iPad Apple's New iPad

[Sischa]

Originally Posted by Kit Coda

I predicted this yesterday in another thread. There was no way they could compete at their previous price level. I'm sure they took a hit in sales today.

The DX was my choice prior to the IPad, rather pointless to consider it at this time. I find 10 hours of power for reading more then I have time for anyway, in which case I'm also not too worried about eye strain on the IPad.

My final guess is that Kindel will exist for some time in the future although sales may be seeing their peek.

They didn't lower anything and i really doubt they have to at the moment. I don't know if people are into ebook readers just for 1 or 2 years or if they have immense problems with keeping things in mind.

The worst thing about "e-reading" experience was ... the "shining, reflecting screen design" of the readers.

You could buy Webpads with better hardware like the iPad years ago but it was awful to read on them.

The break was e-ink. With e-ink even my mother when seeing it for the first time said to me "hey that looks ok for me ...". Thats the point. The iPad is just a shitty shiny reflecting screen *period*. Maybe it will be a nice device. Maybe a lot of people will buy it. Maybe i will be one of them BUT comparing it to an eink device is just ridicolous in my eyes and leaves me asking myself if all these people are into ereading since a year or what? Never forget the days of tired eyes by shitty, shiny screens *shiver*

I think its a chance for us ebook lovers cause amazon is the one and only really big player in ebook market at the moment and with more competition the chance is good that we get better service.

But there is also a danger in this. If the same will happen with the ebook marktet then with the mobile phone market then we will maybe never see colour eink be a sucess and therefor have the "next" generation of "old" shiny reflecting iPad like ebook devices. Horror picture ...

[lene1949]

It seems to me - Bigger is Better - When laptop computers really came into their own, I bought a 17" laptop... It was great! I carried it with me to Denmark once... and found it was to too heavy to be comfortable.

I then got a 9" Dell Mini... Also carried that overseas... But the thing I really used on these overseas trips was my Palm Zire to read books... This device only has about 5-6 hours battery life, and was out of battery even before I hit Hong Kong.

The E-Ink readers can support you for hours on end... and that's what I want.

[drofgnal]

I wouldn't buy one of these as just a dedicated reader. But with a little more functionality (i/o ports) I could see using one instead of a dedicated computer. 99% of my computer work at home is email, web shopping/browsing, and my music library in itunes. It needs an interface for a cd/dvd drive for importing cds. If it had that it would be a slam dunk. I may still get one, if the iphone kindle app is allowed (i doubt it will be).

[ConnieL429]

Originally Posted by dkb

So the iPad looks great. Too bad that according to Slate's Big Money--2nd Paragraph of the following site:

http://www.thebigmoney.com/features/...ota-halt-sales

"Apple is asking publishers to set two e-book price points for hardcover best sellers: $12.99 and $14.99, with fewer titles offered at $9.99."

Well, I guess Steve never had much respect for readers--after all nobody reads anymore. I think rising e-book prices will discourage a lot of people from e-readers.

I could see wanting an iPad someday, but it rankles that Apple cares so little for their customers. They're giving us this handy gadget that can do everything--even read books, but they're also going to make sure that we pay more for those books than we do right now.

I hope they don't win this one. I'm rooting for Amazon. At least Amazon is trying to provide a reasonably priced product.

I still say the Kindle is the better deal here. The iPad is nothing more than a giant iTouch. There is nothing new there and a lot of what it offers, people are already getting with other devices. I bought the Kindle to have a dedicated eBook that's convenient and simple. I don't even have to pay for the privilege of downloading. The iPad requires a monthly data plan. No camera, no multitasking, no free downloads - in other words - an iPhone minus the phone. No thanks.

[ConnieL429]

Originally Posted by CCDMan

I would add to that the same comments were made by many after the iPod launch as well. Anyone now claim that was a failure? There are always haters. Only TIME will tell. All other opinions are pretty much just opinions. You do know what they say about that.

All true but all of apple's previous devices offered innovation and something totally new. This device has nothing that isn't already out in some other form. Of course it will probably sell just fine but I wouldn't expect anything like what the iPod and iphone did for their markets.

[dwallbaum]

Originally Posted by CCDMan

Ah, it is not a phone, it is not supposed to be, it is not claimed to be, almost nobody would use it for that due to it's size. How is that an anomaly?

And most reviews have not called it a large iPhone, they have called it a large iPod touch.
That is much more accurate.

Well, have no desire to beat a dead horse, but I have read several reviews which have called the iPad a large iPhone... and perhaps I _would_ be the only one to use it... BUT, if it had texting ability and voice ability (suddenly you open up Google Voice!), then you start having some really nice things happening. It _could_ be a nice Skype tool.

But, the Kindle is still an excellent book reader. The battery lives forever, and I don't miss the color aspect at all...although increased graphics resolution for photos would be nice. I see both conventional eBook readers and the iPad co-existing for the forseeable future.

[Talldog]

Originally Posted by dwallbaum

But, the Kindle is still an excellent book reader. The battery lives forever, and I don't miss the color aspect at all...although increased graphics resolution for photos would be nice. I see both conventional eBook readers and the iPad co-existing for the forseeable future.

Quite so, but I still want a color DX with WiFi.

[mcl]

Originally Posted by Talldog

Quite so, but I still want a color DX with WiFi.

The wifi I understand, but why color? I can count on one hand the number of books I own with color plates, and I own at least 1,000.

Text is meant to be read, not ogled.

[fugazied]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

There was a tablet from CES that was better than the iPad. The Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid Tablet is anet book where the screen could be removed and used as a tablet. Regular keyboard when you want it, touchscreen when you don't, full OS with programs of your choice. Way better to me.
Edit: My YouTube link isn't working (I don't think it can be embedded) so go here.

You can see from the video that the touch screen is not responsive, the UI was lagging 2 inches behind where his finger was scrolling. No details on specs, will be launched after June 2010 and 'priced around $1000', so twice the price of the Apple device?

I wouldn't be waiting for that product, the Apple tablet looks much faster and I would prefer a linux/os x based system over a windows 7 dual OS system.

I do like the concept of a tablet which integrates with existing technology - one of the rumored adapters for the iPad was an iMac adapter. So you could plug it onto the side of the iMac or wirelessly control the imac via the tablet. That hasn't eventuated, but that Leonovo 2 OS solution doesn't look ideal to me.

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by fugazied

You can see from the video that the touch screen is not responsive, the UI was lagging 2 inches behind where his finger was scrolling. No details on specs, will be launched after June 2010 and 'priced around $1000', so twice the price of the Apple device?
.

Since it's not available until later this year, I'm assuming that we are looking at the prototype which will (should) be more polished on release.

I think a $1000 is too high but it's still a more useful device in my mind than the iPad. I have no intentions of buying either but I would go for a device with a full OS over the iPhone OS. Heck, if the iPad ran OSX, I'd be more interested and I'm not a Mac person.

[dmaul1114]

I'm very interested in tablet device, but the iPad falls a bit short on a couple of key features for me.

1. Stylus writing. My main want for one is to mark up academic PDFs, grade student papers etc. I'm sure there will be some apps for hand writing that work with a capacitive touch screen stylus. But I doubt they'll have the precision of a resistive touch screen designed around stylus use.

2. Lack of multitasking. I'd want to have the internet browser open so I could pull up articles cited in the one I'm reading and marking up, have music playing in the back ground, have my e-mail up etc.

3. Lack of flash. I'd also want it to be my multimedia on the couch machine, and lack of flash rules out hulu etc. Though they probably could add a Hulu App to get around it like they have with Youtube on the iPhone etc.

If it had those--or at least the first one--I'd buy it day one. $500 is a good price for what it does, and 10 hour battery life estimated is a good bit more than I expected.

But for now I'll wait and see how handwriting apps turn out, see what they add in the 2nd gen model, and see what competitors put out.

I'd keep my kindle around for novel reading regardless of what I buy. But I'd love whatever tablet I buy to have a Kindle app so I have the option to read my Kindle books on there like I do sometimes with the Kindle for PC app in my office or at my girlfriend's place as I never take my Kindle anywhere locally (only on plane trips).

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by ConnieL429

The iPad requires a monthly data plan.

You could just use WiFi.

I don't need 3G in a tablet or laptop personally as I'd pretty much only use them at home or in the office. Or places like a coffee shop where I take my laptop to work and surf.

Tablets, laptops and netbooks are too big to carry around everywhere like you do a phone, so I just don't see much need for 3G personally.

But I also don't have a smart phone as I don't want to have internet and e-mail everywhere I go. I spend too much time goofing online and responding to e-mail for colleagues and students as is without having the internet with me 24/7.

[Talldog]

Originally Posted by mcl

The wifi I understand, but why color? I can count on one hand the number of books I own with color plates, and I own at least 1,000.

I subscribe to magazines that allow me to download PDF versions. Those mags are in color, and I'd like to see them that way. I just renewed my subscription to one of them for the online version only, because it's less than half the price of a printed version.

[StevenK]

After initial enthusiasm, I've soured on the iPad. As a large ebook reader, it's just heavier than I really want. The price is right, but I really want a 10-inch reader that's super light and rugged like a real book or magazine, not another delicate lcd device. The new generation of foil or plastic-backed e-ink is what I want. If the iPad can drive down the prices for those, that would be great. No LCD device is going to make e-ink obsolete for e-reading. Where did that idea come from?

If I was interested in the iPad as a MID, again I'd be disappointed. The lack of support for Flash is a complete deal breaker. It's like offering a web pad that doesn't support the web. Ridiculous.

[markbot]

the iPad could be used to read book without eye strain by inverting the colors...have the page be black and the letters be white....just like on a Bloomberg terminal. Staring into black screen doesn't cause eye strain.