Will you be buying an iPad?

[professorhat]

I was thinking on the move and also when staying away - clearly at home I'd just watch the DVD / Blu-Ray on TV. However, I am talking about watching movies on the move - the iPhone is fine for just me and short journeys, but for more than one person / longer journeys, the iPad would be much better. Plus if staying overnight in a hotel (like I have to occasionally for business), it would be much more suitable for watching movies. Plus there's likely to be a number of games developed for the iPad which will take advantage of the bigger screen - I'm thinking the likes of Civilisation etc. which I enjoy but just don't quite work on the iPhone's screen.

And for internet browsing, it would be just lovely anywhere

 

[Gerrardasnails]

professorhat:
I was thinking on the move and also when staying away - clearly at home I'd just watch the DVD / Blu-Ray on TV. However, I am talking about watching movies on the move - the iPhone is fine for just me and short journeys, but for more than one person / longer journeys, the iPad would be much better. Plus if staying overnight in a hotel (like I have to occasionally for business), it would be much more suitable for watching movies. Plus there's likely to be a number of games developed for the iPad which will take advantage of the bigger screen - I'm thinking the likes of Civilisation etc. which I enjoy but just don't quite work on the iPhone's screen.

And for internet browsing, it would be just lovely anywhere

I wouldn't feel very safe on a train with one - a thief's delight. £500 easily taken and just as easily sold on.

 

[The_Lhc]

professorhat:I was thinking on the move and also when staying away - clearly at home I'd just watch the DVD / Blu-Ray on TV. However, I am talking about watching movies on the move - the iPhone is fine for just me and short journeys, but for more than one person / longer journeys, the iPad would be much better. Plus if staying overnight in a hotel (like I have to occasionally for business), it would be much more suitable for watching movies. Plus there's likely to be a number of games developed for the iPad which will take advantage of the bigger screen - I'm thinking the likes of Civilisation etc. which I enjoy but just don't quite work on the iPhone's screen.

And for internet browsing, it would be just lovely anywhere

Well you don't need storage to browse the web but I guess for the rest of it it'll depend on just how occasional it'll be. I can't imagine me splashing out that much for something I'd use maybe once, possibly twice a year. Or at least the lack of storage for doing such a job wouldn't be enough to put me off if I was going to buy one for something else (which I'm not...).

 

[Anonymous]

Here is a great video I found:

EDITED: please don't link to locations containing inappropriate language

 

[professorhat]

Gerrardasnails:I wouldn't feel very safe on a train with one - a thief's delight. £500 easily taken and just as easily sold on.
But then there are laptops galore on trains (most worth quite a bit more than £500) and no one blinks an eye.

 

[Clare Newsome]

Not to mention watches, jewelery and accessories.

There's a brisk trade in designer-handbag snatching - often worth more than the contents!

 

[professorhat]

the_lhc:Well you don't need storage to browse the web but I guess for the rest of it it'll depend on just how occasional it'll be. I can't imagine me splashing out that much for something I'd use maybe once, possibly twice a year. Or at least the lack of storage for doing such a job wouldn't be enough to put me off if I was going to buy one for something else (which I'm not...).

It's fair enough (remember, I'm not trying to convince you to buy one!). However, from experience with my iPod Touch and now my iPhone, I know that 16 GB isn't enough to carry all the music I want around, 32 GB is just about enough - it's amazing how easy it is to fill these things. So when it comes to movies, I'd want a decent selection available to me without having to keep chopping and changing, hence 128 GB minimum I reckon.

Plus you'd probably want some photos on there (be useful way of showing off holiday photos to friends etc.), I could upload a load of documents I need to read (e.g. might need to read the latest manuals etc. on a new software product before talking to a client, so storing them on the iPad together and having them available and easy to read on the train would be useful). Plus my guess is there will be a number of apps that'll take up space as well. Probably not a lot on themselves, but it all adds up.

 

[The_Lhc]

It's got a card reader though hasn't it?

 

[professorhat]

Do you mean an SD card reader? You can buy one for it but why do that - much easier just to store photos on the internal drive.

 

[manicm]

Not now, but eventually I might buy a v2 or v3 iPad, or when ebooks are fully available in my country.

I just had a flash - you can't compare the iPad to any PC/lappie/nettie, as far as I'm concerned those are too difficult to use for a tech newbie, let me explain:

My parents are two extremely intelligent people (dad an attorney) but are useless at tech, since they are much older than me they even struggle with SMSs on a cellphone.

How in God's name do I explain to my mother she should defrag the hard drive, or update the antivirus?

PCs after 20-30 yrs are still a pig to use, and I speak as an IT professional.

And that's where something like the iPad comes in - it's more of an appliance with reduced abilities as a trade-off for better usability - no need for inane tasks like defragging etc - just switch on and play.

And I think this is generally the key to Apple products and why some don't get the company.

I'm not a Jobs fanboy though.

 

[carter]

yes,ur no,ur i dont no

i dont need one , i have a clasic for my music, a touch for my apple tv and podcasts,a laptop for on the move use ie slingbox/internet. even got a psp for games.

so i really dont need one..........

but i still sort of want one.

 

[Craig M.]

the_lhc:professorhat:Craig M.:very disappointed in the memory on offer though.
Probably the main reason I'll wait for 2nd / 3rd generation when costs should have dropped enough to allow for a 128 GB (or even 256 GB perhaps) model.

I can't help but think that's missing the point of it though, it's not supposed to be a storage device. I think it does point the way forward though, it won't be that long (relatively speaking) before you won't store anything locally, everything will be streamed to wherever you are. I know thin clients like this have been tried in the past but the infrastructure just wasn't good enough to support the idea back then. It will come though.

i go surfing a lot (the water kind), and would like to take something with me so i could watch films/listen to music over a weekend away. although i could fit a quite a few films etc on one, it would be good to not have to keep moving things on and off it because it's memory is full. and some of the places i go to have patchy mobile coverage so, personally, streaming wouldn't be much use to me in that situation.

 

[The_Lhc]

manicm:I just had a flash - you can't compare the iPad to any PC/lappie/nettie as far as I'm concerned those are too difficult to use for a tech newbie, let me explain:

My parents are two extremely intelligent people (dad an attorney) but are useless at tech, since they are much older than me they even struggle with SMSs on a cellphone.

How in God's name do I explain to my mother she should defrag the hard drive, or update the antivirus?

That's odd, I've never defragged the hard drive on my PC here and the antivirus updates itself, as I believe just about every antivirus program does now.

PCs after 20-30 yrs are still a pig to use, and I speak as an IT professional.

My mum's just retired, she only started using a PC about 3 years ago but she manages with her laptop perfectly ok.

 

[manicm]

the_lhc:

manicm:I just had a flash - you can't compare the iPad to any PC/lappie/nettie as far as I'm concerned those are too difficult to use for a tech newbie, let me explain:

My parents are two extremely intelligent people (dad an attorney) but are useless at tech, since they are much older than me they even struggle with SMSs on a cellphone.

How in God's name do I explain to my mother she should defrag the hard drive, or update the antivirus?

That's odd, I've never defragged the hard drive on my PC here and the antivirus updates itself, as I believe just about every antivirus program does now.

PCs after 20-30 yrs are still a pig to use, and I speak as an IT professional.

My mum's just retired, she only started using a PC about 3 years ago but she manages with her laptop perfectly ok.

You must have the defrag set to auto-schedule in Windows then (I actually should do it). And Macs apparently do not require defrag.

But do not underestimate the effort required by someone who has never used technology before to get to grips with a PC. My parents never got to grips with a VHS machine - they could just play and stop and that's it - programming it to record at a certain time was no no. They use their cellphones in a very basic way as well. My dad had his secretaries and later my mum to compile documents - he never touched a PC.

It's when I spent time with them showing them the basics of internet and email that I realised that the PC, even with latest OSs, is a horribly dated and unintuitive device - there's been no real progress in 30 years - you still have to go get coffee while it boots up anyway.

 

[Anonymous]

The iPad is basically a testbed for future ideology. I'll probably buy one of its uncles or aunties.

 

[Highway]

Yes

 

[Anonymous]

If the screen is good enough to read books/magazines on without eye strain then it could be a great product. OK, it is easy to steal but then so is a laptop. It would also make a great remote control for browsing through media collections that are playing through the stereo/AV system. And if TV guides were available to browse and program a media center that would be cool... an interactive Radio Times. With 10 hours of video playback it is also long enough for a long-haul flight. My understanding is that the iPhone/iPod Touch can only do 5 hours of video and I sure wouldn't want to watch my iPod Touch for 5 hours! So my view is that it has loads of potential if the screen is good enough, it's just a question of the applications that are made available for it and judging by current iPhone apps that could be quite a possibility. Imagine it replacing travel agent brochures and being able to just click and book. Yes I know you can do such things on the PC but I'm really fed-up of reading magazines in Zinio on the PC. To be able to sit in a comfy chair and read magazines on it could be great.

 

[Anonymous]

I think I like the idea of buying one more than the reality of actually owning one. After all, they have less functionality than a netbook.

 

[AlmaataKZ]

No.

I was hoping it will be usable as a music pc, but theres is no USB for digital out and additional storage so it is not suitable. native storage is too low as well. no flash support and no multitasking.

if it had 256 gig and USB out + flash support I would buy.

 

[Anonymous]

No, I won't.

Touch screens simply don't go along with my dirty fingers.

 

[Zubkabera]

Clare Newsome:
No, I will not be buying an iPad. I do, however, have a birthday in April that I hope might bring one

Though my birthday wishlist may change once i've had a chance to have a good long play with the thing - I need to know it copes with music and video as well as i'd hope...

Nice Clare , good way of telling your better half what the expectations are

 

[Anonymous]

Don't mean to be provocative but I just don't get this thing.

As a convenience device, the cute / desirable bit about the Touch is its size - the iPad is an embarrassing behemoth by comparison. Come on...who wouldn't be embarrassed to slip this out on the train / tube / bus?

As a computer device, it's pants - no multi-tasking, tiny memory, no proper keyboard for data entry. Buy a netbook or ultra-portable laptop.

As an e-reader, it's eyestrain with no e-ink and battery life way less than kindle (though why anyone would want an e-reader instead of a fabulous, tactile, characterful book is completely beyond me anyway)

As a magazine / newspaper facilitator, it's unnecessary, expensive, more prone to breakage than the original (paper) format and you can't (easily) share them with your friends and relatives.

As an MP3 player, you'll need bloody deep pockets. Which of course you'll need to have anyway to buy the thing in the first place. Surely better with a Touch or a Sony?

As a games machine, it's not in the same league as the purpose built machines.

As a device for watching movies, it's an ergonomic disaster and not really much better in other respects than a netbook or Touch, depending on what's your poison.

As a long-term gadget, it's shelf-life is limited with versions 2, 3 and 4 probably already waiting to be released, although that's if your non-replaceable battery doesn't pack up first.

As a convergence device, it does everything a bit less well than the originals and then what are you going to do with all your existing, more functional, gadgetry? Maybe you go back to it piece by piece until the iPad's a dusty relic.

As a solution for a problem, it's a problem that didn't exist.

As a wallet devouring toy with no real purpose, it's...well, perfect really.

 

[landzw]

Yet it will still sell like hot cakes

 

[professorhat]

athenry:Come on...who wouldn't be embarrassed to slip this out on the train / tube / bus?

Erm, me.

 

[fido87456]

Yup, I'll be getting the 16GB wireless one (ie the cheapest) at launch.

When I got my ipod 8GB Touch last March and started playing with it and realised how much more than a music player it was, I thought to myself, 'If only they'd make a bigger version of this'

And they have so I'll be buying it! I'm not interested in the iBook feature as I have a sony PRS505 for reading which is excellent and doesn't cause eyestrain unlike reading on a backlit screen.

Its use will be to reside on the coffee table and be used for occasional web surfng, email, and assorted apps that I currently use my ipod for. Possibly watching the occasional TV show when my wife insists on watching antiques roadshow or somesuch. And as a big shiny remote control for my Squeezebox using iPeng!

Thing it won't be used for are, reading books or listening to music.

Shiny things... must buy more shiny things!