Who fancies an iPad then?

[Ricman]

I normally take some convincing of the merits of new gadgets, but this one looks really interesting. I know it's not ground breaking, but the Apple gear is just so cool. Just for surfing and emailing on the sofa, I think it'll be far more convenient than my laptop. Any thoughts?

 

[GWDavis28]

The IPad is a great concept, Nokia has been making Internet Tablets for sometime now. The IPad to me looks a lot like a digital picture frame. It's pricey and I'm sure with time it will come down. I have a feeling that people will have issues with the digital keyboard. Nokia started with this and then moved to the a slider manual keyboard and people were much more happy. I'm sure that within time, there will be a pen that works with it.

Nokia N900 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Innovation is a wonderful thing and Apple tends to be a visionary.

Glenn |B)

 

[Big Poppa]

actually the fiact the the data on the 3g is tied to att is a negative

 

[beej]

Did they not test that name with women? I can't tell you how many I've heard complain about in the last 12 hours ...

 

[GWDavis28]

actually the fiact the the data on the 3g is tied to att is a negative

Agreed about the tie in to AT&T. 3G/4G seems to be the trend for new things like this. It has Wifi as well.

Glenn |B)

 

[GWDavis28]

Did they not test that name with women? I can't tell you how many I've heard complain about in the last 12 hours ...

Beej, hahahahahaha, I made a comment to someone that I showed the pictures too. Hahahahahahahahaha

Glenn |B)

 

[tommyindelaware]

i keep hearing att may soon be losing the exclusive to iphone service ?????
(from kim kamando)

my overseas phone service cost way too much for me to use.

 

[Ricman]

The Non 3G model is very well priced....considering Apples track record..

 

[adouglas]

I've got an iPod Touch, which is basically an iPhone without the phone. It is, for all intents and purposes, a miniature version of the WiFi iPad. (The Touch has WiFi.)

I like it a lot, and since the iPad is essentially the same thing, only bigger, I'm interested in it as well.

What drove me to the Touch was utility and cost. My ISP has set up WiFi hotspots all over my area, so most of the places I go I've got connectivity for no additional cost over my home Internet bill. This is in stark contrast to the AT&T data plan, which drives the cost of an iPhone through the roof.

Cost of my Touch: $199. Cost of connectivity: Free (I'm already paying for net access for my home, so it doesn't count since there's no additional charge). Total cost of ownership: Very low, compared to hundreds and hundreds per year for an iPhone with data plan.

I use my Touch mostly to read the NY Times, read books and surf the net. I've watched video on it and that's a surprisingly good experience considering the small size... the iPad will only be better.

For times when I'm not connected, I can store content on the device very simply (check out Instapaper.com) and read it offline.

Am I going to buy one? Not yet. The second- and third-gen editions are always better. Third-gen seems to be about where the sweet spot happens. Besides, this doesn't actually do anything I can't already do with my Touch... it just does it in a more user-friendly way because of the size. Oh, and I can stick my Touch in my pocket.

One thing that's interesting is that much has been made of Apple competing with the Kindle. One thing that nobody's mentioned is that there's a Kindle iPhone app (which I have and use all the time). So an iPad should give you access to all the content from the iTunes store AND the Kindle store. Sweet.

I think Apple did something smart by NOT making this a computer-like device. I've got a MacBook Pro and it meets my computing needs admirably. I use the Touch for other things that a laptop is not really well suited for. It's more of an on-the-go lifestyle device. The iPad is much the same kind of thing.

 

[beej]

What drove me to the Touch was utility and cost. My ISP has set up WiFi hotspots all over my area, so most of the places I go I've got connectivity for no additional cost over my home Internet bill. This is in stark contrast to the AT&T data plan, which drives the cost of an iPhone through the roof.

I have the iPhone. One thing I love about it is the Wifi access. So it's a phone w/ data access, but most of the time I'm using it on Hotspots for Internet.

When I'm out of the country, I generally use a VoIP client on it (I've jailbroken mine) or the Skype client, which is excellent. So easy enough to keep an eye on the costs.

 

[GWDavis28]

i keep hearing att may soon be losing the exclusive to iphone service ?????
(from kim kamando)

my overseas phone service cost way too much for me to use.

Tommy, I have been hearing that as well.

Glenn |B)

 

[MikeVt]

To me it's just an iPod Touch for old people (like me) with failing eyes - like a big button cell phone. In reality, the price doesn't seem attractive at all for what it appears to do. $299 gets you a 32G iPod Touch with WiFi. $599 gets you essentially the same functionality with a bigger screen. You're paying 300 bucks extra for a bigger screen.

Mike

 

[adouglas]

To me it's just an iPod Touch for old people (like me) with failing eyes - like a big button cell phone. In reality, the price doesn't seem attractive at all for what it appears to do. $299 gets you a 32G iPod Touch with WiFi. $599 gets you essentially the same functionality with a bigger screen. You're paying 300 bucks extra for a bigger screen.

Mike

That's true, but I suspect that it's something you really need to see first-hand to appreciate.

 

[Ricman]

I wonder why they didn't put a video cam in there, like the macbooks.

 

[GWDavis28]

I wonder why they didn't put a video cam in there, like the macbooks.

So they can sell you one later on. Hahahahahaha.

Glenn |B)

 

[MrMusashi]

the ipad looks interesting for me. im a mac retard..err.. geek and i love the iphone and my macbook pro. it would be nice to have a thingie that is big enough to use while still not scorching your feet when its on the lap
also i think this thing will make a market share of its own.. eg: newspapers sell subscriptions and subsidize the price of the unit.. or other uses we never have thought about
perhaps the gamechanger now has a control interface that works for those over 40?

MrM

 

[balance]

Wireless...now we're in my realm.

So, the AT&T exclusive deal with Apple for the iPhone is up for renewal at the end of this year. I work with AT&T Engineers who know it will be a bad thing if they bolt and give Verizon access to it. Funny thing is, Verizon turned down the iPhone initially and that is why AT&T got it in the first place (stupid move by Verizon BTW).

Verizon launches their 4G services, LTE this year...AT&T is at least 2 years away, but will probably work to move that up when Verizon launches their LTE services. So, picture a wireless market where Verizon not only has the fastest data services, but also has an iPhone with which to use on it. Trust me, AT&T is doing everything they can to not let this happen.

As for the iPad, I won't post the link here, but do a search for Apple I-Pad on YouTube and watch the MadTV skit on it...horrible name choice by Apple.

 

[Metropolis_488]

I really don't see the benefit of the iPad... I can't see a bunch of people whipping them out on the subway ride to work in the morning...

 

[peterd79]

Wireless...now we're in my realm.

So, the AT&T exclusive deal with Apple for the iPhone is up for renewal at the end of this year. I work with AT&T Engineers who know it will be a bad thing if they bolt and give Verizon access to it. Funny thing is, Verizon turned down the iPhone initially and that is why AT&T got it in the first place (stupid move by Verizon BTW).

Verizon launches their 4G services, LTE this year...AT&T is at least 2 years away, but will probably work to move that up when Verizon launches their LTE services. So, picture a wireless market where Verizon not only has the fastest data services, but also has an iPhone with which to use on it. Trust me, AT&T is doing everything they can to not let this happen.

As for the iPad, I won't post the link here, but do a search for Apple I-Pad on YouTube and watch the MadTV skit on it...horrible name choice by Apple.

the MadTV skit is funny as all get out... the video made its rounds with a few of my techie friends and we got a great laugh. Horrible name choice... why not iTAB or something else...

 

[isaactmeyer]

I think the ipad is going to be great when the 2nd or third generation comes out.. get the bugs fixed and get a camera and stuff with it..