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iPad Reactions

Kestrel said:
The $499 US price doesn't include sales tax, the UK price includes a 17.5% VAT. The VAT accounts for the majority of the difference between US and UK iPad prices.
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17.5%? Jeeze. Sales tax is only 4.7something% here and one can get around it by ordering online.
 
Rrose Selavy said:
Dell's new tablet - The "Streak" :D (cue Ray Steven's song from the 70s) for Europe

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/10146000.stm

Due next month No pricing yet.
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iPad = big iPod Touch

Streak = marginally bigger android phone.

I know there's no set definition of "tablet" but Dell calling this a tablet is pushing it. The only people who'll buy this are people who are replacing their cell phone with it. Unless there's someone out there who carries a phone with a 3.5" screen and buys this for when they want to take in video on a huge 5" screen.

Interested in seeing the 10" model they're working on, though.
 
HarryKeogh said:
So if someone were in the market for a lightweight tablet computer for say 5 or 6 hundred bucks what would you recommend? What was similar to the iPad eight years ago? A notebook computer with a screen on a swivel?

I'm not much of techie but I poke around the computer blogs and it seems like what would have been real competitors (Microsoft's Courier and HP Slate) just got canceled or delayed (though the Android-based systems later this year should be very cool and much more versatile than the iPad.)

Don't be upset with Apple for the iPad's success. It's not their fault computer makers have had years to get people excited about a tablet offering but have had zero success.
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There has been tablet computer for a LONG time. I see my colleagues with multi years old tablet compo with stylet where they draw draigrams and stuff. AFAIK there were even some with touch screen. Heck even multi touch is actually old when you come down to it, although i know of no example with normal computer, I know of a few with dedicated harwdare.

What MIGHT be new is that apple is doing one, and is cashing on their reputation with iPod and iPhone to enter the market. And what is new too is that they will restrict what is running on such computer to their whim like with iPhone.

The main problem with such touch computer remain the same : interface needs to be developped for it, as previous tablet PC shows you can't just take the normal system and change the interface from mouse to touch. Furthermore you better wash on regular basis your iPad. Seeing the tablet PC of my colleague, they easily leave fat trace on the screen.

Whether that will really attract the mass on the long term and be a giant sucess, needs to be seen.
 
Two million sold in two months may not be long term but that equates to a big success in my book. Name any other computer manufacturer shifting that many units of one particular model in that timescale.

And, according to Steve Jobs' interview at the D8 conference the other day, the iPad idea came first, but he realised he could build a phone around that concept so that was what ended up being brought to market first.
 
commandlinegamer said:
Two million sold in two months may not be long term but that equates to a big success in my book. Name any other computer manufacturer shifting that many units of one particular model in that timescale.

And, according to Steve Jobs' interview at the D8 conference the other day, the iPad idea came first, but he realised he could build a phone around that concept so that was what ended up being brought to market first.
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What about say nintendo, microsoft or sony?
 
commandlinegamer said:
Two million sold in two months may not be long term but that equates to a big success in my book. Name any other computer manufacturer shifting that many units of one particular model in that timescale.

And, according to Steve Jobs' interview at the D8 conference the other day, the iPad idea came first, but he realised he could build a phone around that concept so that was what ended up being brought to market first.
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Console building reach such a number. And this is much more comparable (commodity hardware) than comparing to a specific GENERIC computer model. Otherwise speaking of specific model I would have to dig it, but seeing that there are about 100's of million of sale of computer each years (ETA found sales for 2008 : 130 million for desktop 140 million for notebook rounded up and forcast for 2010 is 100million dekstop 170 million notebook. Compare to 2 million) , I would not be surprised if some config reached 2 million sales per year. Heck, my own firm bought a few thousand of the SAME model HP standardised (I think it was 5000) and that alone is 0.25% of your 2 million example for a general purpose PC. For one (albeit big) firm.

And please learn ONE big thing : if the platform is bought by normal people, they usually have along life cycle (use it until it breaks or is not good enough anymore for the newest stuff) this is one of the explanation touted why netbook market crashed hard. The real market is when you reach out to firm. I don't see the ipad with its restriction going to do that easily.

As for jobs saying this and that, fact is, the phone and pod came first to the market. Anybody can have non implement-able idea and later revisit them when tech allows. That happens all the time.

It is a short term "success", but let us get real, the real success (or death of the plateform) comes in the middle run (say 6 to 9 months). Up to now all we got really was hype and "first" buyer as in the one which buy the newest stuff mostly. If word of mouth build up, then success will come along. If people see the plateform as too restrictive (wasn't there a problem with browsing without flash?) then it will fall down.

I am not sure if it will go either way, all i say is 2 million is in such case no big deal.
 
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Yeah, I like it. It is addictive to play with. Fast on the internet, and in general easy to use. I still enjoy using my lap top for typing long replies, but for everyday short exchanges it works for me.
 
Supernovae said:
The thing is, the ipad doesn't surf the web nicely, it doesn't do email nicely and it doesn't do many things nicely. Want to share pictures? How are you going to post them? Want to surf the web? Sorry, the web doesn't care if you're on a touch screen!

The only thing the ipad does well is apps and video. Its pretty easy to force your way through video sites or install an app for that, but for general web surfing - the iphone/ipad are terrible at it since the touch interface doesn't translate to HTML at all (nor html5)
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I agree...and disagree. I agree, that compared to a fully functioning desktop/laptop, the iPad is not as smooth at getting you from site to site. However, it is still pretty easy. Hit safari, go to your bookmarks, tap the one you want, and boom...you are there...can't get much easier then that. IF your issue is with "clicking" on links, I agree the touch screen has its issues, but the "zoom in/out" function quickly makes page links big enough for the larges fingers to click on. As for email, I love it. I hit my email app, and INSTANTLY I have an updated email list with all of my emails available.

I do have a problem with everything having to be done through itunes. This has ALWAYS bothered me. I prefer to plug my gadget into my PC, then manually move everything from folders on my computer, to folders on my gadget. The iPad does not allow you to do this directly, so that is annoying.

Apart from that, I LOVE my iPad. As a Physician I have already found numerous applications I can use it in. I have downloaded color vision slides, which I now use to test my patients with. I have uploaded anatomy slides so I can explain certain things to patients. I can created and present "presentations" to colleagues, and with a simple adapter, put it up on big screen. Not to mention the obvious apps (ones I have used a PDA for in the past) such as drug reference, med text reference, etc...

Of course, all of this can be done with a BIG BULKY LAPTOP, but now I can do it with a small, paper sized, half inch think touch unit....MARVELOUS.

TAM:)
 
I just wish they'd make a much smaller one... perhaps with a phone integrated... that would be cool. :D
 
Me too... which is why I don't see the need for a giant iTouch. :)

It reminds me of the time I saw a beautiful display of Bonsai trees on a stall in the Corn Exchange in Leeds. They were priced at £250 plus. I mentioned to the person I was with that for that price, I'd want a much much bigger one.
 
Meh. The iPad is nice for what it is, and for someone who doesn't have a smaller one or has the disposable income and wants one I won't begrudge them for it. I'm just waiting for one of the Android models for myself that does what I want..
 
Apple are not going to be pleased, first the new iPhone is leaked and now the iPad with "multitasking" OS has been leaked:
 

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Remember seeing that on OCAU a while ago now, runs win95 like a stuck pig but the fact they've got it to run at all is nothing short of astonishing.

I must say I'm horribly tempted to get a 3g ipad, but as I have a great laptop and bitching desktop/htpc setup I'm unsure about where I'd use it and why...
 
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