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I've Changed My Mind About The iPad

• briancooley 16y ago
  I like how I feel when I am using the thing This sums up my opinion on the iPad. It just makes casual consuming fun. My wife still sings "Flash, ah-ah" to me every time we talk about it, but she's warming up to it. Watching Modern Family on the ABC app while snuggled together on the couch was a revelation for her. We don't use it for everything, but the things we use it for sure are fun. It doesn't replace my MBP, but neither did my smartphone.
  • jerguismi 16y ago
    OK, so the point is that the iPad doesn't replace laptops or smart phones, but complements them. Great, more devices to buy! Just what I wished for. I guess in couple of years Steve implements some new consumer device which complements the existing ones. He's so visionary.
    • viraptor 16y ago
      Not sure why this is downvoted... a bit of trolling, but in general it's right. If Apple starts selling a large range of devices that just complement the laptops and phones, without making a good product in itself -- people are going to end up with a lot of gadgets. It's fun for a rich customer (I've got a music player, video player, phone, communicator, web browser device...), not so fun for a typical customer (I've got a choice between a hard to use laptop, or one or two easy to use devices). Many of us are geeks here and buy gadgets just because they're shiny and new. But many normal people would rather get an easy to use laptop instead, or a "laptopised" dockable ipad.
      • ellyagg 16y ago
        But the sales figures are not bearing out your latter claim, nor are the reactions of my "normal" friends or family.
        • viraptor 16y ago
          Sales figures are not comparable, unless you know how many people have laptops and how they use it. To respond to the reactions though: What are their reactions really? Do they want iPad, or do they want an easy to use touchscreen device. Do they have any computer already, or is it their first? (I think we know the answer to that) Essentially - do they really want a specialised device for each of their activities and as which point will they say "that's enough - I just want something that integrates my N devices, like those old laptops". I think people would buy a "laptopised" (as in - general purpose with full-featured modernised windows for example) dockable version of iPad and use it as their main computer in many cases. Not sure if that's what Apple wants - because now you can have both macbook and the ipad and ...
      • pedalpete 16y ago
        I agree, and though I don't have and don't want an iPad, I can see where we cross a line where the iPad does just enough to make it a good multi-use device so we aren't buying devices again and again. At the same time, this is why I always thought that we don't need another device, just a better way to output our smartphones to a larger screen.
      • briancooley 16y ago
        But many normal people would rather get an easy to use laptop instead, or a "laptopised" dockable ipad Based on my empirical experience since my iPad was delivered April 3, most "normal" people want an iPad but are having trouble justifying the expense. I think iPads will be the gift this Christmas. About 80% of my friends are planning to get one then.
        • watty 16y ago
          80% of your friends are planning on getting an iPad? Holy crap, what's your demographic (if you don't mind)?
          • stcredzero 16y ago
            Demographic? Figure out the cohort! (Specific subgroup)
          • briancooley 16y ago
            Well, if you don't mind pedantry, here goes. It's actually 80% of relatively close friends on a family unit basis, so it's 4 iPads out of 10 friends/5 couples that I see on a routine basis. That's an incomplete sampling of my universe of friends. A lot of my casual friends - the ones I haven't seen since February or earlier - I don't know one way or another, but I'd guess the rate would be lower among them. The data's also tainted, since most of them had the iPad in hand when they made the statement. Anyway, what I really was trying to focus on is that if they purchase it, it will likely be at Christmas and as a gift. As far as demographics, if you mean income, I don't really know. I'd guess $100K-$120K yearly income per family. Upper middle class, I guess. Folks that make enough money that their wives stay home with the kids. Not hurting for money, but $500 is still more than pocket change.
        • viraptor 16y ago
          That's what bothers me really. It will be a gift; people want it, but are having problems to justify it. I don't really have problem with people buying it, but this trend is a bit dangerous from the global perspective... Apple is good at releasing limited functionality devices, but where's the minimum limit with that? If it's good, people will buy it anyways, because people like "having" stuff - it's hard to say how many specific devices are enough 4? 5? How much limited functionality electronic waste do we have to produce? How much money do we want to spend on N polished devices instead of 1 general device, which will be always cheaper than N in reality. Edit: Almost forgot - some universities are already testing iPads as "give away to students" devices... Seriously, that's a path to another "Hand in as .doc file", only a thousand times more dangerous. We've already got game consoles, handheld games, laptops, smart phones, music players, video players, etc. all basically targeted at the same general group of people. I'm waiting for the second wave of generalised devices now - I want only 2 of them: pocket player / communicator / game (apart from games, my N900 does a good job here for now), dockable general laptop.
      • Retric 16y ago
        I think there is nothing wrong with having the right tool for the right job. As computing power becomes cheaper we are really just left with the question of form factor. My 2.5 year old 1200$ PC has a 4 core 2.4 GHz CPU 4GB RAM, 750 GB HDD and a reasonable graphics card. I could buy a better PC for that price, but I am probably better off filling out new form factors than getting a minor upgrade. Think of how woodworkers end up with such a huge number of specialized tools. Their basic tools don't become outdated so rather than buying a slightly higher RPM band-saw they go for a tool that is really useful a small percentage of the time. Smart phones are still undergoing fairly rapid development but it's slowing down and their average prices are already decreasing. So, expect to find the next niche soon. (PC)>(Laptop)>(Smart Phone)>iPad?>??? PS: The Smart Phone is the evolution and union of several fairly different device that shared the same form factor. They are really the union of a Cellphones + MP3 player + Game Boy + PDA + Digital Camera's + Wireless Modem, but you get a slightly worse version of each one. I could easily see a iPad type device that absorbs other things with it's form factor. Add a 10c infrared port and you get one of those touch screen style universal remotes. Or, add the right base station and they could be the brains behind a Wii style gaming system.
        • WiseWeasel 16y ago
          iDesk. iGlasses. iSexbot.
          • metaprinter 16y ago
            iGlasses would be a useful morphing of the product into a wearable device for people with disabilities actually. http://stoloff-law.com/blog/iphone-apps-that-help-people-with-disabilities-be-more-independent/ http://stoloff-law.com/blog/iphone-apps-that-help-people-wit...
        • abstractbill 16y ago
          Think of how woodworkers end up with such a huge number of specialized tools. The difference is that a computer is a computer (whereas woodworking tools are not interchangeable). Some people (like me) only want one device, because if you use one computer for everything it becomes almost a part of you in a way that wouldn't be possible if you were continuously context-switching between multiple devices. Right now I use a laptop for everything. When smartphones get good enough (real keyboard via bluetooth, built-in mini projector turning any flat surface into a screen), then I'll use one of those for everything and ditch the laptop.
    • olaf 16y ago
      You have my whole sympathy. Upvoted.
    • jrwoodruff 16y ago
      I actually bought an iPad instead of a MBP. Not sure how good that is for Apples bottom line (good, in the long run I suspect) but so far I'm very happy with my decision. I take the iPad to the bar, the porch, meetings, use it to stream pandora in the car and much more. I wouldn't do half those things with a laptop, and for the 'work' things I do on it (note taking, task management, etc.) the iPad is good enough. When I'm -really- working, I want my dual monitors, wired LAN and an ergonomic chair. For me, it hasn't been yet -another- device.
      • Periodic 16y ago
        My MBP is four years old now. I spilled water into the keyboard a while ago and it just hasn't been the same. I a few of the keys don't quite work, the screen is pretty dim, and sometimes when it wakes from sleep it doesn't properly detect the screen and defaults to 640x480. At the time it was a desktop replacement, but since then I have upgraded my desktop and am quite happy with it. I'm seriously considering an iPad as a replacement for my MBP. My primary usage of the laptop now is web browsing, email, and the occasional game, and it is a bit huge (I have a MacBook Air at work, so the old MBP feels heavy). The iPad would do all those things perfectly. For me it would be a laptop replacement.
    • ugh 16y ago
      Why should it make laptops and smart phones completely obsolete? I do think that the new breed of iPad-like tablets can replace quite a few computers but probably not all of them. With computers as cheap as they are and families usually owning several computers (kitchen or living room laptop or netbook, a few laptops or netbooks for the kids, desktop for the office and so on) I really fail to see how a device which can replace one or two laptops in such a household is a bad thing or one more thing to buy.
  • deleted 16y ago
    [deleted]
  • listic 16y ago
    Isn't it in all ways better to watch the bigger stationary screen while on the couch?
    • jodrellblank 16y ago
      Typical internet comment there. Did you think about it ... at all? What does iPad do? Films and TV Music iBooks Apps Web browsing Email Only films and TV are better on your big, far away, non-touch, lower resolution TV. The rest are significantly worse or completely unavailable.
      • cheald 16y ago
        Being a bit pedantic here, but the iPad at 1024x768 doesn't have a higher resolution than 720i/p (1280x768) or 1080i/p (1920x1080) TVs, though it does generally have a higher DPI as a result of it's generally smaller size. Your iPhone has a better DPI than your iPad, but I don't think you'll argue that it's superior movie-viewing device.
      • dkarl 16y ago
        Typical internet comment there. Did you think about it ... at all? Television the only specific example in the post he was replying to, so that's probably what he was talking about. (Did you... nah, never mind.) Calling the ability to snuggle together on the couch while watching TV a "revelation" does indeed invite a challenge. Why? How? It isn't much of a discussion if I have to go buy an iPad myself to understand what people are talking about. (Why is it such a high-rated comment? Are people with iPads just endorsing the implication that its virtues can't be analyzed or described in any way?)
        • jodrellblank 16y ago
          I eat humble pie. Commentor was replying specifically to a TV watching comment. (Did you... nah, never mind.) Apparently not.
    • briancooley 16y ago
      No, mostly because it was on demand. There was no way to watch it on my television. (On demand > time shifted) In the past, I would have setup my laptop. I never considered that a hassle, but now I do. Also, the app itself was a cue. I probably wouldn't have thought to go to abc.com had I been on my laptop, which I primarily use for working rather than playing.
  • frossie 16y ago
    My wife still sings "Flash, ah-ah" to me every time we talk about it I am hereby up-voting your wife's sense of humour.
  • trezor 16y ago
    Watching Modern Family on the ABC app while snuggled together on the couch was a revelation for her. Not putting the rest of your points into question, I'm just going to guess that for the rest of the world not being the US, this thing will never happen and we will still need our dedicated servers/laptops and BT/Usenet apps and the commercial, "smooth", DRMed solutions will still be utterly useless. I guess I'm still disappointed that what in I consider the "digital age" where the world should be one marked, one solution for everyone, every single big player still does everything in their power to create artificial barriers, restrictions and markets for some pipe dream that it might increase their (relevance and thus) profits. I guess my monthly expenses will still remain at $0 for cable and $15 for usenet.
• ojbyrne 16y ago
  I have the 3G version, and for me it's the perfect commuting companion.
  • stcredzero 16y ago
    I concur. I have the Wifi with a mobile hotspot. I fly a lot and it's much better on the plane. No wifi in flight most of the time, but I can download content easily enough. Much more comfortable and usable than the Macbook in the plane seat.
• david927 16y ago
  I think this is the potential of tablets in general. If others, like Notion Ink's Adam, are able to deliver the features/price that they're promising, the whole category could be a big hit. The iPad is just a hint of what's to come.
  • cwilson 16y ago
    You better hope that Notion Ink also delivers on the EXPERIENCE as well. Look at what everyone else is saying in this thread; the iPad is a hit because of the experience of using it, the attention to detail, not the feature set. If it doesn't deliver on experience people will not buy it in the first place (because no one will be talking about it) or they will return it. I don't care how many features you pack into a device, if I don't smile while using it it's a failure.
    • iron_ball 16y ago
      That's what everyone said about Android phones, but in the end, many people were delighted to get an experience a cut below Apple's as long as the features and pricing were a cut above. It seems there is plenty of room for both approaches.
      • 0x44 16y ago
        Judging by the fact that 75% of Android users are in the United States, it may be safe to say that most of them chose an Android phone because it wasn't on AT&T.
• zalew 16y ago
  Like I care if random people like having a cup of coffee on the terrace with an ipad. 1. put 'ipad' in title 2. write some random thoughts, don't matter if you like it or not, if they are even technical or just stories about posting while sitting on the can. 3. ... 4. profit!
  • jdunck 16y ago
    Fred Wilson is a VC -- I'm pretty sure he doesn't need any money derived from this post. He's just posting observations as this market forms.
    • garply 16y ago
      Not to say that the GP was particularly insightful, but: I suspect he derives money indirectly from his blog - for example, by securing himself as an authority on tech investing in an industry where reputation is quite important.
      • fredwilson 16y ago
        you are correct that is one of many reasons the AVC blog is extremely valuable to me but it is not the only one
    • deleted 16y ago
      [deleted]
    • nir 16y ago
      OP does have some point in that Wilson's experience is hardly a common one - first, buying an iPad just to see if he'd like it, second, having email/browsing so important to him that he's even considering a 2nd iPad just to make the experience slightly better. Basically, the early adopters have now bought their iPads and are sitting in the terrace with a glass of wine reading emails. It's fun, but it's not "this changes everything", it's "this gadget is so cool".
      • francoisdevlin 16y ago
• TotlolRon 16y ago
  Another reminder why using is the best way to understand what a product is about.
  • daten 16y ago
    I'm not trying to troll, I just have an ongoing concern when I read articles like this. Another way to look at it is, I've been convinced by marketing and countless articles on HN telling me how amazing this new gadget is that I went and bought one. Now I need to find a place it fits in my life and convince myself it's something I didn't know I needed and that I didn't waste my money. I've only owned it for a week but I'm sure that a year from now I'll still love it because it's a great product, not because it's new and shiny.
    • nooneelse 16y ago
      Cognitive dissonance is not to be underestimated in these things.
• silkodyssey 16y ago
  This is a powerful endorsement of the iPad. To me the message is you can't really judge the iPad based on the features it has or the list of things it can or can't do but instead it has to be experienced.
• empire29 16y ago
  I agree -- using the ipad over my laptop allows for a much more casual experience. i find myself picking it up/putting it down MUCH more than i did using my laptop (pre-ipad) .. using my laptop was/is a much more focused experience for me. I readily admit that using my laptop is generally faster/more efficient for most typing-intensive tasks, but i am really enjoying how the ipad's (re?)introduced casual computing to my life.
  • ivanstojic 16y ago
    That's the phrase I've been looking for! casual computing!
  • bdickason 16y ago
    Do you believe that the 'casual' aspect of it will remain? I remember that people used to love laptops when they first came out (yes I'm old) because they could take them to a park and work. They found it relaxing and not as "business" oriented. Fast forward to today and they've lost that vibe. I'm kinda feeling like the iPad will also lose that after people get used to the 'newness' of the form factor.
    • philwelch 16y ago
      But there you go--people loved laptops because they could take them to a park and work. You don't hear about people working on an iPad. In fact, laptops probably became stressful to people just because having a laptop meant you could work--and were expected to work--whether you were at the park, on a flight, on the train, or wherever. An iPad is explicitly unsuited for serious business, therefore it won't be expected to use it for serious business.
    • commieneko 16y ago
      It is, of course, relative. My laptop is _more_ casual than my desk top, and I'm finding my iPad more casual still. Now, I often use my laptop _as_ my desktop computer; hook it up to a larger monitor, mouse, an external keyboard, stereo/video/telescope/interociter/history eraser button/etc. But that doesn't mean that my laptop experience isn't casual when I plop down on the couch, sans accoutrements, and surf hacker news, listen to music, or watch a movie. And the iPad is more casual still. And the fact that I _can't_ do many things that are not casual may help to keep it casual. Maybe not... (And for the record, just carry the iPad into the "little room down the hall" for the _ultimate_ in casual computing...)
• px 16y ago
  The key aspect of the ipad/tablet experience is being able to use it in new contexts (on the kitchen counter, making guacamole). Opportunities abound for savvy developers who are able to recognize some of ways in which tablets will fit naturally into our daily lives.
• michael_dorfman 16y ago
  It's replaced our kitchen computer on our kitchen countertop. Wait, what?
  • chadgeidel 16y ago
    I thought the same thing. Is it that resistant to spills/splashes?
    • shaddi 16y ago
      I was more surprised about having a kitchen computer.
      • stcredzero 16y ago
        It's a good use for an old laptop. The problem is with the form factor.
      • roofone 16y ago
        With two small kids my family spends 80%+ of its time in the kitchen/living room/play area -- far away from the office with the Computer. So, having a "kitchen computer" is actually a very useful thing (as superfluous as it sounds). I got an iPad instead of a netbook because I thought it'd be easier for my non-technical wife (my 3 year old daughter showed her how to use it).
      • sstrudeau 16y ago
        I'm still holding off on the iPad, but this is probably the #1 reason I want one. Every other thing I'd imagine myself using the iPad for, I currently use either my laptop or phone. I like to cook and frequently adapt recipes I find online; I don't like to bring the laptop into the kitchen because it takes up too much space, and because of the risk of spills. The iPad could be mounted on the face of a cupboard or propped up on a stand to minimize risk of damage, while having everything I need close at hand.
      • portman 16y ago
        This comment was extremely enlightening for me, since I can't think of a single kitchen amongst my friends and neighbors that doesn't have a computer. It's split about 50/50 between notebooks and iMacs. Also, when we remodeled our kitchen two years ago, the showrooms all included kitchen computers. I'm not rich, either. My neighbors are mostly rank-and-file government employees or servicemen on assignment at the Pentagon. But kitchen computers are a de-facto standard.
• nkassis 16y ago
  I like the part where he mentions the android tablets. Frankly I love the idea of a tablet computer but I just can't bring myself to use the iPad. If only a good android tablet was out right now, I'd give up the rammen noodles for one. (I'll just steal some tomatoes from the neighbor for food ;p)
  • bdickason 16y ago
    Are you craving an android tablet because it's a better/faster experience or because you don't like Apple? I haven't used an Android phone in about a year, so I'm missing the connection. What evidence is there that an Android tablet will be superior, besides the draconian App Store policies?
    • blhack 16y ago
      Apple just frustrates me as a company (which is probably a silly reason not to want an iPad, I suppose)... There are the ridiculous app store policies (which is a HUGE problem) but there are also little things. For instance, have you ever tried to use an iPhone in bed? I keep mine sitting next to my pillow so that I can listen to music while I fall asleep... Doing this is a huge pain in the butt. If you turn the thing sideways to change songs, it goes into the oh-so-useless "cover flow" interface. If I'm browsing the web, the phone decides that it should rotate the screen for me... These things are fixed...but only if you void your warrant and jailbreak it...why? Honestly, the only thing I can come up with is that it is some stupid power trip by the folks at apple... "Bah! We designed it that way and we're never wrong!" JUST EFFING FIX THIS GUYS! It's a very very common problem. I was traveling last week...my laptop's battery needs very badly to be replaced (only holds about a half hour of charge anymore), so I decided to transfer some podcasts to my phone so I could listen to them on the plane...now, this isn't as simple as most of the blackberries I've ever owned (the blackberries, if you're not aware, simply get mounted as an external storage device...copy and paste MP3s to it and it will happily play them for you), but firing up iTunes should be too much a problem, right? Wrong. iTunes refuses to add songs to the device unless I erase everything on it and "sync" it to my laptop. WTF? Apple, this is completely unnecessary! So I lose everything on my iPhone in order to listen to a couple of podcasts? What the hell, Apple. Okay, howabout email syncing? 4 times an hour at the most. Seriously? The phone is absolutely capable of more than this! So it will hurt the battery a bit more, I don't care! Warn me about it when I select "check email 1 time per minute". Don't even get me started on Google voice (which I use as my primary phone number and voicemail)... And then there is flash... Oh, and howabout the newest version of their iPod? You cannot disable having album artwork take over half of your screen? Why the hell not?! These just seems like more power-tripping my Apple/Jobs. I've played with the iPad (while I was waiting in the apple store for three hours for my appointment with the "genius bar"), it seems...kindof neat I guess? But apple leaves such a sour taste in my mouth from the experiences I've had with the iPhone that I cannot imagine myself ever buying one.
• lkjhghjk 16y ago
  So the only difference between this and a $200 netbook is that netbook can stand up on it's own on a table?
• dpcan 16y ago
  When I first got my iPhone, I had to charge the battery daily for a month because I just couldn't get over it. Now it lasts days and I use it more like a phone and a casual gaming device while I'm bored. Bloggers should no better. It's too early to make statements about the impact of the iPad on computing. Let's see where we are in 6 months. I'm not saying it will go one way or the other, but I imagine the hype will double with the 3G, then in a year we'll start seeing true reviews of how the iPad is used. I'm personally holding out for 3G. EDIT: Somehow I missed that 3G is available, so I give it 6 months :)
  • ben1040 16y ago
    This experience about mimics mine with the iPad. The first two weeks or so I couldn't put it down, and now it's just kind of something that I have on my coffee table. I still find it very useful - I can now just "hand a web page" to my wife, it's great for having around in the living room for random web surfing on the couch, and yes, reading the news or doing a crossword while having a beer on my back patio. I still can't type properly on the thing to save my life. I didn't realize just how awkward it is. I need to set it on a flat surface and type on it like a regular keyboard, and if I'm going to do that I'd prefer a laptop.
    • DanielBMarkham 16y ago
      Same for the kindle. At first it's this completely super-cool thing and you wonder how you could live your life without it. Then it just becomes a piece of stuff that you have to carry around because it does a couple of things better than all the other stuff you already carry around.
      • jodrellblank 16y ago
        http://www.hackvan.com/pub/stig/pix/cartoons/techno-bill.gif http://www.hackvan.com/pub/stig/pix/cartoons/techno-bill.gif Same for many things - books are completely super-cool until you've read them and they just sit on a bookshelf most of the time.
      • 16y ago
• melling 16y ago
  I got mine on Monday after much debating. Initially I was going to wait for the second generation because I know it will be so much better. In the store, the iPad felt a little heavy and basically like a big iPhone. After a few weeks, I took the "you only live once and it's cheap enough that I'll just by gen 2 if it's really that much better." By last night, I realized this thing is revolutionary, or the start of it. It's perfect for consuming the Internet and other information. The apps make a difference. Instapaper Pro, Good Reader, SimpleNote. I bought Numbers last night and I'm investigating whether Omnigraffle is any good(many poor reviews and a few positive ones and it's $50) Missing multitasking. Need To keep Pandora running. My only disappointment.
  • cpr 16y ago
    Multitasking (exactly for the kind of apps like Pandora) is coming this fall (with iPhone OS 4.x ported to the iPad), Apple says.
• stcredzero 16y ago
  As flying changed from an esoteric daredevil activity to a dreary consumer experience, many consumers gained access to great utility and tremendous wealth has been created. As cars changed from finicky things requiring enthusiast skills to keep running smoothly to closed, consumer devices, many consumers gained access to great utility and tremendous wealth has been created. So it will go with computers. (And also note, that expert/enthusiast flying and driving experiences are still readily available for those with the burning desire.)
  • dmlorenzetti 16y ago
    Not that I disagree, but the analogy seems flawed. The "closed consumer" cars and airplanes of today also are more capable than the finicky, esoteric products they replaced. Conversely, the reason many people thought the iPad would fail is that it's less capable than its seeming competition.
    • stcredzero 16y ago
      Not that I disagree, but the analogy seems flawed. Your analysis is flawed. See below. the reason many people thought the iPad would fail is that it's less capable than its seeming competition. Yes, but the smart money is on the capabilities of the iPad increasing over time. (In fact, we already know this to be true.) Also note that the consumer-relevant increase in capabilities in cars and airplanes have been quantitative in specific metrics. (More reliable, able to go farther, faster, more efficiently.) The decrease in capability for the iPad was qualitative in terms of tweak-ability, flexibility, and accommodation of user expertise. Those are not the qualities that appeal to the mainstream user. I'm sure a lot of people complained when automatics came out, because they're less flexible. (You can't push-start them, you can't easily rock them out of ditches, and there's less flexibility in terms of using compression braking.) The flexibility isn't what consumers really cared about.
      • btilly 16y ago
        There are still people who complain that driving an automatic isn't driving, it's steering.
• smackfu 16y ago
  If the killer app for a tablet is web browsing, that makes the iPad very vulnerable to an Android tablet.
• miri 16y ago
  Oh, the iPad might be all fancy-glitzy-waste-of-money-blah-blah, but as a product, it's good at it. It provides an experience, as well as providing usefulness. I have used a laptop for recipe purposes in a kitchen, too, but using an iPad to do it just makes it feel a lot more cool, which makes people bother to use it more. My mother never saw the use for mp3 player speakers until she realised that it was a very easy and convenient way to listen to Alice Cooper in the kitchen while cooking. She could've gotten a portable player/radio - the technology's been around for a while, I'd say - but she didn't. It's a brilliant marketing idea. I'll probably stick to my laptop and paper notes, but I guess I, like everyone, have some sort of dream of a future where we have fancy computer screens everywhere. Kitchen computers, robo-butlers (or a disembodied mildly sarcastic voice with a British accent answering your questions), projectors projecting the next recipe on your kitchen cupboard, fridges keeping tally of your shopping list, you name it.
  • cpr 16y ago
    Wait, your mother? Alice Cooper? ;-)
    • miri 16y ago
      Why, yes! I've grown up with hard rock/heavy metal, opera, and good food. Food usually gets good when mum's rocking out in the kitchen :P
• asdfghjkl1521 16y ago
  yes it is an awesome device and i am loving it.
• antidaily 16y ago
  "Seeeeeeeeee!" - Steve Jobs
• callmeed 16y ago
  This is exactly why the iPad needs some sort of user account system. Everone in my family loves using it—and friends and co-workers love to play with it—but I don't like my email accounts and some app data accessible to all.
  • emehrkay 16y ago
    Yeah it does. At least have an api where accounts could be implemented on a per app basis, but still use the system's accounts
  • illumin8 16y ago
    I think Apple's long term model is that the iPad is more of a "personal" computing device. Of course they probably wouldn't complain if you went out and bought one for each member of your family.
    • cheald 16y ago
      Or, Jobs introduces the iPad 2.0 with revolutionary security-protected user space partitioning, a magical innovation in computing that will revolutionize your approach to your information. Edit: Forgot "magical".
• Tichy 16y ago
  "I wanted to take the iPad with me but decided not to so it could stay at home on the kitchen counter." I am really interested in a sort of family computer device, that would display calendar for everyone, shopping lists, and so on (a bit like the Weasley's Wall Clock in Harry Potter perhaps - family dashboard?). Only I am hoping for something cheaper than the iPad. While I kind of hate Apple, I have recently considered getting an iPad after all, just for reading websites and API docs. Thinking I might be able to avoid having to get a standing desk, and instead try to pace around with the iPad whenever I need to read stuff online. So far I don't even have a kitchen computer, btw. It hasn't bothered me that much. On the rare occasion I want to cook by recepy, I either print it or I have a paper book.
  • viraptor 16y ago
    I think O2 does it with their joggler: http://yourfamily.o2.co.uk/o2familyjoggler http://yourfamily.o2.co.uk/o2familyjoggler They even advertise it as "your new fridge door".
    • Tichy 16y ago
      Interesting, thanks. Unsurprisingly, their web site sucks, so I was not able to view details of the device. I can only hope that it is "open", and extendable. I think there is/could be a market for this kind of thing. Some cheap universal replacements might be an iPod Touch (though rather small and expensive at 200 bucks) or that open source hardware thingy whose name I can't remember - I think it's about 100 bucks? But rather bulky.
      • viraptor 16y ago
        Not sure how open is it by default, but my colleague bought it, to put linux on it. So, open enough probably... No idea about the app store rules though.
        • Tichy 16y ago
          If you can put Linux on it, it's cool :-)
• jonpaul 16y ago
  Originally, I thought it was a device in search of a problem. However, it has made my life more efficient in one key way. Reading. I put my iPad on the treadmill and crank up the font... I can run fast and read iBooks. I love that I'm getting smarter and staying fit.
• hernan7 16y ago
  After reading this, one could ask Jobs the same thing he once asked Sculley: Hey Steve, do you want to spend the rest of your life selling overpriced toys to rich ne'er-do-wells, or do you want to change the world?
  • ekanes 16y ago
    There's a significant trickle-down effect from the innovation and competitive pressure they apply. All MP3 players and (practically) all phones will be better, (even if they're simply selling overpriced toys.) :)
• rradu 16y ago
  A small netbook serves the same purpose as that described in the post. That easy access and family use is not really tablet-specific.
• pvdm 16y ago
  How does he get around the "unbearable shittiness of iTunes for Windows" ? http://www.feld.com/wp/archives/2010/05/open-android-vs-closed-iphone.html http://www.feld.com/wp/archives/2010/05/open-android-vs-clos...
  • fredwilson 16y ago
    i have not connected the ipad to itunes since we set it up. and we use macs in our house so the initial connection was on a mac.
• vtnext 16y ago
  Odd, since our ipad has hardly been used the last few weeks. After a couple of weeks of heavy use, it's now gathering dust. Wife is back to using her netbook, kids have gone back to their own computers. Not saying it's useless, but it is far less used than I expected.
• grandalf 16y ago
  I bought an iPad (after using linux exclusively for years) and have really been enjoying it. Highlights: - Great music apps (drum machines, synths, etc.) - Solid battery life Frustrations: - Not sure why the app store exits right after you install a new app - Safari crashes often
• drivebyacct 16y ago
  The thing is, none of these comments are ever unique to the iPad. People are realizing that a portable tablet is a complimentary computer. Personally, my laptop and my phone span all of my computing needs. If I ever felt that I had the cash on hands or use-cases that demanded a tablet, I would consider it; but on a matter of practically and experience with both platforms, I'd certainly be choosing an Android (hopefully Tegra) tablet.
• zmmmmm 16y ago
  I guess I must be the only person with an iPad for whom it is now just going dusty in a cupboard. I had an enthusiastic few weeks with it but after that it just seems to be sub-optimal for most of the use cases I have. I really dislike browsing the web on it, which is the main problem. It's great for viewing photos but I just can't work with iTune's retarded methodology for putting them on there. It's nice for viewing videos but only at close range and then you have to hold it so it doesn't really work for me for movies. It is far too hard to type to be a practical device for email. It's really interesting to watch how people's reactions to it change as they adapt to this "new" kind of device.
  • blhack 16y ago
    This was my experience with netbooks. After the honeymoon wore off (a couple of months for me, actually), my netbook has been sitting on the coffee table, dead.
  • amitto 16y ago
    That sounds like a real waste of space in your cupboard. I feel compelled to take that iPad from you to free up some space :)
  • abalashov 16y ago
    No, you're not the only one with that experience. Most vexing complaint: too hard to type to be a practical device for -- well, anything.
  • kentosi 16y ago
    On a related note, I'm having a strong urge to buy the latest Sony Viao X notebook (netbook?). It looks awesome, it's thin and light as hell, fast (with an SSD harddisk), and from what I've read it even works well with Ubuntu. However, I just know that after a few weeks of using it the romance period will be over and it'll just be this "thing" sitting on my desk.
• Goladus 16y ago
  I think his initial conclusion is still correct: the iPad isn't going to be the same kind of hit the iPhone was. I think that's a direction where computing is going to expand, but it'll happen a lot more slowly. Especially while the it's expensive enough that the target market is people who are "replace their kitchen computers."
• neovive 16y ago
  I wonder if a lot of the utility comes from being more of an instant-on computer vs. having to boot up a laptop.
  • _sh 16y ago
    This is a very interesting statement. I've been working with boot times at work recently. In one release, I pulled boot times from ~25 seconds to <7 seconds by going ninja on the kernel and init. The response was out of all proportion. Users liked it so much, talked about 'latency' and 'improved workflow' (none of the software had changed, only the boot time). There is no doubt that startup time is a significant contributing factor to the way users respond to applications/devices. I was musing over all this with a co-worker who expressed no surprise, and told me a story how, back in the 90s, he got a similar response from his users by simply removing the splash screen. Not even reducing startup time. He said people were waiting for the splash screen and when the main window opened, they thought it must have started so quickly they missed it.
• MikeCapone 16y ago
  It probably isn't too rare in this crowd, but in the world in general, it's pretty rare for someone to say "I changed my mind" in public. Kudos. More people need to stop being irrationally attached to their past opinions out of fear of "flip flopping".
• billpaetzke 16y ago
  I'll probably wait for the first Android tablet and get that for my personal use. Me, too.
• dna 16y ago
  My experience with the iPad : My aunt (I'm French) came back from a visit to her son who lives in the USA and she was helpless because she couldn't understand why there was no way to add anything to her "computer" (she thought the iPad was an actual computing device, not a c.r.a.p.pliance) without erasing the pictures and videos of her family that was transferred to the iPad when her son synced his computer to it. She didn't ask my advice beforehand, she succumbed to the power of marketing and the novelty of getting something before its availability in France and bought it without thinking much about it. You should have seen the look on her face when she came to understand that her device could erase all the videos and pictures of her grand-kids at a whim. If it wasn't enough, she couldn't use the app store once she got back to France and will have to wait for general availability, even switching to the US appstore didn't let her. This is what a crappliance you don't actually own will do to you. You may have bought it but Apple still owns it. THIS is what is supposed to be the future of computing, the device that will replace the desktop and laptop for the masses ? Job's full of it. The future of computing is a future where you can't even share your own data with your friends and where the manufacturer has a say on everything you do, even the installation of apps and what country you're in ? There is a reason why lots of people feel much stronger hate toward Apple than anyone ever did to Microsoft. I sincerely hope that the iPad will tank after the first generation and gets rolled over by Android, WebOS and whatever is in the work at MS. This device HAS to die or it will inspire a new era of madness if its model gets successful enough to be copied by everyone else. Microsoft is already joining in the crazy with the Windows Phone 7 that restricts you to its app market with no standalone app installation even though Windows Mobile used to stand for freedom.