iPad IPad Design - if Apple was custom designing one for me

[drachasor]

I just don't see how the Ipad is going to do well in the general market. As one person here said, it is a tablet with the limitations of a phone.

It has some small advantages for ereader, but also some drawbacks (quite short battery life compared to e-ink devices).* Reading via LCD screen has NEVER caught on with people in general though, nor does it seem to be marketed as a reader. As such, while this is a significant point for Mobilereaders, it is not for the market.

Taking that out of the equation, this is what I have asked numerous people who have expressed interest in the iPad: What are you getting it to DO?

I've never really gotten a response to that. It doesn't seem like it is going to do anything you can't have your phone do (and your phone is smaller and is also a phone). There just doesn't seem to be a selling point to this device.

Anyhow, for those worried it might magically kill e-paper...don't worry. It won't. Besides, later this year or next year we are likely to see color e-paper displays, some with video capabilities, yes?

*I saw someone say they've never read for 10 hours in a day -- which shocks me. Nonetheless, you wouldn't use this device for just reading, I'd think. Don't mistake this for me saying the device has a point. A bunch of random aps that will end up getting used and that you can get properly made for something smaller and better doesn't give the device a POINT.

[raac]

Originally Posted by drachasor

Taking that out of the equation, this is what I have asked numerous people who have expressed interest in the iPad: What are you getting it to DO?

I've never really gotten a response to that. It doesn't seem like it is going to do anything you can't have your phone do (and your phone is smaller and is also a phone). There just doesn't seem to be a selling point to this device.

But the phone has a small screen and you pay a fortune for it monthly. It looks like the 3G iPad will cost a lot less to run:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/i...s-3g-cost-you/
There are a lot of uses for a device that can connect to the internet anywhere. Just one example: Imagine being in a museum and wanting more info on an exhibit: pull up wikipedia.
Personally, I'd use the 3G data but not the talk time. So why pay for the talk? This is why I've not bought a smartphone. If the iPad was a little smaller, say 7 inches, then I'd be very tempted.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by drachasor

Taking that out of the equation, this is what I have asked numerous people who have expressed interest in the iPad: What are you getting it to DO?

Well I'm not getting an iPad unless apps and a third party stylus add the features I need.

But why I want a tablet device is to read and mark up PDFs of research articles, academic books, textbooks I'm reading to prepare lectures etc.

Something like the Que or the bigger screen iRex I guess, but without a slow, laggy e-ink screen that sucks for mark up and has page turns to slow for flipping through articles/books.

Plus with an nice screen like the iPads I'd get more use out of the device since I could surf the net, watch video, play games, use various apps etc., which I'd probably end up doing that type of stuff more than reading on it anyway.

*I saw someone say they've never read for 10 hours in a day -- which shocks me. POINT.

I'm pretty sure I've never read for anywhere near 10 hours in a day--and have posted that so it may have been me. Reading isn't a big hobby of mine, well behind movies, TV, sports, video games, beer, fine dining, outdoor stuff like hiking and fishing etc.

I probably read work related stuff 1-2 hours 2 or 3 days a week. Leisure reading--counting reading news papers online, leisure reading on my Kindle before sleeping etc. is probably 30-60 minutes on the average day.

[drachasor]

Originally Posted by raac

But the phone has a small screen and you pay a fortune for it monthly. It looks like the 3G iPad will cost a lot less to run:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/i...s-3g-cost-you/
There are a lot of uses for a device that can connect to the internet anywhere. Just one example: Imagine being in a museum and wanting more info on an exhibit: pull up wikipedia.
Personally, I'd use the 3G data but not the talk time. So why pay for the talk? This is why I've not bought a smartphone. If the iPad was a little smaller, say 7 inches, then I'd be very tempted.

Are you NOT going to use a Cell Phone? Because Ipad + Cell Phone is about the same cost as an Iphone (depending on your phone plan....the Iphone could be cheaper).

And, with all due respect, there actually AREN'T a lot of uses for a device with a 3G internet connection. Data rates aren't that great in my experience, and further you just don't actually use it that much. It's mostly a novelty item in my experience save for finding shops and directions. Rarely you'll look something up in it...rarely. Looking up something you see in a museum sounds nice, but when you factor in the time it takes to look it up, load the data, etc, and the time you have to look around...then it is usually best to just look it up later (to say nothing again, of how rarely that circumstance actually comes up).

[dmaul1114]

Well the point on that front is you can use the iPad without 3G, while you can't the iPhone (though you could just get an iTouch I suppose. I'd buy the WiFi model if I was getting one as I don't need 3G. I have WiFi at the home and the office where I'd use it most often.

I'd only take it places where I had WiFi access--coffee shop, hotel when traveling (either stay where it's free, or work pays for it if it's a conference etc.) so I just don't need it.

I also don't have a smart phone as I just have no desire to pay for a 3G play to get crappy web browsing on a tiny screen, don't want to have e-mail access all the time (already hard to quit working) etc.

But I want a tablet for the reason above, and would get more use out of web browsing on the couch etc. than I ever would a phone, iTouch etc. due to the larger screen.

[raac]

Originally Posted by drachasor

Are you NOT going to use a Cell Phone? Because Ipad + Cell Phone is about the same cost as an Iphone (depending on your phone plan....the Iphone could be cheaper).

I use pay you go on T-mobile and probably get through under $100 of calls a year. The cheapest contracts are $30 or $40 a month so it wouldn't be cheaper for me.

The iPod touch is a possibility, certainly. I can't help but think that a data-only 3G service would be helpful if prices are reasonable. You may be right, however, that the slowness of the connection would kill its usefulness. But for museums, directions, restaurant reviews, etc, whenever you need it: it sounds tempting.

[drachasor]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

Well the point on that front is you can use the iPad without 3G, while you can't the iPhone (though you could just get an iTouch I suppose. I'd buy the WiFi model if I was getting one as I don't need 3G. I have WiFi at the home and the office where I'd use it most often.

I'd only take it places where I had WiFi access--coffee shop, hotel when traveling (either stay where it's free, or work pays for it if it's a conference etc.) so I just don't need it.

And Laptops or Netbooks handle WiFi so much better, having a much richer application set to choose from.

I'm just not seeing what the niche for this device is (other than people who buy anything Apple makes...no offense intended).

IF it gets a good stylus system as an add-on (which may or may not happen) and IF third-parties then make programs for the stylus, then it would have something to it. That's far from part of the standard feature set though, so that's clearly not the niche it is going for (assuming it is going for one).

Originally Posted by raac

The iPod touch is a possibility, certainly. I can't help but think that a data-only 3G service would be helpful if prices are reasonable. You may be right, however, that the slowness of the connection would kill its usefulness. But for museums, directions, restaurant reviews, etc, whenever you need it: it sounds tempting.

Directions, reviews, etc, are things many Cell Phones with a data service handle and the screen honestly isn't an issue. That's once less device to carry around. Heck, I just have a Rant (a Samsung phone for Sprint) and it isn't a smart phone but it does all of that (the data rate is a bit slow, but it has features for finding nearby places and gives driving directions to them, as well as internet and email access if I really need it). The bump up to getting data is about the same as the data-only Ipad service, from what I saw in the link above, so it doesn't seem like there is actually a price savings with the Ipad unless you don't use a Cell Phone.

I'm not saying a big screen isn't nice, but a bigger screen does not a market make. Let's all be frank here, tablets have had a tremendously difficult time in the market. They largely only get used as "e-paper" devices by UPS and other companies and those companies prefer the devices to be as inexpensive and sturdy as possible (which ISN'T the Ipad). Making a tablet that is a big phone that isn't a phone doesn't seem like it is going to create much new demand.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by drachasor

And Laptops or Netbooks handle WiFi so much better, having a much richer application set to choose from.

I'm just not seeing what the niche for this device is (other than people who buy anything Apple makes...no offense intended).

IF it gets a good stylus system as an add-on (which may or may not happen) and IF third-parties then make programs for the stylus, then it would have something to it. That's far from part of the standard feature set though, so that's clearly not the niche it is going for (assuming it is going for one).

To the first part I pretty much agree. If I didn't have a need for making up documents with stylus I'd have very little interest in any kind of tablet device.

To the second, yep, they aren't going for that niche which is why I'm not buying.

[petermillard]

Originally Posted by drachasor

Let's all be frank here, tablets have had a tremendously difficult time in the market...

That's because previous (and current) tablets really haven't been very good and have tried to be all things to all people - a full desktop OS shoehorned into a device it wasn't intended for, and with minimal effort to adapt it to its new surroundings; in other words, a PC in tablet form.

Originally Posted by drachasor

Making a tablet that is a big phone that isn't a phone doesn't seem like it is going to create much new demand.

I disagree; I don't think we've even begun to imagine the uses that something like this will be put to when it starts shipping in six weeks or so, with apps optomised for the bigger screen.

We'll see.

Cheers, Pete.

[raac]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

To the second, yep, they aren't going for that niche which is why I'm not buying.

Frankly, it's not clear what niche they're going for so you may well find that a stylus appears for the iPad over the next year or two.

I must say, however, that screen size is of importance. For instance, I wouldn't see myself wanting to read books on an iTouch (although many swear by it) due to the screen size. If it was slightly larger then I might consider it. Screen size may make the market after all.

[drachasor]

Originally Posted by petermillard

I disagree; I don't think we've even begun to imagine the uses that something like this will be put to when it starts shipping in six weeks or so, with apps optomised for the bigger screen.

Arguments like that were used when Tablets first showed up (or any poorly conceived electronics product, nearly). It really only emphasizes the fact that you don't know what the Ipad will be good for either. This just seems like poor planning to me. You don't make and ship a product without knowing the market.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by drachasor

This just seems like poor planning to me. You don't make and ship a product without knowing the market.

So, you don't think Apple has any idea about the market for the iPad?

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by raac

I must say, however, that screen size is of importance. For instance, I wouldn't see myself wanting to read books on an iTouch (although many swear by it) due to the screen size. If it was slightly larger then I might consider it. Screen size may make the market after all.

Agreed. Screen size is the key. I have no interest in net surfing, reading etc. on smart phones, iPod Touches etc.

But would do that stuff on a tablet I bought mainly for marking up documents with a stylus.

I'd see myself using a tablet like many do a Netbook--which I haven't bought as they're underpowered and a lot of my casual net use is watching video (including HD video) with the network sites, Netflix Instant Watch etc. I'd probably use it for my on the couch net surfing where I'm doing little if any typing anyway etc.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by petermillard

That's because previous (and current) tablets really haven't been very good and have tried to be all things to all people - a full desktop OS shoehorned into a device it wasn't intended for, and with minimal effort to adapt it to its new surroundings; in other words, a PC in tablet form.

Agreed. Few people have need for a laptop with a touch screen that can be flipped around. Too heavy to hold like a clipboard the legal bad and write, runs too hot, short battery life.

Add in that the OS's weren't optimized for touch use since they were just laptops with touch screens and they were pretty pointless for most people.

A thin, light tablet, that doesn't run hot, gets good battery life and is built specifically around touch use has a much better chance of being useful to more people I think.

Add in a keyboard dock, or blue tooth keyboards etc. and you expand it more to include people who need to do a lot of typing. But I know plenty of people who 90% of their internet use is just reading news, reading blogs, reading updates of Facebook/twitter, watching video etc. Not eveyone is always posting on forums etc. and needing the keyboard on all their internet devices.

[petermillard]

Originally Posted by drachasor

...It really only emphasizes the fact that you don't know what the Ipad will be good for either.

With due respect, I have plenty of ideas of what the iPad will be good for, for me - I wouldn't presume to speak for you, or for anyone else whose requirements I'm not familiar with - and have detailed them in other threads on this subject.

At the risk of repeating myself, in broad terms I expect to use an iPad for the things that I find a laptop too large, and a smartphone too small.

Cheers, Pete