[waterlogic]

Ipad is a big dissapointment. It is a well designed product but definitely not aimed for creative people.
It is clear Apple has inflated an already existing product and produced yet another tool for generating more profits from their Itunes store which for me personally is kind of insulting. I never bought a single tune from their store .
The lack of pen input (inking, drawing, painting etc) in a such a device definitely defeats any creativity especially with children and younger generations whose minds and imagination are blocked at the core and with that their creative mind and intelligence is in danger as well . It looks to me as a huge sugar lillyhop at which consumers should suck and forget to breathe, think, create...
I have iphone, and the only useful thing about it I can think is the remote for itunes player. Every other windows mobile device is better suited for reading books (you can load several dictionaries - multitasking) ...
I use macs the last 3 years only because I have no problems with virus attacks and that 70% of the time for music.
I hope the inovative company that brought Newton to this world will come back with a killer tablet device unlocking creativity in people....

 

[grawk]

How is it not for creative people?

 

[Alec E]

I played with one today for a few minutes. I was expecting to be won over, but I found it basically annoying. You can type with your thumbs in portrait mode, which is awful; or you can type in a frustratingly-close-to-normal way in landscape mode. I'm surprised people find virtual keyboards acceptable.

Pages never seemed to me to be the right size. I found it odd to keep finding pages shrunk, at all, on what felt like a full sized screen.

The headphone jack is on the top. Embarrassingly stupid.

I had been considering the 3G model as I'd like something lighter than my Macbook Pro to carry about daily, but I'll wait for the next Macbook Air revision, I guess.

(I also think my newish iPod Classic sucks, incidentally. I can't believe how slowly album art loads when scrolling, as if I were always turning it on for the first time. You'd think this was a bottom-tier device.)

 

[waterlogic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif How is it not for creative people?

What is creative ?

If you have ever observed children in a kindergarten . They make use of their hands a lot drawing, painting . The hands are the source of all creation development.

Also imagine, inking with good handwriting recognition instead of typing or touch typing. Or mindmapping in your own handwriting drawing . Schetching etc.

Ipad does not even have a camera (iphone is better) - yet another minus for this kind of creativity.

Creativity is also learning other languages, cultures. I can not load a single dictionary if I am reading/learning another language (this one really pisses me of.)

All this and more I can do on a windows slate !

Etc., etc.

But it is understandable why is all this lacking - more chances that people go to itunes store and buy something and this aimed at young people, making it even worse. But, this is how I see it.

If you think you can be creative with ipad - good for you.

 

[Alec E]

The mere fact that it doesn't have a keyboard limits its capacity for creativity, I would think. It is obviously intended as a one-way device--the internet talks to you, but you're not particularly meant to talk back.

It's a content delivery device. Not much more.

Which is fine, maybe. I often think that everyone posting online, definitely including myself, could stand to do more reading, less writing.

 

[grawk]

There are lots of drawing apps available. There's nothing to stop you from jumping over to a dictionary app while reading, or if you're in iBooks there is the ability to get a definition from inside the book just by tapping the word in question. There is also nothing stopping you from writing software to do anything else you want. The development tools are free. The device is only 3 days old.

It also works with Bluetooth keyboards. If you want an always there physical keyboard, that just means a tablet isn't for you. It's not a flaw in the device.

 

[Alec E]

I didn't say it was a flaw. The lack of a more usable input device is obviously a shortcoming, though, when we're talking about an internet device. The internet is for communication, presumably. Yes, many people communicate using virtual keyboards, but you can often tell, and not because of positive signifiers.

As for "There is also nothing stopping you from writing software to do anything else you want"--well that's absurd. Why not advise those unimpressed to simply build a better device from scratch? I think you're a little intolerant of criticism of this product.

 

[waterlogic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif There are lots of drawing apps available. There's nothing to stop you from jumping over to a dictionary app while reading, or if you're in iBooks there is the ability to get a definition from inside the book just by tapping the word in question. There is also nothing stopping you from writing software to do anything else you want. The development tools are free. The device is only 3 days old. It also works with Bluetooth keyboards. If you want an always there physical keyboard, that just means a tablet isn't for you. It's not a flaw in the device.

I use the Samsung Q1 (battery life 7 hours) and Toshiba M700 (battery life 6 hours) for reading books in many languages . Simultaneously running several files and 1st rate dictionaries on screen. Very good drawing, sketching apps more than usable handwriting recognition (penscript) in the major world languages.
(i think this is a minimum one should expect from 21st cent. computing ?)

The windows slates also work with bluetooth keyboards, guess what - I never use one - no need - I ink away.

I never said it is a flaw in the device - it is crippled on purpose. (it is intended as yet another shopping window, media delivery device). No ports out of the box to hook up my HDD music library, no way to get digital data out, no way to store anything on a usb stick or memory card if I want to share something with somebody. We can go on and on - it is a big joke actually.

And believe me tablet is for me (using tablets from day one) - that is why IPad is not for me.

 

[immtbiker]

If Apple knew that the masses would wait patiently for an improved second generation, then they wouldn't have released the 1st generation so quickly, and it would have forced them to make a better unit, with consistent Wi-Fi and outboard memory and USB capabilities, which would have made a world of difference.
But we are trained from birth (at least Americans are) for instant gratification and we need to be the new kids on the block. Companies give us what we will buy. In a huge recession like the one that we live in, especially with high unemployment and foreclosures, I raise my hat to Apple to still be able to move product the way they do.

I have an iMac24, Macbook Air for the kids, and a Macbook Pro 13" for myself and am quite satisfied with their products.
They are leaders in technology, but you have to take into consideration, that next year, for the same amount of money, you will always be able to get more bang for your buck.
Naive people compare Apple to Bose, and I just sit back and laugh. Apples and oranges.

Enjoy your new toys.

 

[grawk]

Ok, well, thos eare pretty specific requirements, I'd say. No device can be perfect for everyone. Saying that not being able to run a foreign language dictionary while reading several books at the same time makes it not for creative people is a bit of a stretch, imho. I don't need a bt keyboard on my ipad either, I just use the onscreen keyboard. That's why life is great, there are solutions for everyone, we don't all have to use the same tools. Quote:

Originally Posted by waterlogic /img/forum/go_quote.gif I use the Samsung Q1 (battery life 7 hours) and Toshiba M700 (battery life 6 hours) for reading books in many languages . Simultaneously running several files and 1st rate dictionaries on screen. Very good drawing, sketching apps more than usable handwriting recognition (penscript) in the major world languages. (i think this is a minimum one should expect from 21st cent. computing ?) The windows slates also work with bluetooth keyboards, guess what - I never use one - no need - I ink away. I never said it is a flaw in the device - it is crippled on purpose. (it is intended as yet another shopping window, media delivery device). No ports out of the box to hook up my HDD music library, no way to get digital data out, no way to store anything on a usb stick or memory card if I want to share something with somebody. We can go on and on - it is a big joke actually. And believe me tablet is for me (using tablets from day one) - that is why IPad is not for me.

 

[aamefford]

I saw it at Best Buy last night. It is pretty cool, but I don't need one. I saw photos displayed on it, and suddenly I wanted one! Not enough to buy one yet, cost is too high, and functionality is too low. If one or the other or both change favorably, I'll probably get one. It is pretty cool.

 

[nfusion770]

I returned mine today.

Like I said, I love the web surfing experience, the screen is beautiful, having Netflix and Kindle/ ibooks is very handy, and the battery is amazing, but it is too heavy, too awkward and I do not like reading books on the LCD screen. Furthermore, the enjoyable web experience is riddled with minor annoyances like the lack of one touch tab browsing, tapping the screen 10 times to get the cursor to the right spot to edit text and the constant loss of my web connection (a feature every other device on my networks seems to lack). There are more things I didn't like but these are top of the mind. It sort of got to the point where I realized I was forcing myself to suffer its limitations in order to convince myself it satisfied some previously unmet need- it doesn't.

I don't hate the device, I appreciate what they are aiming for- a new and unique way of accomplishing what most people expect out of their netbooks, but when it came down to it, the tradeoffs more than outweighed the extra 2 pounds it costs me to carry my full size Thinkpad.

That being said, I hope the rest of the world embraces this thing as it will create the market that one day will develop a device that will work for me- for that, I thank you early adopters and patronizers.

 

[Rumz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aamefford /img/forum/go_quote.gif cost is too high, and functionality is too low.

I can appreciate this. I originally wanted one when Apple first announced it, then a few weeks later changed my mind. I've gradually come back around to it, however.

I think you've nailed it though-- the deal breaker for many people will be price. If this were a $299 device like a lot of netbooks, yeah there would still be some people hell-bent on hating Apple's approach, but more people would be waiting in line for one. (Though the base $500 model is only $100 more than what I paid for a 16gb 1st gen iPod Touch... so the above poster was correct, every year you'll get more bang for your buck-- I'm sure they'll bring out multitasking, up the capacity of these things, maybe add a camera, multicore processors, better battery life, etc.)

See, the things I hear people complaining about I doubt they'd complain about if they viewed this like they do their DAP's, perhaps if it were just a bit less expensive. Personally, the light that went on for me was that I could use this device to replace sketchbooks and to view / read books on, with video, web, music, and other apps being added bonuses. (Yes, I'll be using a Pogo Sketch stylus for drawing and the like).

I don't want one to be able to do the same things I use a full computer for-- this device doesn't aim to replace computers (or even laptops), IMO. I kinda get the impression that a lot of people would be more interested if the price were low enough to justify the tasks they'd accomplish with it.

Honestly, I haven't bought anything from Apple since that 1st gen iPod Touch back in 2007. None of the subsequent versions or the iPhone really did anything significant enough for me to be able to justify spending the money (or to even want it enough to spend). I think the iPad is just enough of a paradigm shift for me to want one, because I have uses in mind for it that I cannot or would rather not try to use my phone for.

Caveat: I am a graphic / web designer by trade as well as an amateur photographer, so part of my interest in the iPad is in delivering content. I do see some hurdles with how restrictive Apple is (no Flash support, apps that can only be installed through Apple's app store), but I'm gonna give it a shot and see where this goes.

 

[Spareribs]

Good stuff! I'm excited about the iPad. I'm glad to see the enthusiasm of the people out there.

 

[aamefford]

Rumz, you got me slightly out of context (no worries though!), as I also stated that I liked it and wanted one, just not bad enough to overcome my quoted statement. I ponied almost $600 for a first gen iPhone, 3 months before the 3G came out. The 3G and 3GS are much better phones (I currently have a 3GS). Lesson learned for me, I can wait a bit. I'm a borderline fanboy, but I'll wait a generation or two to see where this product goes. I think it will be in a good direction, and I suspect I'll own one in a year or two.