5 ms·

I guess I'm in the minority, but I still have a hard time taking an iPad and getting the function I want out of a tablet. At this time and for me, it is still m

by bryanh 16y ago

I guess I'm in the minority, but I still have a hard time taking an iPad and getting the function I want out of a tablet. At this time and for me, it is still more or less an extra toy that I can overlook. However, I understand how well it fits the bill for casual consumption, and considering how Apple is effectively building a robust platform for content delivery. It seems that an iPad in every house would pay dividends for years to come.

wisty 16y ago
I think the world is moving towards micropayments. Not 10 cents an article, that's too low to overcome psychological barriers at the moment, but a few dollars for an app or a tune, or maybe a short subscription. Hardware sales will still be important (a $1100 computer with 30% margins every 3 years brings in $100 a year), but it won't be long before the content is making more than the hardware.
- _frog 16y ago
  I think at the moment the amount you have to pay for music through iTunes or Amazon's MP3 download service isn't attractive enough to the average users. In the long term as publishers warm to the idea of selling their music digitally these prices will drop—in the short term though, services like Pandora and Spotify will be far more popular.
barrkel 16y ago
My iPad is totally a toy; it is almost entirely unused unless I have a long flight to take, or I want to watch a movie in bed - in which case I'll probably still use a laptop owing to the PITA getting content on the iPad over the air is, and its limited repertoire of format support.
- cstuder 16y ago
  Don't use iTunes for that. StreamToMe and AirVideo both convert and stream basically anything. (As far as I know, StreamToMe uses ffmpeg internally to make the conversion on the fly.) I don't even bother with syncing video content anymore.
  - raganwald 16y ago
    +1 for AirVideo. Unless I am watching a movie with the kids, I now prefer my iPad 1 to my TV for watching video at home. Curling up with an episode of "The Prisoner" or even "The Empire Strikes Back feels like curling up with a book, and I can watch anything on my network serve without all that synchronization nonsense. Synchronizing movies is SneakerNet by another name. It may make sense for an airplane flight or a long subway ride, but why on Earth would anyone ever want to do it at home?
- ugh 16y ago
  OTA got a lot better with 4.3. Home Sharing allows you access to you whole iTunes library wirelessly, including (supported) videos. The downsides are that the iPad won’t sync and consequently your PC has to be always on to allow constant access.
crux_ 16y ago
Don't underestimate how excited people get about their toys. :) Me, I'm waiting hat in hand for the Asus Eee Note. Executive summary in SAT Analogy format: iPad : Eee Note :: flat-screen TV : chalkboard
pinaceae 16y ago
that casual consumption argument is getting old. no, the ipad is not useful for techie tasks like writing code. but. it rocks as a business device. if you sit in meetings a lot, needing to walk from room to room, it is awesome. take notes, do e-mail, run presentations. access web based enterprise software like salesforce.com. field force personnel? they love it. no more charging, no more boot time, it just works and doesn't weigh them down. big pharma as an example is moving heavily onto the ipad. companies like veeva or cegedim offer dedicated ipad apps by now. the ipad is a game changer in the business world.

by bryanh 16y ago

wisty 16y ago

I think the world is moving towards micropayments. Not 10 cents an article, that's too low to overcome psychological barriers at the moment, but a few dollars for an app or a tune, or maybe a short subscription. Hardware sales will still be important (a $1100 computer with 30% margins every 3 years brings in $100 a year), but it won't be long before the content is making more than the hardware.

_frog 16y ago
I think at the moment the amount you have to pay for music through iTunes or Amazon's MP3 download service isn't attractive enough to the average users. In the long term as publishers warm to the idea of selling their music digitally these prices will drop—in the short term though, services like Pandora and Spotify will be far more popular.

barrkel 16y ago

My iPad is totally a toy; it is almost entirely unused unless I have a long flight to take, or I want to watch a movie in bed - in which case I'll probably still use a laptop owing to the PITA getting content on the iPad over the air is, and its limited repertoire of format support.

cstuder 16y ago
Don't use iTunes for that. StreamToMe and AirVideo both convert and stream basically anything. (As far as I know, StreamToMe uses ffmpeg internally to make the conversion on the fly.) I don't even bother with syncing video content anymore.
- raganwald 16y ago
  +1 for AirVideo. Unless I am watching a movie with the kids, I now prefer my iPad 1 to my TV for watching video at home. Curling up with an episode of "The Prisoner" or even "The Empire Strikes Back feels like curling up with a book, and I can watch anything on my network serve without all that synchronization nonsense. Synchronizing movies is SneakerNet by another name. It may make sense for an airplane flight or a long subway ride, but why on Earth would anyone ever want to do it at home?
ugh 16y ago
OTA got a lot better with 4.3. Home Sharing allows you access to you whole iTunes library wirelessly, including (supported) videos. The downsides are that the iPad won’t sync and consequently your PC has to be always on to allow constant access.

crux_ 16y ago

Don't underestimate how excited people get about their toys. :) Me, I'm waiting hat in hand for the Asus Eee Note. Executive summary in SAT Analogy format: iPad : Eee Note :: flat-screen TV : chalkboard

pinaceae 16y ago

that casual consumption argument is getting old. no, the ipad is not useful for techie tasks like writing code. but. it rocks as a business device. if you sit in meetings a lot, needing to walk from room to room, it is awesome. take notes, do e-mail, run presentations. access web based enterprise software like salesforce.com. field force personnel? they love it. no more charging, no more boot time, it just works and doesn't weigh them down. big pharma as an example is moving heavily onto the ipad. companies like veeva or cegedim offer dedicated ipad apps by now. the ipad is a game changer in the business world.