IPad review
apple.slashdot.org
apple.slashdot.org
"I used it for a day and a half and think that it will be an excellent couch companion PC"
and
"This version isn't a replacement PC for anyone yet, but future versions might be. You probably want to save your cash until then."
and I roll my eyes. If the casual browsing bit sounds good to you and you have the extra scratch, do yourself a favor and buy this thing now or you'll be screwing yourself out of 1-2 years of an awesome cutting edge experience.
I do agree with him that user profiles should be implemented, but his other complaints are nit-picky. I personally think the lack of Flash is a feature, not a problem, considering I have flash block installed on all my browsers. If Apple had included flash support, it'd be very unlikely that they'd have provided a flash blocker, so I'm actually very grateful that they made this decision. In my opinion, flash is only good for two things: games and videos; and I tend to avoid both of those things when I surf anyways.
As far as the keyboard goes, I can actually type on the damn thing almost as fast as I can my laptop keyboard, but that's probably because I'm so awesome. I do, however, often find it hard to get into a good position for typing, however, since I'm usually using the iPad in some obscenely relaxed pose.
I'm a total Apple fanboy and in love with my iPad though, so take what I say with a grain of salt.
I do wish this thing had competing web browsers like chrome and opera but safari is ok for now.
There’s just something about surfing the Web
using Safari on the iPad. It feels different,
somehow. Apple’s marketing pitch says “it’s
like holding the Internet in your hands,” and
while that’s a little bit cheesy, it’s not
far off. There’s just something different about
holding that Web page in your hands, rather
than seeing it on a desktop or laptop PC, or on
a tiny iPhone screen. Tapping on links doesn’t
feel the same as clicking on them with a mouse.
It’s a good feeling.
That's contradictory. If you think that the lack of Flash is a feature, then why do you have it installed at all on your computer? The mere fact that you use Flashblock means that while you don't always want to see Flash applets, there are cases in which you do want to see them.
The problem is that we see web surfing and think it must be done on a Work Machine (tm). And therefore we also need to be able to edit word docs, answer our bosses emails, video conference on skype, etc.
Nope. It's about having some time to play games, read a book, browse the web, watch a video, glance through your pictures at a leisurely (singletasked) pace. If you expect it to replace a PC then just get a tablet PC or an android phone with a terminal. But that's not what most people want to do for fun.
And how much cash, awesome sunsets, emotional epiphanies or whatever is this "cutting edge experience" worth??
You're saying I'll missing out terribly on the opportunity to ... not do very much?
Uh, ever hear of Skyhook?
Nice feature, pretty useless, though.
So it's got a cache of nearby access points it can use for positioning even without a network connection.
About 4 blocks away, it mistakenly placed me on a hillside 4 blocks in the opposite direction from my starting point -- but the local topography makes it very possible it caught a momentary signal from a faraway access point still in its cache.
From that point on, it provided no additional updates to my location -- even though I was following a 'directions' route previously called up, stepped through, and zoomed-on. From this I conclude: it precaches Wifi points near where you are when initially using location, but not along planned paths or all map areas viewed.
That said, it's a roll of the dice. It's just like the original Apple computer. It's a great device looking for its killer app. Steve pushed it so far, there is no known and tested current use case to fall back on.
Now it's up to those of us who see the potential to implement the future.
Wow. This guy really needs to get some exercise.
The lack of flash, usb and a webcam are pretty much the only things that prevent me from buying one. It's too bad, the price isn't half bad, the device fells pretty good, I didn't really have any problems using it.
But those things are the easy stuff and they aren't even present on the device and they effectively lock me out of most of the daily web sites I use, connectivity to devices without buying some ridiculous adapter connector, and the ability to use it for the one thing that it seems to be absolutely designed to do, video chat.
My take: It is both awesome and meh, at the same time.
The web browsing experience is really fun and satisfying in a way that's different than on a desktop, laptop or iPhone.
The Google Maps app is much nicer because the view window is so much bigger and it can show so much more detail.
The Book reading thing was also pretty meh for me.
Verdict: I'm much more likely to buy this for my mom than myself, for reasons similar to what others across the web have said already. I can see it filling a niche, but for me, those niches are all already filled well or well enough that I can't justify the price. But I see how it could be mind-blowingly awesome and a great fit for some folks. Just not me, not right now.
I think Flash content is just blank on iPad.
Reminds you of anything? Yeah, it's Slashdot!
"Do you know what iPods have now? Wireless and more space than a Nomad! Not only was he correct about the iPod, but his comment directed Apple on the course that ultimately led to the iPhone. You fanboys owe Rob Malda for everything."