Apple Event - Live Blogging/Streaming Coverage

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by Barcey

I must say I don't understand a lot of the negative comments. If you compare the base $499 model to the $489 Kindle DX based on capabilities, application expansion,open business model and functionality the iPad is going to appeal to a much larger market segment.

From what I've seen they've also managed to match or exceed the Amazon ease of use for purchasing ebooks.

It's not for everyone (myself included) but I can see a lot of people buying it and it's just going to grow the ebook market. It's all good to me.

The Kindle has a very specialized, expensive screen. It can offer This thing is only a multimedia pad. It is not even a full fledged computer. Compare this to the netbooks for 300-500 and you realize that the ipad is not value for money. Apple has really disappointed a lot of people. If they had priced it about 200 US higher and offered a full fledged OSX system, then they would have something. But this is just a sad attempt to make money by offering something nobody really needs. It is not an all-in-one solution and it is not truly portable. At least the other tablets of this size are real computers.

Once the hype has settled they may have another Newton or Apple TV "success" on their hands.

[Moejoe]

http://www.funnyordie.co.uk/videos/1...pad?rel=player

[bhartman36]

Originally Posted by Barcey

I must say I don't understand a lot of the negative comments. If you compare the base $499 model to the $489 Kindle DX based on capabilities, application expansion,open business model and functionality the iPad is going to appeal to a much larger market segment.

As a reader, the biggest negative I can see to the iPad is the LCD screen. And the biggest thing it brings to the party, in comparison to other solutions w/ LCD screens, is the touch interface. But you can get a much more capable tablet PC that'll run Amazon Kindle for PC that'll give you essentially the same thing.

Originally Posted by Barcey

From what I've seen they've also managed to match or exceed the Amazon ease of use for purchasing ebooks.

True, but the other major draw for the Kindle is the eInk screen, and the iPad screen doesn't even come close, in that regard.

Originally Posted by Barcey

It's not for everyone (myself included) but I can see a lot of people buying it and it's just going to grow the ebook market. It's all good to me.

I agree there. There's no doubt that this will increase the ebook market, almost invariably.

[junkyardwillie]

Its very simple you put out a bigger version of the iPod touch and people say that's ridiculous I'll just get a iPod Touch and they buy that one. Its basic marketing that you can make 2 devices, make one ridiculous and the other looks a lot more reasonable. Sure some people will actually buy the iPad but it'll be interesting to see how many people now go buy and iPod Touch

[dioib]

Originally Posted by bhartman36

As far as I know, the advantage of capacitive screens is that they're more responsive. I don't know if that translates into higher precision, though. One thing I do know is that capacitive screens aren't meant for styli.

That's pretty much what I had in mind. Stylus could come handy only if its use meant higher precision in certain probable applications like drawing and note taking. Otherwise iPhone apps are tuned for the usual level of accuracy a user can reach using their fingers; that's why WinMo devices don't use capacitive screens (small buttons -> more options/maneuverability per area).

Edit:

Touch screen sensitivity has over 1,000 dedicated multitouch sensors.

Although I think what Jobs said was something more like "thousands"..

[nikkie]

I'm quite satisfied with this offering too. I had been expecting something using the iPhone OS or a variant, and I had been expecting a $1000+ premium based on the cost of their Macbooks and Macbook Air. That it is only $499 is frankly astonishing to me.

As far as the iBooks app, I nearly swooned when I saw the interface. I'll have to try it to find out, but it LOOKS like the pages on the right might provide an indication of how many pages are left in the book. If that's the case, I'm so happy - I've been waiting and waiting for an app that helps encourage spatial memory instead of just tossing content at me willy-nilly. Some of the iPhone apps provide small indicators at the bottom of the screen, but I found them wholly insufficient since it wasn't easily noticeable. No comment from me on book pricing until we know for sure what the full range is.

I already read on an iPhone all the time, and don't have a problem with eye fatigue - I usually turn the brightness way down when reading and read grey on black text. The only reason I wanted something bigger was for textbooks and technical books, so this will be exactly what I need.

My purchase strategy will probably be to buy a $499 unit out the gate, and evaluate it for a month as to whether I would really make use out of the 3G feature. I suspect I won't since I would primarily be reading technical books at home or at work where I have wi-fi, and I already have my iPhone for reading things on the go.

I may end up purchasing a third eInk device just to go easy on my eyes when I want it, but I really don't see much point. I read for 12-15 hours a day on my computer screen, and my eyes are fine. Fiction is fine on my iPhone, and eInk devices suck at rendering technical books because of the hardware itself. Now that I'll have a large format reader, anything eInk would probably be a small unit like a Sony Pocket Edition.

I agree with those folks who mourn the death of all the other large format eInk readers announced this month...they'll have a hard time competing with a $499 price point.

Though if the the Apple Tablet had been PixelQi...no one would have had any hope.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by bhartman36

It's underpowered compared to what it will be going against. Most PCs people call "tablets" are just that: PCs. This isn't one of those. It's basically an iPod Touch or iPhone (depending on which model you're looking at) with a bad case of gigantism. That's the basic problem: It's not a tablet in the same class as other tablets on the market.

See, I disagree. It is an overpowered iPhone/iPod Touch. If they wanted to do a "PC Tablet", they would have made it run MacOSX, and run Mac software. They obviously have other ideas about what their competition is.

You may prefer to buy a full OS Tablet, which is totally fine-I haven't seen the market for those ever succeed, but, hey, it could still happen. It is obvious Apple doesn't see a full OS Tablet as being the way to go either-even though you want to compare the iPad to one.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by junkyardwillie

Its very simple you put out a bigger version of the iPod touch and people say that's ridiculous I'll just get a iPod Touch and they buy that one. Its basic marketing that you can make 2 devices, make one ridiculous and the other looks a lot more reasonable. Sure some people will actually buy the iPad but it'll be interesting to see how many people now go buy and iPod Touch

As Jobs has mentioned before..if anyone is going to cannibalize Apple, he'd rather it was Apple

[dragonbone]

This is an exciting product and almost exactly what I would call perfect (for my needs). I'm so grateful that I didn't cave when Kindle DX finally went international.
Just missing 2 major things IMHO: 1. webcam for VOIP and 2. handwriting recognition for annotations in books etc.
Despite my small disappointment regarding the above, I will definitely get it unless something unforeseen happens with my cash flow.... .

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by kjk

See, I disagree. It is an overpowered iPhone/iPod Touch. If they wanted to do a "PC Tablet", they would have made it run MacOSX, and run Mac software. They obviously have other ideas about what their competition is.

You may prefer to buy a full OS Tablet, which is totally fine-I haven't seen the market for those ever succeed, but, hey, it could still happen. It is obvious Apple doesn't see a full OS Tablet as being the way to go either-even though you want to compare the iPad to one.

Yeah the problems with Tablet PCs in my view are the following.

Tablets aren't good at working like PCs, as those you really need a keyboard and mouse for to do PC tasks like text entry, spread sheets, analysis programs etc. etc..

On the other hand, PCs aren't very good at being tablets. Add the keyboard like some have and you just end up a laptop form factor with a marginally useful touch screen and a device to bulky to really hold and use as a tablet, or to curl up and read something.

Make a smaller tablet running a full PC OS and you get something less intuitive as the OS is a tweaked version of a PC OS based more the keyboard and mouse rather than being built from the grand up for a touch/stylus interface.

Now that doesn't mean we can't have more full OS's build for touch screen tablets etc.--see Android for an example.

But I don't have much interest in seeing a touch version of windows 7 or OSX. Though I'd like to see a more full fledged OS than the iPhone OS that's build from the ground up to be super intuitive for running a device with nothing but the touch screen.

[scottjl]

Originally Posted by bhartman36

It's not really the same reason, though. The problem is more that it won't do what devices like this should be able to do.

actually what it boils down to is the device won't do what you would like it to do. you already point out there are alternatives that do what you want them to do, like the archos. so why are you wasting your breath bashing the iPad? why not just go out, buy an archos, and live happy? we get it. the iPad isn't the device for you nor the others who seem to have nothing better to do than bash it.

jobs (and apple) designed the device to do what they wanted it to do, no more, no less, and to sell it to what will probably be millions of very happy customers. apple will fill it's coffers with gold. other companies will make clones. life will go on.

[bhartman36]

Originally Posted by kjk

See, I disagree. It is an overpowered iPhone/iPod Touch. If they wanted to do a "PC Tablet", they would have made it run MacOSX, and run Mac software. They obviously have other ideas about what their competition is.

Don't misunderstand me. I didn't mean to imply that they had aimed at the Tablet PC market and missed. They obviously wanted to create an oversized iPhone/iPod, which is what they did. My only point is that this device probably isn't going to be compared to an iPhone or iPod. On the one hand, it'll be compared to a Kindle, where I think it's frankly much more competitive, since it's multifunction (but still using a screen technology that's somewhat inferior for reading, even if people can live with it). On the other hand, though, it'll be compared to the slew of tablet PC's that are coming out, and that's where it will have a harder time competing. Think about the difference between what you can do with Windows Mobile vs. what you can do with Windows 7.

Originally Posted by kjk

You may prefer to buy a full OS Tablet, which is totally fine-I haven't seen the market for those ever succeed, but, hey, it could still happen.

I think one of the reasons it hasn't happened yet is that the technology wasn't there. That's no longer the case, though. Touchscreen (and, somewhat to Apple's credit, multitouch) has advanced to the point where the UI of tablets is much better. Not to mention the fact that the technology is a lot cheaper now (which is how Apple was able to do this in the first place).

It all depends on what conversation you think the average consumer is going to have with themselves internally. Personally, I think it might go something like this:

"Well, I can either buy this Windows tablet, which runs Windows 7 and can handle apps like Office, Outlook, and IE or Firefox, along with a webcam and HD video, Skype, and Kindle for PC thrown in for good measure, or I could buy the iPad, which runs iPhone apps and plays standard def video, and without any USB connectivity."

It's hard for me to see the iPad coming out on top in that kind of analysis.

Look at something like the Archos 9. If you're looking at buying a tablet, would you want an iPad for $500, or the Archos 9 for $550? The gap between the two devices is pretty large, I think.

Originally Posted by kjk

It is obvious Apple doesn't see a full OS Tablet as being the way to go either-even though you want to compare the iPad to one.

It doesn't really matter where Apple sees the iPad fitting in. What matters is what the public perception's going to be. By allowing the perception that the iPad is a tablet, they're inviting the comparison to much more robust devices. That's why I think the comparison to the Macbook Air is apt.

[Harmon]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

Totally agree. At that price point they basically just killed all e-ink devices, unless they start pumping them out at $50 each, which is highly unlikely. Amazon will probably survive as some kind of app, maybe, but who knows. Sony's dead in this game now. $499 is a price point that kills everything else dead, no matter what my initial reactions were.

While in general I agree that Apple has demolished a lot of the existing and planned larger eReaders, there's still room for the small portable device like the K2, and Sony 300.

Speaking as an Apple fan, the iPad is not a viable everyday portable reader, and the iPhone/Touch are not good for extended reading, particularly for older folks.

I will be getting the low end iPad as my home & travel ebook reader. But it will not replace either my iPhone or my Sonys (300 & 500) as everyday carry around readers.

But for anything more than the low end e-ink readers, Apple has just sucked up most of the air in the room. The KDX, for instance, has probably lost the educational market. The kids will want the iPad.

[scottjl]

oh come on. who is going to run office on any tablet. at best you're going to do some light note-taking, you are not going to be writing up a dissertation. yes, the lack of a cam is a major ding, but we all know it'll be out in the iPad 2.0 available next year and sell a few million more devices as people upgrade.

tablet computers have been out for years right? where are they now? windows on tablets is mostly a joke, have you actually used it? i have. my tablet pc collects dust. my newton (100, 110, 2000 and 2100) got far more use (and worked far smoother) than windows does. apple's greatest strength (and to some, greatest weakness) is that it is a close environment, but guess what, that's what makes the user experience so smooth. because you don't have thousands of developers re-inventing the wheel because your system is wide open and they didn't like the OS supplied widget for the keyboard. call up firefox on a tablet PC today. yes. it runs. tap to bring up a virtual keyboard to type in a url. ok. that's working. oh. but i want to do this shortcut and it needs 3 keys pressed and for some reason firefox isn't recognizing the sequence from the virtual keyboard because it's a 3rd party app. damn. what do i do now? trust me, there are a lot of stupid "gotchas" like this on a windows tablet PC, it's why mine collects dust. windows is no magical tablet OS that will do everything you want. and don't get me started on linux, it's even worse (and notice my avatar, i'm a big linux fan).

maybe this is what the definition of a "tablet computer" should have been 10 years ago instead of the "full fledged PC without a keyboard" we were presented with. that model obviously failed or we'd all be happily scribbling away on our tablet pc's.

[Harmon]

Originally Posted by scottjl

yeah. i don't see the need for 3g. wifi is everywhere. maybe if i didn't have a cell phone i'd go for the 3g. but the wifi is good enough. in the worst case i can "tether" it to my iphone and use that 3g connection. count me in for a 64g wifi.. now what to do with my 2 month old sony reader touch. sigh.

My guess is that you won't be able to tether without an additional charge. But it would sure be nice if I were wrong about that!