
The iPad is the first Personal Computer-- what you have is a work computer. - colinplamondon
http://spreadsong.com/the_ipad_is_the_first_personal_computer_what_you_already_have_is_a_work_computer
======
juhgfcgvhnjm
The iPad isn't a computer. It has a cpu, but so does my toaster, it's a
portable cableTV box. The point of a personal computer is that you are in
charge, you create content, with an iPad you pay to download and watch other
people's content. It's the difference between writing your own blog and
reading the national enquirer

~~~
callmeed
It has iWork. You can create documents, slideshows, emails, and plenty more
with other apps (including blogging apps).

Not only is your definition of a computer narrow, it's not even accurate with
regards to the iPad.

~~~
jerf
Did you notice when you posted that that you also fried the entire premise of
the linked article? Work still beckons, email still beckons.

If it is left up to the user to not permit those things to beckon, well, gosh,
I can do that right now on any machine I choose, there's nothing special about
the iPad.

There is no such thing as "work machine" or "personal machine". There are only
computers. Turing machines. A computer is what you make of it. In fact I'd
fight anyone who tries to hide this fundamental mathematical truth, because
they're probably trying to lock me in a trunk. Which in fact Apple is. (The
metric works!)

[http://www.scripting.com/davenet/2001/08/01/bigBlankMachine....](http://www.scripting.com/davenet/2001/08/01/bigBlankMachine.html)

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Tycho
'The iPad's killer app is chilling out!' That's exactly what I think.

I can picture this thing being passed casually around the living room so that
family members or friends can look at photos or check out something on a
webpage ('look at this!'). You can't really do that with a laptop, and it's
not very appealing with a smartphone. I can imagine it becoming a staple of
the lounge just like TV&remote or newspaper.

Also I can see many workplaces adopting it to kit out their
practices/garages/surgeries/kitchens like Star Trek... iPads bolted to the
walls or mounted on stands etc.

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jasonlbaptiste
Actually I think it's going to change how we work just as much. Think about
it. iPad 3G + HTML 5 business web apps? No more software to install, constant
connectivity, dynamic touch driven interfaces,etc. If that's not some Jetsons
shit, then I don't know what is.

~~~
jrockway
Dunno about this. Most of the spreadsheets I look at on a regular basis don't
even fit onto a 30" display. "Real work" does not happen on 10" tablets.

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stcredzero
_You don’t sit it down in your lap, the screen doesn’t come up and block
reality- it’s something you pick up and hold. And, like a book, you can simply
put it down._

A wonderfully concise way of putting the key difference.

 _It’s the first Personal Computer- good for hanging out in the living room,
terrible for ‘real’ work. That’s why it’s fantastic!_

However, this misses the mark. It's only a matter of time before we iron out
the kinks and such interfaces are used for work.

~~~
blhack
I still don't see this (the iPad as something for work, I mean).

Does most people's version of "work" consist of setting something down on a
table, and then never breathing on it?

This idea of a tablet as a work device has been solved many many many times
already and is already extremely successful; it's called a toughbook and it is
a wonderful machine. I have guys drop their toughbooks, use them in the rain,
use them when their fingers are covered in grease, I've had toughbook get run
over, and left in hot cars for a day. There is absolutely no possible way that
the iPad could survive in these conditions.

Howabout doctors? Lots of people are claiming that doctors are going to be all
over this...why? How is this different then the myriad of tablets that are
already available? I've heard people praise the iPhone's interface as some
marvel of modern design, but really? I've had mine for about a week and a half
now and I cannot _TELL_ you how much I miss buttons that do things. The
phone's interface feels like there was a lot of shoehorning to get it to work
with only a few buttons. I really miss my blackberry.

My iPhone is great for updating my twitter status and making people laugh by
having them sing into the "I am T-Pain" app, but it is absolutely not in any
way something that is designed for work.

We'll see, but I think that the iPad is just going to be an iPhone SUPER, and
I think that we've already seen why the iPhone doesn't work as a business tool
(at least not for the people I've met). I replaced a few people at work's
blackberries with iPhones because they begged and begged for them [I talked to
their boss and had them set up the iPhone as a sales incentive for them, it
worked really well, actually :)] and after about a week they started crying
for the return of their blackberry.

My opinion is that the iPad will be the same story.

~~~
philwelch
Yeah, toughbooks tablets are pretty neat. They're also about 3 pounds and are
full blown PC's, which sounds great but most workplaces have to endure much
higher costs from maintaining and administering full blown PC's than they'd
endure from a more limited device.

~~~
stcredzero
I've had to do a _phenomenal_ amount of tinkering to get my tc1100 tablet to a
lovable level of slickness. (A 3lb slate form factor PC.) We're talking about
weeks of research, trying out software, buying components off of eBay and one
afternoon of disassembling the thing.

The iPad is just about as useful to me after just one hour or so of App Store
downloading. It's a bit faster to write posts with, even typing one handed. I
haven't been able to sync the Bluetooth with my Plantronics 510 headset,
though.

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mgcross
Find and replace all instances of "iPad" with "netbook" and the article
describes my netbook usage.

~~~
KirinDave
The same is true for me and “laptop.”

That doesn't mean either of our use cases are optimal.

~~~
mgcross
Agreed, but a small form factor netbook shares many more similarities with the
iPad than a full-fledged laptop. My 9" EeePC is light and comfortable to use
on the couch, in bed or even standing in line at the DMV. The keyboard is too
small to do a lot of typing, but it's fine for quick emails or chat. The
screen is too small and the processor too slow for Photoshop. Granted the iPad
surely has a nicer screen. And if a netbook keyboard isn't being used, it's
"dead weight" so to speak. But I've also used my netbook for work in a pinch
(ftp, notepad++, vnc). So I suppose my EeePC falls _between_ an iPad and a
laptop, which is good enough for me.

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mikeyur
My mom wants one and that's how I know it's going to do well.

 _Sidenote: Anyone order 2 and are willing to let the other go? Or are going
to pick up in store and could grab another? I'd really like to get it 3 weeks
before the international launch :P

My friend tried to order 6 and Apple canceled all 3 of his orders :( If anyone
can help me out @yurechko on twitter or m[]mikeyur[]com_

~~~
Tichy
Could it just be the result of efficient advertising, though?

Arguably iPods are very useless things, too (except for the iPod Touch maybe),
yet they sold like hot cakes. Again I suspect it's because of advertising.
Marketing is something Apple is REALLY good at.

Also iPods were good for displaying status (maybe the only real use) - the
same isn't true for an iPad you keep at home on your couch.

~~~
chadgeidel
They sold well because of ADVERTISING? Please tell me you are kidding. They
filled a niche and were stylish. That's kind of the point of a good product.
Sure, Apple has good advertising, but contrary to what some geeks think
advertising isn't brainwashing.

~~~
Tichy
Um, did I hit a nerve?

~~~
aero142
I think you did. Around here, I think that many people see the iPod as the
kind of success that they would love to emulate. The iPod did something
simple, play music, but it wasn't useless. In dash vinyl record players did
that as well, but the iPod did it really well. Apple created an elegant device
that solved a simple, but very common task. They combined this with great
design and brilliant advertising. For this they were rewarded with truckloads
of money from satisfied customers. This is something to be studied and
emulated, not derided by calling it useless.

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elblanco
Yes, let's co-opt words so we can confuse consumers.

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dpcan
The key phrase in this article is "when you pick it up".

Just think of how important it really is to be able to set your laptop down in
front of you somewhere. Anywhere. What about holding a cup of coffee while
browsing? Or writing?

Just because people "want" one doesn't mean they are going to get "used".

A lot will be purchased, sure, a lot of apps will be sold, but will it change
personal computing forever? Nope. People will realize the laptop keyboard and
form factor is a pretty sweet thing.

Imagine trying to type your comments on HN using that keyboard on the iPad?
Hmm.

~~~
colinplamondon
I don't think the keyboard issue is really there- if you read the reviews thus
far, most brand it as either good or acceptable.

Apple is lightyears beyond anyone else in virtual keyboards, which will be
shown off big time with iPad.

~~~
doron
Its interesting, i have been using swype beta on my droid for the last month
or so, and it completely changed the way i type on the phone, i just had to
type again on the iphone, and it struck me as almost anachronistic.

A Swype like feature on the ipad can have great potential.

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khelloworld
To the all the people whining here and else where on the inter-webs:

Is the iPad special?

Heck yes it is. Show me a tablet computer other than the iPad that is as
polished, has as much of a vibrant app store and does most of the things you'd
expect from a freaking 10 inch small slate, I'll join you side.

Is the iPad revolutionary and magical?

Of course its all a joke -- never heard about marketing before?

Bonus:

""" The iPad isn't a computer. It has a cpu, but so does my toaster, it's a
portable cableTV box. The point of a personal computer is that you are in
charge, you create content, with an iPad you pay to download and watch other
people's content. It's the difference between writing your own blog and
reading the national enquirer """

The iPad is a 10 inch slate. Even if it had full blown OSX on it, I doubt it
could be used for full blown "content creation." For light editing / writing
work, there are apps on the app store to help you do that.

If the iPad were to be a bigger slate, thats something different. But, for a
10 inch tablet..c'mon.

------
peterwwillis
Oh, jesus christ. Listen. Just because you can't do any actual work on an iPad
doesn't mean I only have a "work computer." It's very rare I use my laptop for
work. I use it for my personal tasks and entertainment and thus it is a
personal computer. Now can we please stop with ridiculous comparisons like
this?

~~~
KirinDave
That's not what the article is saying. The article is saying that the iPad is
optimized for personal tasks. A personal computer is (implicitly) optimized
for work-related tasks. While you certainly can use your
laptop/desktop/netbook to perform the same functions as an iPad, it may not be
as natural or as comfortable to do so.

I'm not sure I believe the author's analysis either. But the least we can do
is represent it faithfully and not argue to straw men.

~~~
mquander
You're being way too kind to the author. He never tries to demonstrate any of
the ways in which a personal computer is "optimized for work-related tasks."
He just takes it as a given: _"you can’t kick back and relax with a laptop."_
It's just bullshit, not an analysis.

~~~
KirinDave
I didn't say I agree with him. I just said I don't agree with making up a
straw man argument and then burning it down.

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mmagin
It seems like the downsides of the "work computer" as he's characterizing it
are the fact that it encourages multitasking behavior. On the other hand, with
the iPad/iPhone/iTouch platform multitasking is severely restricted,
applications appear full-screen and there's a small (time) penalty in
switching from one application to another (it's not as easy as alt/cmd-tab).

It is ironically a good limitation for some situations. But, you can achieve
the same thing by just doing one thing at a time. (And I think that's a lot
better for a lot of work activities too.)

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Tichy
I wonder how many people will bother to carry their iPad AND their
notebook/netbook on the train or air plane. Maybe iPads will kill off
netbooks, but at the moment I still doubt it somehow.

~~~
Tycho
To be honest I'm amazed that anyone can be bothered carrying laptops or even
netbooks about. To me they're good because you can move them easily from desk
to desk, but the prospect of using a laptop 'out and about' and carrying it
all day is singularly unappealing.

~~~
Tichy
The iPad is actually heavier than my subnotebook from 4 years ago, and I
suppose also heavier than most present day netbooks. It's also heavier than a
MB Air.

I sometimes carry my notebook along when traveling. Not so much for just going
to work at a cafe, but that might be because there are no really nice cafes
around where I live.

~~~
Tycho
Are you sure about those weights? I thought the iPad weighed 1.5 pounds, which
is surely lighter than a MB Air and judging by a quick Google search lighter
than the lightest netbooks ("just under 2 pounds").

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rriepe
I think "personal" was attached to let people know that it was a computer, but
not the size of your living room. And not something you'd have to rent out by
the hour.

But still, good points. I don't know if I'm ready to shell out 500 bucks to
chill and read stuff, but I know there are tons of people who will be.

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vgurgov
Ok, after so many ppl explained why iPad is cool/suck, am i the only one who
truly dont care at the moment and prefer to wait a bit to test how ppl will
adopt it?

~~~
KirinDave
Sorry, but we probably can't.

Those of us waiting on Saturday orders are a little jumpy right now.

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kilian
Nonsense, I have various everything-machines that can "transform" into either
work computers or personal computers, depending on what I want them to do ;)

Still, I want one.

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jcromartie
I _really_ want to work on it, too, though.

~~~
jasonlbaptiste
Three words: Google Apps HTML5

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njharman
> what you have is a work computer

The 20+hours/wk playing games would beg to differ.

