iPad

Great, another toy for my inner geek. Amazon's Kindle doesn't look as shiny now...

Is anyone else worried that there may be an i-pon

I've always loved this skit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw2nkoGLhrE

Man, an I-pad, record quarter earning increases, what does it take for Apple stock to go up? I bought some last week expecting this junk and nothing - no wonder stock brokers jump out of windows...

Any links to details? I heard about it yesterday on my drive home- NPR was speculating that Apple would come out with it, but had no details, outside of the speculation that it would rock well and above a Kindle.

Going by the idea that it's an oversized iPhone or iTouch- if you look at where people think netbooks are going- it's a logical extension. Apparently, the popularity of netbooks has taken many of the manufacturers by suprise, so they are busy developing a hybrid architecture of smart phone processors (very low power requirements) and some basic windows/mac OS features. There's a projection that by the end of this year, netbooks will be running for +14hrs w/o charge, still be less than $300, and sometimes even be free/under $100 with a data plan on a 3/4G network.

Amazing progress.

i wouldn't compare it to something like a Kindle, which has a very specific function. part of the appeal of e-readers like the Kindle is that you're not looking at a computer screen; you're looking at ink.

if i wanted to read books on a computer screen, i could do that with any laptop. but that makes my eyes hurt. the kindle screen does not.

anyway, we'll see where this iPad thing goes, especially given it's apparent "magical" status. lol.

I found some stuff- http://www.macworld.com/article/145938/2010/01/tabletannouncement1.html and a new partial system for it.

It's essentially a large iPhone/iTouch, with a custom 1GHz processor and scaleable memory. Pretty sweet.

Buzz- given the right app, I'm sure you can make the screen look exactly like the print, and if I'm going to spend a few hundred on a Kindle that can only read books, what's a few more hundred for a machine that should be able to look as good or better than a Kindle + any iPhone app + some more custom stuff for the bigger processor.

None the less, I see the iPad, and the new netbooks, and hope that the i's make the netbooks just that much better. I kinda like the netbooks- we just got one, and it's pretty sweet for what we use it for. E-

maybe. i think the computer screen is always going to look like a computer screen b/c it relies on a light source to create images. there's also the size thing, which is why i don't understand the point of the "bigger, better" Kindle.

i'm not pooh-poohing the iPad...it seems a little early for anyone to have already formed a strong opinion. i think having more options is always a good thing.

http://www.apple.com/ipad/

ok pc oems..time to get with it. Obviously this is a desirable platform type. Now create one with open source formatting that allows freedom to create apps on your own a la droid

Engadget reports zero multitasking ability, which is strange. You can work on a document or browse the web, but not both at once...

With a processor that big and scalable memory... I wonder why not.

Something with an LCD display will never read like the Kindle. The Kindle really does read like ink.

I found the AT&T 3G unlimited broadband connection for $30/mo (no contract) the most appealing.

Hello portable, real time web server!!

I like the idea but figured it would be priced too high. I've contemplated getting an iTouch for a while now and I may just wait and get this thing. It'd replace the Dell Mini I'm on right now.

-Rob

I'd be more interested in getting two Dell netbooks for the price of an iPad. More powerful, cheaper, etc. Particularly with no multitasking, the iPad strikes me solely as aesthetic technology, even more so than Apple's usual stuff. Of course, clever software people will come up with cool uses for it, but I'd be more impressed if it were closer to OSX in functionality.

Not at all fond of the pricing relating solely to increases in space. When the iPod first came out, the jump from 15GB to 30 was appreciable and the prices reflected that, but now, charging $200 more for an extra 48GB of flash RAM seems kind of insulting with no other tech improvements to go along with the price bump.

And glossy screens look pretty when they're off, but can be distracting when you're trying to look at what's on the screen instead of what's reflecting in the screen.

At first glance it looks like a Macbook with a touch screen and without a keyboard.

I'm actually really interested in this, but the price is a little silly. I use my iPhone a lot while watching tv or in bed. A bigger one would be, well, better.

Scott Lear wrote: I'd be more interested in getting two Dell netbooks for the price of an iPad. More powerful, cheaper, etc. Particularly with no multitasking, the iPad strikes me solely as aesthetic technology, even more so than Apple's usual stuff. Of course, clever software people will come up with cool uses for it, but I'd be more impressed if it were closer to OSX in functionality. Not at all fond of the pricing relating solely to increases in space. When the iPod first came out, the jump from 15GB to 30 was appreciable and the prices reflected that, but now, charging $200 more for an extra 48GB of flash RAM seems kind of insulting with no other tech improvements to go along with the price bump. And glossy screens look pretty when they're off, but can be distracting when you're trying to look at what's on the screen instead of what's reflecting in the screen.

Keep in mind Apple has a history of releasing new products at a fairly high price, taking the low-hanging profits from fanbois and fangoils, then dropping the price once initial sales have slowed down a bit. I'm not saying that WILL happen, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the $500 model cost $350-400 within a year of releasing.

Bryce

I just don't see the mass appeal of this device over, say, an iPhone. It's too big to put in your pocket, not as powerful as a full on laptop, and it's (for now) expensive for what it does. Tablet PC's with handwriting recognition have been around a long time, and haven't set the world on fire.

My initial reaction was: Yawn. After reading more about it today, that hasn't changed. I do like Apple products, the Macbook Pro is a work of art, but this just does nothing for me.

Of course the marketing wizards at Apple will have the fanboi's convinced you MUST have one. So they'll sell a few, but, groundbreaking the iPad is not.

Is this a female hygiene product? I haven't seen one yet.

Yay, they made my Ipod Touch bigger...and charge twice as much for it...

great.

skruffy wrote: I'm actually really interested in this, but the price is a little silly. I use my iPhone a lot while watching tv or in bed. A bigger one would be, well, better.

i don't think this will replace your iPhone.

Osterkraut wrote: Something with an LCD display will never read like the Kindle. The Kindle really does read like ink.

b/c it is ink.

My initial reaction to the iPod was "yawn, it's an MP3 player" Boy, I sure got that wrong. It'll be interesting to see how it works.

It's definitely not a replacement for an ebook reader like a Kindle, though. The reading experience on an e-ink screen is much better and the battery life on those has to be seen to be believed. It's measured in books, not in hours - and that's due to the way the screen works. I don't like reading on my laptop, but my Sony Reader is a completely different animal.

tuna55, the stock didn't go up because everyone was expecting the earnings reports and the iPad. So the stock went up before the announcements

Buzz Killington wrote:

skruffy wrote: I'm actually really interested in this, but the price is a little silly. I use my iPhone a lot while watching tv or in bed. A bigger one would be, well, better.

i don't think this will replace your iPhone.

Osterkraut wrote: Something with an LCD display will never read like the Kindle. The Kindle really does read like ink.

b/c it is ink.

Explain. How is it ink on a computer screen?

Keith wrote: My initial reaction to the iPod was "yawn, it's an MP3 player" Boy, I sure got that wrong. It'll be interesting to see how it works.

The first generation of the iPods were just that...an MP3 player. They've come a long way, but it's roots were a little box that holds and plays digital music.

Where the"tablet" will be in 10 years...if it sells... well...

DILYSI Dave wrote: Explain. How is it ink on a computer screen?

It's not a computer screen. It's e-ink. Basically it is ink particles, positively charged white particles and negatively charged black particles, in a clear matrix. So the reader adjusts the charge for each dot of ink and turns it white or black. It's just like ink on a paper, only the actual molecular structure of the ink reacts to the charge.

I use the Kindle reader for the iTouch and I love it! I would love it even more on a bigger screen. I surf the web on the iTouch, check email, read books, occassionally listen to music (I know, isn't that novel?) and that's about it. For me, the iPad will be fantastic iTouch replacement.