actually I installed the Skype iPhone app on the iPad. Works just fine as a telephone. Also has been used as an adhoc base station for a teleconference with three of us in the one office with the iPad as the centre point.

One point to note though was that we couldn't join other parties to the call via the iPhone app, had to get the other party (with the Skype desktop app) to join us all together.

But you wouldn’t use it primarily as a phone, and using Skype on it walking down the street might look and feel a little strange huh

 

[ozscot]

If anyone's interested in VOIP either for their iPad or iPhone I would recommend Acrobit's SIP Softphone. It connects to any standard SIP provider, supports multiple accounts, decent codecs, works over 3G and is updated frequently. I have it configured as a mobile office extension on our Asterisk server and it works great.

Acrobits Softphone - the leading SIP VoIP phone for the iPhone and iPod Touch | Acrobits.cz

On the mac there's also a great little app called LoudHush. It's IAX as opposed to SIP so it won't work with some cheaper providers but if you run your own Asterisk server you'll know what that means. I find IAX works better than SIP whilst travelling as it's less likely to be blocked. I've not been able to find a good IAX client for an iPhone that's not been jail broken though.

Modulo Consulting: Echipamente hardware VoIP - placi telefonice, adaptoare si telefoane IP

Cheers,
Steve.

 

[Gunsh0tglitt3r]

Wouldn’t that void the warranty? For a $50 saving or so, on a couple thousand dollar computer… I think I’ll buy genuine.

Perhaps, if you were to get a third party battery for the iphone/pad/pod..

But I was referring to a replacable battery in a laptop..

One I can remove myself, and not one inbuilt that actually requires an authorised Apple repairer to have the device.

Apple wouldn't even know if I were to interchange between an Apple battery or third party supplied battery.

I wouldn't use a TP battery in the other devices, but just for an extra, throw in my backpack battery for the laptop.. Don't really care where it came from.

 

[samh004]

For a company that makes everything themselves, or at least designs the software to match the hardware perfectly, you don’t think the battery is also designed to work a certain way with the computer? And a TP battery might work differently or not as well?

I’m quite happy they’re not interchangeable anymore, better battery life and I wont have to bring a coin with me anymore to get the thing out for security screening, although that has happened a lot less.

I guess the thing is, would you still buy an Apple laptop even if the battery wasn’t interchangeable?

 

[simongr]

Interesting info on the release of the new Spirit jailbreak - seems very simple. This might be a decision maker for to get a wifi only ipad.

 

[SBOB]

anyone rushed to JB their ipad today?

 

[medhead]

Well i've only read a little bit of this thread and it hasn't changed my opinion. What can an ipad do that my iphone and laptop can't do? Nothing from what i can see, except maybe cheaper. it's not lighter than other laptops. It isn't any more powerful. A laptop can download content from the web, if i want to pay for the data. A laptop can also probably download from my home server on of the box. Which I'm not sure an ipad can do, judging by the iphone.

Besides, the macbook pros were recently updated and i hopefully pick up mine this week.