
IPad: $1 Billion Later, What Do You Think of It Now? - Anon84
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/ipad_1_billion_later_what_do_you_think_of_it_now.php
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rbarooah
I love mine. A few comments:

To the people comparing the features and price to a netbook and saying 'I just
don't get it' - it's about the design i.e. _how it works_ not just what it can
do. I think that the crowd here owes it to themselves to take a close look at
one, ideally find a friend who has one, and play with it in a relaxed
environment. There _is_ something quite different about the experience that
you won't understand by comparing feature lists, and even if you dislike Apple
and don't want to buy one, it's worth understanding this because it is a real
change to how we interact with computers.

Secondly, I have found it to be a great device for traveling. I am visiting
London at the moment and got a 10gb microsim for 15GBP. I get to use the thing
all day and the battery and data supply is ample. I can catch up on tech news,
read docs, read books, and watch movies etc. I could do these on my laptop,
but this is way better, and I can carry it with me everywhere and even use it
in public without being antisocial, whilst my laptop stays at our base for the
odd moment of coding.

Finally, an obviously revolutionary moment came for me yesterday. I was
looking up details of a medical center, and my father who is nearly 90, was
asking me questions. At a certain point he just reached over and took the iPad
from my hand and started reading the webpage and scrolling through the
document himself. This was the first time he'd touched the thing, and he
hasn't used a computer since he retired more than 20 years ago.

It might not seem like a big deal, but to me that signifies a profound step in
terms of both usability and sociability of computing, not to mention the
ubiquity of he web. Smartphones and laptops are both still very much personal
computers. The iPad may be the first mass market _interpersonal_ computer.

~~~
crocowhile
I am everything but an apple fan and I agree with you. iPad changed the way we
interact with computers, same as iPhone changed the way we used the phone and
iPod the way we deal with music. That said: I don't have an iphone but a nexus
one and I will be getting an android tablet when they will come out. Kudos to
Apple for being able to show the way so many times over and over - but I still
prefer open source and freedom.

~~~
ekanes
Perhaps we have the best situation possible in terms of evolutionary and
revolutionary innovation.

We get huge leaps in revolutionary innovation by Apple, followed by strong
evolutionary innovation as strong competition arrives (eg. Android) and forces
Apple to continue improving, lower prices, etc.

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inovica
I love mine. I have a laptop, but the iPad is the useful tool that I browse
with on the sofa, take to meetings to demonstrate 'stuff' and throw in the car
as a 'just in case' as I can use instant messengers, email and the web (plus
drop-box) its all I really need in an emergency. It doesn't do everything - of
course - because its not supposed to.

~~~
wvenable
Sounds like exactly how I use my netbook. (Edit: when I can get it away from
my wife)

~~~
crocowhile
I went to the apple store with a friend last week. He badly wanted the iPad
but could not find a valid reason for it, other than goofing around on the
sofa. After half an hour thinking we ended up deciding that the iPad is really
useful if you want a way to carry around and read your PDF library of
scientific paper. I don't think it has rivals for that.

For everything else it's just a cool toy.

~~~
ghshephard
Re: PDFs and Scientific Papers - YES, with DropBox and GoodReader it's usually
just a few seconds to get my DOCs onto the iPad.

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ghurlman
I still can't help but think that it's a device that if I were still single
(read: more free time, no kids, no mortgage/property taxes) - I would've
bought in a heartbeat.

But, as it is, there's no way I can justify the cost with an iPhone in my
pocket & laptop on the table.

~~~
rythie
I think actually it is good for families as it is more suited to the living
room and is therefore more social.

~~~
ghurlman
Not until it supports more than one user profile/account/whatever. Not holding
my breath though, as iTunes is still the only program that I'm aware of in
wide use that only allows one logged-in user at a time to use it (on a PC).

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adbge
Am I the only one who thinks it's premature to claim that we're entering a
"new era of computing"? I'm still far from convinced that tablet computing is
going to "revolutionize" anything other than printed media.

~~~
ghshephard
It's certainly revolutionized how I interact with Magazines, Newspapers,
Video, Entertainment and Books.

What I'd really like to do is see whether my new behavior sustains itself, or
whether it's a function of the "New shiny thing" - my iPhone, Two (three?) +
years later gets used every 30 minutes, every day, for _tons_ of functions -
so clearly that was a sustainable technology shift.

~~~
stcredzero
The internet already revolutionized my Magazine, Newspaper & Video
consumption. The former, it revolutionized pretty much out of existence.

The iPad's form factor was instrumental in revolutionizing my interaction with
books. I can buy a book whenever I think of it. Programming books? I can carry
an unlimited number of them with me! In this it's just like the Kindle with
two big differences: 1) it's much better for searching 2) it's a much better
web browser/computing device.

~~~
c1sc0
"it's a much better web browser / computing device" > I disagree: it's a great
webbrowser but I've come to miss things like the delicious plugin or the ease
of sharing links on social networks. Especially in app-wrapped magazines, I
miss being able to share articles _easily_ on social networks / blogs /
twitter. It takes more effort. Also, magazine apps make me take out pencial &
paper to take notes. I'm not sure yet if that is a good or bad thing.

~~~
stcredzero
I meant: better then the Kindle. Now go and re-read!

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ebiester
This really surprised me.

It's not that I didn't expect the IPad to be a success. I mean, it's a sexy
piece of hardware. The mobile processors mean that we finally have enough
firepower in this small of a case.

However, hasn't anyone learned yet not to buy the first Apple implementation
of _anything_? Next year will be a new IPad and it will have a camera, a
faster processor, and who knows what else that will make everyone go, "I don't
really have the money, and I have this one, but that's really cool! I wish I
had waited."

~~~
alextgordon
There's _always_ a rev N+1. Holding off buying hardware at the start of a
cycle because of what could come next year is a recipe for never buying
anything.

~~~
teilo
If that were the only parameter in the argument, that would be true. However,
there are two things, in this case, that make the OP's point valid: First,
N=1. This is, for all practical purposes, a Gen 1 device. There really will be
a significant improvement in Gen 2, annoyances removed, etc. I learned this
the hard way with the G1, a phone I could not honestly recommend anyone buy.
But I would council anyone to buy a Nexus One now, even though there will be
something better later.

Second - By the time Gen 2 comes around, the apps will exist to make this
device ever so much more usable and useful than it is today. Again, this is an
N=1 problem that does not apply to N+1 where N>1.

~~~
ghshephard
So, to some degree, we're actually at N=3 or 4, with the iPhone 3,3G, 3GS and
various incarnations of the iPod Touch being where Apple finessed many of
their elements like copy/paste. Also, the mature application development
environment, and the 150,000+ Applications would not be what you'd typically
find on a Generation 1 device.

What's ironic is that for the longest time, the major hit against Apple was
that it didn't put much effort into providing backward compatibility with it's
platform, unlike, say, Microsoft that would let you run your DOS Application
in an operating system built 30 years later.

Now, the tables have turned, and almost all of your original iPhone
applications run just fine on your iPad. It actually drives me crazy how
friends of mine ignore the newer iPad apps so they can play the old school
iPhone games that I transferred from my iPhone.

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tlb
I loved it from the beginning, and I still love it. I'm happy it's catching on
because I think it will improve a lot of people's experience of the internet.
Partly because of the form factor, partly because it's so much simpler than
administering a Windows system.

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tumult
I've been using mine on and off since the release day. I think it's a fun toy.
And most people use their computers as toys, so I believe it will continue to
do quite well, until someone copies Apple exactly enough and at a lower price.

~~~
swombat
Based on their track record for people copying the iPod and the iPhone, I
guess the iPad has at least half a decade of reigning over personal computers,
then.

~~~
stcredzero
I think the Droid Incredible's on a par with the iPhone.

~~~
rythie
So that's three years then.

~~~
stcredzero
The delay between some new trendy type of restaurant appearing in New York and
its first appearance in Cincinnati was about two years. I suspect that such
gaps are exploited in markets, which will result in the gaps shrinking over
time.

------
pierrefar
I won't decide on the iPad till I see the crop of competitors in action.
Android-based ones are the most interesting to me so far, but HP's WebOS
tablet is certainly promising.

~~~
moolave
I hope this convinces you more: <http://www.vimeo.com/11886557>

~~~
pierrefar
That's cool, but it doesn't strike me as special or unique to the iPad. Surely
any well-designed tablet would benefit from velcro like that.

------
elblanco
I borrowed a friend's for a week and really found that I was more frustrated
with the limitations of the device, what I couldn't do (usually because of
some arbitrary Apple policy than a technical one), than how enamored I was
with how it changed what I could do -- at least once or twice per usage
"session". That being said, I'd be far more willing to accept those
limitations if it wasn't so darned expensive. When I held it and used it, I
kept thinking two things:

1) The user experience _is_ really nice, and pretty well thought out despite
the constraints of the design, like no multi-tasking. The instantaneous
reaction to swipes and zooms and such are a necessity on touch platforms, I'm
convinced of this after using the iPad. Other devices that aren't absolutely
instantaneous shouldn't even be on the market. I only say this because on the
very few occasions where the interaction stutters a hair, I really noticed it.

2) This is a $300 device, not a device that _starts_ at $500. I can't believe
that there is seriously a version of this device that sells for north of $800.
For $800 I expect this thing to come with 500GB of storage, a dockable
keyboard, cameras, USB, flash, and a 3g plan for 2 years etc. etc. etc.

I'm just not sure I can sink that kind of money into something I won't use for
much more than surfing the web from my couch (which I will admit, it provides
a superior experience to my netbook for that use-case). Perhaps if I owned one
instead of borrowed one I would find other uses for it. It's potential
applications for board games and such are vast.

However, considering it's pitched as a casual usage device (Jobs even
premiered it from a couch), half a grand is serious money, not casual money.

I found it to be "adequate" as an e-book reader. The apps were "ok", user
interface inconsistencies were as common as anything else I've seen on any
other platform. It surfed the web great, I spent one of the more enjoyable 3
hour wikipedia link clicking sessions on it that I can remember.

I missed flash fairly often. In particular, I was shopping around for some
cell phones, I had no idea that some of the carrier sites have upwards of 6 or
7 flash apps containing all the content on the site. The iPad was useless for
those among many others.

I'd probably be interested in getting a 2nd or 3rd gen version if it was
significantly cheaper and had usb.

~~~
MrFoof
>However, considering it's pitched as a casual usage device (Jobs even
premiered it from a couch), half a grand is serious money, not casual money.

Ah, so here's an interesting something about that keynote in which I was
probably the only one to take note of.

The chair Jobs was sitting on was Le Corbusier's LC-2, and I believe it was
paired off with Saarinen's Tulip side table, presumably with the extra-white
marble top. Realistically you can expect to spend $4,000 for that chair and
another $1,500 for that table. Taxed, shipped and delivered that's easily a
$6,000 pair.

Like Apple's products - in which Ive is known to draw on Deiter Ram's
influence, as those of other modern designers - they're simple, extremely
well-made, beautiful, and try to provide a great experience in at least one
area. I'll agree the iPad has some usability shortcomings, but it's still a
very solid 1.0.

The average person would love some great furniture. However the average person
has a hard time justifying spending such a great premium for some excellent
design qualities, and most would agree that such a decision to compromise on
price is _perfectly normal_. However at least in terms of price, something
like an iPad or iPod is more accessible to people, whereas beautiful furniture
and homes - of which the costs can be terrifying - are not. They're (Apple
products) still without a doubt luxury items, but they're within the reach of
most.

~~~
elblanco
Nice eye, I did not notice the furniture as much during the keynote.

> but it's still a very solid 1.0

I absolutely agree. Considering the rubbish that was tablet computing before
the iPad, this device comes from a completely different universe. It's an
awesome 1.0 effort.

There was/is quite a bit made that it's basically a big iPod. But having spent
some time with the device now I have to disagree. It _really_ is something
different than a big iPod or what we've come to think of as tablet computing.
The brilliance was in not trying to adapt a bunch of GUI metaphors meant for a
mouse to a touch screen, but in building an ecosystem from the ground up
around touch interactivity metaphors. This I think is what's made it _click_
and seems to obvious in retrospect.

------
ThomPete
the beauty of the iPad format is that it is based on thousands of years of
trial an error for finding the perfect format.

But this is not just an iPad thing, this is a tablet thing. It's quite amazing
to see so much power being put into such a slim device.

Nothing beats playing some racing game in crazy 3d and then turning the tablet
around and realizing just how slim it is.

How can so much power be cramped into such a small device.

We surely do live in exiting times not just because of the iPad but because of
the state of computing power and what it allows us to do.

------
Tichy
"Wilson's appreciation of the iPad's usability contradicts with usability
expert Jakob Nielsen's assessment :"

Not really, though, as Wilson also says he prefers web apps to native apps on
the iPad.

------
Tichy
I think the economic crisis can't be all that bad.

------
DanielBMarkham
_"It's like finding a lover," she says. "At first everything they do is
exciting, but over time a good lover becomes more of a real person. Some of
the initial fascination is gone, but it becomes a super important part of your
life. And like a good lover, in time it becomes difficult to imagine going to
bed without it each night."_

I have tried very hard to ignore all of the Apple hype.

Somebody please make it stop.

If the iPad were a 1/100th of everything people make it out to be, the world
would be transformed. Instead, it's just Apple doing a bang-up job on taking
the slate to the next level. Let's leave it at that and move on with our
lives. Geesh. Enough already.

We are more than the electronic trinkets we carry around. And if we're not,
that's not something to be bragging about.

~~~
protomyth
My technophobic Mom (she finally gave up the VCR after learning how to use the
DVR) is using one. That's what I call a revolution. Once Mom got her hands on
the MLB app, it was no longer a "computer". If a good bible program is
released, Dad will never see it again. If she gets stuck, she just presses the
button and starts over.

~~~
npp
Sorry if this is off topic, but am just curious -- what does a "good bible
program" involve? Surely the Bible is available via some kind of Kindle/iBook
thing?

~~~
commieneko
I imagine a good "bible" program involves not only the text, but commentaries,
some system for taking notes, and links to further scholarship. Such would be
useful for other types of books as well. Our e-readers are still in their
infancy.

~~~
protomyth
You've got it. Maps and study / lesson book integration would add to your
list. A sharing function for notes / annotations would be good.

------
olliesaunders
Author's wife's comments are the best.

------
cadalac
iPad = no flash = no grooveshark or google finance.

So I won't buy one, since those 2 sites are pretty much my staples, along with
HN of course:-).

------
abalashov
It's still a mostly useless device.

