

Reboxing iPad - hasanove
http://www.buzzmachine.com/2010/04/10/reboxing/

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archgrove
Fair enough, though I wonder if you really need to buy it to realise that you
don't have a use for it. I suppose a trial run is reasonable, in case it has
some magic use you don't consider till you have it.

I'm still though, to this day, boggled by the commenters who seem to think
that a Flashless browser is crippled. What sites do these people use all day
whereby the Internet is entirely useless without Flash? I see it _only_ on an
occasional Flash Game and video sites who have not yet rolled out HTML5 (a
number dwindling month on month). Once a particular TV catchup service I use
deploys <video>, I'll literally see Flash once a week.

Is there some usage pattern for the web that I'm unaware of, wherein people
require Flash continuously?

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watty
I don't really look for it but I noticed earlier today that ESPN/ESPN360 use
Flash. Also most porn sites use Flash and nearly all game sites use Flash
(jayisgames.com is one of my top 5 sites).

For me, those 3 above limitations make the flash-less web "crippled".

~~~
archgrove
I think EPSN (and porn :) are basically just video. Porn is normally at the
cutting edge of tech, so I expect <video> there soon enough and I'd guess EPSN
would get it once enough of their users start moaning. So, in the long term,
this once again just leaves "games" - something the iOS isn't really suffering
a shortage of.

I didn't believe it even 6 months ago, but given how many sites I use are now
rolling out <video>, I'm coming around to the idea that Flash could be largely
irrelevant within a year or two. The only holdout that might cause problems
will be the landing page/"entire site as flash" 'designer' nonsense. How
quickly those transition to HTML 5 (or a sane end user experience) will be
interesting to watch.

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pavs
At least his reasons are not ideological, he doesn't find any practical use of
an iPad. Neither do I. He openly admits that he uses other Mac products.

I will probably consider buying an iPad (or other slate device) once the
market matures and there are other reasonable slate devices I can compare to.
Also there is a good chance that Apple will release the second iteration soon,
which might improve on an already impressive device.

Just following the hive minds and buying things because everyone else is doing
it too, even if you don't see any use of it, is quite silly IMO.

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megaduck
If you view the iPad as a replacement for a laptop, then it falls short. Text
entry is difficult, you can't print, can't use USB devices, can't use flash,
can't videochat, etc. People who have extremely limited computer needs will
find it sufficient, but that's a niche market.

However, as an adjunct to your computer, it's quite nice. Certain kinds of web
browsing are much more pleasant. Curling up on the couch with ABC video is
comfy. Comics are fantastic. Within narrow domains, it's better than anything
else on the market. That being said, a laptop or phone does all of those
things, just not as well.

The question is, which way are people going to see it?

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jsz0
I'm surprised he bought it knowing he had no use for it. One week out I'm
finding it extremely useful for various things -- largely leisure stuff like
reading long articles that test my attention span browsing on the desktop, a
resurgence in my interest in casual gaming, and I already read an entire book
on it. I'm checking the App Store 3 or 4 times a day. My favorite geeky app at
the moment is MyCongress which really shows off what a bigger screen can do
for simply aggregating information from other sources. It pulls together
Twitter, YouTube and OpenCongress into a nice GUI that you can pop around
really quickly and explore. I'm excited to see this model applied to other
areas of interest for me.

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xenophanes
> it’s not out of dogmatism but because I simply don’t see a good use for the
> machine and don’t want to spend $500 on something I’m not going to use.

So why did he buy it?

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tvon
It's reasonable to think you might find a use, once you've used it.

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xenophanes
So you go to an Apple store, or friend's house, and try it.

Purchasing something with intent to treat it like a free trial is sketchy. And
then writing a post complaining is worse.

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dennykmiu
I think the most important use case is one where you don't already have a
Macbook or an iPhone. In fact the most important use case for an iPad is when
you don't use computer at all ... <http://buzz.dennykmiu.com/ipad-is-the-
prequel>

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yanw
you need to own a computer to sync the damn thing.

~~~
dennykmiu
And I have a computer to sync. But now my parents can have their own computer
to browse pictures of their grandkids, read newspapers and magazines in their
own language, and an infinite other possibilities as more apps appear, all
using their arthritic fingers.

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daleharvey
I think the most telling part of the video is the 2 screens he has behind him.

I have seen a few people contemplate getting an ipad, it wasnt to support
their primary computer, it was their primary computer, I cant see any use for
an iPad, but I have those 2 screens as well.

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veemjeem
Given that it's sold out everywhere, I'm sure he won't have trouble finding a
buyer. He could probably resell it a slightly higher markup too.

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elblanco
There's plenty at the local Apple stores and Best Buys around here.

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yanw
Here's hoping we see more of these when people sober up, if nothing else just
to spite the newspaper people.

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CognitiveLens
because if there is one group who deserves our spite, it's the newspaper
people?

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yanw
among others, yes, mostly for pushing an unnecessary $500 toy in a time of
high unemployment because they plan to monetize it, it's highly unethical.

~~~
colinplamondon
Seriously? _Unethical_?

