

Why the iPad isn't for me - zooey
http://www.macworld.com/article/150474/2010/04/ipad_not_for_everyone.html?t=

======
akadien
Neither is it for me. I'm sending mine back. Things I don't like: (a) Eye
strain, (b)It doesn't provide enough utility for me to justify another device
in my life, and I don't want another media consumption device. In short, it's
another toy. (c) An awkward device angle when touch-typing and trying to read
what I'm typing.

~~~
troystribling
That the iPad is consistently classified as a media consumption device seems
an attempt to trivialize its significance by people who consider themselves
power users. I agree that currently the use cases of most applications fall
into this category, that it is expensive and I doubt you will ever do
application development on a device of its form factor, but it is clearly not
just a media consumption device. A few example applications are the two very
nice musical instruments the Korg iElectribe
[http://www.korg.co.uk/products/software_controllers/iPad_iEl...](http://www.korg.co.uk/products/software_controllers/iPad_iElectribe/sc_ipad_ielectribe.php),
which sells for $10 while its HW equivqlent is around $450, and the MiniSynth
Pro <http://www.yonac.com/> a fully functional FM synthesizer. Neither of
these applications would have been possible prior to the iPad. Others are the
drawing applications Brushes <http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id363590649?mt=8>
and SketchBook Pro [http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sketchbook-
pro/id364253478?mt...](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sketchbook-
pro/id364253478?mt=8). I also like the touch and hand drawing interface to
OmniGraffle a diagramming application
<http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/omnigraffle/id363225984?mt=8>.

I think the majority of creative or power user applications will be for those
with a complex control surface, such as the examples above. The large touch
interface of the iPad is much simpler to use than a traditional mouse
keyboard. Also when compared to Wacom drawing tablets
[http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ...](http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS240&q=wacom+tablet&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=1545184928933896623&ei=o5nES4G3EsL78Aax6bCtDw&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CDIQ8wIwBQ#ps-
sellers) it is competitive, at the iPad low end the iPad is about $200 more,
though not quite as functional, the iPad does not have pressure or stylus tilt
sensitivity but it is portable. If you are interested in developing these
types of applications you have to have one. If you do not have one you will
never see were the deficiencies are or know which problems to solve. The
device as only been available for 10 days. I would expect it will take a year
or two before the application space has been adequately sampled.

Another obvious short coming, or opportunity, is with file synchronization and
management. I am currently using dropbox, <https://www.dropbox.com/> with
ReaddleDocs <http://readdle.com/products/readdledocs>, which works for
reading. If documents are generated on the IPad you have to use iTunes, eMail
or an application specific server for document synchronization. Neither of
these is adequate.

The typing problem you mentioned can be solved by a case that holds it an an
angle, such as <http://www.goincase.com/products/detail/CL57512>. The number
of viewing and use positions for the device is greater than that for a laptop.
Also heavy duty typing can be handled with a bluetooth attached keyboard
though for my needs the the onscreen keyboard has been adequate.

~~~
VBprogrammer
I would caution against using the music creation applications as good examples
of iPad applications. Firstly, musicians rarely skim on their gear, if an iPad
and a $10 App will do the same job as a bit of hardware costing twice the
price more than half of them will buy the hardware. I've not used a synth very
much but I doubt a touch screen provides an adequate replacement for the
musical keyboard, nevermind the more natural feel of real buttons and knobs.
Finally, any reasonably serious musician will buy a sound card priced in the
hundreds of dollars, they will not be happy with a 3 1/4 inch analog output
from one of their primary tools.

~~~
GHFigs
_any reasonably serious musician_

Snobbish bullshit like this is a bigger threat to creativity than anything the
iPad does or doesn't do.

~~~
bitwize
Haven't spent much time around musicians, have you? Any reasonably serious
musician will have a no compromises, no excuses approach to sound quality, and
that includes paying top dollar for the absolute highest quality gear you can
get. Thousands -- or even tens of thousands -- of dollars is not an uncommon
asking price for a single piece of kit, like a speaker or a mixing desk (knobs
only; no GUI bullshit; mixing is about listening and feeling, not pointing and
clicking). If it's top quality then there will be musicians and sound
engineers clamoring to pay. You may pay twice the price for a 1% increase in
sound quality, but a serious musician can hear that 1%, and it will drive him
nuts. You may think it's snobbish, but that's reality in the pro music world.

~~~
GHFigs
You don't understand. I'm not saying that musicians don't care about sound
quality. What I am saying is that judging _seriousness_ by the price of your
gear is a giant pile of bullshit.

More specifically, I'm saying I think doing so is a part of what keeps people
out of making music--the idea that you have to be "serious" about it by
spending a lot of money on recording gear or it somehow doesn't count. Far too
often it's just the opposite: people just blow money on the gear because
buying things is fun and they tell themselves they need it to make better
music. And hey, maybe people will end up buying some iPads for that stupid
reason, too. The point is that the cost of the gear and "seriousness" are not
so directly related. I don't mean there is never a relation, only that you
can't really draw this kind of generalized meritocratic conclusion about the
art and artist from something so independent of their actual merit as the
tools they use.

 _You may think it's snobbish, but that's reality in the pro music world._

Again, I wasn't saying that desiring the best sound quality is snobbish. What
I think is snobbish is assuming that only professional musicians are serious,
or that someone who involves an iPad in their musical process is somehow
inherently less serious than one who doesn't.

------
Tichy
With respect of iPads for moms and grandparents, I am also a bit doubtful.
Since a lot of web sites probably don't work as expected (ie no Flash, among
other things), wouldn't that be confusing to the noobs? I am waiting for the
first review from an iPad-Mommy.

~~~
briancooley
My wife is dubious. She doesn't like the lack of Flash. She doesn't like
trying to type on the software keyboard.

Her parents, definite technophobes, were intimidated by it. The first thing
they wanted to look at was a slideshow on smugmug.com, some pictures of their
granddaughter. Also Flash. They looked at me incredulously as I explained to
them that you couldn't view the slideshow on the iPad. They tried to use the
navigation on the website, but the navigation links were small and adjacent to
the shopping cart link. At the height of their frustration, I pulled out my
MBP so they could watch the slideshow on it. The thought of explaining to them
how to set up their iPad to sync photos gives me chills.

OTOH, my 3-year-old LOVES it. She can use a mouse and a trackpad, but she has
to concentrate and make deliberate movements. On the iPad, she flies. She can
get to her favorite apps and watch her videos in a flash. There are lots of
downsides to having this device in a toddler's hands, and I'd never let her
use it unsupervised, but that's an aside from the usability issue.

~~~
Tichy
Funny you mention your 3-year-old. I have been thinking exactly that, that
there might be a way to create fun apps for babies and kids.

I am firmly against wooden toys and want to give my kid a computer asap (OK,
nothing against wooden toys, but you get the idea).

So I wondered if the iPad is durable enough for a kid. Ultimately I expect
cheaper variants to appear, with special kids durability (of course not from
Apple, but maybe Android or sth like that).

Would be interested in hearing more stories about kids on pads.

~~~
Psyonic
As is, $500 for a 3-year old's toy seems a little crazy. By her a leap-frog
instead? But cheaper, more durable options would make a lot of sense.

~~~
briancooley
My kid has a leapfrog, but that doesn't curb her curiosity about other
devices.

I don't know how it is with others, but my kid is fascinated with all my
computers. My netbook, my MBP, my Droid, my Touch, and now my iPad. I don't
discourage her curiosity. We had a VIC-20 when I was a kid and later a
Commodore 64, and that's probably the reason I love programming to this day.

What she wants most of all is for her parents to sit with her as she
discovers. The iPad is _really_ good for that - the best computer I own for
that use case, I think. I can't stand the Leapfrog for long, but watching her
with the iPad is fun. It helps that I have the chops to build little apps to
distribute on my own devices.

~~~
Psyonic
I don't have kids, but I'd feel exactly the same about letting her explore and
try out things.

What I was saying was that if it was a disappointment for you, but your 3 year
old loved it, it's probably not worth keeping. Child curiosity can be appeased
for less than $500.

Now if you loved it as well, it's a different story.

~~~
Splines
> Child curiosity can be appeased for less than $50

Definitely. My daughter loves play-acting with her toys (most of which are
just cheap plastic things from Toys R Us). Pencils and crayons with reams of
paper last for quite some time. Blocks, balls, and mini versions of adult
things (e.g., toy phones, kitchen appliances) that let them play pretend, are
all great hits.

In my experience, the specific toys (i.e., the ones that have clearly defined
"play" scenarios) are the ones that get great attention for an hour, and then
are left at the back of the closet until we get rid of them.

Computer software is similar - my son loves any building/open world type game
(simcity, bridge builder, the sims, harvest moon), but usually loses interest
at games that have very specific goals (most platform type games, although
mario and the lego games seem to be exceptions).

------
dpnewman
I think it's a wedge device. It will not be an overnight sensation. More so,
the first viable larger format touch experience in the beginning of a steady
and gradual increase in this kind of UI playing a major role in how we
interact with information and media. Apple has planted roots creating enough
momentum for the space to begin growth in earnest. We'll see steady
improvements to the iPad, new competing tablets, touch screen desktops, and so
on. It's started...the iPad is simply a tipping point. Not a singular
revolution in itself.

------
Terretta
> _Just think about it on an airplane. I could load it up with movies and
> watch for an entire flight, thanks to the iPad's excellent battery life. Of
> course, because of the lousy keyboard I can't use it in place of a laptop,
> so I would have to carry the iPad and my MacBook. How is it that, for years,
> I've pined for a lighter laptop, and now I'm considering carrying an extra
> pound-and-a-half just to watch videos on an airplane?_

Or, don't. The iPad goes with you into the seat. Apple's wireless bluetooth
keyboard goes in your carry-on, and stays there until the hotel room desk
where you might actually do some typing. The rest of your business trip, the
iPad lets you reference things, make minor edits, show Keynote on a VGA
projector, and keep up with email and news.

(And for printing at the client's location, you do the same thing with your
iPad you do with your "real" laptop: email the client the file for them to
print because their IT won't let your laptop see their printer queue.)

~~~
illumin8
Good point. Also, the iPad + charger + Bluetooth keyboard is only 2.1 pounds.
I challenge you to fit 10 hours of mobile productivity in a smaller footprint.

For anyone that travels a lot and writes, the iPad is a godsend. Please see
[http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/4/11/856114/-My-
iPad-...](http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/4/11/856114/-My-iPad-as-a-
tool)

~~~
timdorr
Apple just solved the battery issue in their laptops:
<http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/specs-13inch.html> A less disjointed setup
(you don't have to worry about the laptop display falling over like the iPad
might if bumped) and a more powerful system. It's 4.5 lbs, but that's still
pretty damn light if you ask me.

Price is a big differentiator though. It's hard to compete with $500 +
whatever the keyboard costs.

------
kenjackson
My main problem with the iPad is the weight. At 1.5 pounds it is incredibly
light, yet at the same time becomes heavy quickly. Unless you are resting it
on a table or on your body it gets heavy faster than you'd expect. My top use
scenario, reading in bed, is just not comfortable with it. Mine already went
back. I think we have about 3-5 more years before tablets are ready for me.

------
tvon
> _Download an audio file of Ben Long doing a dramatic reading of this article
> (MP4, 10 MB)._

Nice touch. I'd also like to hear it in Shatner.

------
raganwald
An entertaining read, and for once a strong opinion is combined with some
thoughtful explanation as to why the author's circumstances may differ from
the reader's.

------
pilif
The audio file linked in the article is brilliant. If you have 10 minutes, I'd
suggest listening to it instead of reading the article.

~~~
greyhat
Seconded. Extremely entertaining, I was not expecting that.

------
Deezul
I think the most important thing I've gathered from this article among others
is that the iPad can do a lot for you and can do it pretty well, but possibly
not exactly as you would like it. I think it has one the best sleek form
factor to performance ratios out there, with style and ease of use to boot. So
it really can't help but produce entertaining and useful software for people
(with developer support). Power users who already have multiple
desktops/laptops may struggle to justify their purchase, but in a large
household I don't think people will be questioning the irony of the device
when they're too busy using it.

------
toby
Am I the only one who found, when set at an angle using the apple case, that I
can type at about 80% of my regular typing speed?

~~~
cwilson
Same, and when I hooked up a bluetooth keyboard for the first time and propped
it up like a regular screen I type at 100% speed. The Apple bluetooth keyboard
and this thing are almost the same size, so on trips I'll be able to answer
long emails, write blog posts, and maybe even reply to HN with ease!

It's all about expectations with the iPad. It's not going to be a pure laptop
replacement if you do any "serious" work (don't even think about web dev for
example, although it would be awesome if Panic released Coda for the iPad),
but for about 80% of what I do (especially when traveling) it's absolutely
perfect. Combine that with home use, coffee shops, and instant child
entertainment and you have a device worthy of your $500.

If it doesn't fit into your life, don't get it! I still don't understand the
point of the reviews where they try to do EVERYTHING possible on the iPad.
It's clearly not meant for that, stop treating it like it is.

~~~
dionysiac
"It's all about expectations with the iPad."

My thoughts exactly. Purely as a reading device, it will be fantastic for
scientific papers which are usually in hard formatted PDFs. Reflowing them for
a small e-ink device sucks and makes them hard to read. Having color is a huge
bonus (10 shades of grey in a color coded graph is a royal pain). The iPad +
the GoodReader app will let you take hundreds of papers and technical books
with you. The fact that it has a pretty good web browser and email app with
WiFi is an awesome bonus.

~~~
kalid
Agreed. If you come in expecting an all-singing, all-dancing
desktop/laptop/server replacement you'll be disappointed.

If you want a device to read PDFs, play some games, and browse the web it's
fantastic.

iPad + GoodReader + 10 hour battery life is bliss.

------
timhastings
Here's a prototype of my iPad killer! <http://twitpic.com/1fb2ox>

~~~
joubert
The only thing I'd suggest is getting rid of the XP chrome.

------
jsz0
_" I'm comfortable using a computer, and I don't tend to surf the Web as a
form of entertainment"_

This is going to be the biggest factor to determine if a tablet is right for
you. I'm comfortable enough at my desk using my computer but I can only take
so much of it. Most of my web browsing outside of work is entertainment or at
least long form reading. Both areas I think the iPad excels at. I could use a
laptop on my couch or in bed but I find that a bit awkward but, most
importantly, the iPad blows it away on battery life and screen quality -- and
for entertainment purposes it's just easier to do most stuff.

------
grrrr
I agree with the sentiments echoed in this article. For me, tablets, although
useful, are not the revolutionary devices they are made out to be. As I see it
they are not the gateway for new types of applications, anything you can do on
a tablet, you can do on laptop (personally I like the idea of a laptop with a
detachable screen).

I wholly agree with the comments about Kindle too. I can see the benefit in
having a Kindle, it offers a relaxing and focussed environment on which to
catch up on the one thing I never have enough time - or am to distracted by
web/mail/chat - to do, and that is READ.

------
paul9290
Apple should have forgotten about the iPad and focused on Apple TV. Selling an
Internet box with a Boxee like interface and all the content from the studios
we seek. Sell various subscriptions. That would be revolutionary and yet will
take a years to get there due to the studios getting huge wads of their
revenue via cable TV. Who the majority of us hate our cable company and long
for substitute like the Apple TV mentioned here.

~~~
doron
That would be competing with xbox360 and ps3, which do everything that the
apple TV is doing and much much more.

I don't think it likely Apple will pay any attention to the AppleTV platform,
its a dud.

------
conanite
_This is a media consumption device. I'm trying too hard to create things on
it_

This is the bit that scares me.

~~~
roc
Why?

Clearly it should inform your purchase decision, but why should it be _scary_?

No one device is for all people to do all things. So why should a particular
weakness inherent in this form-factor be _scary_?

~~~
conanite
It doesn't scare me as a _user_ \- it scares me that yet another device
encouraging passive consumerism may become immensely popular. It's sad to
become used to hearing "I can't cook/sing/draw/dance/code/whatever" - I would
rather live in a world where everyone is a producer of some sort, in a way
that content and culture are not monopolised by Big Industry.

Maybe 'scary' was a bit strong - I'm not exactly trembling under my bed ...
yet.

~~~
roc
Even creators must consume most forms of Art. Musicians watch movies;
woodcarvers leaf through photo-journals, dancers rarely compose their own
music.

Ergo, the machine that a hundred creators are most likely to have in common,
is one that consumes well. It seems the only thing we should logically
_expect_ is consumption and popularity to go hand in hand.

But what exactly about the iPad acts as a break on creation?

It isn't suited to composing and editing large blocks of text out-of-the-box;
but only a couple forms of Art require that.

Notably, the iPad is an arguably better machine for the creation of every art
you explicitly called out, save coding.

Does a cook need a keyboard and mouse in the kitchen? Seems a quick-reference
that can sit in a recipe-book-holder and doesn't require putting down the
butcher knife would be welcome.

Wouldn't a dancer be better off with a machine that is easily picked up, put
down, carried through a routine at half-speed and can naturally scrub through
an instructional video? (My wife has already used my iPad to do exactly this.)

Wouldn't a singer suitably benefit from an iPad on a music stand, showing
instant pitch-feedback (via its microphone) and live-scrolling note chart?

And clearly drawing is more-easily done on a tablet than with a mouse.

As a big fan of creation, I'm downright _excited_ that such a device has come
to market that gets more cruft out of the way and brings computing to the
natural habitats of other artists.

That only developers with serious tools can code for it, and only at Apple's
pleasure certainly isn't ideal. But that isn't so huge a roadblock and the up-
side is that we're enabling all these other arts.

------
csomar
From the beginning, I knew this device won't go so far. I'm more optimistic
with the new HP slate.

When I get a device bundled with Windows 7, with the ability to run any
windows application and not only Flash, it's just like tele-porting my
computer to this little device.

The iPad OS is a phone OS, whatever powerful it is, it'll be always way behind
any desktop OS.

Point 2 is multi-tasking. And about iPhone OS 4.0 multi-tasking, it just made
me laugh, it just proved me Apple failed to support real multi-tasking.

~~~
rimantas
One guy writes that iPad is not for him and that means that "this device won't
go so far"? Selling 300 000 of these on the first day means nothing I guess.

    
    
      The iPad OS is a phone OS, whatever powerful it is,
      it'll be always way behind any desktop OS.
    

A car, whatever poferful it is, it'll be always way behind any train. So?

    
    
      And about iPhone OS 4.0 multi-tasking, it just made
      me laugh, it just proved me Apple failed to support
      real multi-tasking.
    

You laugh, users don't care. Will they be able listen Pandora in the
background? Sure they will. Will they receive skype calls, even when Skype is
not in front? Sure they will. Will navigation software run in background, even
you switch to other app? Yes it will.

Meanwhile enjoy your well thought multitouch suppor of Windows 7 on HP slate
and the battery life with real multitasking.

~~~
pyre
> _Selling 300 000 of these on the first day means nothing I guess._

So you can guarantee me that the iPad will _without any doubt whatsoever_
'take off' _solely_ based on the fact that they sold a ton of product on the
first day?

It is by no means a guarantee of anything. It's possibly indicative of a
trend, but first day sales shouldn't mean anything other than how successful
the product was marketed. How well the product takes off after that is a
function of marketing, how well it meets consumer expectations (i.e. it could
somewhat miss on consumer expectations, but be bolstered by an excellent
marketing strategy), and how much of a market there is for it.

> _A car, whatever poferful it is, it'll be always way behind any train. So?_

Not everyone can afford to have a device for every purpose. Many people have
to budget around getting a single device that can do as many things as
possible.

> _Meanwhile enjoy your well thought multitouch suppor of Windows 7 on HP
> slate and the battery life with real multitasking._

What are you trying to say here? That because he wants 'real' multi-tasking
that he's an idiot and should be sent off to use Windows 7 and have poor
battery life? Is it such a crime against humanity to want to have a decent
multi-touch experience _and_ 'real' multitasking?

------
robotron
The responses make for interesting reading.

------
sunchild
The author thinks third party apps that open browser "sheets" are using an
Apple "API". There goes any credibility he had.

~~~
jcnnghm
UIWebView isn't part of the Apple API?

~~~
sunchild
It was the "sheets" part that I was referring to, but fair down-voting as it
was a trivial gripe!

------
dzlobin
I don't understand why this is worth writing about. The nexus one isn't for
me, and neither is the iphone, I didn't run out to blog about it and repeat
the same point 200 other people have already made

