5 ms·

A Technophobe Adopts the iPad 2

42 points by luigionline 15y ago

illumin8 15y ago
Some pretty good observations in this article, especially about the app store. Most mortals, when asked what type of computer they should buy, don't respond "buy some parts from NewEgg, build your own, and put Ubuntu on it." So, I tend to question why fellow geeks, when asked what tablet or smartphone to buy, would recommend anything other than Apple. Recommending a mere mortal purchase any of the Android tablet options is about the same as telling them to buy a bunch of parts from NewEgg and build their own computer. Maybe this will improve in the next year as software becomes available for Android. I certainly hope so. 5,000 Android developers just got Samsung 10" Galaxy tabs at Google IO so my guess is new apps will be here in 3, 2, 1...
- watty 15y ago
  That analogy is terrible. I know a few non-technical people who own and operate an Android phone with no problems. You could hand one of these "mere mortals" an Android phone and an iPhone and they couldn't tell the difference.
  - SoftwareMaven 15y ago
    But the Android tablets are still very much in early-adopter state. It's not a matter of where the platform will be next year, but where it is today.
- vacri 15y ago
  Really? You're likening to buying an android smartphone to customising your own whitebox and installing a nonvendor OS? This is exactly what apologism sounds like. EDIT: I'm a power user. I bought an android phone with 2.1 one on it. Total number of OS installs: zero. I've never changed the image on this phone. Total number of separate parts bought: two. I bought the phone, and later bought a microUSB cable so I could charge the phone at work as well (it would have been the same with an Apple smartphone, except that the cable would have cost more) I fail to see how buying an iPhone would have reduced my need for separate parts or reinstalling the system.
pavlov 15y ago
"This thing means I don't have to carry a phone anymore." An iPad 2 with Skype is a far less expensive way to stay in touch than an international cell phone. This is interesting because Skype, effectively the global VoIP standard, is now owned by Microsoft. In light of what happened with Office and Mac in the '90s, Apple is probably doing their best to avoid a situation where a Microsoft product becomes perceived as a crucial part of their platform's value proposition... IOW, Apple certainly doesn't want people to actively think of iPad + Skype as a killer combo because they don't control the other half. But what can they do? FaceTime has no chance of catching up with Skype in global adoption. And considering the iPhone/Android squabbles, it's unlikely that Apple would turn to Google for help against Skype. Hmm.
- ujal 15y ago
  I wouldn't be so sure about FaceTime having no chance. Skype has enough weak spots to begin with.
  - pavlov 15y ago
    At least in Europe, Skype is the only recognized brand in VoIP. Even my grandfather knows what it means to call someone on Skype. How will FaceTime catch up? Should Apple offer a Windows version, like they did with iTunes and Safari?
    - hboon 15y ago
      Probably starts after (or when) Lion is available.
      - kenjackson 15y ago
        Lion is a niche product. Anything Apple wants to do to make an impact starts after/when iOS, not Lion.
- hyperbovine 15y ago
  > But what can they do? Make FaceTime talk to Skype?
MaxGabriel 15y ago
I was really surprised that he struggled to activate the iPad because I just assumed people would have/understand iTunes. Definitely was one of those moments where you remember how important it is for a developer to watch their users.
- pbhjpbhj 15y ago
  >I just assumed people would have/understand iTunes \ You thought every person in the market for a tablet has iTunes?
- yonran 15y ago
  The first couple hours were a poor experience for me too. iTunes on my dad's Mac Mini said it was the latest version but it turns out it was just the _last_ version for PowerPC, and it can't activate iPads. Then I poked around with libimobiledevice on my laptop, but I couldn't find the right commands to recognize the device. Finally someone with a newer Mac came home and it was smooth sailing after that. The activation process definitely could be improved.
  - SoftwareMaven 15y ago
    It is silly you can't activate and work completely OTA. I will be annoyed if Apple makes me pay MobileMe prices to break the tether when thru finally get their cloud act together.
- bane 15y ago
  I haven't had iTunes installed for years. It's a horrendous piece of software. I installed it and removed it a few days later. I'd almost wager that that majority of people I know don't have it installed. I know none of my immediate relatives have it, and the only friends I know with it are people who own Macs (about 1 out of 12). Anecdotal I know.
  - cubicle67 15y ago
    iTunes used to be good. I replaced winamp with itunes many years ago simply because itunes offered a better was to manage my music. Don't remember much about it other than it did the job and it didn't get in the way Wasn't till later on when apple cept adding more and more crap to it that it became the bloated crusty thing it is now.
bane 15y ago
The App Store Polices Make Total Sense Now: I've had- and still have- my issues with Apple's strict submission guidelines. But I now understand exactly why they succeed- and why they provide an objectively superior experience for many users than the App Market ever can. Mitchell's first question to me involved apps. He wanted to know which ones were safe to download- was there anything he needed to watch out for. If Mitchell had purchased an Android tablet I'd have had a laundry list of warnings for him. But there isn't much to worry about on the App Store. I told him to scan the user comments if he didn't recognize a developer, but that apps for the iPad were pretty risk-free. I almost stopped reading here because I found it so strange. Does the central point: "I told him to scan the user comments if he didn't recognize a developer, but that apps for the iPad were pretty risk-free." not hold for Android devices as well? Scan the comments, pick apps with high ratings? It's like finding a restaurant in a new city. Walk around, find one that looks popular.
- joezydeco 15y ago
  "Does the central point ... not hold for Android devices as well?" Depends how quickly bad apps get pulled down from the Android Marketplace: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41867328/ns/technology_and_science-security/t/malware-infects-more-android-apps/ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41867328/ns/technology_and_scien...

42 points by luigionline 15y ago

Some pretty good observations in this article, especially about the app store. Most mortals, when asked what type of computer they should buy, don't respond "buy some parts from NewEgg, build your own, and put Ubuntu on it." So, I tend to question why fellow geeks, when asked what tablet or smartphone to buy, would recommend anything other than Apple. Recommending a mere mortal purchase any of the Android tablet options is about the same as telling them to buy a bunch of parts from NewEgg and build their own computer. Maybe this will improve in the next year as software becomes available for Android. I certainly hope so. 5,000 Android developers just got Samsung 10" Galaxy tabs at Google IO so my guess is new apps will be here in 3, 2, 1...

watty 15y ago
That analogy is terrible. I know a few non-technical people who own and operate an Android phone with no problems. You could hand one of these "mere mortals" an Android phone and an iPhone and they couldn't tell the difference.
- SoftwareMaven 15y ago
  But the Android tablets are still very much in early-adopter state. It's not a matter of where the platform will be next year, but where it is today.
vacri 15y ago
Really? You're likening to buying an android smartphone to customising your own whitebox and installing a nonvendor OS? This is exactly what apologism sounds like. EDIT: I'm a power user. I bought an android phone with 2.1 one on it. Total number of OS installs: zero. I've never changed the image on this phone. Total number of separate parts bought: two. I bought the phone, and later bought a microUSB cable so I could charge the phone at work as well (it would have been the same with an Apple smartphone, except that the cable would have cost more) I fail to see how buying an iPhone would have reduced my need for separate parts or reinstalling the system.

pavlov 15y ago

"This thing means I don't have to carry a phone anymore." An iPad 2 with Skype is a far less expensive way to stay in touch than an international cell phone. This is interesting because Skype, effectively the global VoIP standard, is now owned by Microsoft. In light of what happened with Office and Mac in the '90s, Apple is probably doing their best to avoid a situation where a Microsoft product becomes perceived as a crucial part of their platform's value proposition... IOW, Apple certainly doesn't want people to actively think of iPad + Skype as a killer combo because they don't control the other half. But what can they do? FaceTime has no chance of catching up with Skype in global adoption. And considering the iPhone/Android squabbles, it's unlikely that Apple would turn to Google for help against Skype. Hmm.

ujal 15y ago
I wouldn't be so sure about FaceTime having no chance. Skype has enough weak spots to begin with.
- pavlov 15y ago
  At least in Europe, Skype is the only recognized brand in VoIP. Even my grandfather knows what it means to call someone on Skype. How will FaceTime catch up? Should Apple offer a Windows version, like they did with iTunes and Safari?
  - hboon 15y ago
    Probably starts after (or when) Lion is available.
    - kenjackson 15y ago
      Lion is a niche product. Anything Apple wants to do to make an impact starts after/when iOS, not Lion.
hyperbovine 15y ago
> But what can they do? Make FaceTime talk to Skype?

MaxGabriel 15y ago

I was really surprised that he struggled to activate the iPad because I just assumed people would have/understand iTunes. Definitely was one of those moments where you remember how important it is for a developer to watch their users.

pbhjpbhj 15y ago
>I just assumed people would have/understand iTunes \ You thought every person in the market for a tablet has iTunes?
yonran 15y ago
The first couple hours were a poor experience for me too. iTunes on my dad's Mac Mini said it was the latest version but it turns out it was just the _last_ version for PowerPC, and it can't activate iPads. Then I poked around with libimobiledevice on my laptop, but I couldn't find the right commands to recognize the device. Finally someone with a newer Mac came home and it was smooth sailing after that. The activation process definitely could be improved.
- SoftwareMaven 15y ago
  It is silly you can't activate and work completely OTA. I will be annoyed if Apple makes me pay MobileMe prices to break the tether when thru finally get their cloud act together.
bane 15y ago
I haven't had iTunes installed for years. It's a horrendous piece of software. I installed it and removed it a few days later. I'd almost wager that that majority of people I know don't have it installed. I know none of my immediate relatives have it, and the only friends I know with it are people who own Macs (about 1 out of 12). Anecdotal I know.
- cubicle67 15y ago
  iTunes used to be good. I replaced winamp with itunes many years ago simply because itunes offered a better was to manage my music. Don't remember much about it other than it did the job and it didn't get in the way Wasn't till later on when apple cept adding more and more crap to it that it became the bloated crusty thing it is now.

bane 15y ago

The App Store Polices Make Total Sense Now: I've had- and still have- my issues with Apple's strict submission guidelines. But I now understand exactly why they succeed- and why they provide an objectively superior experience for many users than the App Market ever can. Mitchell's first question to me involved apps. He wanted to know which ones were safe to download- was there anything he needed to watch out for. If Mitchell had purchased an Android tablet I'd have had a laundry list of warnings for him. But there isn't much to worry about on the App Store. I told him to scan the user comments if he didn't recognize a developer, but that apps for the iPad were pretty risk-free. I almost stopped reading here because I found it so strange. Does the central point: "I told him to scan the user comments if he didn't recognize a developer, but that apps for the iPad were pretty risk-free." not hold for Android devices as well? Scan the comments, pick apps with high ratings? It's like finding a restaurant in a new city. Walk around, find one that looks popular.

joezydeco 15y ago
"Does the central point ... not hold for Android devices as well?" Depends how quickly bad apps get pulled down from the Android Marketplace: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41867328/ns/technology_and_science-security/t/malware-infects-more-android-apps/ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41867328/ns/technology_and_scien...