Other The iFail- wait sorry, iPad, is officially out

::EDIT:: Wrong thread

 

I hope the iPad gets it around the same time because it'll be fantastic with folders and multitasking.

I'll be able to keep We Rule open and do other stuff ...

 

A question to those with 3g Enabled iPads, What Service provider is worth going for (UK)?

I'm trying to decide what Network to go for:
3 Offer 1GB Usage for £7.50, while o2 and Vodafone offer 1GB for £10 per month.

What would people recommend?

Sam

 

There's still a fair bit of marketing involved, though, it must be said. Or at least media coverage. Even a perfect product wont sell if no one knows it exists! For better or worse, the iPad's reputation precedes it almost everyone it goes. Even my technophobic dad has heard of it, if only so he can complain about it stealing American jobs or some nonsense. Of course, he has no idea what it is, but then that's fame for you.


Switching subjects since there's been so much talk of the dodo case, are tablet manufacturers simply unaware of the great desire (read: need, in my opinion) for cases? Since folding seems to be largely on pause with Courier cancelled and MSI's option being left out of Computex, we're all supposed to be walking around happily consuming our media and social networking and having such a great time on our little tablets without once worrying about the concept of dropping or storing our fragile 9" sheets of glass.

The trend of accessorization is leading to inferior products. With few actual products out I'll use the iPad as an example, along with the Apple case. Most importantly to me, the case provides a cover for the screen. It also provides increased functionality by acting as a stand. Apple's own website even claims it is "ideal" and "perfect". Why not include it then? And don't get me wrong, it's not just an Apple thing. MSI claim to be offering a dock with one of their WindPads, which is nifty, but ultimately there will be hundreds of thousands of people going out and buying cases and protective screen covering films for them because there is still nothing in the design to protect the screen or act as a portable stands as people are used to getting from third party accessories. I don't care if it's $549 instead of $499, just sell me a complete product!

 

Sloth, your post sounds like someone who hasn't handled, let alone used, an iPad for even a short period of time.

1. It's not fragile. Furthest thing from fragile, in fact.
2. The glass is the last thing that needs protection. In fact, I'm more concerned about the gorgeous brushed aluminum picking up scratches than anything happening to the glass.
3. Cases, screen film, docks, keyboards, toilet adapters - all these are part of a massive accessories market. Companies like Apple, Griffin, Belkin and Zagg exist to make money and they will always leave something out of the box so they can sell it to you later. Think of any product and I'll bet you could come up with a stack of things that should come with it to make it 'more complete'.

 

If you're comfortable cutting a SIM, get a prepaid Three one from eBay. You can get 1 month/1GB for £3 or 12 months/12GB for £30. Personally I got a £3 one to check that I could cut it down OK, and when that's run out I'll get a £30.

I have heard bad things about Three coverage but I have been nothing less than impressed. On my commute to work with Vodafone it would be impossible to maintain a voice call, and you can load about 2 web pages in 20 minutes (GPRS). However with the Three SIM I'm able to watch TVCatchup without interruption for the entire duration.

 

It's not as simple as marketing. Remember that, rumour aside, we didn't even get to hear about the iPad until a few months before its launch. At that point however the marketing was flawless: it was all about what you can do with the device. Other computer manufacturers make the mistake of marketing on specifications. Specs are useful for us geeks, but meaningless to most ordinary people.

Specs are also irrelevant for devices that have a specific purpose. Do you know (without peeking) what processor runs in your MP3 player, and at what clock frequency? What firmware? Of course you don't. With an MP3 player you care about three things only: storage capacity, media compatibility and sound quality.

But I digress. Apple doesn't market products; it markets a brand. If it's an Apple product you know it is likely to be well-built and easy to use. You know it is likely to be a bit different from the norm. It's like Harley Davidson and motorcycles, Audi and cars. You know what it is going to be like as soon as you see it, and you know you want one.

Apple also markets a lifestyle. Rest assured that Apple has the next 15 years already mapped out. Why do you think that the iPad comes with a free Winnie de Pooh book? Because Apple knows that the first thing mommy and daddy will do is show it to the kids. The iPad is simple and robust enough for a child to operate; now there is something on it for the child to interact with. And thus a whole new generation of potential new Apple customers are primed: children who grow up with an Apple product being part of their childhood, and remembering it was fun. It's such marketing genius it's almost evil.

It's all about critical price points and self-targetting marketing. Tablets sell better at $499,-- than at $549,--. There will be people who are prepared to pay more, but they can just buy the accessory separately. But there are also people who don't want the case (or a different case) and for who that extra $50,-- will be an unwanted expense. It will therefore put them off buying in the first place.

The basic package exists to sell to the economy buyer and rope them into further purchases later on, that they would not have made if they had to buy at the price tag of everything added together.

Apple's iPad and iPhone, by the way, have a pretty tough screen already. The protective screen covering film is just an aftermarket money spinner.

 

1. Drop it flat on the pavement, then. Something will be scratched, possibly dented/cracked. I can't say I've ever personally dropped one to prove this (Best Buy had carpet floors and it was attached by a cable not long enough to reach the ground anway) but it's pretty common sense, we've all dropped things before. It can be damaged from common mishaps which occur during its normal use (checking directions walking down the street?), I'd classify that as fragile. A decent case can at least prevent scratches, possibly even further damage if you're lucky.
2. I really don't mean to be iPad specific. Other devices such as a WindPad can come equipped with a plexiglass or even wooden back, supposedly, and perhaps they'll be just fine. A glass front is a common feature, one which sees a lot of use and will be very noticable when damaged.
3. An accessory market exists for many things, yes, but is a case truly an accessory? Accessories exist to fill niche markets, or for visual customization. With the number of cases being purhcased it's hard to argue that it's a niche market or simply visual customization. Mirrors used to be an accessory on cars, and for much longer time they were on motorcycles, now they're strict requirements because they're just so useful. Current does not always equal future. The iPad, specifically, gets a somewhat pardon for prompting buyers about the case (imo, should be included automatically and removed manually), yet other tablets such as the Slate, WindPad, and EeePad were distinctly lacking cases. Maybe they'll offer one on release, but it's a hindsight. A way to snag $50. So sue me for not liking companies trying to take features out of my products just because they've done it before.

Not just what you can do, what you don't even know you could do or even wanted to do before. Where a laptop tells you it's a portable PC, an iPad tells you it's a tablet. Here's some things you can do, but really don't let us guide you! Apps being the prime example. You can get apps! What are apps? I don't know, but I bet I can find a use. As you said, people don't need to know the specs, but not even knowing the purpose of a device gets some people going. Give people a device, let them figure out how they'll use it best.

 

I believe they said late summer for the iPad, but this month for the iPhone. Good for iPhone users, not those with both. I'm concerned I will get frustrated with the iPad until ios4 is on both.

 

Thing is, throw in the case, throw in the various features that adapters offer and the final price goes up. Do my elderly relatives need VGA adapters or other niche features? So the best answer is to leave them out ... and hopefully the total bill reflects those omissions.

I spent £1,600 on a proper gaming laptop and still had to buy the case. It's just one of those things. On the plus side instead of getting a crappy cheap case that companies throw in to keep consumers happy, I bought a fantastic looking case that was much better protection in the long run.

-

Friendly Advice: never buy gaming laptops. They are stupendously expensive. The resale value a few years later is a pittance. And you will be disappointed with the performance. I learnt that lesson the expensive way.

-

Just on the news, HP and Dell are apparently in talks with other OS suppliers because MS can't come up with the goods quick enough for them to stand a chance competing with iPad.

 

They should be talking to Google. Android is perfect for the job. Palm's WebOS is also just the ticket.

 

Judging by all the amazing talent ditching Palm as the merger is finalised and HP's unbelievably bad attitude in regards to their ideas for Palm's future, I don't think WebOS is ever going to materialise into that amazing smartphone/tablet OS we all hoped it would. I suspect it will just become a cool embedded OS in HP printers and similar devices, never achieving the critical mass it needs to become a serious mobile OS contender in it's own right.

Now Android, well, this is where things get weird. During Tabletex Computex, many respected bloggers reported on Google's odd attitude regarding tablets running Android. As there is no official support for it, these devices are being made with no input from Google. Apparently there is an official Android tablet edition in the works, but until then manufacturers are under really weird restrictions - like no access to the official market place, they have to make their own if they want one.

I suspect maybe it's because Google wants to stem the tide of tablets until they can figure out some sort of draft specification. Currently developers are having a really hard time making their apps work on all the various form factors and versions Android is available in, adding tablets to the mix at this stage could seriously make things worse.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is continuing to stick their head in the sand and insist that Windows 7 is the best solution for tablets while forbidding Phone7 to used in anything even resembling a tablet. My guess is that they have a tablet OS secretly in the works (Phone7 based???) and insisting on Windows 7 is just a temporary fix until they can talk about it. Obviously by then it will be too little too late as another hardware cycle completely passes them by.

 

Interesting... Microsoft is probably honing Windows Embedded Compact 7, which looks like the ******* offspring of Windows Mobile 7 with Windows 7 (and still trying to push that conventional desktop environment...) and is neither one thing nor the other. Moreover the demo videos I have seen show mock-ups: half of the pretty icons and functions do not yet work... Pity. Should have rewritten Mobile 7 for Tablets, with a Wallop-like social networking app. So close, and yet so wide off the mark.

Anyway, while Google and Microsoft are still dicking about Apple is cleaning up the whole market niche. By the time they get their own product off the ground, tablet standards will already be set by iPad, with thousands of iPad apps and iPad accessories and what have you, and Apple will just be releasing an even more refined iPad 2.

 

I can't imagine there being any seriously competitive and compelling products until the next hardware cycle at the earliest - more realistically looking around 2012. That will then be a second head-start Apple has taken.

In order for competitors to really get some momentum, they need to show something new and appealing to the masses. As much as we, the 'hardcore crowd', like to pretend we really matter and we're trendsetters, in order for a new ecosystem to really make an impact, we need the casual market needs to buy into it - because that is where the real money is.

Take multitasking for example. I can debate anyone until the cows come home that iOS4 isn't true multitasking, but do the majority of users care? Probably not, because those seven background services will take care of most user's needs. Any competitor actively marketing their 'true' multitasking solution is just wasting their advertising budget.

Personally, I like to think Microsoft's secret tablet OS is an expanded version of Phone7. It allows me to sleep better at night, don't take that away from me.

 

I wish. A Windows Mobile 7 based tablet would be an iPad killer (I've said it before, and I'll say it again). Or Microsoft could talk really nicely to Barton Smith about his Locus OS concept which he came up with before even the iPhone (despite what the video suggests, it is not a Microsoft project).

But this is the company the founder of which, Bill Gates, looked at the iPad and said that it needed a keyboard/stylus and a desktop GUI. In short, he is still thinking in terms of laptops. He cannot make the paradigm shift.

 

I've provisionally ordered an iPad, just waiting on Apple for a response now.
Decided to go for the 32GB 3g Model.

Sam

 

I've gotta be honest with you, I'm tempted to get one. I do a lot of web browsing on the sofa whilst watching TV, during ad breaks etc now than ever. One of these would be a nice step up from my iPhone for that task. I can never be bothered getting my laptop out for that sort of thing, but the iPad is a nice middle ground. Hmm. I'll just tag it on the bottom of my wishlist I have other more important things that I need to spend money on before buying anything that's blatantly sitting the "want" category

 

21st in fact! If you have a 3GS it is a very nice little upgrade. iOS 4 is really REALLY nice... Although it does very little on a 3G to be quite honest. Like not even backgrounds on the home screen, no bluetooth keyboard support and no screen orientation locking. There are reasons for these quirks but it's still not as fun as you'd hoped. But if you've got a 3GS you're laughing.

I think the best thing about the iPad is that if you've already even vaguely used any of Apple's touch devices already, you already know exactly how to use it.

 

Woot, my Order has gone through and has been accepted, now i have around a 3 week wait, so gives me plenty of time to find a nice case for it.

Sam

 

What is the ipad actually for?

What are they marketing it as doing for me?

I'm afraid I'm with all the people who are characterising this as another piece of "look at me, I'm a rich moron" Apple tat. I just don't understand what its purpose is; it's neither a tablet PC nor a phone.