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News Apple iPad 2 enters production

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by arcticstoat, 9 Feb 2011.

  1. chrisb2e9

    chrisb2e9 Dont do that...

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    (making fun of all tablets here, not just the ipad)
    Well, it doesn't fit in your pocket so you can't use it as a convenient mp3 player.
    You need to hold it up so if you want to watch video its no easier than streaming to a tv(from any computer(heck even my phone)) and laying down on the couch. (pointing out that long term use is hard compared to a conventional laptop/desktop)
    You cant use it as a cell phone. unless you use wifi. But then, I have a phone, so why?
    you can play games on it. But they are only fun for a few minutes.

    Honestly I don't see a need for tablets. Give it a projector for a screen and a wireless keyboard and I might use one as a mobile office. That is about it.
     
  2. jrs77

    jrs77 Modder

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    You've got to think about it that way...

    When buying an Apple you buy a complete integrated system (hardware + OS + support) instead of just a piece of hardware with a OEM-copy of Windows on it.

    If I have a problem with my MacBook, be it hardware or software I simply go into the store where I bought it, and get the problem solved within a couple of hours usually... and I get this for free within the two years of warranty. Yes, you heard that right... two year warranty all inclusive over here in Finland.

    I don't get this kind of support from any other manufacturer.

    Announcing and selling them in the retail-market are two totally different beasts.

    At CES there were about 50 tablets shown from various manufacturers, but not a single one besides the Galaxy Tab can be bought at this point. Let alone for a cheaper price then the iPad.
     
  3. skybarge

    skybarge just chilling at work

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    My post was mostly sarcastic ;) but here in NZ where I'm from, all the Android phones are subsidised at least 50-100 less than the iPhone 4

    ie Vodafone New Zealand:
    iPhone 4 $779 + 61 a month for 60 minutes, 600 texts, 250mb data(yes only 250)
    Galaxy S $699 + 61 a month for 60 minutes, 600 texts, 3GB of data and 1000 pxts
    Nexus One $679 + 61 a month for 60 minutes, 600 texts, 3GB of data and 1000 pxts
    HTC 7 Trophy $599 + 61 a month for 60 minutes, 600 texts, 3GB of data and 1000 pxts


    So for the non iPhone plans we get an extra 2750MB data and 1000 pxts(not that anyone ever uses pxts...)

    So yes, my country is indeed getting shafted by Apples prices! In fact I buy most of my phones from the UK or US unlocked

    Similar to Australias pricing(although they are cheaper than us still)

    Same with the tablets here:
    $890 shipped for the cheapest Galaxy S 16GB 3G tab
    $1036 shipped for the cheapest iPad 16GB 3G Tab

    *All prices in NZD aka 0.77c to 1.00c USD
     
  4. Niftyrat

    Niftyrat Dremel overpriced like EA games

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    Sorry love the iPad for what I use it for- watching mobiles etc on trains. But for ms the best bit is my 3 yr old can use it and I don't have to worry about him deleting things or breaking it.

    It is not a computer and should not be thought of that way, if you want to create content or manage servers remotely etc. Buy a net book instead.
     
  5. memeroot

    memeroot aged and experianced

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    From what I hear the kids seem to be big users . Bit expensive for that
     
  6. Nexxo

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

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    And the elderly. And two million adult muggles for who Internet and computer technology has suddenly become accessible.

    People can argue all they want on this forum how they don't see the point of it, how it is overpriced, how it lacks features. That is all opinion. The facts are that it sells like hotcakes, that almost everyone who has one loves it, and that so far no other manufacturer has been able to deliver a better device for even the same price, let alone a better one.

    @skybarge: yes, you are getting shafted in New Zealand but blame your telecoms providers, not Apple.
     
  7. perplekks45

    perplekks45 LIKE AN ANIMAL!

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    'nuff sed.
     
  8. leveller

    leveller Yeti Sports 2 - 2011 Champion!

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    You could write apps to do that ...

    Just saying :thumb:
     
  9. Snips

    Snips I can do dat, giz a job

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    Jobs: "Reality distortion field engadged" (Spoken quietly to himself before the launch conference)

    Jobs: "Hay everybody, look at my new shiny thing!"

    The Masses: "Yeah, we want one. Here, take all my money!!!!"

    Fan or not, like it or not, you know this is going to happen.
     
  10. law99

    law99 Custom User Title

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    I personally think they are the perfect device for browsing the internet whilst sat on the sofa in the living room. Perfect in all ways but price and, as wuyanxu says, I'd probably get a little peaved about the absense of multitasking.
     
  11. leveller

    leveller Yeti Sports 2 - 2011 Champion!

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    (to Snips) Maybe.

    iPad3 lightly tipped for September according to MacRumors ... if there is any ounce of truth in that (I'm doubting it), then if there is no iPad3 beater at that stage then maybe I'll upgrade to that as well. Who knows at this stage. Until we get proper official specs of even the iPad2 we can only guess.

    Of course, haters will hate regardless of specs. And yes Snips, no doubt there are ultimate fans who will buy regardless.
     
  12. M7ck

    M7ck Ⓜod Ⓜaster

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    You obviously don't own or have used an iPad for any length of time. No you cannot use it as an MP3 player but who would want to, Yes you need to hold it but there are several cases out there that angle it brilliantly towards you. Long term use is not hard compared to a laptop/desktop and I don't know how you can make such a statement without owning one. You are correct in saying you cannot use it as a cell phone, but neither can you use a microwave or fridge as a cellphone.............wait..........that's right.....THAT IS NOT THERE PURPOSE. The games are only fun for a few minutes? Again you cannot comment on this if you don't own one. Sure some games are crap and only worth a quick blast but the same could be said of any platform. I own loads of games that I can quite happily play for hours and I am sure there are a lot more that I do not own.
     
  13. Byron C

    Byron C Multimodder

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    I fear I may be out of my league taking on Nexxo here, but hey ho :).

    Those are indeed the facts; the iPad has sold by the bucketload and no other competitor has ever come close. Even the strongest rival, the Galaxy Tab, has only sold around 2 million (althought that's 2 million to resellers, not 2 million retail). It hasn't been on the market nearly as long as the iPad, but it didn't exactly explode into the market the way the iPad did.

    That said. While the iPad may be successful in not staying on store shelves for very long, you can make that same case about many mobile Apple products. In the end, any technology they come up with gives way to the enormous brand power of Apple. Sure, they have some great technology and some great software - not denying that - but is it really *that* much better than the competition? Especially with how far Android has come, and now with WP7 on the market and Honeycomb right around the corner?

    In my book, no. Apple absolutely nailed the marketing with the iPod and iMac/Mac way back when. By the time the iPhone came around the brand loyalty was so vast that the iPhone could not possibly fail. Then all they had to do was keep the marketing money ticking over and don't change the design philosophy: the gravy train will keep on rolling under it's own power.

    It's got to the point where Apple products will never fail to sell - regardless of their relative merits or shortcomings. The brand power/loyalty is simply too strong for it to happen. They literally could add a USB port to a polished turd and slap that little white apple on it; it will still fly off the shelves. This doesn't mean to imply that Apple products are turds, and - as I said - I'm not trying to diminish their technical achievements - hardware or software. However the technology isn't the story behind Apple's success.

    If only I'd have invested £100 in Apple ten years ago...
     
  14. M7ck

    M7ck Ⓜod Ⓜaster

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    Snap, then I might be able to afford the macbook pro :)
     
  15. leveller

    leveller Yeti Sports 2 - 2011 Champion!

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    Agree with yourself and M7ck on this. However, I have managed to dive into ARM albeit a bit later than I'd have liked ... :thumb:
     
  16. eddtox

    eddtox Homo Interneticus

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    I thought ios 4.3(or two?) added multitasking support for the ipad.

    You may have a bit of a point there, but people still have to be satisfied with their products in order to become regular customers. No amount of clever marketing will convince me to buy another Nokia phone in the near future, for example, because the one I have is a disappointment.

    In short, marketing is not enough to build brand loyalty.

    PS. I've never bought an apple product (although I was gifted an video ipod classic once) and have been criticising them for a long time, but I intend to pre-order the ipad 2
     
  17. rollo

    rollo Modder

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    apple has huge brand loyalty and will sell any product they produce.

    they relise most customers ( 99% ) want only 3 things

    ease of use
    looks
    portability

    the rest is for tech people like those on this site who want a bit more but are not the target audiance.
     
  18. Byron C

    Byron C Multimodder

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    Indeed, however Apple pretty much nailed the "it just works" philosophy back with the release of OS X, and possibly even further back than that. Provided they continue to carry that philosophy forward into all their products, they will always have customers.

    People buy Macs/iPhones because they're perceived to be less complicated than PCs/Windows Mobile/Android, and they get exactly what they expect. Crucially, no matter which iPhone or Mac they buy they always get the same consistent user experience. Since the release of OS X and iOS, they really haven't had much innovation in their software. In fact, you could argue that innovation would be bad for Apple: if the user experience is radically different to every other product, then it's suddenly something that people are not familiar with - meaning that it might not sell as well.

    Don't get me wrong, Apple products are good. Buying an iPod Touch really brought down a lot of barriers I'd put in place around me ever buying anything made by Apple. Having used both Mac OS X and Windows, and iOS and Android, I just find the Apple ecosystem too restrictive. It's less of a problem for desktops, but I like games and cheap hardware upgrades too much to ever switch away from PCs (even though the term "PC" is an arbitrary distinction these days, because modern Macs are just PCs with a different operating system - but let's not open that can of worms, eh? ;)).
     
  19. x5pilot

    x5pilot Fragile explosion

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    Totally agree! :thumb:
     
  20. eddtox

    eddtox Homo Interneticus

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    You both seem to mention ease of use as if it's a bad thing. The fact is that the vast majority of people struggled to set the clocks on their VCRs. If it wasn't for companies like apple focusing on making technology easier to use, we probably wouldn't have personal computers.

    Sure, most people on this site can make windows do what they want, but what if we were to take away the WIMP interface? I'm sure quite a few of use would struggle to get as much out of our computers if they were all command-line only. And even if we could, it doesn't mean we should.

    It may be "only ease of use", but that is no small achievement.
     
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