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Now iPad becomes a phone - and you don't need to have a cell phone subscription. May be what we're seeing is the future model of the telecom. Wireless carriers

Now iPad becomes a phone - and you don't need to have a cell phone subscription. May be what we're seeing is the future model of the telecom. Wireless carriers still make money, but its up to us whether we buy a regular phone or go with an iPad. What are your thoughts?

ryanwaggoner 17y ago
My thought is that I'd rather not pull my iPad out on the bus and try to answer a call. Seriously, now people are going to carry around a huge, heavy phone that only works with headphones? I don't see it.
- pieter 17y ago
  It might work with a bluetooth headset. But Apple agrees, and sees the iPad as something in addition to your iPhone. It's not intended to replace it.
  - stcredzero 17y ago
    I'm tempted to try the replacement, especially if it will work with a bluetooth headset. I predict we'll see satchels and backpacks with a purpose-built port to let your corded headset out while your iPad is nestled in a custom sized pocket. There are already tons of backpacks with such a generic feature. If Apple will tweak the notification feature so that you can let certain apps play a tone over the headset when you get a notice, then you can just pull out your iPad, see who called or IM'ed and call them the next time you have WiFi. If it's really important, just go ahead and call them back over 3G.
    - mos1 17y ago
      The iPad has a screen reader built-in, so they can pretty easily text-to-voice the caller id, and the text messages, too.
- puns 17y ago
  Simple: bluetooth headsets. If you think about it, the current way of using a phone -- i.e. holding up a device to your ear and keeping it there for the duration of the conversation -- is quite clumsy. Making a call on the tablet and talking through a light headset is much more elegant.
  - tcdent 17y ago
    "Making a call on the tablet and talking through a light headset is much more elegant." To place this call you're going to need a method of input that fits in your pocket, allows you to select recipients and screen incoming calls in addition to sending and receiving the audio. Essentially, a iPad lite, also known as an iPhone.
    - puns 17y ago
      Good point, but you don't necessarily need this input device to be in your pocket, and it doesn't have to come in the form of a phone. For example, here's one solution: accept/decline calls right from your headset without taking the iPad out of the bag. Perhaps the headset will tell you the caller id when you press a certain button so you can choose whether or not to take the call. Dialing can be done through voice as well, or take out the pad and make the call using the touch screen.
      - stcredzero 17y ago
        Not going far enough, either of you! Why not make a Skype peripheral, but operating over Bluetooth and not USB? It wouldn't even need a fancy display. Let a headset take care of sound and the anwser button, just take care of other input/display tasks. A commodity display from an old cellphone would do the trick, and these must be dirt cheap by now. You could probably get the button count down to 6, which is what it is for the Apple Remote. The components would be dirt cheap. Margins would probably be very handsome at first. Make it the size of an old PC card. It would sell like hotcakes!
    - electromagnetic 17y ago
      I know my phone (Motorola) is capable of voice dialing, either by number or of a speed-dial, or I can record an input. Why would I need an additional input device when most phones are capable of voice dialing? Edit: As the iPad is based on the iPhone's OS, it is already capable of handling voice-dial inputs, you just might have to jailbreak it to access it: http://www.apple.com/iphone/how-to/index.html#phone.voice-dialing http://www.apple.com/iphone/how-to/index.html#phone.voice-di...
- axod 17y ago
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-I_MJFlZbs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-I_MJFlZbs
- jsz0 17y ago
  It might be a generational thing. From what I can see people under 30-ish just don't really talk on the phone that much anymore. It's mostly texting. A common usage scenario for the iPad might be using it in conjunction with a cheap flip phone for voice.
tcdent 17y ago
This falls into the same category as the inclusion of an iPod app. The device really doesn't excel at music playback, but it's capable, so why not? Seriously, you'd replace your iPhone with an iPad and just carry it around in you backpack? Get over the single-device-to-rule-them-all philosophy. We're moving toward purpose built devices that do one, or a few things well. Your iPhone is most definitely the best device for telephony, text messaging and audio playback; just as the iPad is for web browsing and video playback.
- stcredzero 17y ago
  I don't care at this point if it's not so great as a phone. I'd rather call people back at my leisure anyways. $15 a month for 3G web browsing everywhere sounds good to me.
  - tcdent 17y ago
    I don't think a vast majority of the world is in agreement with you, and neither does AT&T; hence the paltry $15 monthly fee. People don't walk around with Bluetooth headsets attached to their heads so they can call you back at their leisure.
    - stcredzero 17y ago
      Is it really the "vast majority" that walks around with Bluetooth headsets stuck in their ear?

ryanwaggoner 17y ago

My thought is that I'd rather not pull my iPad out on the bus and try to answer a call. Seriously, now people are going to carry around a huge, heavy phone that only works with headphones? I don't see it.

pieter 17y ago
It might work with a bluetooth headset. But Apple agrees, and sees the iPad as something in addition to your iPhone. It's not intended to replace it.
- stcredzero 17y ago
  I'm tempted to try the replacement, especially if it will work with a bluetooth headset. I predict we'll see satchels and backpacks with a purpose-built port to let your corded headset out while your iPad is nestled in a custom sized pocket. There are already tons of backpacks with such a generic feature. If Apple will tweak the notification feature so that you can let certain apps play a tone over the headset when you get a notice, then you can just pull out your iPad, see who called or IM'ed and call them the next time you have WiFi. If it's really important, just go ahead and call them back over 3G.
  - mos1 17y ago
    The iPad has a screen reader built-in, so they can pretty easily text-to-voice the caller id, and the text messages, too.
puns 17y ago
Simple: bluetooth headsets. If you think about it, the current way of using a phone -- i.e. holding up a device to your ear and keeping it there for the duration of the conversation -- is quite clumsy. Making a call on the tablet and talking through a light headset is much more elegant.
- tcdent 17y ago
  "Making a call on the tablet and talking through a light headset is much more elegant." To place this call you're going to need a method of input that fits in your pocket, allows you to select recipients and screen incoming calls in addition to sending and receiving the audio. Essentially, a iPad lite, also known as an iPhone.
  - puns 17y ago
    Good point, but you don't necessarily need this input device to be in your pocket, and it doesn't have to come in the form of a phone. For example, here's one solution: accept/decline calls right from your headset without taking the iPad out of the bag. Perhaps the headset will tell you the caller id when you press a certain button so you can choose whether or not to take the call. Dialing can be done through voice as well, or take out the pad and make the call using the touch screen.
    - stcredzero 17y ago
      Not going far enough, either of you! Why not make a Skype peripheral, but operating over Bluetooth and not USB? It wouldn't even need a fancy display. Let a headset take care of sound and the anwser button, just take care of other input/display tasks. A commodity display from an old cellphone would do the trick, and these must be dirt cheap by now. You could probably get the button count down to 6, which is what it is for the Apple Remote. The components would be dirt cheap. Margins would probably be very handsome at first. Make it the size of an old PC card. It would sell like hotcakes!
  - electromagnetic 17y ago
    I know my phone (Motorola) is capable of voice dialing, either by number or of a speed-dial, or I can record an input. Why would I need an additional input device when most phones are capable of voice dialing? Edit: As the iPad is based on the iPhone's OS, it is already capable of handling voice-dial inputs, you just might have to jailbreak it to access it: http://www.apple.com/iphone/how-to/index.html#phone.voice-dialing http://www.apple.com/iphone/how-to/index.html#phone.voice-di...
axod 17y ago
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-I_MJFlZbs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-I_MJFlZbs
jsz0 17y ago
It might be a generational thing. From what I can see people under 30-ish just don't really talk on the phone that much anymore. It's mostly texting. A common usage scenario for the iPad might be using it in conjunction with a cheap flip phone for voice.

tcdent 17y ago

This falls into the same category as the inclusion of an iPod app. The device really doesn't excel at music playback, but it's capable, so why not? Seriously, you'd replace your iPhone with an iPad and just carry it around in you backpack? Get over the single-device-to-rule-them-all philosophy. We're moving toward purpose built devices that do one, or a few things well. Your iPhone is most definitely the best device for telephony, text messaging and audio playback; just as the iPad is for web browsing and video playback.

stcredzero 17y ago
I don't care at this point if it's not so great as a phone. I'd rather call people back at my leisure anyways. $15 a month for 3G web browsing everywhere sounds good to me.
- tcdent 17y ago
  I don't think a vast majority of the world is in agreement with you, and neither does AT&T; hence the paltry $15 monthly fee. People don't walk around with Bluetooth headsets attached to their heads so they can call you back at their leisure.
  - stcredzero 17y ago
    Is it really the "vast majority" that walks around with Bluetooth headsets stuck in their ear?