The Apple iPad: Laaaaaaaaame

Robert Hallock 27 Jan, 2010 at 6:21pm ET Article published in Tech

Now that Apple has announced the launch of the iPad, but not really the launch because it’s actually 60-90 days away, I’m here to tell you why it’s the biggest waste of your crispy Benjamins since anything covered in Swarovski crystals.

Numero uno: multitasking

No multitasking. Really? Really? Even my BlackBerry Bold, the dumpiest contemporary smartphone I know, has the courtesy to offer multitasking capabilities. In between scads of dropped calls and mysterious nexuses in which no AT&T reception can possibly exist, I actually have the luxury of listening to music and browsing the Internet at the same time!

Task	BlackBerry Bold	iPod Touch XL, er… iPad
IM + Email	Yes	No
Internet + Email	Yes	No
Internet + Streaming Music	Yes	Nope
Twitter + Internet	Yes	No again
Documents + Streaming Music	Yes	WTF no
ANYTHING + ANYTHING	Yes	Hell no

The iPad is so revolutionary, advanced and magical that it’s come full circle! The LG Chocolate Touch is scared shitless. You’re a fucking wizard, Steve-o!

No HDMI

I’m glad we have the iPad to relieve us of the ability to pipe 720p videos to our HDTVs. Phew. Dodged that bullet.

No Flash

You know what I want to see when I go to a sweet Flash website like Grooveshark? This crap…

OH BOY.

No USB

Some tablets have convenient connectivity options like SDHC slots and USB ports, but the iPad is definitely too sleek to accommodate either of those; wouldn’t want to tamper with Lord Jobs’ magical, advanced and revolutionary design brilliance now, would we?

But wait… You can buy ugly adapters to enable those features all while compromising the sleek aesthetics of the device! Enjoy your Apple tax, suckers!

The name

The 3G WWAN

It’s AT&T… Again. Oh, it also adds $129 to the price of the device. Most expensive. ASIC. Ever.

The keyboard

Stand up, open your Netbook and then place it in your less dexterous hand. Try typing with your dominant hand. Fun? No? Just because it’s a half inch thick and squeezed from Steve Jobs’ anus doesn’t make typing in this manner any more enjoyable.

“eReader”

It uses an LCD which, most agree, sucks hard for reading novels. I don’t mind it, but most have some hangup about “the experience” of paper… Whatever that means.
It’s twice the price of the Kindle or a Nook for the same functionality.
It has 1/16th the battery life of a Kindle.
Free wireless downloads? LOLOLOLOL. Try $15 per month just to have the luxury.

So, is it better than a Kindle? Yeah, if you’re retarded. (Or a fanboy, but abusing the thesaurus doesn’t impress anyone).

Comments

27 Jan 2010 ~ 6:29pm Sledgehammer70 I agree with all of the above. Great overall break down. Just not enough to make it special against other market offerings outside of the Apple logo.
27 Jan 2010 ~ 7:27pm Shauna Nicholson I totally see your points here--the iPad isn't changing the lives of tech-savvy people. Personally, I'd prefer to profit from those who DO use it.

Sorry to be a sharing a link, but that very concept inspired me to write the post before the "presentation" ended.

Man, that name is horrible.
27 Jan 2010 ~ 7:31pm GnomeQueen Hilarious write up, Rob. I totally agree with all of your points.

I can't believe the tablet doesn't do multitasking. What a complete and total failure.
27 Jan 2010 ~ 7:33pm primesuspect Shauna, it's totally fine to link your blog here when it's part of the conversation
27 Jan 2010 ~ 7:49pm chrisWhite I like iPad way better then iSlate but you'd think they could come up with something better. Dropping the i from a product every once and a while isn't a bad thing.
27 Jan 2010 ~ 7:53pm Bandrik Congratulations, Thrax. You completely shattered my inflated image of the iPad. I was all excited and was starting to allocate resources to purchase my own iPad on launch day, but you completely drowned all of my glorious dreams of relaxing on my couch and having fun browsing the internet with my fingertips while listening to streaming internet radio. You monster. I hope you're proud of yourself.
27 Jan 2010 ~ 8:01pm mirage Good write-up. Next tablet please.
27 Jan 2010 ~ 8:33pm GnomeWizardd the Joo joo or IE crunchpad was even better than this load of crap
27 Jan 2010 ~ 8:52pm Linc It strikes me as disingenuous that you strike it down by comparing it to the Kindle, the iPod Touch, the Blackberry Bold, and tablet computing by pointing out how it isn't as good as each niche product, ignoring that it's the only thing in all those niches at once.
27 Jan 2010 ~ 8:57pm chrisWhite

Bandrik wrote:

Congratulations, Thrax. You completely shattered my inflated image of the iPad. I was all excited and was starting to allocate resources to purchase my own iPad on launch day, but you completely drowned all of my glorious dreams of relaxing on my couch and having fun browsing the internet with my fingertips while listening to streaming internet radio. You monster. I hope you're proud of yourself.

Screw Thrax, be excited, life's more fun without his voice in your ear
27 Jan 2010 ~ 8:59pm UPSLynx Don't need it. Nope! Don't need it!
27 Jan 2010 ~ 8:59pm UPSLynx

Lincoln wrote:

It strikes me as disingenuous that you strike it down by comparing it to the Kindle, the iPod Touch, the Blackberry Bold, and tablet computing by pointing out how it isn't as good as each niche product, ignoring that it's the only thing in all those niches at once.

True, but if it sucks at being all of the above, then who cares?
27 Jan 2010 ~ 9:03pm Thrax

Lincoln wrote:

It strikes me as disingenuous that you strike it down by comparing it to the Kindle, the iPod Touch, the Blackberry Bold, and tablet computing by pointing out how it isn't as good as each niche product, ignoring that it's the only thing in all those niches at once.

And yet it fails to offer the very basic amenities which are considered standard for all of them. Hmm.
27 Jan 2010 ~ 9:28pm Linc Here's the Keynote video if you want to see it for yourself.
27 Jan 2010 ~ 10:09pm lunchb0x I think if it had better hardware and OSX on it, it'd be a better device and there'd be more widespread adoption
27 Jan 2010 ~ 10:17pm chrisWhite Okay, hyperbole and ridiculous claims about the internet without important things like like Flash support aside. Tell me this isn't a compelling looking product.

In my opinion, despite it's flaws, what you get with the iPad over any of those other devices Thrax is a very polished and refined complete package that no other vendor is offering. It's a but unfair to say that it doesn't live up to an iPod Touch, but it's clearly different from a Kindle and a Blackberry, I don't think that's a fair comparison. I agree, some people will choose this over an ebook reader but I don't think this will replace anyone's Blackberry Bold or vice-versa. I think the valid comparison is against netbooks, and yes, you're paying more for a iPad then a netbook. But the interface, experience and partnerships (like the iBook store) is what you're paying extra for. It's really too soon to call it on any of this stuff until we get our hands on it but I'd be willing to put money on this being a much better experience then any other netbook on the market, especially any other first gen devices.

It's not perfect, no, but it's legitimate to pay extra for a polished experience in my opinion. But that's always been what you pay the Apple tax for.
27 Jan 2010 ~ 10:47pm Thrax You get a refined and "polished" experience that does all its many tasks with less robustness than things currently on the market.

The iPod succeeded because it did music better than anything else. The iPhone succeeded because it did smartphones better than anything else. Now we come to the iPad which doesn't do tablets better than other tablets, reading better than other ereaders or browsing better than many phones. What, exactly, then is so polished?
27 Jan 2010 ~ 11:00pm Petra Nicely done.

Anyone catch the Lenovo U1 at CES?
27 Jan 2010 ~ 11:15pm mas0n Yeah but ... it's magical and revolutionary.

Derpa derp.
27 Jan 2010 ~ 11:25pm ardichoke You can polish a turd to a mirror shine chrisWhite, but in the end it's still a steaming piece of shit.
27 Jan 2010 ~ 11:29pm Thrax

mas0n wrote:

Yeah but ... it's magical and revolutionary.

Derpa derp.

And advanced.
28 Jan 2010 ~ 12:06am ardichoke ^5 for the Invader Zim reference (-5 if you weren't making the reference I was thinking of)
28 Jan 2010 ~ 1:01am chrisWhite I guess we'll have to see when it comes out, but despite your opinions I'm willing to bet that it outsells any other netbook on the market, that's just my guess though
28 Jan 2010 ~ 1:08am Sledgehammer70 I'd almost be willing to bet against that.. But I know the Apple fanboi's will flock at anything Job's calls "Magical".
28 Jan 2010 ~ 3:19am Snarkasm Of course it'll outsell anything else - it's already got an army salivating for it.

Know what netbooks can do? Surf the internet and chat with friends at the same time. Know what lots of netbooks have? Cameras for video chat. Know what the iPad can't do? Any advanced functionality at all. Ooh, you can use a bluetooth keyboard! But you can't plug in a USB one without your special adapter. And good luck plugging in a flash drive, too. I can't wait to see the first picture of somebody hooking up a USB hub to the dock adapter.

I cannot logically conclude that this product serves ANY niche admirably.
28 Jan 2010 ~ 4:39am Shorty I will cut through the taglines and frenzy to ask the simple question:

What exactly is the point of this device?
28 Jan 2010 ~ 8:24am Colgere

Shorty wrote:

I will cut through the taglines and frenzy to ask the simple question:

What exactly is the point of this device?

This question right here sums up everything about the iPad perfectly. Sadly, I don't have an answer.
28 Jan 2010 ~ 8:31am Kwitko The point of this device is to milk fanboys until their wallets are dry, to show the world it's possible to make an enormous iPod Touch, and to prove that Apple has run out of innovative ideas and is stretching the iPhone form factor to its breaking point. I cannot find a single new idea presented in the iSanitaryNapkin.
28 Jan 2010 ~ 8:42am Paolo Hi,
it's bad to write about devices you don't know...
I am actually writing this AND listening to my music simultaneously
on my iPhone
I don't see why the iPad couldn't do the same.
28 Jan 2010 ~ 9:00am Snarkasm If you'd read, you'd notice that he didn't say you couldn't listen to music and use the web; he said you couldn't listen to streaming music and do something else at the same time. Using the web browser to stream music and an iChat client to talk to friends? Can't do both at the same time. Can't read a document. Can't check your calendar. Can't, can't, can't.
28 Jan 2010 ~ 9:10am timuchan So when is the Courier coming out? That thing looked like it could kick the iCrap out of this thing.
28 Jan 2010 ~ 10:58am BuddyJ The only use for this I can see that it might be good at is for use in the medical field or anything else where you've got lots of paperwork. A single-task device like this could be useful for stuff like medical records. Then again, it'd need better battery life most likely to stand up to a full day's use.
28 Jan 2010 ~ 10:58am Cliff_Forster I can't accept an internet enabled product that is not going to support flash, but in the sea of negative comments, I'll throw in one observation that did surprise me.

Mossberg over at the WSJ does point out one interesting thing. The Ipad seems to be priced fairly competitively for an Apple product. If your a competitive vendor building windows based atom, tegra, or neo tablets, your going to have to take Apple head on in the features and design dept. and not be able to just whip them on price. I'm not saying someone won't come along and offer something cheaper, but how much? Maybe 10%-20% off to get something that is less attractive on the surface? If your were an investor in the tablet PC market, you can't be too thrilled that Apple came out with theirs priced fairly competitively for a change.

Lets face it, one of the big advantages for windows over the past few years has been price. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'll be surprised to see a PC vendor come out with something thats even close to as attractive for around $500.

Closest thing right now is an Asus model for about $480 with a 8.9" screen, but its hampered by the atom platform and windows XP. Forget watching video on that thing, the UI just is not elegant, they will have to do a hell of allot better if they want to compete with the Ipad for the market that does find value in such a product.
28 Jan 2010 ~ 11:12am AlexDeGruven SO totally agree on the LCD part as well as others.

Trying to do real reading on an LCD is horrible. If they had gone AMOLED, ala N1/Moment, it would have been a start in the right direction.

Also, not having free connectivity built in like the other two major players was what really killed it for me. Since I recently ran over my iPhone (that I was using as an iPod Touch + Camera), I was contemplating picking up a replacement, and the potential to have free downloads OTA of books and/or apps would have made the iPad something I'd really look at. But carrying a $15-30/month charge, and an additional premium for the privilege to do so was probably the worst move.

So yes, sure, it's $499, for the WiFi-only 16GB (which is even small for me these days) version. But if you want real storage and real connectivity (which combine to become real functionality), you have to push a LOT closer to that $1000 price point that Steve was so inflated about them staying under.

Nice try, Apple.

Give me one without a 1" bezel, an AMOLED screen, 64GB minimum storage, Multitasking (like is built into EVERY OTHER OPERATING SYSTEM IN THE UNIVERSE*), and $10/month unlimited 3G connectivity on an EV-DO carrier for $500-600, THEN I might consider one.

*yes, there are some specifically single-user operating systems out there, but they're not in wide use, and particularly not in the consumer market. Also, yes, dumbphone OSes are typically single-tasking like iPhoneOS, but iPhoneOS is effing BSD!
28 Jan 2010 ~ 11:26am mas0n The only thing exciting about the iPad is the flood of affordable tablets that will hit the market to compete.

Do want 9" Tegra + Android tablet.
28 Jan 2010 ~ 11:41am FlownOver First off, not trying to be an apple fanboy or apologist (though I do quite enjoy my iPhone).

Regarding the ability to multi-task - this is PURELY conjecture but since the iPad was shown running iPhone OS 3.2, it's rumored that iPhone OS 4.x will allow some limited multi-tasking. We'll know more in March/April I'm sure.

Flame away.
28 Jan 2010 ~ 12:32pm Snarkasm Purely speculative conjecture is cool, bro.

No flame, but until anything solid comes out, that's pretty much a guess, amirite?
28 Jan 2010 ~ 1:41pm mirage If iPad was aimed at replacing the full functionality of a netbook while extending the battery life, improving the portability and usability, it would have been the revolutionary/innovative product I was expecting to see. Without multitasking, a USB port that I can plug a mouse/keyboard or a flash drive, a flash card slot for expansion of storage, and a camera for communication, it is just another product between smart phone and netbook/notebook. I don't need it, I don't want it. I am sure many people will want but I doubt it will sell like iPod or iPhone.
28 Jan 2010 ~ 3:16pm kryyst I have computers, I have laptops I have a blackberry. I still see lots of places where I could use something like this.

First of all lets be 100% realistic. It's not a computer. It's an appliance. No different then a video game console, a smartphone or your Blueray player. Look around your house you'll see all sorts of appliance.

For $500 you get a device that will work better as document reader then what's currently out there. Not only will it flip pages faster then an e-ink based pad but it's got full color and should render pdf's perfectly, something I've yet to see in any of the current e-readers. The LCD screen is more difficult to read then e-ink no dispute there. But I'm not looking at it to be my primary reading choice for that I have books - I love books and they don't multi-task at all. So in so much as an e-reader alternative is concerned it's for reference, quick look-up and yeah probably just general reading, I'll deal with the eye strain. Hell I'm on a laptop all day reading - I'm used to eye strain. Also since I don't consider an e-reader to be good bank for the book I'd be looking at a netbook for a reference device so either way it's LCD.

Next browsing the web no flash sucks but it pushes HTML 5 and who knows at some point flash may come. But for the bulk of my web use - forums and reference sites I don't need flash. So not a deal killer or even a consideration - some sites I'd rather see without flash....

Media, plays movies, plays music fantastic, great for killing time on a flight, cottage, hotel room with crappy local stations.

Apps - Games, utils, communications pretty much it's got you covered.

Peripherals no built in USB, but it's got bluetooth and you can get a USB adapter. The point is moot for my. Most of my toys happily sing through bluetooth. What I do find to be more disappointing is no SD except through the camera periph. That one I don't understand beyond the cash grab argument.

The keyboard dock, handy and I much prefer that kind of setup then to some fold/pop out keyboard anyway plus purely optional. The onscreen keyboard on a 10" display should be more then serviceable for the type of typing I expect to be doing, which is to say occasional and minor.

So here's what I'd be looking forward to in this device
1) It does everything a DS/PSP does only better.
2) While not as nice to read as an e-reader in black and white it can read so much more and has full color which for most PDF's I'm using is way more important.
3) Surfs the net with the same size screen as a netbook
4) Plays music and movies with 10hrs of battery life - my best laptop currently can do that for 4 and when doing that no way in hell it's multi-tasking either.
5) Along with the games it has other utils an appstore full of them.
7) 10hrs battery life again better then any netbook and certainly any netbook coming in at this size and weight.
8) It's fast. Custom arm processor will drive this thing faster in each of it's tasks then other similar devices. Surfing, games, utils, documents. All snappy and responsive. No full blown OS overhead to deal with.
9) Wifi for internet perfect

The whole argument of it sucking by what it can't do is a fallacy no device can win by that judgment. The truth is in what it can do so find me another device that can do all of that for $500 then we'll talk. An additional $130 to add in 3g + AGPS and a pay as you go data plan. Telus is trying to actively sell us 3g cards right now $100 on a 3year contract for $35+ a month starting at 500mb of data. 3g on this thing is a bargain.
28 Jan 2010 ~ 4:06pm chrisWhite Gruber's perspective, as always, is worth reading.

His post before that one is also interesting if less relevant to the objections of this conversation.

I would say that redefining mobile computing is exactly what happened. It is surprisingly, delightfully, iPhone-esque in many ways. But if you use it for just a few minutes, it becomes obvious that the iPad is not a big stretched-out iPhone, but rather that the iPhone is a shrunken stripped-down version of the iPad. The iPad is what theyâ€™ve been building toward all along.

The iWork apps are amazing. Totally usable. Totally new UI for office apps â€” thereâ€™s no menu bar. Maybe the best comparison is the Calendar app. It doesnâ€™t look anything like the iPhone Calendar app. In terms of, say, style and UI grammar, yes, itâ€™s the same vibe as the iPhone. But in terms of scope and ambition, itâ€™s a far bigger thing.

While I would never make this argument in a consumer setting, I do want to point out that some of the biggest downsides mentioned here can be fixed with a simple Jailbreak. Jailbreaking an iPhone takes less then five minutes, getting multiple processes setup beautifully takes maybe 10 minutes if you know what you're looking for. For most of us on Icrontic these are trivial hacks to make this device much more powerful.

We also don't know that the OS won't be refined more then they showed right now too. I still think this is too close to call either way until we get our hands on it.
28 Jan 2010 ~ 4:06pm Cliff_Forster

kryyst wrote:

I have computers, I have laptops I have a blackberry. I still see lots of places where I could use something like this.

First of all lets be 100% realistic. It's not a computer. It's an appliance. No different then a video game console, a smartphone or your Blueray player. Look around your house you'll see all sorts of appliance.

For $500 you get a device that will work better as document reader then what's currently out there. Not only will it flip pages faster then an e-ink based pad but it's got full color and should render pdf's perfectly, something I've yet to see in any of the current e-readers. The LCD screen is more difficult to read then e-ink no dispute there. But I'm not looking at it to be my primary reading choice for that I have books - I love books and they don't multi-task at all. So in so much as an e-reader alternative is concerned it's for reference, quick look-up and yeah probably just general reading, I'll deal with the eye strain. Hell I'm on a laptop all day reading - I'm used to eye strain. Also since I don't consider an e-reader to be good bank for the book I'd be looking at a netbook for a reference device so either way it's LCD.

Next browsing the web no flash sucks but it pushes HTML 5 and who knows at some point flash may come. But for the bulk of my web use - forums and reference sites I don't need flash. So not a deal killer or even a consideration - some sites I'd rather see without flash....

Media, plays movies, plays music fantastic, great for killing time on a flight, cottage, hotel room with crappy local stations.

Apps - Games, utils, communications pretty much it's got you covered.

Peripherals no built in USB, but it's got bluetooth and you can get a USB adapter. The point is moot for my. Most of my toys happily sing through bluetooth. What I do find to be more disappointing is no SD except through the camera periph. That one I don't understand beyond the cash grab argument.

The keyboard dock, handy and I much prefer that kind of setup then to some fold/pop out keyboard anyway plus purely optional. The onscreen keyboard on a 10" display should be more then serviceable for the type of typing I expect to be doing, which is to say occasional and minor.

So here's what I'd be looking forward to in this device
1) It does everything a DS/PSP does only better.
2) While not as nice to read as an e-reader in black and white it can read so much more and has full color which for most PDF's I'm using is way more important.
3) Surfs the net with the same size screen as a netbook
4) Plays music and movies with 10hrs of battery life - my best laptop currently can do that for 4 and when doing that no way in hell it's multi-tasking either.
5) Along with the games it has other utils an appstore full of them.
7) 10hrs battery life again better then any netbook and certainly any netbook coming in at this size and weight.
8) It's fast. Custom arm processor will drive this thing faster in each of it's tasks then other similar devices. Surfing, games, utils, documents. All snappy and responsive. No full blown OS overhead to deal with.
9) Wifi for internet perfect

The whole argument of it sucking by what it can't do is a fallacy no device can win by that judgment. The truth is in what it can do so find me another device that can do all of that for $500 then we'll talk. An additional $130 to add in 3g + AGPS and a pay as you go data plan. Telus is trying to actively sell us 3g cards right now $100 on a 3year contract for $35+ a month starting at 500mb of data. 3g on this thing is a bargain.

A number of compelling arguments. I agree with much of what your saying, I have no issue reading off an LCD, I don't have a problem with the limited 3G offerings, WiFi will get me the functionality I desire, I agree, that multitasking on some levels is overrated on a unit like this, the only thing I ask, is please, let me play music while I do other stuff, not sure if thats going to happen or not. Also, not building in a USB port or a SD slot on a unit like this really does not bother me all that much. With the built in wifi, no reason why I can't just access my massive networked drive if I need more content storage.

A couple of minor nit picks against your bullet points.

1. Thought the games demo's they showed looked fairly compelling for what they are, I'm still a bit of a DS fanboy. I think the Nintendo DS is one of the finest consumer electronics products ever created, Nintendo just knows good portable gaming. Now thats not to say we completely disagree, the couple demo's they showed yesterday did look nice, I'm just not prepared to say its a better portable gaming experience than the Nintendo DS.

4. I'm not so sure we are going to get 10 hrs. of HD video playback out of that battery. I'd be surprised if it really shakes out that way. I could be wrong, but I think the verdict on the "real" battery life number is still out.

You know, flash is the real killer for me. And not being able to watch Hulu on it, ughhhh!!

So in short, its an interesting little unit, I think many people will find value in something like that vs. a full featured laptop, but it really needs a couple of tweaks, in my mind, flash support more than anything else.
28 Jan 2010 ~ 4:14pm chrisWhite

Cliff_Forster wrote:

4. I'm not so sure we are going to get 10 hrs. of HD video playback out of that battery. I'd be surprised if it really shakes out that way. I could be wrong, but I think the verdict on the "real" battery life number is still out.

You're exactly right, when do battery lengths ever live up to what they are supposed to? Apple's as bad about this as anyone.

Cliff_Forster wrote:

You know, flash is the real killer for me. And not being able to watch Hulu on it, ughhhh!!.

I completely agree, it's absurd that they haven't allowed any kind of Flash support yet. I can understand and I agree with them on not letting it plug into mobile Safari, I run all my browsers with Flash blocked for all the reasons Apple gives. However, having a Flash based app in the App Store makes perfect sense to me, the Safari engine could be used in the app without every jacking up Safari otherwise.

However, with a device like this it's going to become more and more essential that Hulu and Netflix get their products out on the iPhone/iPad platform and I think we'll see them bringing out their own apps the way YouTube has if the iPad sells.
28 Jan 2010 ~ 4:15pm Thrax You don't need Hulu or Netflix. Just download movies from the iTunes store!
28 Jan 2010 ~ 4:36pm kryyst Mixed response's here to lazy to quote

I'm not knocking the DS. Perhaps I was a little zealous to say it's better then the DS. They are different platforms each good for various reasons. I think it's fair to say then that the iPad will be a solid gaming platform and leave it at that. I do think that it will blow the PSP (especially Go) out of the water. The DS can't compete on graphics but it has other qualities that I admire my DS for.

The 10hrs battery life. I'm sure that's an ideal battery life. Every manufacturer misquotes their battery life. However I'm sure that in real life conditions the '10hr' iPad battery will last longer then the average '4hr' battery that most netbooks come with.

No Hulu - I live in Canada I don't get Hulu anyway or Netflix for that mater. Flash yeah some people can't live without it, I can.

Why download movies from the itunes store when you can just stream it? Same goes (in my case) for hulu and netflix. I have my movies on my computer I can stream them whenever I want. Get me an internet connection and I can watch and listen to anything on my PC wherever I am.
28 Jan 2010 ~ 4:38pm mas0n

chrisWhite wrote:

However, with a device like this it's going to become more and more essential that Hulu and Netflix get their products out on the iPhone/iPad platform...

ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Sorry, I was just picturing what the rest of the world in which Apple would approve such an app would be like.
28 Jan 2010 ~ 6:20pm lmorchard Now, let's see what everyone thinks when there's an MSI tablet to hold side-by-side:

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20100128PD214.html

Meanwhile, I welcome the day when I can stab with greasy sausage fingers at a magical screen that brings me cat-jumping-into-box videos while I giggle and dribble half-chewed Chicken Shack remnants down my chest.
28 Jan 2010 ~ 6:21pm GnomeWizardd
28 Jan 2010 ~ 6:55pm RWB I'd rather get the Entourage Edge. Dual Screen(one is E-Ink) and Android OS. Foldable Tablet/Netbook/eBook Reader. Super sweet and same price.
28 Jan 2010 ~ 6:58pm Colgere

GnomeWizardd wrote:

^5 to this, Gnomewizardd.
28 Jan 2010 ~ 8:10pm Komete I kinda hope this winds up being a big fail. It would be nice to get more people out of apple's asspit. I think the I-phone is sucking up too many software developers and resources for it's aps. Too much power for a single hardware peddler to be in control of. MS may be evil but at least you have some creative freedom with it.
29 Jan 2010 ~ 9:19am photodude FYI: Adobe claims that flash will be supported on the iPad with the release of CS5 with their Packager for iPhone (which will also be adding flash support to the iPhone and iPod touch)

http://blogs.adobe.com/flashplatform/2010/01/building_ipad_apps.html

it's not true native support but it will bring some support to the dead end market that is locked out of flash.

I heard rumors that flash is a major cause of crashes in OSX which is one reason apple doesn't want to support flash.
29 Jan 2010 ~ 9:34am Thrax FWIW, Adobe has saying Flash has been coming to iPhone OS for over 2 years now. I think the real reason Apple doesn't want to support Flash is because Flash games pose a direct threat to the app store.
29 Jan 2010 ~ 10:13am mirage

photodude wrote:

FYI: Adobe claims that flash will be supported on the iPad with the release of CS5 with their Packager for iPhone (which will also be adding flash support to the iPhone and iPod touch)

http://blogs.adobe.com/flashplatform/2010/01/building_ipad_apps.html

it's not true native support but it will bring some support to the dead end market that is locked out of flash.

I heard rumors that flash is a major cause of crashes in OSX which is one reason apple doesn't want to support flash.

I have been using Mac OSX since many years and never seen, even once, a crash due to Flash. The most insignificant problem is Flash for me. I, as an advanced user, tech enthusiast, want a "computer" in tablet form. But Apple decides to offer another device in the line of iPods under their tight control. No thanks. I am sure there will be other products that will satisfy my requirements. I am also sure there will be other people happy with iPad while Apple is controlling their access to everything. Gnomewizardd's picture is telling the whole story.
29 Jan 2010 ~ 10:57am Bandrik

Thrax wrote:

FWIW, Adobe has saying Flash has been coming to iPhone OS for over 2 years now. I think the real reason Apple doesn't want to support Flash is because Flash games pose a direct threat to the app store.

You're fairly accurate with this assumption. I've talked with an Adobe rep who prefers to remain anonymous. Basically word is in his dept that it makes sense for Apple to keep Flash out of its iPhone/Touch because of three main things. One, it puts a severe drain on the battery (especially if it has poor ActionScript techniques) that Apple didn't want to have to listen to complaints to. Second, it can allow for security exploits that Apple doesn't have full control over.

And third and probably most probable is that Apple probably doesn't like the idea of people using Flash to access their own music and game content. Watching Flash videos on Newgrounds and playing Flash games is just the start of it, but the main meat of it is that instead of buying the iTunes Store games people can play many enjoyable free games based on Flash. Yes, many of them are gimmicky or amateur, but there's a lot of fun out there to be had for free that Apple would probably rather capitalize on.

Point is, Apple has very logical reasons for putting the muzzle on Flash. But that doesn't make it right to limit their consumer base on what they can do just because it makes financial sense. The bastards.

Edit: Also, just heard wind of this. An AWESOME review of the iPad done by none other than Pee-Wee Herman. I can't believe they got away with this. XD
29 Jan 2010 ~ 5:10pm Tim Exactly WHY is the iPad neccessary? What can it do that cell phones, iPhones, Blackberrys, netbooks, and laptops can't do? It's completely unneeded technology. Does it REALLY have a practical everyday use that will last a long time?

People that buy it are either techno-geeks that just HAVE to have every new gadget that comes out, or they have more money than brains. Or both. I am neither.
29 Jan 2010 ~ 5:11pm Tim I want to see the iPad become a huge crash and burn FAIL product. At the end of 2010, I want to see it in a list of the 10 most useless inventions of 2010.
29 Jan 2010 ~ 5:26pm chrisWhite Whahahaha, good luck Tim but I don't think the market is going to consider what you want to be true.
29 Jan 2010 ~ 5:53pm jared

Tim wrote:

I want to see the iPad become a huge crash and burn FAIL product. At the end of 2010, I want to see it in a list of the 10 most useless inventions of 2010.

I want to see IE6 become a huge crash and burn FAIL product - yet some people still embrace it
29 Jan 2010 ~ 8:17pm chrisWhite You know that's why he doesn't like Apple products, right? His favorite browser doesn't run on them.
30 Jan 2010 ~ 2:32am lunchb0x
30 Jan 2010 ~ 9:59am kryyst

Tim wrote:

Exactly WHY is the iPad neccessary? What can it do that cell phones, iPhones, Blackberrys, netbooks, and laptops can't do? It's completely unneeded technology. Does it REALLY have a practical everyday use that will last a long time?

I think my favorite part of this is where you answer your own question.
30 Jan 2010 ~ 10:07am GnomeWizardd The Ipad is necessary because Steve says it is! Thats how things roll in Apples camp, Steve says Jump you jump. This is why I really wish I didnt own a Ipod now
30 Jan 2010 ~ 10:25am mas0n I seem to remember you being really excited about your Macbook.
2 Feb 2010 ~ 6:05pm chrisWhite I think this article is interesting and the argument seems compelling to me, maybe even enough to change my mind on a few things. I suspect I'm the only one here who will come to that conclusion but it's still worth reading as an articulate perspective on the iPad and the potential shift in computing.
2 Feb 2010 ~ 6:28pm ardichoke That article reads to me like an Apple fan trying hard to justify and rationalize the iPads flaws. Sure, removing the floppy drive from a computer was a logical step forward, they were largely outdated. Removing all peripherals and all user control from a computer, though, is not advancement. It's regression. At least for people that actually know how to use a computer.
2 Feb 2010 ~ 6:35pm Bandrik

ardichoke wrote:

Removing all peripherals and all user control from a computer, though, is not advancement. It's regression. At least for people that actually know how to use a computer.

OBJECTION!

See, I don't look at the iPad at all as a laptop replacement, or a replacement of any type of computer. It's a gadget, much like a Nintendo DS or a PDA. I don't really think it is required by geek law for a gadget to have all the same ports of a normal computer. While yes, having at least a USB port would be nice, but many devices are getting along just fine without it.

And yes, many are fun to use.
2 Feb 2010 ~ 7:06pm Thrax Apple says it's a netbook replacement. Go figure.
2 Feb 2010 ~ 7:08pm chrisWhite

Thrax wrote:

Apple says it's a netbook replacement. Go figure.

Agreed.
2 Feb 2010 ~ 11:56pm kryyst The ipad is another gadget it will fill a niche for some people and others see it as a fail because they want a wonder machine that will wipe their ass while playing music. It's $500+ There's lots of bang in that machine for $500. Like I said before find another device that does as much and as well.

That being said the google aPad is a delicious rumor mill at the moment. A more open device that can multi-task and had an SD-Slot. Of course I'll bet that much like the Android phones it will have some advantages but overall still not as clean an interface as an iPhone.
3 Feb 2010 ~ 12:39pm Bandrik

Thrax wrote:

Apple says it's a netbook replacement. Go figure.

Bah. I still consider it independent of other gadgets or at worst complementary to an existing netbook. Regardless of what apple says - I'll think for myself. The moment I start listening to Apple and believing them at face value, is the moment I join the Apple Clan.

Which to me is a great irony. Their motto is/was "Think Different".
4 Feb 2010 ~ 11:19am Cliff_Forster

Thrax wrote:

Apple says it's a netbook replacement. Go figure.

I don't think he said the Ipad was a "netbook replacement" so much as he said, "netbooks suck"