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The dev tools today for the iPad cost $99, the reference is free with the tools. And how much for the computer which is capable of running those dev tools? Th

The dev tools today for the iPad cost $99, the reference is free with the tools. And how much for the computer which is capable of running those dev tools? The point is that the iPad isn't a device which can be used to modify itself, and if it entirely supplants other computers in a household, your experience becomes completely dictated by what other people have created.

jstevens85 17y ago
As the iPad exists today, it's impossible to use without a laptop/desktop. If one day it evolves to the point of being a standalone device, I imagine that it may also be capable of running its own dev tools.
- prospero 17y ago
  Why is it impossible to use by itself? You can browse the internet, you can buy media off of iTunes, you can edit documents, and you can send email. The point is that the iPad is sufficient for the average user, but it prevents the graduation to power user by poking around and learning how things work. I very much doubt self-hosted development will ever be made available.
  - jstevens85 17y ago
    I'm guessing that you'll need to sync it to iTunes first before you can use it, but I may be wrong.
    - grhino 17y ago
      With the iPhone, you need an iTunes account. I don't know if you can set that up on your iPhone. You can go without ever syncing to your desktop. You might need to sync to the desktop to update the iPhone OS, though. Of course, since your iPhone/iPod/iTouch data isn't in the cloud, you will need to sync to the desktop to backup. Not sure what happens if you sign up for MobileMe.
GHFigs 17y ago
Right, because nobody who ever played Nintendo went on to become a game developer.
- sofal 17y ago
  Nintendo tried to supplant personal computers?
  - patio11 17y ago
    Nintendo was trying to supplant personal computers before there were widely deployed personal computers to supplant! The Japanese name of the product known as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was the FamiCon, short for Family Computer: the power of a workstation harnessed in the pursuit of things other than work. For the last few decades Nintendo has been the defining video game company in the US, but that is not their self-image. Look at what they're doing with the Wii or the DS: yoga trainers, anti-Alzheimers programs, dictionaries, cookbooks, exercise machines, and a little Mario on the side.
  - GHFigs 17y ago
    I will draw your attention to Apple's own slides, where they place the iPad between the iPhone (and smartphones in general) and a MacBook (and personal computers in general). They are undoubtedly interested in selling all three for some time to come. Will it supplant personal computers for some people? Sure. It just means that personal computers will have to shift to doing what they do best even better. It might drain a lot of life from the netbook market, but that's about it.

jstevens85 17y ago

As the iPad exists today, it's impossible to use without a laptop/desktop. If one day it evolves to the point of being a standalone device, I imagine that it may also be capable of running its own dev tools.

prospero 17y ago
Why is it impossible to use by itself? You can browse the internet, you can buy media off of iTunes, you can edit documents, and you can send email. The point is that the iPad is sufficient for the average user, but it prevents the graduation to power user by poking around and learning how things work. I very much doubt self-hosted development will ever be made available.
- jstevens85 17y ago
  I'm guessing that you'll need to sync it to iTunes first before you can use it, but I may be wrong.
  - grhino 17y ago
    With the iPhone, you need an iTunes account. I don't know if you can set that up on your iPhone. You can go without ever syncing to your desktop. You might need to sync to the desktop to update the iPhone OS, though. Of course, since your iPhone/iPod/iTouch data isn't in the cloud, you will need to sync to the desktop to backup. Not sure what happens if you sign up for MobileMe.

GHFigs 17y ago

Right, because nobody who ever played Nintendo went on to become a game developer.

sofal 17y ago
Nintendo tried to supplant personal computers?
- patio11 17y ago
  Nintendo was trying to supplant personal computers before there were widely deployed personal computers to supplant! The Japanese name of the product known as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was the FamiCon, short for Family Computer: the power of a workstation harnessed in the pursuit of things other than work. For the last few decades Nintendo has been the defining video game company in the US, but that is not their self-image. Look at what they're doing with the Wii or the DS: yoga trainers, anti-Alzheimers programs, dictionaries, cookbooks, exercise machines, and a little Mario on the side.
- GHFigs 17y ago
  I will draw your attention to Apple's own slides, where they place the iPad between the iPhone (and smartphones in general) and a MacBook (and personal computers in general). They are undoubtedly interested in selling all three for some time to come. Will it supplant personal computers for some people? Sure. It just means that personal computers will have to shift to doing what they do best even better. It might drain a lot of life from the netbook market, but that's about it.