Blogs The iPad: I finally understand it

I know, I was there . But I think once an apple thread gets over 40 posts, it becomes a cyclical battle of wills between the various enthusiasts.

 

A friend of mine deals with Apple on their products and was saying they've already got everything ready for the 9-18 month ipad 2/3gvid/whatever they want to call it.

Its good business, has anyone else noticed that Iphones come out around the time that peoples contracts on their last one start to end....

 

Funny how the Apple fanbois come out at the end of the conversation but bring absolutely nothing to it!

 

You can wifi documents (inc .PDF) and movies to the iPad. You might need the right reader app to get it going but it can be done.

 

...my wife's grandpa would love to browse the internet, just reading, wikipedia, newspaper sites. Things like that.
Never owned a computer in his life, not nimble with his hands (no mousing), but point'n'click would work.
I guess he could use an Ipad....(but would get a stroke when I mention the price)

Her Father would love showing his clients pictures of work he's done, just placing the device on the table and gawk into the pretty good screen. Perfect.
But how do the pictures get from the camera into the Ipad, darn, no connections. And again, the price.

Both wouldn't mind using one.
Neither will get one.

 

That feels a bit like saying that the colour TV is a passing fad. Fact is, the iPad is taking the world by storm while devices that sceptics thought of as much more promising (HP Slate, MS Courier) never made it out of beta. It is also interesting that many manufacturers are now scrabbling to launch tablets of their own. Obviously they see it as much less of a transient thing than you do. You can dislike it and you can find faults with it (because there are a number, and I will be waiting for iteration 2 myself), but you cannot deny that for many people it is pitched just right.

Are you still using the CLI now? Or are you enjoying the comfort and eye-candy of Windows? Each iteration of which Microsoft has tried to make easier to use by the lay person.

Never said it doesn't --just that some people don't experience it as being walled in because basically, they don't want to go too far afield. They see it as security. You don't need a credit card to use iTunes (I know, that's how I used it for a long time; I like to buy my music on CD and then transfer it to the iPod, DRM-free). There is actually very little scam/malware in the Apple store; it is, by and large, vetted fairly well. Open source markets like that of Android are a free-for-all. There is no way to know whether that app is not a trojan pilfering your internet banking passwords. This is not a problem for us computer-savvy people, but for lay people it is a scary thought.

 

Look who's talking.

 

You're forgetting though that while an initial degree of walled-garden handholding is attractive to consumers when adopting a new technology it doesn't remain that way. With time consumers become more experienced, comfortable and confident using the technology, and eventually reach a plateau where they have outgrown the limitations placed on them.

Remember CompuServe? They created a walled-garden in the WOW network when surfing the internet was intimidating to the lay person. It was completely controlled by CompuServe. It was easier to use. It was safer. It was more secure...Where are they now? Non-existant, because consumers outgrew them.

The iPhone and Compuserve stories will end the same...It's already happening - iOS has seen a 9.5% decrease in market share in the past year, while Blackberry and Android have seen 8% increases. (yes, I've been doing a market analysis for a business proposal)

 

Nexxo, I usually find your contributions well reasoned and enlightening, but over the last few months you really seem to have taken a turn towards Apple fanboy-ism. Sometimes it seems like you're only disagreeing for the sake of it. Or that you've made up your mind to defend apple and will say whatever you have to in order to do that. I find that knowing that often undermines the substance of your arguments in my mind.

I know that's just my opinion, and it doesn't count for much, but I just find it sad to see.

 

Ok.

So, because Nexxo can see through the affected opinions of Apple hatred and not side with you, and he champions some tech for what it is and who it appeals to, you think he's wrong??

Ok.

 

I don't like Apple very much. The Macs are for smug arty types who sit in coffee shops looking all smug and trendy as they surf the web and drink their exotic fair trade wheatgerm fluid.

Having said that, I have an iPhone. Not because it's arty or farty, because it's useful.

I have a iPad, and it's great for surfing the web in the loo, but that's
about it.

Microsoft have finally got it right with Windows 7, and I'm sick of people banging on about how great OSX is. It's easy to make an O/S from the ground up when you have a complete monopoly on who makes the hardware!

I work in IT. Linux, Windows Server, Win 7, Vista, XP right back to Windows 3.11

I've seen most things, but I have to say that the iPad really doesn't make any sense to me at all!

 

Hi, you must be new around here.

Here's how the majority of Bit-tech works: if you hate on all Apple products or game consoles, you're cool. If you hate on Apple products and consoles, you're cool and awesome.

Defend Apple for a heartbeat, or dare suggest that maybe, just maybe, their technology has a place in this world and you're instantly a raving mad fanboy who's responsible for dumbing down the world.

I hope you find your stay here comfortable.

 

It's funny how the uninformed haters come out at the start of the conversation but bring absolutely nothing to it.

 

Fixed

 

hook, line and sinker!

 

Don't worry babe, I don't hate you. I just pity you!

 

yeah, cus the app review works so well:

http://appshopper.com/blog/2010/07/20/handy-light-tethering-app-camouflaged-as-flashlight/

 

It's an idea that's been around for a while, but never realised to its true potential. For a first crack you have to give Apple credit.

As someone mentioned before, people are fed up of hw/sw conflicts and over complex processes. Yes some of us (who could be classified as being more techy than the bulk of the iPad customers) may find it restrictive, but by being this way it is far more usable to the vast majority... which tbh is more important.

I'll get a 2nd gen probably.

 

Read my post.

 

Yes and no. Yes, because Apple have created a successful product. No, because the reason for this success mostly hinges on favourable reviews rather than technical accomplishments. I personally believe the iPad brings too little to the table for its success. It's as if reviewers are falling over themselves giving the iPad a glowing review.

What annoys me the most about the iPad (and by extension most or all of Apple's products) isn't the userfriendliness. It's that this userfriendliness comes at the price of limiting what you actually can do with the device. Not only are you forced to use iTunes to transfer your data to and from the device. You're even limited in what types of files you can transfer.

My biggest problem with this trend towards "Apple-like" userfriendliness is that as more people buy products like this it slowly becomes the norm to have limited access/use devices like the iPad. I'm really afraid that at some point I won't be able to buy hardware any longer that actually does all the things I want.

I might be wrong about that, but I don't think so. There are already lots of trends. Just look at where gaming is heading, as an example. From powerful PCs to consoles like the Wii and its "casual games". I'm afraid this is the direction of where "computing" is generally heading. A future of bland hardware and software. Of pure users and consumers, and pandering for the lowest common denominator. And I don't like it one bit...