iPad Ipad is not an ereader, the display is not for reading

[cavi]

I have had my iPad for a few hours now and I like it, not love but like. The e reader does let you set the backlight and the kindle reader even let's you use sepia and is greatvfor reading I like reading on it better than my Sony ink. But let me read some more before I sell my ebook

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

No, a lot of us just have no interest in it. Well, 'no interest' is incorrect. I have an idle curiosity about it. I mean it is impossible to avoid and not be affected by, all the hype being tossed about.

Actually, a lot of people (not saying you) seem to have an interest in trashing it. Personally, I think it is jealousy or "reverse fanboyism". (trade mark pending)

Hey, if your not interested or don't want to buy one, I don't have a problem with that. Why do some people have a problem with others being interested and perhaps wanting to get one?

BOb

[thinkpad]

Originally Posted by cavi

I have had my iPad for a few hours now and I like it, not love but like. The e reader does let you set the backlight and the kindle reader even let's you use sepia and is greatvfor reading I like reading on it better than my Sony ink.

Do you find the glossy screen causing a lot of glare or is it negligible.

[Graham]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Hey, if your not interested or don't want to buy one, I don't have a problem with that. Why do some people have a problem with others being interested and perhaps wanting to get one?

For me, it's that I want to see people buying it for the right reasons. The iPad has the potential to change some of the existing markets, perhaps denying them to smaller companies producing products that may be more appropriate. The one we've discussed a lot here, of course, being ebooks, but debates are also in progress over web-browsing, watching videos, using office applications, interfacing with other hardware such as printers and flash drives, etc.

This is a good thing. The opposing views need to be stated so that awareness of the limitations does leak out.

Where a consumer has a set of needs that are fulfilled by the iPad, that's great. The iPad deserves to be a success if it does those things well. But let's keep awareness alive of the things that other products do better, so that consumers with specific needs can see past the massive marketing from Apple to their other choices.

Graham

[beppe]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Actually, a lot of people (not saying you) seem to have an interest in trashing it. Personally, I think it is jealousy or "reverse fanboyism". (trade mark pending)

Hey, if your not interested or don't want to buy one, I don't have a problem with that. Why do some people have a problem with others being interested and perhaps wanting to get one?

BOb

I am interested in it. And I hope that many people buy it so it becomes a new powerful tool for all of us. I am waiting for the hysterics of the novelty to settle down. Being in a place where 3G is not so practical/diffuse/cheap, the issue of access is not minor as it is the issue of battery cycle. The idea behind Ipad, a much better net-book more prone to entertainment than productivity, seems very interesting and hopefully winning in the Apple tradition. Let see. I enjoy the progress.

[Crowl]

Originally Posted by beppe

The idea behind Ipad, a much better net-book more prone to entertainment than productivity, seems very interesting and hopefully winning in the Apple tradition.

A much better netbook in what sense? I can see there are clear benefits to the form factor of an ipad, but its a different class of device than a netbook and in many ways is inferior to them rather than better.

[beppe]

Originally Posted by Crowl

A much better netbook in what sense? I can see there are clear benefits to the form factor of an ipad, but its a different class of device than a netbook and in many ways is inferior to them rather than better.

They say: faster, more powerful, easer to use (good for us dimwits) , full touch screen capability, high resolution screen (good for HD movies), longer battery cycle (good for us commuters), nicer looking (good for us snobs), lighter ...

Of course if one makes heavy use of Office tools on his notebook or uses it to connect to Unix machines than it's an other story. From what I understand the Ipad is intended for entertainment and leisure.

[Graham]

Originally Posted by beppe

They say: faster, more powerful, easer to use (good for us dimwits) , full touch screen capability, high resolution screen (good for HD movies), longer battery cycle (good for us commuters), nicer looking (good for us snobs), lighter ...

They say...

I think "lighter" is the only one of those that's true of comparison with all netbooks and all uses of a netbook.

The iPad will be the ideal replacement for certain users of netbooks who don't require all the features that netbooks can offer, and will attract many others who don't need a netbook, is the best way to phrase it, I think.

Graham

[talaivan]

Spent a couple of hours reading on my new iPad. The screen, backlighting, etc. are fine -- just as good as eInk, I think. The problem is that it's too heavy, but maybe that's because I'm used to my Bookeen Opus, which is light as a feather. The ePub books I have on the Opus look fine on the iPad -- I could transfer them directly from the Opus into iTunes. I think the iPad's weight may turn out to be a big negative.

[Crowl]

Originally Posted by beppe

They say: faster, more powerful, easer to use (good for us dimwits) , full touch screen capability, high resolution screen (good for HD movies), longer battery cycle (good for us commuters), nicer looking (good for us snobs), lighter ...

Most of that seems to be marketing speak since other than lighter are a mix of untrue, partially true or not inherently making the ipad a better netbook than other netbooks.

There's plenty of things the ipad does well, but as I said before its different to netbooks rather than being clearly better.

[latexsalesman]

Alright, I have been a Sony reader user for 2.5 years(505+600). My wife picked up an iPad yesterday and I used it as a reader for 4 hours today. I took my calibre rendered epub and dropped it into iTunes, hit sync, and away I went. In a sunny house, the iPad ebook look stunning. Glare is not an indoor issue, and I am a glare expert, as I love my 600. Yes outside in the sun it is pretty bad, but for the price of these Ipads, keeping them safe is not a bad thing. Well, I loved the super fast page turns, touch or swipe. The weight is not an issue when you have the iPad on your lap. I used 10 % battery in my reading session. iBook only has a few fonts to choose from,but the scaling is fantastic. Page numbers in epubs that change with font size is a great thing. I am sure that members here will figure out how to take even more visual control over the ebooks(margins, fonts, etc.)

Well, I will probably have to sell my Sony600 very, very soon as the iPad to me seems to be a godsend. Internet browsing, typing reviews like this, and video watching are simply incredible. I think the haters will really have a lot to hate as the iPad apps mature. I am going to use the iPad again tomorrow for a long reading session to see how I feel.

More to come.

[beppe]

Originally Posted by Crowl

Most of that seems to be marketing speak since other than lighter are a mix of untrue, partially true or not inherently making the Ipad a better netbook than other netbooks.

There's plenty of things the ipad does well, but as I said before its different to netbooks rather than being clearly better.

You are right: it is probably marketing speak as you say. In fact I read it this morning in the paper. It's Italian but who knows.

Let me translate for you just this little piece:
Ecco, l'iPad sta ai computer portatili come l'inglese sta al tedesco. La lingua di Kant, come il portatile, è solida, ben strutturata e... stagionata. L'inglese, come l'iPad, è molto più tonico. Anzi, elettrizzante.

There, Ipad compares with portables like English with German. Kant language, like the portable is solid, well structured and ... seasoned. English, like Ipad, is much more tonic. Better, electrifying.

One thing that we can agree is that user interface is now more important than the actual application behind it, provided that the application is for real. It is like comparing the Iphone with the Blackberry that you have or the Treo that I have. The interface is what makes Ipad better, for now. The impression is that in the future it will not be the interface only.

[SomeThingWickd]

I read for 4+ hours on it last night...

And probably 2+ hours this morning....

LOVE IT!

Glare is nonexistent...(I have a screen protector, in matte finish...)

And the back light turned down, font and size adjusted....

It BLOWS away my wife's Kindle 2, and my PRS-505 in terms of bells and whistles...coupled with the fact it is high contrast, COLOR, and I can read my comics, magazines, news readers (RSS) plus make calls on it, watch my films, listen to music, play games, etc.....

It takes some getting used to...(Took me a year, more or less to fore go my dead tree books, and migrate over to my Sony, but....) This thing is head and shoulders above ANYTHING that tries to compete with it... I can see me giving up the PRS-505 soon...and I LOVE that beast....

Given time, more apps, a bit of jail-breaking....I can see this thing displacing the Kindle, Nook, ANYTHING Sony has and the rest completely across the board....

(I am not a huge Apple Fan Boy, but I have used every reader on the market, and a few that are still in the developmental stage....and I am IMPRESSED! Highly recommend it....)

In terms of the weight issue...(The difference is that between a Hardcover and a paperback, when comparing the iPad to the Sony 505....take some getting used to, but once you get accustomed to it, I don' t see it as a negative, as the screen real estate, COLOR, contrast, back-lighting et al make up for the weight in SPADES!)

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by Crowl

A much better netbook in what sense? I can see there are clear benefits to the form factor of an ipad, but its a different class of device than a netbook and in many ways is inferior to them rather than better.

Having used a few netbooks (friends and family members) and playing with my Girlfriends iPad--I much prefer the iPad.

I have a laptop--and always will as I work at home, when traveling and need the storage space, power for my statistical analysis programs, HD video etc. And netbooks just don't have the power to do that stuff.

So my need is for a reader/net goofing device, video watcher etc. to supplement my laptop. And I found the iPad does that much better. It handles HD video and game graphics the netbooks I've used can't.

And as you note, the form factor is much better. It's much more comfortable to hold and read, surf the net etc. on the ipad than having a netbook in your lap. Downside is not having a keyboard which makes e-mail etc. harder--but again that's what my laptop is for so I don't really have a need for a netbook.

In any case, I was impressed with the iPad after playing with my girlfriends for a good bit. I'll defintely get some type of tablet device over a netbook. My laptop takes care of my portable computing needs. I need/want something that's more just for media consumption, and tablets are much better for that IMO

But to each their own of course. There's nothing wrong with netbooks, they just don't fit my needs at all. Too underpowered for my computing needs, and don't like laptop form factor for a media consumption device.

[Donnageddon]

Oddly enough the OP has left the building.

I hope he is OK.

Probably trampled by iPad purchasers.