Misc. Apple Hardware chat

[Geo]

Apple's own site has a nice spread now:
http://www.apple.com/ipad/

I'm more excited to some extent about the data plans ($14.99 250MB, $29.99 unlimited) simply cause I don't hardly ever use my cell phone for calls, which is why I got an iPod Touch. All the iPhone calling/data packages made me aghast in terms of annual costs. So it's just about what I'd want.

I could maybe even see getting one for my mom, along with the keyboard dock. She's computer-phobic, won't pay what cable charges for broadband Internet (she pays something $12.99 for dial-up that she hardly ever uses), etc.

But she loves fiddling with my iPod Touch, and needs little instruction on how to use it. I guess though she'd want to be able to print stuff, and I'd want to know more about that. I think that's the best compliment I can pay my Touch - I hand it to friends, co-workers etc. and it's like they just know how to use it even if they never handled one or an iPhone before.  

I think it's really what I wanted my Asus netbook to be, but ultimately I found my netbook sluggish, klutzy to use, and it's ended up gathering dust.

And hey, my birthday's in late April, which is right when the 3G models are scheduled to ship. 

[splusmer]

Oh, the "picture stand" dock is actually mainly a protective case that unfolds to be a stand.  Also, Bluetooth keyboards work with the device.

I wonder if cutting out things like cameras, HD tuners, multitasking, etc. is what keeps the thing under $1000 but still gives Apple the profit they like to get from their hardware sales.

[Geo]

Oh, the "picture stand" dock is actually mainly a protective case that unfolds to be a stand.  Also, Bluetooth keyboards work with the device.

I wonder if cutting out things like cameras, HD tuners, multitasking, etc. is what keeps the thing under $1000 but still gives Apple the profit they like to get from their hardware sales.

The Palm Pre's multitasking apparently really eviscerate's the phone's battery life. So a lot of pundits think that's the issue that keeps Apple from trying to introduce multitasking to the iPhone and presumably the iPad. Though a lot of folks think they should add the feature and just not turn it on by default. Maybe have a disclaimer that "Turning this feature on will greatly reduce battery life. Are you sure you want to do this?"

I think they really want the consumer market to embrace this and aren't really interested in webconferencing, business-use things that the hard core techno set are focusing on. Maybe there's room for a third party to introduce some sort of add-on camera for conferencing.

Clearly we're not going to use this size device as a casual camera (like an iPhone). I would however, have jumped on a new Touch model that had a camera. Guess it isn't happening.  

There was much rumoring about an Apple-Verizon deal of some sort being announced today, and it does seem clear Verizon's getting the iPhone at some point, though just when seems to keep changing.

[aRGee]

As tablets, for the most part, have had problems breaking in to the mainstream I wonder if this will be more of a geek toy and a narrow market of professionals that need something like this to work on?
Of course Apple proved a lot of people wrong with the I-Phone.

[Geo]

As tablets, for the most part, have had problems breaking in to the mainstream I wonder if this will be more of a geek toy and a narrow market of professionals that need something like this to work on?
Of course Apple proved a lot of people wrong with the I-Phone.

As I have some money saved up, I'm going to buy a bunch and give them away to everyone at the pub like candy!!!! *
* _{Legal Disclaimer: I'm kidding... Sorry..}. 

I think you hit the nail on the head and pinned the tail on the donkey. The pricing and the relatively affordable data price points suggest they really want to draw in the mainstream audience and create a new category, so soon you'll be given one when you order at Panera along with your pager.* 

[splusmer]

I think a web cam would've been tremendously popular with the consumer market--give one of these to granny so she could "chat" with the grandkids?  Turn it on, hit the Skype (or whatever app) "button", and "Call grandkids"--She'd love it.  Skype app alone would work, but only for sound--no camera, no video Skype calls.  Okay, maybe an aftermarket web cam add-on, but we know how well those go over (unless Apple puts out their own), and maybe webcam usage would also kill the battery.

Good point on multitasking and battery--even push notifications on the iPhone can apparently impact battery life.

[Geo]

Mind you, I don't know anything.  :)At another forum I visit, someone speculated Apple's probably working with its CPU partner on something that could do multitasking without hurting battery life too much.

To some extent, it really doesn't matter what the hard-core set thinks about it. As much as people make fun of "Apple fanbois," I kind of get tired at some places of the "Apple-bashing" set too. I'm somewhere in between, I try not to get into company/platform bashing. I'm quite content to be a 19-year PC veteran, but I love my Touch and I think I'd be game for the iPad but it's certainly nothing that I need.

I mean, I thought I'd use my Acer netbook to surf while watching TV. But in the end, I like to sit at my computer desk to play games and do computer stuff. I like to sit on my couch to watch TV. I don't really mix the two, which is sort of what the iPad seems to want to do.

I do think the size and thinness would make it much more useful to me as something to take on travel, but I really only travel for work twice a year (once for a 3-day conference, and once for a site-visit to write an article).

I still hold out hope some day they'll invent something that's as small as an iPhone/Touch normally, but that somehow telescopes or projects to something the size of the iPad. THEN I think you have something. 

[Geo]

Oh, one thing I've learned from watching the iPad videos at Apple's site. Some people -- I absolutely include myself -- should NOT be filmed in HD closeup for videos. Unless they're wearing pancake thick make-up. *shudders* I have my own skin problems to deal with but one of the Apple execs seems to have many growths and warts on his face (presumably benign) and for pete's sake, the HD close ups just aren't something the guy should be subjected to imho. 

[irata]

Hee, I will get one, and fiddle with it while I'm playing "Star Trek Online" ... I can pretend a pretty blonde Yeoman just handed me a PADD. 

I was thinking the other day of how the iPhone was like "global" communication device in "Eath Final Conflict".  I guess the iPad is the equivalent of Star Trek's PADD.

[splusmer]

Heh... Except that it doesn't work with a stylus! 

[splusmer]

Thought more about this overnight, and I'm coming to the conclusion that I'm underwhelmed.  Is the iPad "magical" and "revolutionary"?  To my mind, no--it's an iPod Touch writ large.  Would I *like* one?  Sure--I use my iPhone a lot these days to do lazy couch interneting, and a bigger screen would be nice.  Do I *want* one (as in, would I go out and buy one myself)?  Yesterday, maybe; today, no.  Do I need one?  Definitely not.

I think the editors/staff at Engadget summed up a lot of my thoughts:  http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/editorial-engadget-on-the-ipad/

Now, some "killer apps" we just can't anticipate right now could change my mind, but in general I think I'm going to wait to see what big announcement we see this time next year, or in the summer next year--will iPad 2.0 really bring the platform into its own?  (I just think about the original iPhone which did not work even on a 3G network--what a step up the next model was!)

[aRGee]

"The I-PAD by Tampex (or Apple?). Its small, lightweight and slim."

I cannot claim that line BTW. Some women are saying it looks like Apple has no females on their marketing team otherwise they would have come up with a better name.  

[splusmer]

Heh... Except that it doesn't work with a stylus! 

Oh--I'm thinking of ST: TOS here!  I guess the ST: TNG PADD didn't use a stylus, did it?

[Geo]

I found the whole Pad-tampon etc. humor thing underwhelming all over the web. Is the whole Internet 13 years old?   Yeesh, reminded me of all the Wii "wee and pee" jokes and then Nintendo laughing all the way to the bank. I'm sure "iSlate" would've brought up Flintstones and geology jokes. Maybe iTablet (I doubt Apple would use a two-syllable title) would've brought up pharmaceutical jokes.

Having a night to think about it myself, I too would like one but I don't particularly need one. Certainly I can see it being fun to use to surf or watch a movie in bed or on a couch or on a plane (I thought my netbook would serve for some of those things but it really doesn't). But then why are they pushing iWork so hard as a "killer app"? What worker bees are really going to need a tablet device w/ no real keyboard?

If they're going to push millions of these babies into folks' hands for $500-$700+ plus $15-$30 a month in monthly access fees in the middle of a still horrible recession and double digit unemployment rates in many states, Apple needs to convince people they need it, imho.

And one does get the impression that the iPhone has taken over Apple's whole design philosophy. Maybe they'll just do away with laptops/computers altogether and just make giant touchscreen tablets that have no keyboards at all? The funny thing is, a few years ago pundits worried that Apple would become "iPod everything" and everything would have iPod shuttle dials and nesting menus.   And I guess now the perception/concern is that Apple's "stuck" on the iPhone UI/design (a great UI/design imho, but maybe not necessarily one to apply to everything) and can't seem to think beyond it anymore.

A couple patent tidbits I'd read there and there -- that Apple was trying to develop a built in "facial recognition" feature in the iPad (w/o a camera, I don't know how that could work), or that it had some Wii-like "motion sensing" features -- might've been the killer "something unique/new/whatever" that could have at least made it seem more deserving of the "magical" description.

[splusmer]

BTW, in the new SDK released yesterday the "simulator", when switched to iPad mode, does include mentions of taking a picture; whether it was just left in as part of the iPhone OS simulation or if it was originally designed as part of the iPad spec (or is looking to the future?) is unclear.

I should try getting the SDX just so I can fool around with the simulator in iPad mode.

[aRGee]

For books does it use its backlit screen or more like a Kindle that does not and is easier on the eyes IMO.

[Geo]

On the display, I found this PC World description helpful:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/187870/ipad_specs_what_apple_announced_and_what_we_still_dont_know.html

It's particularly interesting that Apple is going with IPS (in-plane switching) technology. These are usually found in higher-end desktop monitors because they provide better color reproduction and wider viewing angles. Nearly all notebooks use TN (twisted nematic) panels, which are generally considered inferior. Resolution is 1024x768 - not quite as wide as 720p video (1280 pixels) but a little taller (720 pixels).

I think it's fair to ask whether having this fire electrons (or whatever) at your eyeballs for lengthy periods of time is as easy on your vision as the various e-book reader display technologies.

Laptop Magazine has a kinder impressions piece (and some videos of the Need for Speed racer and Nova shooter titles running on it)
First Hands-On with Apple iPad: Slick and Fun, But No Netbook Killer
http://blog.laptopmag.com/first-hands-on-with-apple-ipad-slick-and-fun-but-no-netbook-killer

Overall, the iPad is easily one of the best tablet computers yet, with a great multitouch interface, speedy performance, long endurance, and a fun gaming experience. We also think it’s a strong Kindle alternative for those who want an eReader with more versatility. However, a low-cost netbook can do a lot more than the iPad, including multitasking and video calls, and they offer a better text input experience. Do I want one? Yes. Would I be willing to shell out $499 or more? I’ll wait to make that call until we get one  in for a full review.

[Geo]

Macworld's editors got take an iPad for a bit of a whirl at the show:

Hands on with the iPad
http://www.macworld.com/article/145988/2010/01/ipad_hands_on.html?lsrc=top_1
A few tidbits:

Now, a bit more about that screen. It’s based on tried-and-true LCD technology, backlit by an LED and using IPS display technology—in other words, it’s basically the same kind of screen that’s in the current iMac line. By using an LED backlight, Apple is able to make the iPad screen quite bright, and the IPS technology means that the screen has an extremely wide viewing angle.

While the larger size of the keyboard seems promising, the layout is still slightly smaller than a MacBook’s full-size keyboard. It felt a bit cramped, like a keyboard that you might find on one of the netbooks Steve Jobs seems to dislike so much. 

[aRGee]

SNL Weekend update:


"This week Apple showed a new thing that does the same things its old things already do."

[splusmer]

New Macbook Pros based on i5 and i7 processors, plus other stuff.

Right now the only reason I'd ever consider using one is to try my hand at iPhone/iPad development (I'm signed up on the dev program), but that'd only be if someone gave me one!  For now I can try using my wife's little Macbook (especially if I hook it up to the external monitor) if I really want to give it all a whirl.  (I would, someday, consider buying one of the iMacs, but not a Macbook Pro).