4 ms·

Composability is what makes something greater than the sum of its parts. The iPad, I found, is so constrained as to be useless. I know of very few people who

Composability is what makes something greater than the sum of its parts. The iPad, I found, is so constrained as to be useless. I know of very few people who are still using their iPad regularly after 6 months or so precisely because of this (and the star trek wow factor has worn off). Ironically, composability is why I still carry around a 15-year old TI92 calculator instead of an iPad, even though my peers look at me strangely. Oh and it still runs on good old fashioned AA batteries :)

tomjen3 15y ago
How many of those people you know with iPads are what we would call normal people? I only ask because it seems to me that most of them wouldn't mind at all that one couldn't be productive on the iPad since surfing and a few games are mostly what they use it for.
- pointyhat 15y ago
  80% I'd say. It seems to go like this: 1) They bought it with a purpose in mind but it didn't work quite as well as they were hoping (khan academy, mapping, general use, recipes in kitchen, streaming video). 2) The games last a while but they are mainly novelty rather than immersive or lasting so it's back to the XBox. 3) then the web browsing gets frustrating as streaming video is choppy over WiFi and impossible over 3G and "what do you mean flash or java doesn't work" - I can't play facebook pool. 4) then the keyboard becomes frustrating when they try and do real work because it's not tactile. 5) then they switch back to their laptop when they have to do something like mail merge. 6) then the ipad goes in a drawer, followed by ebay about 2 months after they find it again. I've seen this so many times across about 12 ipad owners now. 20% "software dev". 40% "tech enthusiasts". 40% "joe average". Bear in mind this is just my observation.
  - guelo 15y ago
    This is close to my experience. I still use it but less and less, the laptop is so much more flexible and powerful and really just as convenient around the house, even more so at times since it stands up by itself. The big win for the tablet form factor is as a book reader and for traveling because of the great battery life. But considering how many of these things they continue to sell I don't know if these anecdotes really add up to data. It really is permanently replacing a computer for a lot of people.
    - pointyhat 15y ago
      It's a fair point. I'm looking out for small-form-factor Windows 8 devices which are hybrid tablets (much as the ThinkPad X61 but less clunky) and have 10 hour+ battery life. I'd argue that there is no dedicated tablet market then.
  - thomasgerbe 15y ago
    My friends have had a very different experience. It's much more comfortable to hold on the couch, at the cafe, in bed, or on the plane/car than being on a laptop.
    - pointyhat 15y ago
      IMHO I think that's wierd. I'd never consider using a computer in any of those places personally. I consider them all "downtime".
      - Xuzz 15y ago
        I think some of the point in this case is that the iPad is specifically not a computer.
        pointyhat 15y ago
        It is though. What is it if it's not a computer?
        Gilpo 15y ago
        > What is it if it's not a computer? An interesting question. Is the iPad a computer? Your average power-user (let's say programmers, Apple fanbois, Android users, and me) would say, "Umm hello? Obviously!" But your legions of average regular iPad users (grandmas, and your average college students) might not agree. But if you asked them what an iPad was, if it was a computer, they couldn't quite be able to tell you. "Umm, yes? But wait, it can't do so many other things." This means, as a society, Apple has forced us to rethink the question: "What is a computer?" and "Is the iPad a computer by this definition?"
        pointyhat 15y ago
        That is precisely it. Which brings me to the point here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3003812 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3003812 "We're slowly being led into paying incrementally for utility computing on a device we actually paid up front for". If it's no longer a computer, it's an open market to exploit. We are consumers, not users any more.
  - rimantas 15y ago
    > then the web browsing gets frustrating as streaming > video is choppy over WiFi Ah, those magic frie^H^H^H^H iPad users. Since when web browsing is all about streaming video, and since when it is choppy over WiFi?
    - pointyhat 15y ago
      Taking the top 100: http://www.alexa.com/topsites http://www.alexa.com/topsites: YouTube, BBC, Xvideos, Xhamster, Pornhub, Youporn, Dailymotion, Netflix... It's always choppy over WiFi in London from experience as there's so much interference from the amount of WiFi networks around and contention from the overcrowding. (for ref, I borrowed an iPad for a week and played with it).
      - lootabooga 15y ago
        "It's always choppy over WiFi in London from experience as there's so much interference from the amount of WiFi networks around and contention from the overcrowding." Something that, magically, Manhattan, say, has managed to avoid. Oh, and your experience is "borrowing an iPad for a week".
        pointyhat 15y ago
        Lucky for Manhattan. Borrowing something for a week is a good way to find out if it suits, which it didn't. The person I borrowed it from was one of the people above who have discarded it. I gave it back as I discovered that it could be harmful. Better than marketing-spiel and 10 mins playing with one in the Apple Store.
buff-a 15y ago
I would like to buy your friends' iPads if they are not using them. Please have them put them on ebay or craigslist.

tomjen3 15y ago

How many of those people you know with iPads are what we would call normal people? I only ask because it seems to me that most of them wouldn't mind at all that one couldn't be productive on the iPad since surfing and a few games are mostly what they use it for.

pointyhat 15y ago
80% I'd say. It seems to go like this: 1) They bought it with a purpose in mind but it didn't work quite as well as they were hoping (khan academy, mapping, general use, recipes in kitchen, streaming video). 2) The games last a while but they are mainly novelty rather than immersive or lasting so it's back to the XBox. 3) then the web browsing gets frustrating as streaming video is choppy over WiFi and impossible over 3G and "what do you mean flash or java doesn't work" - I can't play facebook pool. 4) then the keyboard becomes frustrating when they try and do real work because it's not tactile. 5) then they switch back to their laptop when they have to do something like mail merge. 6) then the ipad goes in a drawer, followed by ebay about 2 months after they find it again. I've seen this so many times across about 12 ipad owners now. 20% "software dev". 40% "tech enthusiasts". 40% "joe average". Bear in mind this is just my observation.
- guelo 15y ago
  This is close to my experience. I still use it but less and less, the laptop is so much more flexible and powerful and really just as convenient around the house, even more so at times since it stands up by itself. The big win for the tablet form factor is as a book reader and for traveling because of the great battery life. But considering how many of these things they continue to sell I don't know if these anecdotes really add up to data. It really is permanently replacing a computer for a lot of people.
  - pointyhat 15y ago
    It's a fair point. I'm looking out for small-form-factor Windows 8 devices which are hybrid tablets (much as the ThinkPad X61 but less clunky) and have 10 hour+ battery life. I'd argue that there is no dedicated tablet market then.
- thomasgerbe 15y ago
  My friends have had a very different experience. It's much more comfortable to hold on the couch, at the cafe, in bed, or on the plane/car than being on a laptop.
  - pointyhat 15y ago
    IMHO I think that's wierd. I'd never consider using a computer in any of those places personally. I consider them all "downtime".
    - Xuzz 15y ago
      I think some of the point in this case is that the iPad is specifically not a computer.
      - pointyhat 15y ago
        It is though. What is it if it's not a computer?
        Gilpo 15y ago
        > What is it if it's not a computer? An interesting question. Is the iPad a computer? Your average power-user (let's say programmers, Apple fanbois, Android users, and me) would say, "Umm hello? Obviously!" But your legions of average regular iPad users (grandmas, and your average college students) might not agree. But if you asked them what an iPad was, if it was a computer, they couldn't quite be able to tell you. "Umm, yes? But wait, it can't do so many other things." This means, as a society, Apple has forced us to rethink the question: "What is a computer?" and "Is the iPad a computer by this definition?"
        pointyhat 15y ago
        That is precisely it. Which brings me to the point here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3003812 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3003812 "We're slowly being led into paying incrementally for utility computing on a device we actually paid up front for". If it's no longer a computer, it's an open market to exploit. We are consumers, not users any more.
- rimantas 15y ago
  > then the web browsing gets frustrating as streaming > video is choppy over WiFi Ah, those magic frie^H^H^H^H iPad users. Since when web browsing is all about streaming video, and since when it is choppy over WiFi?
  - pointyhat 15y ago
    Taking the top 100: http://www.alexa.com/topsites http://www.alexa.com/topsites: YouTube, BBC, Xvideos, Xhamster, Pornhub, Youporn, Dailymotion, Netflix... It's always choppy over WiFi in London from experience as there's so much interference from the amount of WiFi networks around and contention from the overcrowding. (for ref, I borrowed an iPad for a week and played with it).
    - lootabooga 15y ago
      "It's always choppy over WiFi in London from experience as there's so much interference from the amount of WiFi networks around and contention from the overcrowding." Something that, magically, Manhattan, say, has managed to avoid. Oh, and your experience is "borrowing an iPad for a week".
      - pointyhat 15y ago
        Lucky for Manhattan. Borrowing something for a week is a good way to find out if it suits, which it didn't. The person I borrowed it from was one of the people above who have discarded it. I gave it back as I discovered that it could be harmful. Better than marketing-spiel and 10 mins playing with one in the Apple Store.

buff-a 15y ago

I would like to buy your friends' iPads if they are not using them. Please have them put them on ebay or craigslist.