What's so fantastic about Apple?

[Fast Eddie B]

No. Every single thing about Apple is fantastic.

Everything.

Word.

 

[TheL8Elvis]

Yeah, everyone who responded pretty much had the same impression. Why are you trolling me?

Go bother somebody else, or better yet, get a life.

Everyone who responded ? Who is this mysterious everyone ?

I'm not trolling you - it's just that:

a) you appear to be the official apple hater spokesperson of the thread, therefor you make the most claims and get the most reponses

b) it's just plain fun pointing out your hypocrisy.

Let me summarize with a few quotes:

I'm not ranting or name calling either. I'm making reasoned arguments backed up by evidence'

And I'll give you one guess where Consumer Reports gets their data from.
(I'll even give you a hint: the clue is in the magazine's name)

Because you don't have a clue what the hell you're talking about, and I do.

So you're basically just talking out of your ass again, as you've been doing throughout this entire discussion.

In my opinion, status symbols are suckerbait for small-minded, impractical douchebags with small penises major inferiority complexes.

Feel better now, without that big, bad, scary, dirty word violating your poor little virgin ears?

This particular thread happens to be about Apple, which sells its OS pre-installed on vastly overpriced hardware designed by fashionistas,

just exactly how gullible are you? Pretty darn gullible, by the look of it.

 

[jhunter1163]

Do not personalize your arguments, and be civil and polite.

Replying to this modbox in thread will be off topic  Posted By: jhunter1163

 

[Kid Eager]

Do not personalize your arguments, and be civil and polite.

Replying to this modbox in thread will be off topic  Posted By: jhunter1163

Are you mad? This is an Apple thread!

 

[Shalamar]

This seems to have developed from an Apple thread into a Tablet thread.

I've been using a Tablet for my work for about 4 years now. As a field tech, I find one invaluable for my needs. They're small, lightweight, highly portable, and I can easily use one in one hand.

Mind you, I am using a very outdated windows tablet, back when they were known as UMPC's (Ultra-Mobile PC's). It has a 7" LED touch screen, 2 gig ram, 60 GB HD, two USB ports, VGA port, Network JACK, Wi-fi, bluetooth. Also has an external thumb keyboard, mouse buttons, 4 way controller, and a mouse controller.(Even a built in kickstand!) Everything I need in a night tight package for ease of use. Alas, the UMOC's did not fare as well, as they came out at roughly the same time as the netbooks... Why pay a grand for a UMPC, when you can spend $300 or less for a netbook?

When the iPads first came out, I had a look at them to see if they would work to replace my Samsung tablet. Alas, no. They're nifty devices to be sure, but I can't communicate with other computers or printers easily. Can't hard-wire into a network. Can't print. Nice, inexpensive, but not for my needs. The android tablets fall into the same issues.

Fortunately, Windows based tablets are coming back, and they've actually got some power behind them, and there's a couple that have the network jacks, which I need for my work.

For the moment, I really don't see the iOS and Android tablets to be fancy toys and devices. They won't replace a computer for me any time soon.

 

[TheL8Elvis]

For the moment, I really don't see the iOS and Android tablets to be fancy toys and devices. They won't replace a computer for me any time soon.

Did you mean you do see them as fancy toys ? Otherwise I am confused.

Also - do you think tablets might replace all the functions that the average person uses a computer for, even if it can't replace a 'general purpose computer' in every scenario ?

 

[Shalamar]

Did you mean you do see them as fancy toys ? Otherwise I am confused.

Also - do you think tablets might replace all the functions that the average person uses a computer for, even if it can't replace a 'general purpose computer' in every scenario ?

Damnit. Yes. I DO see them as such. At least for now. They are, right now, fancy toys. I will also admit that I own an Android Tablet, the Kindle Fire. It's a great device, but most of my computing, gaming, videos is still done on my laptop.

As for the second, sure. Eventually they will. Tablets dedicated for certain functions. I think right now that people are trying to make tablets into general purpose machines, a task they're really not ready for.

 

[Stomatopoda]

do you think tablets might replace all the functions that the average person uses a computer for, even if it can't replace a 'general purpose computer' in every scenario ?

Facebook, Youtube/porntube, Bejeweled, Word, and listening to 96kbps mp3s? Did that years ago.

 

[BobTheDonkey]

Did you mean you do see them as fancy toys ? Otherwise I am confused.

Also - do you think tablets might replace all the functions that the average person uses a computer for, even if it can't replace a 'general purpose computer' in every scenario ?

Given the specs on this particular tablet here:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834131191

(Samsung 11.6" with a Core i5 processor and 128GB RAM)

I would say "yes". I could see using that tablet as a personal computer. I might wish the screen a bit larger (say, 15"), but then we'd be talking about sacrificing portability (and in-bed usability) for the larger screen. But the specs on that tablet rival many mid-range laptops.

 

[Brian-M]

Also - do you think tablets might replace all the functions that the average person uses a computer for, even if it can't replace a 'general purpose computer' in every scenario ?

How are they for touch-typing?

I know you can type on them on a casual basis with the virtual keyboard, but how are they for serious typing and coding?

But I suppose if you needed to do some real typing, you could always plug in a USB keybard.

Assuming it comes with USB port to plug it into.

 

[BobTheDonkey]

How are they for touch-typing?

I know you can type on them on a casual basis with the virtual keyboard, but how are they for serious typing and coding?

But I suppose if you needed to do some real typing, you could always plug in a USB keybard.

Honestly...my Windows tablet isn't that bad for typing. A little slow because it requires one hand to hold so it's, by default, the "hunt and peck' method of typing. If, unlike myself, that's how you normally type, you'd be typing at about the same speed as with a full-size keyboard.

I'd like to see SWYPE made for Windows, but it's not yet available. I had it on my Samsung Omnia II (Windows Mobile 6.5) phone and it made for quick, relatively painless texting. I now have it on my HTC Rezound (Android 3.2) and I love it for touchscreen typing. Were it available for full Windows, it would nicely round out the Windows tablet experience for serious coding. (ETA: Reading up on the Samsung tablet above, it apparently does come with SWYPE. I'm seriously tempted to pick one up now...)

Assuming it comes with USB port to plug it into.

 

[quadraginta]

Also - do you think tablets might replace all the functions that the average person uses a computer for, even if it can't replace a 'general purpose computer' in every scenario ?

How are they for touch-typing?

I know you can type on them on a casual basis with the virtual keyboard, but how are they for serious typing and coding?

But I suppose if you needed to do some real typing, you could always plug in a USB keybard.

Assuming it comes with USB port to plug it into.

I was using a tablet in the field on construction sites which covered pretty much all the bases.

Windows XP Pro (Tablet Edition), 1.5 GHz, 2 USB, VGA, RJ45, PC TypeII, SD slot, IR, Wifi, Bluetooth, docking connector, etc. built in.

As a tablet it had great handwriting and pretty good voice recognition. 12 in. screen. Wacom digital pen input was like using a sketch pad with a fine point pen.




A snap-on screen cover which also clipped onto the back when you were using it as a tablet included a USB keyboard and easel to convert it into a laptop.



This was great for when I came out of the field into a project meeting or something similar. I could set it up in less time than most people could get their laptops out of their briefcases.


When I got back to the field trailer I could drop it into the docking station and have all the conveniences of a desktop system, with more devices hung off of it than I want to bother listing here, including a full size monitor (which was more than helpful when I was running CAD software on it.)



All built to mil-spec tolerances. These guys were durable.

Disadvantages (compared to more recent tablets) were price, weight, and battery time.

Here is a review. From 2005.

But that was almost eight years ago.

What's not to like. Full fledged OS, tablet utility, laptop convenience, and desktop expandability.

When Win8 comes out, I'll be looking for something like this in a more consumer oriented price range, with the weight and battery life improvements that an extra decade of R & D can offer.

 

[Fast Eddie B]

How are they for touch-typing?

I know you can type on them on a casual basis with the virtual keyboard, but how are they for serious typing and coding?

But I suppose if you needed to do some real typing, you could always plug in a USB keybard.

Assuming it comes with USB port to plug it into.

USB is so yesterday!

Virtually all of the iPad keyboards use Bluetooth, including some nice examples that double as cases and stands.

I'm composing this on an iPad. I hunt and peck with one hand at a pretty good clip. You can also "split" the vitual keyboard and thumb type, but i find that awkward. Anyway, I wouldn't want to write War and Peace on it, but if one did a Bluetooth keyboard would at least make it feasible.

 

[John Albert]

USB is so yesterday!

So you're saying that consumers don't need the freedom of choice of support for the same standards that all other manufacturers support, because Apple represents "the state of the art" and the rest of the industry is living in the past? Do you not realize how ridiculous that sounds?

Even if USB were an "outdated" technology (which it certainly is not), most computer manufacturers would continue to support it in the interest of backwards-compatibility if nothing else.

Sounds to me like another excuse for Apple cutting corners on their vastly overpriced hardware.

 

[Fast Eddie B]

So you're saying that consumers don't need the freedom of choice of support for the same standards that all other manufacturers support, because Apple represents "the state of the art" and the rest of the industry is living in the past?

I think you have me confused with someone else - I never said that.

Even if USB were an "outdated" technology (which it certainly is not), most computer manufacturers would continue to support it in the interest of backwards-compatibility if nothing else.

Two words: Floppy Disk.

Sounds to me like another excuse for Apple cutting corners on their vastly overpriced hardware.

Yawn.

 

[megaresp]

Oh, and I also think the minimum brightness on the iPad could be a little bit less bright too.

I agree. Atomic Web Browser is fine for the web, but no use for Editions, Kindle, Flipboard etc.

I suspect the Kindle app could probably be monkeyed with in term of fore/background colour. Next time I buy a good book for the Kindle I'll give it a whirl.

 

[John Albert]

I think you have me confused with someone else - I never said that.

Then what exactly did you mean by the remark, "USB is so yesterday"? You certainly appear to be implying as much.

Two words: Floppy Disk.

No, that's a strawman argument. Floppy disk is an outdated format which has been superseded by more robust solutions with greater capacity. USB is undeniably still a current format in wide service within the industry, that has many uses.

Bluetooth might be adequate for a keyboard/mouse interface, but it's not a suitable substitute for USB for most applications. Bluetooth's throughput of 721Kb/s is no match for USB 3's 300MB/s.

Yawn.

Ah, the classic argument of the lazy student. How a propos.

 

[Mumbles]

I agree. Atomic Web Browser is fine for the web, but no use for Editions, Kindle, Flipboard etc.

I suspect the Kindle app could probably be monkeyed with in term of fore/background colour. Next time I buy a good book for the Kindle I'll give it a whirl.

The kindle app has a pretty easy to find "night" setting that inverts color - so you get white text on a black background. iBooks does this, as well, but I've never used Editions.

 

[John Albert]

I was using a tablet in the field on construction sites which covered pretty much all the bases.

<snipped high-end tablet awesomeness>

If I were ever tempted to buy a tablet, I think I'd go with something like this instead:

http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-0651-37U-10-1-Inch-Multitouch-Netbook/dp/B0032ALW5C

This netbook offers more functionality and flexibility than an iPad, for about $300. Of course it's not ¼" thick, and it weighs a bit more than a pound and a half, but those things don't matter much to me. I'm more interested in the maximum usability of the machine, than impressing the hipsters hanging out at Starbucks.

 

[quadraginta]

If I were ever tempted to buy a tablet, I think I'd go with something like this instead:

<snip>

I've always been concerned about that sort of design from a strictly engineering perspective. Putting so much reliance on a single multi-directional hinge just doesn't seem like a good idea. Maybe I'm too nervous.

That same Motion tablet I showed above also had a screen cover without a keyboard, which was barely 1/16 in. thick and snapped onto the back of the tablet when not needed. If I was going to be out on-site for very long I didn't need to bother with a keyboard at all.