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You can't understand why people would line up out the door to pay money for toys? Have you ever heard of George Lucas? [1] Do we need to send you on a remedia

You can't understand why people would line up out the door to pay money for toys? Have you ever heard of George Lucas? [1] Do we need to send you on a remedial field trip to the local mall on the day after Thanksgiving? --- [1] I'll bet that over the course of my lifetime my family has paid George Lucas far more than the cost of an iPad, for fewer hours of enjoyment. I've probably spent half an iPad's worth on Lucasfilm movie tickets alone.

barrkel 16y ago
But it's a toy whose novelty wears off really quickly, I find. I have one here on my desk, but I haven't used it (apart than to verify the UK's app store is up and running) with any seriousness in around two weeks.
- pohl 16y ago
  I have one here on my desk That may be the issue. Put it on your nightstand or an end-table by a frequently-used chair or couch. Or your kitchen counter when you're cooking. Or at the kitchen table when you're having breakfast.
  - abstractbill 16y ago
    This, more than anything, is the real reason I don't want an iPad. I tell people it can't replace my laptop, and they reply that I should find other activities where I might be able to fit in a little more screen time ;)
    - pohl 16y ago
      Are they really trying to tell you to get one so that you can find more screen time? Or are they explaining to you that the device is for a niche you're not interested in? I see no problem with recognizing you're less interested in an appliance and more interested in a power tool. I don't see a problem with someone wanting the reverse. Or with someone deciding they would like both. Or neither, for that matter.
    - gnaritas 16y ago
      > I tell people it can't replace my laptop It's not supposed to replace your laptop. It's meant for those times or places when the laptop is too cumbersome. Anyone who has a laptop can tell you those situations are plentiful.
      - abstractbill 16y ago
        Anyone who has a laptop can tell you those situations are plentiful. You are empirically wrong: I am a counterexample. I do not have any use-cases that aren't covered by a laptop and a smartphone.
        gnaritas 16y ago
        A counter example does not disprove a trend. Most people have plenty of situation where using a laptop is uncomfortable. I don't want it on my lap and I don't like the discomfort of leaning forward or turning to the side. Tablets are perfect for just holding in the hand while relaxing in a favorite chair and reading the news, something many including myself do daily. Laptops suck for this.
  - shade 16y ago
    I had my iPad on the coffee table in front of my favorite couch, and still found that I pulled out my laptop most of the time. I ended up taking it back tonight after having it for less than a week -- it's a nice device, but it's just not for me. I enjoy surfing the web a lot more on my laptop and don't really play many games, so all I really used it for was reading... I can't justify the cost of the iPad just for reading when I can do that just as easily on my phone (all my books are from Project Gutenberg, the Baen Free Library, or Kindle). Like I said, it's a nice device and I'm sure a lot of people will have a good niche for it, but I'll stick to my phone, my MacBook, and my Vaio running Win7. For me, personally, there's just no room for an in-between device.
  - barrkel 16y ago
    Thing is, any time I want to browse the web and I'm not conveniently close to my desk, I usually have my Nexus One in my pocket, or beside my bed. Browsing the web on the Nexus One in bed is far easier than using the iPad, because the iPad is actually quite heavy. I'm also acutely aware of the limitations of soft keyboards. I spend too much time on sites like this one, where I feel compelled to comment, but I find writing anything longer than a search term is highly painful on a soft keyboard. I touch-type about 90 wpm on Dvorak. I can eke out maybe 15 on a soft keyboard, which isn't just painful on the fingers, but on the mind that wants to write as it composes.
- glhaynes 16y ago
  Your experience is extremely abnormal. Which is fine, it's your experience. But you can't use that to reason about others'.
  - abstractbill 16y ago
    Your experience is extremely abnormal. How do you know this? Can you point me at some hard data?
    - glhaynes 16y ago
      iPad users show 91% satisfaction level according to survey: http://www.intomobile.com/2010/05/20/ipad-users-show-91-satisfaction-level-according-to-survey.html http://www.intomobile.com/2010/05/20/ipad-users-show-91-sati...
  - mechanical_fish 16y ago
    That's an unfair way to say it. For all we know, the majority of people who try an iPad will ultimately decide they don't like it. That won't matter to those of us who do like it, so long as there are enough of us to keep the market healthy. So far the outlook is pretty positive.
  - roofone 16y ago
    > it's your experience. But you can't use that to reason about others'. I thought using our own experiences to make conclusions and predictions was how our minds work. (Those conclusions don't have to be right, however.)
astine 16y ago
To put things in perspective: people had trouble understanding why folks would line up outside Star Wars films as well.

barrkel 16y ago

But it's a toy whose novelty wears off really quickly, I find. I have one here on my desk, but I haven't used it (apart than to verify the UK's app store is up and running) with any seriousness in around two weeks.

pohl 16y ago
I have one here on my desk That may be the issue. Put it on your nightstand or an end-table by a frequently-used chair or couch. Or your kitchen counter when you're cooking. Or at the kitchen table when you're having breakfast.
- abstractbill 16y ago
  This, more than anything, is the real reason I don't want an iPad. I tell people it can't replace my laptop, and they reply that I should find other activities where I might be able to fit in a little more screen time ;)
  - pohl 16y ago
    Are they really trying to tell you to get one so that you can find more screen time? Or are they explaining to you that the device is for a niche you're not interested in? I see no problem with recognizing you're less interested in an appliance and more interested in a power tool. I don't see a problem with someone wanting the reverse. Or with someone deciding they would like both. Or neither, for that matter.
  - gnaritas 16y ago
    > I tell people it can't replace my laptop It's not supposed to replace your laptop. It's meant for those times or places when the laptop is too cumbersome. Anyone who has a laptop can tell you those situations are plentiful.
    - abstractbill 16y ago
      Anyone who has a laptop can tell you those situations are plentiful. You are empirically wrong: I am a counterexample. I do not have any use-cases that aren't covered by a laptop and a smartphone.
      - gnaritas 16y ago
        A counter example does not disprove a trend. Most people have plenty of situation where using a laptop is uncomfortable. I don't want it on my lap and I don't like the discomfort of leaning forward or turning to the side. Tablets are perfect for just holding in the hand while relaxing in a favorite chair and reading the news, something many including myself do daily. Laptops suck for this.
- shade 16y ago
  I had my iPad on the coffee table in front of my favorite couch, and still found that I pulled out my laptop most of the time. I ended up taking it back tonight after having it for less than a week -- it's a nice device, but it's just not for me. I enjoy surfing the web a lot more on my laptop and don't really play many games, so all I really used it for was reading... I can't justify the cost of the iPad just for reading when I can do that just as easily on my phone (all my books are from Project Gutenberg, the Baen Free Library, or Kindle). Like I said, it's a nice device and I'm sure a lot of people will have a good niche for it, but I'll stick to my phone, my MacBook, and my Vaio running Win7. For me, personally, there's just no room for an in-between device.
- barrkel 16y ago
  Thing is, any time I want to browse the web and I'm not conveniently close to my desk, I usually have my Nexus One in my pocket, or beside my bed. Browsing the web on the Nexus One in bed is far easier than using the iPad, because the iPad is actually quite heavy. I'm also acutely aware of the limitations of soft keyboards. I spend too much time on sites like this one, where I feel compelled to comment, but I find writing anything longer than a search term is highly painful on a soft keyboard. I touch-type about 90 wpm on Dvorak. I can eke out maybe 15 on a soft keyboard, which isn't just painful on the fingers, but on the mind that wants to write as it composes.
glhaynes 16y ago
Your experience is extremely abnormal. Which is fine, it's your experience. But you can't use that to reason about others'.
- abstractbill 16y ago
  Your experience is extremely abnormal. How do you know this? Can you point me at some hard data?
  - glhaynes 16y ago
    iPad users show 91% satisfaction level according to survey: http://www.intomobile.com/2010/05/20/ipad-users-show-91-satisfaction-level-according-to-survey.html http://www.intomobile.com/2010/05/20/ipad-users-show-91-sati...
- mechanical_fish 16y ago
  That's an unfair way to say it. For all we know, the majority of people who try an iPad will ultimately decide they don't like it. That won't matter to those of us who do like it, so long as there are enough of us to keep the market healthy. So far the outlook is pretty positive.
- roofone 16y ago
  > it's your experience. But you can't use that to reason about others'. I thought using our own experiences to make conclusions and predictions was how our minds work. (Those conclusions don't have to be right, however.)

astine 16y ago

To put things in perspective: people had trouble understanding why folks would line up outside Star Wars films as well.