1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Blogs Is the iPad the future of computing?

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by arcticstoat, 31 Dec 2010.

  1. Nexxo

    Nexxo * Prefab Sprout – The King of Rock 'n' Roll

    Joined:
    23 Oct 2001
    Posts:
    34,731
    Likes Received:
    2,210
    I seriously doubt that. I hear people talk about an iPad who never talked about computers (except in the context of: "Eeeuw!" perhaps). It takes someone about 30 seconds to understand what an iPad is and what they can do with it. Try that with a hard disk or a dual-core processor.

    Most people don't care about specs, or hardware, or OS. They care about being able to use it, easily, reliably and conveniently.
     
  2. alantwelve

    alantwelve What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    11 Nov 2009
    Posts:
    14
    Likes Received:
    0
    Why does this patronising, condescending, superior attitude always rear its ugly head whenever Apple's products are discussed? Do you really think that "the iPad is good enough because most people are too stupid to use a proper computer" is a good argument?

    It's also plain wrong. I don't know anyone who doesn't own either a Mac or Windows PC, and there isn't a single one of them that doesn't use it for something for which a tablet would not be a suitable replacement.

    I'm not saying that tablets are not useful, incidentally - I just bought one myself. But let's not pretend that they currently matter, outside of the tech pages and the Apple store.
     
  3. jrs77

    jrs77 Modder

    Joined:
    17 Feb 2006
    Posts:
    3,483
    Likes Received:
    103
    I'm not saying that most people are too stoopid to use a normal PC, but I say, that most people don't need a normal PC for whyt they do.
    Again... 75% of PC-users only do webbrowsing, playback of media-content or some office-tasks and you can do all this stuff on an iPad. Keyboard, mouse and bigger screen can be connected via the docking-station, which turns the iPad into a PC suitable for 75% of all users out there.

    Sure, the iPad doesn't matter currently, but in the future slates/tablets will become the norm, just like Notebooks have become the norm during the last decade.
    Or look at the sales of Netbooks during the last two years. At first noone was interested and this year these things sold like hot cakes as people understood that that's all they need paired with low costs and high mobility.

    When I got my first PC back in 1983 the majority of people thought that PCs won't matter for the endconsumer at all in the future, but is only interesting for companies and manufacturing etc... just sayin' ;)
     
  4. Pete J

    Pete J Employed scum

    Joined:
    28 Sep 2009
    Posts:
    7,226
    Likes Received:
    1,784
    You actually have a damn good point there.

    I admit, I used to blindly hate Apple products, but during the last couple of years or so my opinion has dramatically changed. All the i products show seamless integration with each other and are easy to adjust to your liking. One thing I particularly liked was the fact that my brother could link his HiFi to his Mac via bluetooth with two clicks - I can't even imagine how you'd do this on a Windows system!

    No Flash on the iPad massively sucks though - and is an example of Jobs being a devious little git. Mind you, I imagine any company would do the same in his position.
     
  5. alantwelve

    alantwelve What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    11 Nov 2009
    Posts:
    14
    Likes Received:
    0
    You accidentally linked to an iPad advertisement, by the way, and not something that backs up anything you're trying to say. Sequence shortened, indeed...
     
  6. Woodspoon

    Woodspoon What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    10 May 2008
    Posts:
    502
    Likes Received:
    1
    The same could be said for the Apple fanboy's ravingabout them though.

    Back to the arguement:
    For a casual browsing machine or media player the iPad is ok but then that's all it is, a big iPod touch, which is no bad thing.
    But for anything more than casual browsing or media playback it loses out.
    The iPad lacks the ability to be tailored to the user or companys precise needs in the same way laptop's, netbooks, desktop's etc can be.
    I'm sure someone will try to point out how wrong I am, but you cant tailor something on an os as locked down as i-os.
     
  7. leveller

    leveller Yeti Sports 2 - 2011 Champion!

    Joined:
    1 Dec 2009
    Posts:
    1,107
    Likes Received:
    24
    I'm not sure if I've mis-read this ... you're saying they aren't useful outside tech pages and the Apple store?
     
  8. alantwelve

    alantwelve What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    11 Nov 2009
    Posts:
    14
    Likes Received:
    0
    You can. But is the iPad more suitable than a cheap WIndows laptop? I'd argue that in most cases, it's not.

    But you'd have trouble convincing me - never mind a more casual computer user - that it would be worth the investment, when you can buy a perfectly serviceable laptop for around £200 less, that will generally do the job better.

    I actually think you're probably right, but I don't think that it's a foregone conclusion that tablets will replace the laptop/notebook. The one thing the tablet has is its portability - that's something the laptop cannot compete with, and I can see that tablet might become as common as the smartphone is now. But it won't be the iPad. It'll be something much cheaper, for a start.
     
  9. eddtox

    eddtox Homo Interneticus

    Joined:
    7 Jan 2006
    Posts:
    1,296
    Likes Received:
    15
    After all my bashing of the iPad I'm actually considering getting one - mainly for my little girl. However, features like this one hardly fill me with lust for the device.
     
  10. alantwelve

    alantwelve What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    11 Nov 2009
    Posts:
    14
    Likes Received:
    0
    You've misread! I'm saying that apart from geeks and fans of Apple, no-one really cares about the iPad and they aren't even aware that other tablets exist.

    The Kindle will do more to drive the adoption of tablet computers than the iPad.
     
  11. Ross1

    Ross1 What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    15 Feb 2009
    Posts:
    194
    Likes Received:
    5
    Pretty sure fisher price already released the 'future of computing' according to this article.
     
  12. M7ck

    M7ck Ⓜod Ⓜaster

    Joined:
    28 Mar 2009
    Posts:
    3,600
    Likes Received:
    167
    Not true! I know 8 iPad owners and the only one who could be considered a geek is me.
     
  13. jrs77

    jrs77 Modder

    Joined:
    17 Feb 2006
    Posts:
    3,483
    Likes Received:
    103
    The lockdown to approved software in the iOS is there so that Apple can more easily provide a flawless experience with their hardware. A software not running flawlessly isn't acceptable for Apple, as people will blame Apple for crap software instead of the Software-Dev. That's why iOS is limited to software available in the AppStore, but there's no limit in the iOS itself that wouldn't allow for taylored software.

    If your company needs special software running on the iPad/iPhone then you grab the DevKit, write the software needed and get it approved by Apple. Easy as that and done dozens of times allready, as Apple could'nt be more happy about anything then companies using their hardware.

    Yes, it is because of it's touchscreen and way better battery-running-time. A $500 laptop isn't really a mobile-device with 2 hours battery and 3kg of weight actually.

    Touchscreen and the easy to use interface is the biggest selling-point for the iPad.

    Laptops have replaced desktop-systems aswell during the last 5 years for a big part of the users, so why shouldn't tablets replace the notebooks?

    And no. It doens't have to be the iPad, it could aswell be the adam from notionink.com if you like. The iPad is however the only real one available currently.
     
    Last edited: 31 Dec 2010
  14. Nexxo

    Nexxo * Prefab Sprout – The King of Rock 'n' Roll

    Joined:
    23 Oct 2001
    Posts:
    34,731
    Likes Received:
    2,210
    Me thinks you are projecting. :p

    OK, let's talk about the "average population". Most people are not that interested in computers. I know, this may come as a shock to you, but at work they are tolerated as a necessary tool for office tasks. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics for instance reports that the most commonly reported task for the 77 million workers who used computer at work in 2003 was accessing the Internet or using e-mail, followed by word processing, spreadsheets and databases and calendar scheduling. Only 16% used it for programming.

    The US Census bureau reports that at home, 60% of the population owns a computer and 50% uses it for internet access. If you look at the most common reported uses of the internet you find that most of it involves activities could be done more comfortably on a "lean-back" device like a tablet. More recently the internet is most commonly accessed through smart mobile devices or laptops. Since smartphones have become more popular, internet use has started to skyrocket. Much of this is not through the web browser, but specific social networking and data (weather, maps, media) apps.

    The reason for this is simple: smartphones are an easy and casual way to access the internet --no computer expertise required. No software updates, no anti-virus programs, no fussing with firewalls, networks, file management or the vagaries of a particular operating system. No boot times. No unrecoverable crashes. No lost or corrupted files.

    Now imagine a computer with the casual convenience and battery life of a smartphone. Presto: iPad. For most people it's enough. In fact, it is exactly what they want and none of the complicated crap they don't want.
     
  15. Nexxo

    Nexxo * Prefab Sprout – The King of Rock 'n' Roll

    Joined:
    23 Oct 2001
    Posts:
    34,731
    Likes Received:
    2,210
    No, that was deliberate. It illustrates my point: in 30 seconds you can explain to a lay person what an iPad is. And it does not mention specs; it mentions what you can do with it.

    Total number of Kindle's sold since November 2007: 4 million.

    Total number of iPads sold since April 2010: 7.5 million.

    I think I can see which is driving the tablet market. :)
     
  16. alantwelve

    alantwelve What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    11 Nov 2009
    Posts:
    14
    Likes Received:
    0
    Anyway, the main thrust of the article was whether the iPad could replace the desktop and the answer is no. People may not need the extra power of their desktop systems, but I'm pretty sure they'd want it. Lets face it compared to an iPad + dock + keyboard, a low cost Windows desktop is more powerful, has more storage, has a much larger screen and it costs a lot less. It's simply better suited to so many things, too. People may get a tablet as well, but it won't replace the desktop.

    I also think that the computer user who only uses their computer for a bit of browsing, the odd e-mail and some minor word processing is largely a myth. I'm not saying they don't exist, but they are absolutely by no means the majority of users - not even close. And even if they did represent the majority, how on earth do you think anyone could convince them to spend what an iPad costs on something they hardly really use?

    Tablets are going to be big, but not for a few years yet, and they're never going to replace the desktop. MS sold 240 million Windows 7 licenses in a year, and there are what, 4 times as many XP installs out there as there are 7? The iPad, by comparison, is an irrelevance, but very interesting all the same.
     
  17. Nexxo

    Nexxo * Prefab Sprout – The King of Rock 'n' Roll

    Joined:
    23 Oct 2001
    Posts:
    34,731
    Likes Received:
    2,210
    That is not what the article is saying. What it is saying is that a desktop PC based on the philosophy of the iPad: i.e. an app-based 'closed garden' iOS focusing on doing specific tasks simply and well is the future. And I'm inclined to agree. It is what the muggles want.

    For the rest, there is stuff like Linux: geeky, powerful, but not a ride for the weak. :)

    I think that you are letting your opinion get in the way of the facts. I've shown you census statistics that are saying exactly that. We also are seeing 7 million iPads sold in the first 9 months of its inception. I don't think people need convincing.

    Again, nobody is saying that tablets are going to replace the desktop. The article suggests that desktops are going to be designed to be more like the iPad in philosophy. Having played with Windows 7 I can see that this is true. Windows 7 is vastly simplified in use over Vista (to the extent that I, being a geek, really don't like it). And a 'closed garden' app system? That is Microsoft's wet dream. It is going to happen.
     
  18. Gradius

    Gradius IT Consultant

    Joined:
    3 Feb 2009
    Posts:
    288
    Likes Received:
    1
    iPad is just a toy it has no horse power at all!

    And besides, is already obsolete!
     
  19. Nexxo

    Nexxo * Prefab Sprout – The King of Rock 'n' Roll

    Joined:
    23 Oct 2001
    Posts:
    34,731
    Likes Received:
    2,210
    Millennium hand and shrimp! :p
     
  20. M7ck

    M7ck Ⓜod Ⓜaster

    Joined:
    28 Mar 2009
    Posts:
    3,600
    Likes Received:
    167
    Total nonsense. A toy????? LEGO is a toy, Barbie is a toy, Lotso Hugs is a toy but the iPad is far from a toy.

    What has made it obsolete? Go on try answer, now go and try catch a flying pig and let the adults have an intelligent discussion.
     
Tags: Add Tags

Share This Page