Apple Event - Live Blogging/Streaming Coverage

[tompe]

Originally Posted by Crusader

Some more specs:

0.5 inches thin

Thin? Seems rather thick to me.

[Daithi]

Originally Posted by tompe

Thin? Seems rather thick to me. (In regards to 0.5 inches thick.)

I thought it was a little thick too. I really like my Kindle DX's thickness of 0.25 inches. I didn't think it looked too bad, but I'd still prefer something a little thinner. (I like my eReaders like I do my women -- thin. Just joking. ...____ kinda.)

[NightGeometry]

I can't imagine it making me want to stop using my ereader. I do hope that it gets magazine subs, and graphic novels though - I could imagine getting one to read those on. Maybe.

As someone else said, what it does in 6 months could be vastly different, and may be interesting. And I do hope that they a) sell books in the UK iTunes store and b) there aren't weird DRM issues. Given the push to remove DRM from music, I could imagine Apple using current broken DRM, or pushing to be non-DRM (the latter seems unlikely for them to actually be allowed to do). Hell, I'd use iTunes just for the interface for book buying, it really can't be anywhere near as painful as WHSmith's or Waterstones...

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by jupstin

This is true in general, but on a website called Mobile Read, I think it's fair to expect us to evaluate it primarily as a reader.

I suppose. But it's one thing to talk about how well a Tablet does in it's reading functions. And another to try to hold it to the exact same standards as a dedicated reader and say it's useless because it doesn't have e-ink and two weeks of battery life. That's as dumb as saying the Kindle is useless because it doesn't do videos, game, e-mail or internet (worth a damn anyway).

Things have to be discussed with reference to what the purpose of the device is. If you just want to read novels, get an e-ink reader. If you're more into movies, net surfing, games etc., and just do some casual reading-with a lot of magazines, comics, newspapers, big PDFs etc.--then a tablet is probably more up your alley.

But again I think this is why we're going to need a Tablet subforum like there is for PDAs and smartphones.

People like me interested in Tablets would prefer to discuss them without all the hate from the avid readers and e-ink die hards.

And vice versa the e-ink die hards would like to be free from the "tablets will kill e-ink" nonsense.

There's plenty of room for both types of devices (and others) that display e-books. Better to have dedicated areas to end this repetitive bickering between people who can't see beyond their own needs in a device.

How many times do we have to have the debate about eye strain and battery life? If those are you key concerns, buy an e-ink device and stay out of threads about tablets. And vice versa, if you need something like this, stop going around bashing e-ink devices as happens here as well.

[jupstin]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

I suppose. But it's one thing to talk about how well a Tablet does in it's reading functions. And another to try to hold it to the exact same standards as a dedicated reader and say it's useless because it doesn't have e-ink and two weeks of battery life. That's as dumb as saying the Kindle is useless because it doesn't do videos, game, e-mail or internet (worth a damn anyway).

Things have to be discussed with reference to what the purpose of the device is. If you just want to read novels, get an e-ink reader. If you're more into movies, net surfing, games etc., and just do some casual reading-with a lot of magazines, comics, newspapers, big PDFs etc.--then a tablet is probably more up your alley.

But again I think this is why we're going to need a Tablet subforum like there is for PDAs and smartphones.

People like me interested in Tablets would prefer to discuss them without all the hate from the avid readers and e-ink die hards.

And vice versa the e-ink die hards would like to be free from the "tablets will kill e-ink" nonsense.

There's plenty of room for both types of devices (and others) that display e-books. Better to have dedicated areas to end this repetitive bickering between people who can't see beyond their own needs in a device.

How many times do we have to have the debate about eye strain and battery life? If those are you key concerns, buy an e-ink device and stay out of threads about tablets. And vice versa, if you need something like this, stop going around bashing e-ink devices as happens here as well.

I see what you're saying. Still, if they incorporate a technology like pixel qi, then I'd buy this today. I think it could be an eink killer with that (or a similar) technology.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by tompe

Thin? Seems rather thick to me.

It's pretty damn thin for what it can do with the HD video, speed apps were opening etc.

Sure the Kindle DX is half as thick. But it can't do anything but display text and gray scale images with fairly slow page turns, searches etc.

For how much more this tablet can do, I'd say an extra .25" in thickness is more than a reasonable trade off. Assuming of course you need the extra features.

[Krystian Galaj]

Originally Posted by whitearrow

Wow, so, it won't play my big collection of xvid video files? I'd have to convert them all? Ugh...

Impossible, they said in the video you don't have to adjust to this one, it adjusts to you

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by jupstin

I see what you're saying. Still, if they incorporate a technology like pixel qi, then I'd buy this today. I think it could be an eink killer with that (or a similar) technology.

Sure. Like I said, I'm not buying one as I need a full array of stylus mark up options first and foremost.

Along with other improvements like multi-tasking, flash, maybe a slightly bigger/wider screen.

[acastillo]

Originally Posted by stustaff

The keyboard dock will be $399

I took this as a joke -- until others began quoting the same price and now I am not so sure.

I looked at the Apple site and did not see a price listed for the keyboard docking station.

However, considering that the iPad could use the Apple wireless keyboard (price $69), I think I will forego the keyboard docking station if the price is anywhere near $399.


See--this is how rumors start.

[jaxx6166]

WPTV-4 here in SFL just had a news piece on the iPad. They interviewed the EIC from Wired. He called the Kindle a "relic" now that the iPad is soon to be in the wild.

I laughed.

This, to me, seems like a toy. A good thing to play with at work. It would beat me lugging around my 13" laptop to work every day.

They mention 3G as well. But I wonder what aspect of 3G it will be...Will it be a free linkup like with a Kindle or a Nook?

Or will it be a subscription based plan, like my Verizon aircard

[kilron]

Originally Posted by dioib

You've got to have an enormously big heart not to care for multitasking..

what exactly does that mean? i care about multitasking, just not on a device like that. i commonly have 8+ programs running on my main machine at any one time, so i guess that's multitasking, but i just don't need it on an iPad kind of device and i don't think the vast majority of users care about it either.

.... iTunes support in any app? check
.... background checking of email? check
.... background notification from other apps? check

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

It's clearly not an e-reader. It's a multimedia tablet that had reading as one of it's function. I think e-books was the last bullet point on Apple's early slide listing it's features. As such it shouldn't be compared to e-readers. It should be judged as a multi-media tablet.

Originally Posted by jupstin

This is true in general, but on a website called Mobile Read, I think it's fair to expect us to evaluate it primarily as a reader.

i was thinking this as well. if its not an eBook reader, then why are we discussing it here?

its definitely an eBook reader, but its also much MUCH more which is why its value is huge for the cost and makes the similar prices for dedicated eBook readers seem unreasonable for most users.

Originally Posted by acastillo

I took this as a joke -- until others began quoting the same price and now I am not so sure.

I looked at the Apple site and did not see a price listed for the keyboard docking station.

However, considering that the iPad could use the Apple wireless keyboard (price $69), I think I will forego the keyboard docking station if the price is anywhere near $399.


See--this is how rumors start.

it is a joke. the keyboard docking station won't be a penny over a hundred bucks. if i had to guess, i'd say it would be somewhere $40-70. its basically a keyboard with a dock connector. that's it.

[Teddman]

Yes, Wired is going very, very gung-ho on the iPad. Every single article they've posted on it is gushingly positive while glossing over the negatives to the point where I'm wondering...

For instance: The iPad Will Violate the Kindle’s Space, And Other First Impressions

Scroll down for more gush...

[kjk]

Originally Posted by Teddman

Yes, Wired is going very, very gung-ho on the iPad. Every single article they've posted on it is gushingly positive while glossing over the negatives to the point where I'm wondering...

....that maybe Wired has an eMagazine format just waiting to go on somewhere?

[MerLock]

Originally Posted by cavi

I am a bit late to the party, but I have a few concrns that some have mentioned. first, is it a glass screen like the itouch? If it really is then it will break fairly easily, my wife ha broken 2 on her iphones and one of my son's has broken his on his itouch. at least 100 to 200 to replace. I imagine that with a 10 inch screen it will break even easie than the iphone, and cost way more to replace.

I wonder if it's made with gorilla glass. Think I first read about gorilla glass on gizmondo. It's glass but made in a way that it's harder to break.

[kilron]

Originally Posted by jaxx6166

WPTV-4 here in SFL just had a news piece on the iPad. They interviewed the EIC from Wired. He called the Kindle a "relic" now that the iPad is soon to be in the wild.

I laughed.

This, to me, seems like a toy. A good thing to play with at work. It would beat me lugging around my 13" laptop to work every day.

They mention 3G as well. But I wonder what aspect of 3G it will be...Will it be a free linkup like with a Kindle or a Nook?

Or will it be a subscription based plan, like my Verizon aircard

i've used a kindle and i've only seen the iPad on the web, but i'd have to agree with him. the kindle is in big trouble unless they slash the kindle's price by $100 on the kindle 2 and about 50% on the kindle dx. its just not close.

as for 3G (which i think a lot of people will probably skip to be honest and just use the fast wi-fi instead), you can pay $15 for 250MB of 3G data a month or pay $30 for unlimited data per month. for the price, its crazy cheap for that kind of data compared to what most cell companies offer for any computer based device.

sure, the kindle and nook offer free linkup, but its not actually free. you're paying for it in the things you buy with it. can you surf the web and do half the things you can on a nook and a kindle? do they have wifi?

some folks have said the iPad is too big for them, and that's understandable for someone wanting a super portable eReader, but my guess is if you showed the average Joe or Jane both an iPad and a Kindle as an eReader, they would also consider the Kindle a relic as a conclusion. the differences are going to be that big.