So what happens when you want to view a webpage with flash?
how will that make you feel after spending all that money on it and not be able to view simple flash video on a site?
Sure, netbooks unfold, but why is that a big deal? I can place it on my lap laying down and angle the screen to my eyes. You can't do that with this.
You can't hold a netbook just by the screen with any comfort, and read it like you would a magazine, which is far more comfortable than laying down with my laptop on my lap, which always gives me neck ache and hurts my eyes. That's my whole point with the folding mechanism of netbooks/laptop.
With the whole no flash video thing, what happens is the same as when I use my iTouch. Nothing. It doesn't bother me. At all.
Generally, the only videos I watch on my iTouch are podcast videos from TED, which doesn't happen often. It might be a dealbreaker for you, but I generally don't use it for watching streamed video content.
I don't understand how anyone can possibly get this furious over a computer product. Enraged? Really? What's your response when something legitimately bad happens? Can't crank it to 11 all the time.
I think it's not so much enraged at the product... moreso the brainwashed consumer whorism machine that is apple fandom. We, as prudent consumers look at this frivolous product and wonder how much bullshit marketing is apple going to shove down our throats to cover their massive insecurity over the integrity of their own product in their own snobbish little way, while at the same time having to deal with the brainwashed fandom saying this thing is the most awesomest thing since sliced bread.... which according to them apple ALSO happened to invent.
You can't hold a netbook just by the screen with any comfort, and read it like you would a magazine, which is far more comfortable than laying down with my laptop on my lap, which always gives me neck ache and hurts my eyes. That's my whole point with the folding mechanism of netbooks/laptop.
With the whole no flash video thing, what happens is the same as when I use my iTouch. Nothing. It doesn't bother me. At all.
Generally, the only videos I watch on my iTouch are podcast videos from TED, which doesn't happen often. It might be a dealbreaker for you, but I generally don't use it for watching streamed video content.
hmm, well then I suppose you're in the minority then.
There's lots going for this. And rather than argue each point individually - because it does all of these things as one accessory - I'll try and argue it for what it is and what it does.
Also, I lol'd at the ragers in this thread, so thank you.
Gaming platform (<--biggest feature, IMO)
Better way to watch video than iphone/smartphones in general when you're traveling.
E-reader (now is a great time to buy a Kindle, if you were interested)
Great for presentation. My wife's a wedding planner and could totally use this with her clients
Possibly a sketch pad
Fancy note taker for meetings
Built in 3G, for a cost. Not many notebooks have this feature.
Oh, and it increases your dick size by 1" just for purchasing one. True story.
Am I getting one? No. I don't need one and its a first generation. And to be fair, the Courier interests me more for what I'd want one of these for (sketchpad, notes, doodles, camera). Not to mention that fathoming how anyone at Apple - especially Jonathan "Capt. Pretentious" Ive - could image that people wouldn't *need* multi-tasking on a computer like this, just boggles the mind to the point that it really makes me want to skip this one.
So to recap: Awesome little device. Incredibly naive feature misses. Lots of potential for future iterations. Bring on the Courier.
I love all the apple anger. Whats not to like about a new tech product, with a few innovations that markets itself to the mainstream and pushes gaming, and general tech toys into the hands of more people. If you work in a tech or game related industry every new product from every company eventually trickles down to more work.
hmm, well then I suppose you're in the minority then.
Well, I'm not an early adopter. I just see that there is a use and place for these - The use I get out of my iPod Touch really makes me wish it had a bigger screen :P That's all.
I'll probably pick one up when it hits the next gen iteration, and have the disposable cash to spare.
I don't get why people are complaining about it, though. If they don't like it, they shouldn't buy it. Complaining about it on a game art forum isn't going to make apple see the error of it's ways in not making a product targetted at the videogame creation market.
I love all the apple anger. Whats not to like about a new tech product, with a few innovations that markets itself to the mainstream and pushes gaming, and general tech toys into the hands of more people. If you work in a tech or game related industry every new product from every company eventually trickles down to more work.
wonder who is goign to have the first unreal engined game on this.
I hope your right. I hope that most developers don't have iphone fatuge. There was a huge gold rush in the beginning but it flooded the market. With so many apps being so cheap its pretty hard to make money off of the app store, or so I hear. They are attempting to create a new cash grab with the new SDK, or so the infomercial says.
saw this on Boingboing, it describes Apple's approach to products:
"ask why most consumers buy them, then aim at that restricted set of needs without much regard to what tech fans consider important"
I recently purchased a Netbook and a friend said "why don't you get a iPhone or iPod touch?" and my answer was because it's too small.
Looks like exactly what I've wanted for a few years: a small portable NON-laptop device to have around with me, run some small apps on, have a dash of music, make some notes and read pdfs on (I still prefer real books in dead tree format). Stuff I was doing with my iPhone but more as well. Price hits me at just about right.
Flash? good riddance for a lot of sites. Boggy junk a lot of times. I just love waiting an extra 20 seconds while the page loads to view something that could have easily been done with just HTML and CSS.
I honestly did not miss it on my iPhone.
Gaming, eh... there were some okay games on the iPhone/Touch. Gaming is a tertiary priority as far as I'm concerned.
This is, for me, the perfect in-between.
If you want a full featured portable computer to draw on, do 3d with or other high end stuff, get a laptop or Cintiq. SRSLY
I don't hate the new product at all. It just has absolutely nothing I need or don't already have. It's almost pointless for someone that already has a pc and iphone .
The Brushes App is appealing, would have been instant buy no matter what if it supported a wacom pen and pressure sensitivity, and I look forward to the RTS games on it.. but besides that.. uhhh. maybe for netflix in bed.
Flash? good riddance for a lot of sites. Boggy junk a lot of times. I just love waiting an extra 20 seconds while the page loads to view something that could have easily been done with just HTML and CSS.
but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about just going to a site that has flash video. Like cnet or thatguywiththeglasses or even just hulu.
These are all casual reading sites that also happen to have video on them. I have personally never been a fan of sites constructed out of flash, but i can't deny it's importance in video entertainment.
I for one know that this is not for me. I guess I just get bugged by the hype machine. They announce it, it's clearly lacking in features, the price tag is outrageous for what it's supposed to be and for what it can't do.
Although, I'm excited over the fact that this will spur other manufacturers to think, 'we can make something better than this.'
its funny to see how everybody seems disappointed, even tho everybody was expecting just that - an oversized ipod.
For artists, tablet pcs still rule ...
HOWEVER!!! I would LOVE to use an ipad connected to a host PC, to use it as a shortcut/icon/brush holder. Ipod touch can do that already so I keep my hope high for third party devs.
i have been beta testing flash mobile on my g1 and seems to work okay, this is also going to be on the iphone so why wouldn't you expect to see it on the ipad?
i have been beta testing flash mobile on my g1 and seems to work okay, this is also going to be on the iphone so why wouldn't you expect to see it on the ipad?
my disappointment and frustration is for every time a gimmicky fluff piece like this comes along, that's as much time, money, effort and resources removed from the world for developing truly useful, high end products for high end users
i could give two shits for joe public having a play with the latest toy. i'm fucking starving for tools
That's capitalism. Selling a million toys to Joe Public beats selling a hundred thousand tools to high-end users. Once upon a time, Apple actually was a high-end computer company, but these days most people's experiences with Apple are with music or phones. Those things made them a $50 billion company, so I don't think we should expect anything different from them.
i have been beta testing flash mobile on my g1 and seems to work okay, this is also going to be on the iphone so why wouldn't you expect to see it on the ipad?
From what i've heard, even if adobe wanted to put flash on the iphone, apple wont let them. Unless something has changed recently, I'm not totally sure.
i have been beta testing flash mobile on my g1 and seems to work okay, this is also going to be on the iphone so why wouldn't you expect to see it on the ipad?
It doesn't have Flash support. That's a restriction in the version of Safari that runs on the iPhone OS.
Initially, the claim was that Flash apps on the web are often so poorly built that they could lock-up or crash Safari on the iPhone, due to it's relatively small CPU. Maybe that was true with the first-gen, but it's certainly crap with the 3GS and more so with the iPad. It's really all about controlling the App Store, where Apple makes most of their money. Look at the vast majority of non-game apps they have for sale and even the 2D games - by and large, you could build most of them in Flash and deliver them via the web cheaper than Apple lets you have them for, maybe even free. Devs wouldn't have to deal with Apple's inane validation process, nor split the profits. Great for the devs, not for Apple.
I work at a design studio that is almost 100% Flash/interactive, and we dance around this all the time. It's to the point that we actually have programmers on staff now dedicated to mobile programming, just so we can reach Apple markets. Huge pain in the ass, but the cost of doing business with the boys in Cupertino. I don't think that will change until Apple finds a way to intercept Flash apps on the web and allow only approved content through.
I think it's not so much enraged at the product... moreso the brainwashed consumer whorism machine that is apple fandom. We, as prudent consumers look at this frivolous product and wonder how much bullshit marketing is apple going to shove down our throats to cover their massive insecurity over the integrity of their own product in their own snobbish little way, while at the same time having to deal with the brainwashed fandom saying this thing is the most awesomest thing since sliced bread.... which according to them apple ALSO happened to invent.
Well, I agree that Apple fandom is pretty awful. That's pretty much true of any geek fandom, though, whether it's Xbox vs. PS or even our own occasional Max vs. Maya thread. At some point, someone makes a bloody fucking jihad about it and things go to shit. With Apple stuff, it's particularly bad, no argument there.
On the other hand, though, I don't think anyone can deny that Apple has been hugely successful this past decade because they've made great products. They totally owned portable music players with the iPod. They made the first really successful online media store with iTunes. They damn near reinvented everyone's expectations about smartphones with the iPhone. It's a good track record. I don't see what they have to be insecure about when they're gaining market share and raking in huge piles of cash.
If their marketing department annoys you, well... it's marketing, yeah? Bullshit comes with the territory. I don't find it much more irritating than the crap that MS or Sony peddle with each generation of gaming console, etc. I work in advertising, though, so maybe I'm more immune to that stuff.
You know vermillion, the thing is Apple products aren't always that great. Take the iPod for example, there are dozens of players that do better than it in every, I repeat, EVERY aspect. I think it's more that they have a really good marketing department, heck, after watching their iPad video I almost believed it to be sort of usefull, until I managed to think clearly again and snap out of it. Most people aren't able to do that though.
edit: that's why I like that Courier video more. It doesn't have fancy, hip employees in front of white backgrounds telling you how great the product is, it's just an illustration of how the device really serves a usefull purpose in daily life. No fluff, just straight and honest.
One of the biggest things here IMHO is the multi-touch interface. No netbook or even tablet PC can do that, it's a lot more natural way of control then either a touchpad or a stylus/pen.
It's also looking like a nice piece of hardware on its own, although the memory is limited (are they gonna support any external data storage?)
But yeah, the closed platform and its consequences almost totally ruin it as it seems. Would love to see such a device with a somewhat different philosophy... but doesn't Apple have the entire multitouch interface patented?
I think it's not so much enraged at the product... moreso the brainwashed consumer whorism machine that is apple fandom. We, as prudent consumers look at this frivolous product and wonder how much bullshit marketing is apple going to shove down our throats to cover their massive insecurity over the integrity of their own product in their own snobbish little way, while at the same time having to deal with the brainwashed fandom saying this thing is the most awesomest thing since sliced bread.... which according to them apple ALSO happened to invent.
Try owning Apple products because you actually like them and they fit your life style.
Hearing all the uppity nay-sayers on their soapboxes that havent used an Apple product since 1997 is pretty equal in obnoxiousness.
agree with snemmy... people can bitch and whine about apple as much as they want, it's hard to argue with how completely they destroy their competition. If the ipod is such a shitty product, why do so many people keep buying them? Yes, apple makes douchey condescending commercials. But come on, admit it, their design sense is spot on. That ipod click wheel thing is genius (yes, it gets buggy and breaks sometimes. Unlike every other piece of electronic equipment, right?).
Believe it or not, not everyone out there is a digital artist and a hardcore gamer, and they don't have the same requirements as you when it comes to computers. Try and bear this in mind when you rage on apple about a product they designed for the masses.
I'm with the rest of the 'eh' people here. Doesn't look like it does anything I need it to better than the stuff I already have.
I'm wondering how much impact this thing is going to have on the market. I'm sure the die-hard Apple fans will run screaming for one, along with the trust fund hipsters that have disposable income, but I think it's positioned poorly for the pragmatic consumer, especially given what it does and what it costs. It's sandwiched in between the holidays when everyone got their new laptops and IPhones, and the release of several comparable offerings (like the Courier). The only reason the IPhone has done as well as it did was because it came along at a time when smartphones were stagnant and did it better than anyone else without serious competition. If something like the Droid had been released 6mo after the IPhone, I don't think we'd see the market share it has now. I'm guessing this would be much more dominant if they'd managed to push it out before x-mas.
Only time will tell, but if MS gets the Courier out in a timely fashion, I wouldn't count on this being the mass market development platform the IPhone was for games or anything else.
Yeah I agree most of the Apple bashers have never owned an apple product before beyond maybe a computer. I used to do the same thing until I became the owner of an Ipod touch and could clearly understand what all the hype was over. Then to imagine this could be a phone with internet anywhere? So I got an iphone.
It doesn't seem fair to really call out and say this thing will flop or isn't useful when this pretty much mirrors what an iphone does with bigger screen at practically the same cost. 33 million iphones have been sold.
Yeah Apple's marketing is their own flavor but really you must look past that and realize they are innovating very well.
If the ipod is such a shitty product, why do so many people keep buying them?
That was pretty much my point when I was arguing why Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen was the best movie of the year. People kept coming at me that it sold itself to the lowest common denominator; that the marketing was such a way that it presented style over substance; that under all the shiny was nothing more than fart jokes and explosions.
Well, 402 million dollars at the box office later, it clearly was the best movie of 2009.
Well, 402 million dollars at the box office later, it clearly was the best movie of 2009.
well, since the movie was made solely to make money and show robots exploding, I'd say it was a damn well made product, and it did what it was supposed to do extremely well.
*yawn*
sure i bet it's cool'n'hip and goes well together with a latte macciato, but it ain't replace my netbook. mostly because it doesn't topple over like a table does when I put it on the tiny tray of an airplane seat when I want to watch movies....did I mention it runs maya and max too? not good for serious work, but for testing some scripts'n'stuff it's neat. I think as ceapo on-the go device an EeePC might still be the better, yet not quite as innovative, choice at the moment.
no fair, you need to include my edits in that quote. If you wanted substance, you should have bought another product.
Oh, and I will. though I think the tech for tablets isn't quite ready yet.
If anything, I'm happy that this will push other developers to get theirs out soon.
As far as the transformers comparison, it always bugs me when people say that it's a good product because a lot of people buy it. That statement falls apart on so many levels.
$500 is a great price, for the first time for an apple product.
But I don't really see what this product is for.
E-Reader? - Fails, short batter life, bad screen for long periods of reading, kindle has a better price and product Internet browser? - Decent for youtube and web browsing but the lack of flash support is lame, and why doesn't this have a web cam? Media? - Decent video player, nice large screen Apps/games? - Maybe some potential but no multitasking? really? Not very powerful, I think the zune have better graphics capabilities. Too big to compete with psp/ds Docs/work? - emailing and working with docs would be better suited with something with an actual keyboard
Artists perspective? - No stylist, no pressure? No multitasking? Only an okay resolution... I want a Courier like device.
You know vermillion, the thing is Apple products aren't always that great. Take the iPod for example, there are dozens of players that do better than it in every, I repeat, EVERY aspect. I think it's more that they have a really good marketing department, heck, after watching their iPad video I almost believed it to be sort of usefull, until I managed to think clearly again and snap out of it. Most people aren't able to do that though.
I can't speak to the current state of iPods, as I haven't bought one since 2006. But it's almost besides the point today - Apple took that ball and ran with it a decade ago. I remember having a Creative RIO back in 2001, with a shitty interface and 64mb of storage. That's the year Apple rolled out the first-gen iPod, with the first wheel button and insane 10gb of storage. Total revolution - iPod is the default name for music players these days, like Xerox or Kleenex for copiers and tissues. Takes more than good PR to do that.
I mentioned my perspective on the selling points of an iPad in an earlier post and stand by them. I'm pretty much immune to the marketing crap, but I can see a number of places in my own life where the iPad would be ideal. I'm a total web-junkie, I want a web browser with me at all times; I'm usually reading two novels at the same time and would like a quality ebook reader; I'm such a sports dork that I look up stats and read analysis while I'm watching games. For that kind of thing, as purely a high-quality, highly-mobile media browser, it hits the spot. Not for 16gb/$500, and not without a camera or multi-tasking, but I expect Apple will have to address those issues by summer 2011.
saw this on kotaku, made me chuckle:
"how will people in boston know if you're talking about an iPod or an iPad?"
:P
i am more excited of the future this presents instead of what it is now. With this object, and other tablets evolving, it could really be something "everyone has," that we use on subways, bars, parks, libraries (wut), cafes, etc, to utilize media and new communication tools. Publications, magazine and newspaper alike, could start paperless subscriptions and have the fully laid out & color magazines pipe to the device monthly.
My other side is saying: why isn't it cooler? I almost feel like its a societal insult to not read/show handwriting, something that as humans have done for millennia on "tablets," whether its stone, clay, papyrus, paper, glass, whatever. Keeping it touch based is within their design scheme of having no external pieces, but something like this screams for a stylus-like-object.
I keep a few moleskin booklets with me at all times; one for drawing, one lined one for taking notes in meetings and writing ideas, and a smaller one to take notes while shopping, make quick lists, draw ideas if im out somewhere or to take a phone number down. My iphone takes photos, surfs the web, is my GPS, calendar, universal map, keeps in contact with people, and i organize content and more notes/webclippings on it. If all those things could be combined into one tool, that also could recieve email....... it'd be the perfect device.
ie... if the Courier is ever made final, doesn't suck ass, and has a few more features.
$500 is a great price, for the first time for an apple product.
But I don't really see what this product is for.
E-Reader? - Fails, short batter life, bad screen for long periods of reading, kindle has a better price and product
I'm really curious to see how this pans out as an eBook reader. Lots of people mention battery life, but if it really can go a sustained 10 hours per charge, I'm fine with it. I'm not going to want to read 11 hours straight, and it's pretty rare for me to go a whole day without being near a power outlet.
About the screen being bad... where did that come from? No one has had time to read anything significant on an iPad yet, much less write a review of it. It's a full-color IPS screen, which is way more attractive than grayscale - you would get color magazine/newspapers on the iPad, and I can't wait to see some eBook comics make the market (crossing my fingers on that one!) I'll need to try it to see if I like it, and I don't see how anyone can already declare the Kindle's screen as inherently being better when it lacks such a core element...
The Kindle is certainly cheaper, but all it does is read books, so the price point is apples v. oranges in my mind. If you ONLY want an eBook reader, I guess the Kindle is appealing, but I'd rather have a multi-function device (whether it's an Apple product or not.)
Have you ever tried reading a kindle screen vs a computer screen? You can treat the kindle like you treat a book, and there's no need worry about batteries.
The iPad's been clocked up to 10 hours of continual use. I don't think that running an e-reader app will be straining resources enough to deviate all that much from that.
I could probably read for maybe 2 or 3 hours continually before I need a break to stare at something else :P
Better way to watch video than iphone/smartphones in general when you're traveling.
that's the thing I doubt most. It doesn't seem to have a stand or did I miss something? Which means put it in your lap, which ain't the best to watch movies, or hold it up all time until your hands tire, or prop it up somewhere and hope it stays there and doesn't slide off.
On the contrast an iPhone or touch is small enough to tuck away somewhere or just hold it for a while while watching movies.
Granted some might say paperbacks are heavy too - just like the iPad, but then again you can read in low light, hold the book at weird angles and the content of the book doesn't suffer. Not so with movies though.
It's probably better as a kindle replacement though or if you need a digital notepad, although no stylus makes this kinda weird too... hold it with one hand, type with the other? For a digital notepad a stylus and some text recognition a la Newton would have been nice. I can see some use here. I love my iPhone to take quick notes, but anything longer becomes annoying. I'd rather write stuff down for real using a pen or stylus.
But it still seems like the typical Rev 1 product here. But that's apple. Never Buy Revision 1 Revision 2 may actually be really cool.
integrated? sorry for asking dumb question but China's internet doesn't like new apple events so I had to look around 3rd party websites to get some info
I saw there's some sort of keyboard addon tho. but it does look a bit flimsy?
If it's small enough to take with you on a trip, to use it when you need it, then it'd be actually nice, because such a device is all about portability I'd say.
The iPad's been clocked up to 10 hours of continual use. I don't think that running an e-reader app will be straining resources enough to deviate all that much from that.
I could probably read for maybe 2 or 3 hours continually before I need a break to stare at something else :P
When you compare it to the week long battery life of the kindle its a big difference
I was really looking forward to this.. until it was announced.
I originally thought it would be an iPhone like OS mobile device that wold let me browse the internet, multi task(!>?!?!?!?), save files, upload files.... basically do typical computer things on the go.. In situations where I can't pull out my macbook, or when my iPhone would be to clumsy.
But from the announcement all I see is a giant iPod touch, that is too clumsy to do any ipod related things and way to limited to do any computer related tasks.
My biggest issue is how steve jobs attacks netbooks in his keynote.. then he shows this off, which really doesn't have a particular niche.
People are saying the iPhone 4.0 os update will add things like multitasking but IMO, that is way to late. They should have had multi tasking part of the original announcement. It is a pretty key feature to using a computer.... and the internet.
Replies
With the whole no flash video thing, what happens is the same as when I use my iTouch. Nothing. It doesn't bother me. At all.
Generally, the only videos I watch on my iTouch are podcast videos from TED, which doesn't happen often. It might be a dealbreaker for you, but I generally don't use it for watching streamed video content.
I think it's not so much enraged at the product... moreso the brainwashed consumer whorism machine that is apple fandom. We, as prudent consumers look at this frivolous product and wonder how much bullshit marketing is apple going to shove down our throats to cover their massive insecurity over the integrity of their own product in their own snobbish little way, while at the same time having to deal with the brainwashed fandom saying this thing is the most awesomest thing since sliced bread.... which according to them apple ALSO happened to invent.
hmm, well then I suppose you're in the minority then.
Also, I lol'd at the ragers in this thread, so thank you.
- Gaming platform (<--biggest feature, IMO)
- Better way to watch video than iphone/smartphones in general when you're traveling.
- E-reader (now is a great time to buy a Kindle, if you were interested)
- Great for presentation. My wife's a wedding planner and could totally use this with her clients
- Possibly a sketch pad
- Fancy note taker for meetings
- Built in 3G, for a cost. Not many notebooks have this feature.
- Oh, and it increases your dick size by 1" just for purchasing one. True story.
Am I getting one? No. I don't need one and its a first generation. And to be fair, the Courier interests me more for what I'd want one of these for (sketchpad, notes, doodles, camera). Not to mention that fathoming how anyone at Apple - especially Jonathan "Capt. Pretentious" Ive - could image that people wouldn't *need* multi-tasking on a computer like this, just boggles the mind to the point that it really makes me want to skip this one.So to recap: Awesome little device. Incredibly naive feature misses. Lots of potential for future iterations. Bring on the Courier.
A convertible would suit my tablet needs pretty well, a lot better than an ipad would =/
Dell Latitude
Acer Tablet PC
Nice clam-shell design, protected screen, plays digital and disc media. And is almost power enough to do what I would really want the ipad to do.
I think the ipad is an awesome way to propel the idea forward into the mainstream but there will always be a better mouse trap.
"Well-crafted but closed devices are their future of consumer computing."
And that would be very bad for everyone.
Unreal engine on the iphone OS
http://www.anandtech.com/gadgets/showdoc.aspx?i=3695
wonder who is goign to have the first unreal engined game on this.
I'll probably pick one up when it hits the next gen iteration, and have the disposable cash to spare.
I don't get why people are complaining about it, though. If they don't like it, they shouldn't buy it. Complaining about it on a game art forum isn't going to make apple see the error of it's ways in not making a product targetted at the videogame creation market.
"ask why most consumers buy them, then aim at that restricted set of needs without much regard to what tech fans consider important"
I recently purchased a Netbook and a friend said "why don't you get a iPhone or iPod touch?" and my answer was because it's too small.
Flash? good riddance for a lot of sites. Boggy junk a lot of times. I just love waiting an extra 20 seconds while the page loads to view something that could have easily been done with just HTML and CSS.
I honestly did not miss it on my iPhone.
Gaming, eh... there were some okay games on the iPhone/Touch. Gaming is a tertiary priority as far as I'm concerned.
This is, for me, the perfect in-between.
If you want a full featured portable computer to draw on, do 3d with or other high end stuff, get a laptop or Cintiq. SRSLY
The Brushes App is appealing, would have been instant buy no matter what if it supported a wacom pen and pressure sensitivity, and I look forward to the RTS games on it.. but besides that.. uhhh. maybe for netflix in bed.
but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about just going to a site that has flash video. Like cnet or thatguywiththeglasses or even just hulu.
These are all casual reading sites that also happen to have video on them. I have personally never been a fan of sites constructed out of flash, but i can't deny it's importance in video entertainment.
I for one know that this is not for me. I guess I just get bugged by the hype machine. They announce it, it's clearly lacking in features, the price tag is outrageous for what it's supposed to be and for what it can't do.
Although, I'm excited over the fact that this will spur other manufacturers to think, 'we can make something better than this.'
dude:
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/UM-720S-Screen-Powered-Swivel-Display/dp/B002QFP4Z8/ref=pd_cp_e_1[/ame]
I'm getting me one of these as soon as I have a new PC!!
i have been beta testing flash mobile on my g1 and seems to work okay, this is also going to be on the iphone so why wouldn't you expect to see it on the ipad?
Well as of right now it does not support flash.
That's capitalism. Selling a million toys to Joe Public beats selling a hundred thousand tools to high-end users. Once upon a time, Apple actually was a high-end computer company, but these days most people's experiences with Apple are with music or phones. Those things made them a $50 billion company, so I don't think we should expect anything different from them.
From what i've heard, even if adobe wanted to put flash on the iphone, apple wont let them. Unless something has changed recently, I'm not totally sure.
It doesn't have Flash support. That's a restriction in the version of Safari that runs on the iPhone OS.
Initially, the claim was that Flash apps on the web are often so poorly built that they could lock-up or crash Safari on the iPhone, due to it's relatively small CPU. Maybe that was true with the first-gen, but it's certainly crap with the 3GS and more so with the iPad. It's really all about controlling the App Store, where Apple makes most of their money. Look at the vast majority of non-game apps they have for sale and even the 2D games - by and large, you could build most of them in Flash and deliver them via the web cheaper than Apple lets you have them for, maybe even free. Devs wouldn't have to deal with Apple's inane validation process, nor split the profits. Great for the devs, not for Apple.
I work at a design studio that is almost 100% Flash/interactive, and we dance around this all the time. It's to the point that we actually have programmers on staff now dedicated to mobile programming, just so we can reach Apple markets. Huge pain in the ass, but the cost of doing business with the boys in Cupertino. I don't think that will change until Apple finds a way to intercept Flash apps on the web and allow only approved content through.
So the SDK is out right...when do we start making a game for it? >:D
[ame]
Well, I agree that Apple fandom is pretty awful. That's pretty much true of any geek fandom, though, whether it's Xbox vs. PS or even our own occasional Max vs. Maya thread. At some point, someone makes a bloody fucking jihad about it and things go to shit. With Apple stuff, it's particularly bad, no argument there.
On the other hand, though, I don't think anyone can deny that Apple has been hugely successful this past decade because they've made great products. They totally owned portable music players with the iPod. They made the first really successful online media store with iTunes. They damn near reinvented everyone's expectations about smartphones with the iPhone. It's a good track record. I don't see what they have to be insecure about when they're gaining market share and raking in huge piles of cash.
If their marketing department annoys you, well... it's marketing, yeah? Bullshit comes with the territory. I don't find it much more irritating than the crap that MS or Sony peddle with each generation of gaming console, etc. I work in advertising, though, so maybe I'm more immune to that stuff.
edit: that's why I like that Courier video more. It doesn't have fancy, hip employees in front of white backgrounds telling you how great the product is, it's just an illustration of how the device really serves a usefull purpose in daily life. No fluff, just straight and honest.
It's also looking like a nice piece of hardware on its own, although the memory is limited (are they gonna support any external data storage?)
But yeah, the closed platform and its consequences almost totally ruin it as it seems. Would love to see such a device with a somewhat different philosophy... but doesn't Apple have the entire multitouch interface patented?
Try owning Apple products because you actually like them and they fit your life style.
Hearing all the uppity nay-sayers on their soapboxes that havent used an Apple product since 1997 is pretty equal in obnoxiousness.
Believe it or not, not everyone out there is a digital artist and a hardcore gamer, and they don't have the same requirements as you when it comes to computers. Try and bear this in mind when you rage on apple about a product they designed for the masses.
I'm wondering how much impact this thing is going to have on the market. I'm sure the die-hard Apple fans will run screaming for one, along with the trust fund hipsters that have disposable income, but I think it's positioned poorly for the pragmatic consumer, especially given what it does and what it costs. It's sandwiched in between the holidays when everyone got their new laptops and IPhones, and the release of several comparable offerings (like the Courier). The only reason the IPhone has done as well as it did was because it came along at a time when smartphones were stagnant and did it better than anyone else without serious competition. If something like the Droid had been released 6mo after the IPhone, I don't think we'd see the market share it has now. I'm guessing this would be much more dominant if they'd managed to push it out before x-mas.
Only time will tell, but if MS gets the Courier out in a timely fashion, I wouldn't count on this being the mass market development platform the IPhone was for games or anything else.
It doesn't seem fair to really call out and say this thing will flop or isn't useful when this pretty much mirrors what an iphone does with bigger screen at practically the same cost. 33 million iphones have been sold.
Yeah Apple's marketing is their own flavor but really you must look past that and realize they are innovating very well.
That was pretty much my point when I was arguing why Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen was the best movie of the year. People kept coming at me that it sold itself to the lowest common denominator; that the marketing was such a way that it presented style over substance; that under all the shiny was nothing more than fart jokes and explosions.
Well, 402 million dollars at the box office later, it clearly was the best movie of 2009.
well, since the movie was made solely to make money and show robots exploding, I'd say it was a damn well made product, and it did what it was supposed to do extremely well.
sure i bet it's cool'n'hip and goes well together with a latte macciato, but it ain't replace my netbook. mostly because it doesn't topple over like a table does when I put it on the tiny tray of an airplane seat when I want to watch movies....did I mention it runs maya and max too? not good for serious work, but for testing some scripts'n'stuff it's neat. I think as ceapo on-the go device an EeePC might still be the better, yet not quite as innovative, choice at the moment.
And I already have my iPhone for Apple-ish stuff
mhmm.
It's nice you agree with me on style over substance.
no fair, you need to include my edits in that quote. If you wanted substance, you should have bought another product.
Oh, and I will. though I think the tech for tablets isn't quite ready yet.
If anything, I'm happy that this will push other developers to get theirs out soon.
As far as the transformers comparison, it always bugs me when people say that it's a good product because a lot of people buy it. That statement falls apart on so many levels.
But I don't really see what this product is for.
E-Reader? - Fails, short batter life, bad screen for long periods of reading, kindle has a better price and product
Internet browser? - Decent for youtube and web browsing but the lack of flash support is lame, and why doesn't this have a web cam?
Media? - Decent video player, nice large screen
Apps/games? - Maybe some potential but no multitasking? really? Not very powerful, I think the zune have better graphics capabilities. Too big to compete with psp/ds
Docs/work? - emailing and working with docs would be better suited with something with an actual keyboard
Artists perspective? - No stylist, no pressure? No multitasking? Only an okay resolution... I want a Courier like device.
I can't speak to the current state of iPods, as I haven't bought one since 2006. But it's almost besides the point today - Apple took that ball and ran with it a decade ago. I remember having a Creative RIO back in 2001, with a shitty interface and 64mb of storage. That's the year Apple rolled out the first-gen iPod, with the first wheel button and insane 10gb of storage. Total revolution - iPod is the default name for music players these days, like Xerox or Kleenex for copiers and tissues. Takes more than good PR to do that.
I mentioned my perspective on the selling points of an iPad in an earlier post and stand by them. I'm pretty much immune to the marketing crap, but I can see a number of places in my own life where the iPad would be ideal. I'm a total web-junkie, I want a web browser with me at all times; I'm usually reading two novels at the same time and would like a quality ebook reader; I'm such a sports dork that I look up stats and read analysis while I'm watching games. For that kind of thing, as purely a high-quality, highly-mobile media browser, it hits the spot. Not for 16gb/$500, and not without a camera or multi-tasking, but I expect Apple will have to address those issues by summer 2011.
"how will people in boston know if you're talking about an iPod or an iPad?"
:P
i am more excited of the future this presents instead of what it is now. With this object, and other tablets evolving, it could really be something "everyone has," that we use on subways, bars, parks, libraries (wut), cafes, etc, to utilize media and new communication tools. Publications, magazine and newspaper alike, could start paperless subscriptions and have the fully laid out & color magazines pipe to the device monthly.
My other side is saying: why isn't it cooler? I almost feel like its a societal insult to not read/show handwriting, something that as humans have done for millennia on "tablets," whether its stone, clay, papyrus, paper, glass, whatever. Keeping it touch based is within their design scheme of having no external pieces, but something like this screams for a stylus-like-object.
I keep a few moleskin booklets with me at all times; one for drawing, one lined one for taking notes in meetings and writing ideas, and a smaller one to take notes while shopping, make quick lists, draw ideas if im out somewhere or to take a phone number down. My iphone takes photos, surfs the web, is my GPS, calendar, universal map, keeps in contact with people, and i organize content and more notes/webclippings on it. If all those things could be combined into one tool, that also could recieve email....... it'd be the perfect device.
ie... if the Courier is ever made final, doesn't suck ass, and has a few more features.
I'm really curious to see how this pans out as an eBook reader. Lots of people mention battery life, but if it really can go a sustained 10 hours per charge, I'm fine with it. I'm not going to want to read 11 hours straight, and it's pretty rare for me to go a whole day without being near a power outlet.
About the screen being bad... where did that come from? No one has had time to read anything significant on an iPad yet, much less write a review of it. It's a full-color IPS screen, which is way more attractive than grayscale - you would get color magazine/newspapers on the iPad, and I can't wait to see some eBook comics make the market (crossing my fingers on that one!) I'll need to try it to see if I like it, and I don't see how anyone can already declare the Kindle's screen as inherently being better when it lacks such a core element...
The Kindle is certainly cheaper, but all it does is read books, so the price point is apples v. oranges in my mind. If you ONLY want an eBook reader, I guess the Kindle is appealing, but I'd rather have a multi-function device (whether it's an Apple product or not.)
Hahaha, I lol'd at this. Great stuff.
I really like that the screen on the iPad is IPS.
The iPad's been clocked up to 10 hours of continual use. I don't think that running an e-reader app will be straining resources enough to deviate all that much from that.
I could probably read for maybe 2 or 3 hours continually before I need a break to stare at something else :P
that's the thing I doubt most. It doesn't seem to have a stand or did I miss something? Which means put it in your lap, which ain't the best to watch movies, or hold it up all time until your hands tire, or prop it up somewhere and hope it stays there and doesn't slide off.
On the contrast an iPhone or touch is small enough to tuck away somewhere or just hold it for a while while watching movies.
Granted some might say paperbacks are heavy too - just like the iPad, but then again you can read in low light, hold the book at weird angles and the content of the book doesn't suffer. Not so with movies though.
It's probably better as a kindle replacement though or if you need a digital notepad, although no stylus makes this kinda weird too... hold it with one hand, type with the other? For a digital notepad a stylus and some text recognition a la Newton would have been nice. I can see some use here. I love my iPhone to take quick notes, but anything longer becomes annoying. I'd rather write stuff down for real using a pen or stylus.
But it still seems like the typical Rev 1 product here. But that's apple. Never Buy Revision 1
there is a stand.....
and a case.
integrated? sorry for asking dumb question but China's internet doesn't like new apple events so I had to look around 3rd party websites to get some info
I saw there's some sort of keyboard addon tho. but it does look a bit flimsy?
If it's small enough to take with you on a trip, to use it when you need it, then it'd be actually nice, because such a device is all about portability I'd say.
When you compare it to the week long battery life of the kindle its a big difference
I originally thought it would be an iPhone like OS mobile device that wold let me browse the internet, multi task(!>?!?!?!?), save files, upload files.... basically do typical computer things on the go.. In situations where I can't pull out my macbook, or when my iPhone would be to clumsy.
But from the announcement all I see is a giant iPod touch, that is too clumsy to do any ipod related things and way to limited to do any computer related tasks.
My biggest issue is how steve jobs attacks netbooks in his keynote.. then he shows this off, which really doesn't have a particular niche.
People are saying the iPhone 4.0 os update will add things like multitasking but IMO, that is way to late. They should have had multi tasking part of the original announcement. It is a pretty key feature to using a computer.... and the internet.