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Nothing but a coffee table curio for showoff techies. And a crippled one at that (lacks Adobe Flash web support, so forget about your full web browsing experience).

I wish the iPad was everything that Wired magazine has been paid to make it out to be. Until then, it's a toy for people with loads of disposable income.

The iPad is a product that will transform an industry. Pure and simple. But that does not mean that it is needed or even wanted by everyone. Most people can grasp its significance now, others will need the perspective of history to understand its impact.

jpratt3rd, on 14 October 2010 - 08:20 AM, said:

This sort of smug holier-than-thou attitude is becoming increasingly tiresome. I didn't buy my iPad in order to "show off", I bought it because it does everything I need from a portable device, and does them well. Flash is not important to me, screen size and four-way orientability are. Clearly your needs and mine are different. I can accept that; why can't you?

jpratt3rd, on 14 October 2010 - 08:20 AM, said:

Seriously? Flash?

5 years of people trying to make a success of tablets and all you see is "it doesn't have Flash"?
Well guess what neither does my PC because I block it with browser extensions and I browse just fine thanks!

I don't have an iPod but I see what it's jumpstarted in our otherwise predicable and stale industry and that's a good thing.

Having owned a 32gb 3G since May, all I can say is that battery life, portability ease of use, instant on and good software have made my iPad a fantastic machine for getting things done at work and wherever I am. Its speed and versatility have made it my go-to machine for many tasks. I can get things done quickly, quietly and unobtrusively. The evolution of this machine and others like it will change the way we use computers for a long time to come. That is a fact.

Even a little bit of research would have uncovered that the iPad supports syncing contacts, calendar, and mail through a variety of services, including Exchange, Gmail/Google Apps, and Yahoo.

But the "big iPod" assessment is potent. I haven't heard the iPad contextualized quite that way since its release seven months ago.

The article says it - its a big iPod Touch. A content Delivery Device for iTunes. Its a pity, 'cause it has great potential. But, as the article also says, it is, after all, only version 1. With luck, some of the obvious lapses will be resolved in later editions (though experience has shown us that won't include user-accessible/swappable batteries, external memory or compatibility with 3rd Party peripherals), but at the price, what it hasn't got - hardware and software-wise, straight out of the box - is particularly noticeable, if not galling.

The "big iPod Touch" description is factually correct; what is incorrect is the assumption that this is a Bad Thing. It is the size that makes it practical for activities such as typing, document layout, e-reading, remote desktop access and so on. It's a big iPod Touch, in the same way that a swimming pool is a big bath.

Of course it won't suit everyone. Apple work on the principle that trying to make a device that can do everything tends to produce a device that does nothing particularly well. I tend to agree, and it means that where my needs closely match Apple's products (iPhone, iPad) I am very happy to own those. Where not (I've never owned a Mac and I don't see that changing) I simply buy elsewhere. That doesn't make PCs superior or inferior to Macs, they're just aimed at different people.

Perhaps if you fiddled it with it for 10 minutes or understood that not every device is the same just because it has a screen. I have given presentations on it - has access to not just cloud files but stores every format - and also VPN in about 3 steps. Yes, I can een maniplaute my PC desktop but again, you have to spend more than 10 minutes with it. Sure, others like MS or even Cisco will release a flat screen device but with Apple's build quality but with its software, UI and sync capabilities - not likely ... if Linux is barely functional on a Pc after 10 years, how long will it function on a tablet? And unlike others, Apple doesn't abandon the touch UI after 2 screens deep.

As for Adobe employees still whining about Flash - are Flash ads and playing flash banner games really all that important? Or is it actually stupid for a company to turn over their corporate front page and website as a full page ad to download ADOBE FLASH and send users to ADobe.com - with no return link?

Sure, Flash is useful for setting presistent cookies and lazy programming but for the end user? It is the animated gif of the 21 century - time to move on.

Again, the ipad is the state of the art for business productivity. INSTANT ON. No security issues, 300,000 apps with a state of the art UI and in addition to SSH, VPN, presentation, WP, spreadsheet, it offers full page web viewing, ereader AND like the author discovered - can play movies and music. It runs under Wifi or 3G (the author seems confused about how this works also) ... meanwhile, the competition is ASLEEP. Google says Android is not scalable until late 2011 and that'll be OS 1.0 and wait for all apps to scale up ... MS? What have they been doing for 15 years? So, if you want a FULL POWERED ultra portable personal computer that is 100% designed to operate with your index finger, the ipad is for everyone outside of coders and PC tinkerers ...

ANd you don't even have to unpack it through airport security!

This article lost me at "(read: monopolistic)"

A monopoly is defined by a company having a majority share of a particular market that they are involved in. Abusing that monopoly usually involves controlling those outside your involvement.

Microsoft was famous for this in the '90's with their exclusivity contracts and software licensing deals. The former required OEM's to only sell Windows and the other required corporations to pay a Windows and Office license for each "computer" in use, even if that computer was Mac or Solaris or BSD, etc. This is being directly anti-competitive and abusing a monopoly position.

First of all, Apple doesn't hold a monopoly position with iOS, in fact, iOS is only on a small percentage of devices around the world. What Apple does do however, is control the experience of their platform, which involves app development and distribution. If a developer doesn't like it, they can go develop on some other platform.

Secondly, Apple doesn't force developers into developing for the iOS platform only. They are free to create a version of their software for all platforms, if so interested.

Third, companies are free to distribute in house applications that do not pass through Apple's approval process, so those developers are free to do whatever they want.

Finally, this person has not done his homework or read the web much. There are countless companies that have worked the iPad into their workflows with very little effort and have expanded test programs into full blown corporate wide usage. And I seriously doubt they consider the iPad to be nothing more than an iPod.

The iWantPad:
1) Flash support
2) Linux OS
3) slide-out QWERTY keyboard
4) free to install what I want, not to be held hostage to iTunes or Crapple.

I've realized that most first gen Apple products are crippled, it isn't until 2nd gen onwards that they start adding necessary features.

I'm fine with an article highlighting the pros and cons of a product and concluding that the product is not for everybody. I find it very frustrating and irresponsible to use factually incorrect statements to support a predisposed conclusion. The statement, "that you must sync via iTunes," is completely incorrect; using imap you can get your e-mail, using iCal you can get your calendar and address book info, and using Dropbox or Zumo Drive you can access files (note that none of these are Apple products). The idea that the iPad is not productivity friendly is narrow minded. Companies and Military use the iPad. Fine restaurants use iPads for displaying wine lists to customers. With the on screen keyboard or a wireless external keyboard coupled with Dataviz Documents to Go, one can efficiently create Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents. Let's stop building these strawman arguments, return to unbiased, straight forward reporting and let the consumer make an educated choice.

Sent from my iPad.

Dropmeoff, on 14 October 2010 - 03:22 PM, said:

You will also need 2 USB ports, 1 serial, 1 parallel, VGA, sd slot, Id card reader, finger reader, FireWire, hdmi, svideo, frontal and back cameras, etc. Then you will be happy with your 10 pound tablet, LOL!

hastaluego249, on 14 October 2010 - 06:51 PM, said:

and don't forget it's gonna be priced twice ( or more ) as much and battery life half of that ... wait, they already make those ( those convertibles would fit the requirements )