What the iPad 3 really needs: fewer stupid articles about the iPad 3
reverttosaved.com
reverttosaved.com
I dont't personally understand everyone's need for a stylus. I hear this complaint from time to time, and with how intuitive apple's keyboard is on the iPhone/iPad ( really its the only one I can remotely stand. And yes it's far from perfect) I just don't see much of a need. If I was taking handwritten notes in class id be carrying around a notebook.
I don't understand why it needs to be everyone. How about some people want a stylus, some people don't? (Which is why, for instance, Samsung has a tablet with a stylus, and a tablet without. They have a smartphone with a stylus, and a smartphone without. They didn't go all in on the stylus).
I can certainly see value for me, especially if it's pressure sensitive. Outside of obvious painting and drawing apps, even for something where you need to interact with small objects on the screen, using a big finger, obscuring the entire area you're trying to interact with with a meat sausage is suboptimal. Substituting a little appendage can be very useful.
But it isn't for everyone. Which is why I don't get the utter fearsome defensiveness about the stylus that many in the Apple camp seem to resort to (e.g. Gruber): It isn't for them, and that's great, but trying to mock others who might want it? That's just weird.
Not trying to start a debate on stylus use, I'm sure those who use them with a tablet very good reasons for doing so. In my own personal life and opinion, I just don't see the need.
Like the Note's Superbowl ad, where really the only noticeable difference (from a mainstream consumer's perspective) is the stylus. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V40oo4kkzHg
It was a pitch for a specific product and thus highlighted the attributes of that product. If Samsung is presenting it as a must-have killer feature, why do so many of their products actually lack a stylus?
I also don't care if a vehicle can parallel park itself, yet if a manufacturer makes a model with that feature they're naturally going to highlight it.
It's a feature of a product. A feature that appeals to some, turns off others. That's how the whole choice thing works.
If I wanted to deal with a bunch of loose notes, flipping pages finding what I want, unable to categorize them w/o ripping them out or have a notebook for each project/subject, I'd be carrying around (a) notebook(s).
Stylus will give me the freedom to quickly sketch, make notes, mail/print them on the fly without scanning, make edits, project it on monitors and screens, etc etc. TBH, it's probably more handy for designers than developers in this regard.
Unfortunately there isn't a stylus that's precise and responsive enough for what most people want…the only product that comes close I've seen is iPen, http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ipen/ipen-the-first-acti... unfortunately it is becoming quite a circus due to delays, refunds and complaints.
O well…
So, tell me again why there is any debate about why there is no stylus? Because there isn't a form-fitted hole for a proprietary styles? Because apps aren't designed for styli (the ones that need them are)?
What they're really pining for is "a stylus that doesn't suck". Or rather, the experience of pen on paper using an iPad. Apple hasn't figured out how to do this well, so they haven't done it yet.
It'd also be nice if I could search my handwritten notes without having to rip them out of a notebook and scan them in and run OCR software.
The difference between doing digital art on a real tablet (of the Wacom kind) with a stylus and doing digital art on an iPad is precisely the difference between drawing with honest-to-God pencils and fingerpainting.
Apple isn't a traditional tech company. The majority of Apples 'new products' aren't new at all. They are just a new iteration of an existing product.
Many tech commentators look at the iPad 3 and see it as make or break. They want reason's why you would toss aside your iPad 2 and buy an iPad 3. The fact is though, if you don't want to piss away your money you will not get an iPad 3 if you own an iPad 2.
Its like like if you own a 2010 iMac you didn't buy a 2011 iMac (I assume there was a 2010/11 iMac). While the latest model is superior, quicker, has better gizmo's etc. The one you have is just fine.
The iPad 3 will be the continued evolution of the iPad product, just as the iPad 2 was. This isn't a new product, Apple is just continuing to keep its product up to date.
The branding seems to contradict that idea. If it's just an update, then why not just keep calling it "the iPad", without appending a Big Shiny Version Digit? You know, like they do with all of their other desktop and notebook products?
Apple rarely does radically new devices. That happens maybe once every three years or so. They also support older devices for a relatively long time when it comes to mobile devices (and for a relatively short time – but still not really short, but short compared to Microsoft – when it comes to PCs).
Look at what they do, don’t try to read something into their product names.
—
† Which we don’t even know yet.
Because eventually there's going to be an iOS version or an application that only runs well on version X of the iPad. It's a lot easier for a user to understand "Only works on iPad 2 or better" then to understand "Only works on iPads manufactured on or after March xth 2012".
System Information was actually the easiest way to get such a specifier before Lion, which now shows the "MacBook Pro 13-inch, Mid-2009" in the brand new "More Info..." of "About This Mac".
There is nothing happening with PCs, only boring spec-bumps and maybe a port more or less. The only interesting thing that did happen was the introduction of ultra-books – and even that was years ago.
CPUs and GPUs get faster, but PCs are already extremely fast. There is much more headroom for improvement with mobile devices, their spec bumps are actually good for something.
I don’t see the point you are making at all. Upgrading every other year gets you loads of improvements.
If you buy an iMac now you get the same old boring thing you could get three years ago. Do you really think non-nerds will be able to tell the difference? Heck, even I think that there is little to no practical difference between a 2012 and a 2009 iMac. They are the same goddamn thing (for all intents and purposes).
Unless you're a professional film editor or a gamer (and, in the latter case, I'm not sure why you'd be using a Mac), you really don't need to replace Macs every 3 to 4 years. Especially desktops. The desktop market has matured, and it is moving along at a relatively incremental, unexciting pace. There's surprisingly little difference between a 4-year-old iMac and today's iMac, aside from some relatively minor spec upgrades and a new port.
I don't want to piss away my money, but that Retina display is what I'm after. I sold my iPad when I bought an iPhone because the display was just too damn ugly in comparison... I am excited about the iPad 3 for just this reason.
The sad other fact is that people who upgrade the iPad 1 may do so for much more frustrating reasons than blogs want to write about. iOS5's Safari and sometimes even Springboard are so slow on my iPad 1 that I am really tempted to upgrade to the iPad 3 just for that. Frustrating mostly because iOS 3.2 felt like riding a rocket and I don't use any new features introduced since then.
The main reason being I can probably sell my iPad2 for £250-£300, Apple products tend not to depreciate in value (much) so the cost isn't that prohibitive when you're on the iOS device ladder
Don't you think there are many iPad owners out there who are thinking the same thing ? Were are you all going to dump your iPad 2 at the same time ? Especially if it has a killer feature that makes a lot of people want to upgrade and also makes the old iPad less desirable. Also include the original iPad users who will be upgrading. My guess is second hand iPad market is going to take a dive when iPad 3 comes out, so selling before that point might be a better idea, if you can live without your iPad for few weeks or so.
Or you could wait until it's unveiled before deciding whether it is worth buying.
But this is one of the most profitable/important products by one of the most profitable and interesting companies in the world, so what do you expect?
You mean the "no wireless, less space than a Nomad. lame"? I think that was more CmdrTaco's personal opinion than a review for the general public, like these pundits are supposedly doing. He probably has very different priorities when choosing gadgets when compared to the average person; I know I do.
http://thenextweb.com/apple/2012/03/06/apple-could-lose-9-bi...
I was thinking of making an iPad headline generator, which looks something like <N random characters>iPad<N random characters>
Personally, I'd drool if I see an ipad announced with a stylus - not just the blunt kind that you can get today, but a true Wacom calibre stylus complete with tilt sensor, pressure sensor, side buttons and "flip to erase". That'll be my dream educational computing device!
I do wonder if the Fire will be a bigger success, especially worldwide. It's not a direct iPad competitor - it's not a product for the same market segment - but I can see it selling well in lower income places. An iPad will never be a huge success here in Portugal, for example (and in my opinion, of course).
When it comes to reviews its good to follow the money. It'll lead to why a review recommends one thing over another. That then trickles down to smaller sites. The little guys echo what the big guys say and hope they can ride some coat tails and get some Adsense revenue. Just take a look at any tech scandal like the Path address book fiasco. As soon as it became a big story everyone wanted in on the action and most everyone just echoed the popular opinion.