Apple Newton MessagePad, 1993. It had a stylus, handwriting recognition, you could use it with just your fingertips, and you could connect an external keyboard.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/atow/4314242537/
That was almost twenty years a go. Newton was a very expensive experiment for Apple, and they have learned the hard way that styluses are not the way to go.
Also, the general pattern of "someone tried that once, and they failed, so nobody should ever do that" is a really terrible way to go about engineering. Wile E. Coyote should not be a roll model. Just because someone failed at something similar. Just because YOU failed at something similar, doesn't mean you should give up on the whole idea.
Also, he is a SU-per Geeen-ius!
I agree, that a good stylus would be a good addition to a tablet. A crappy stylus is worthless, though. It has to be a good one.
You could do a responsible program on a Nintendo DS with 40MHz. Lazy people.
(I did have one doctor that insisted on using an iPad. It took him forever to type notes to the point of it being extremely irritating. Transcribe your notes later!)
No, I'm in the Midwest, far from the sea. Unless you consider cornfields a sea of sorts.
Just curious, was this the Miami Children's Hospital? I actually built their whole check-in on the iPad experience in their hospital :)
You've either both not worked in any large companies lately AND never really used an iPad, or you are just blinded by platform bias.
The fact is that iPads are being massively adopted in Fortune 500 companies. And I can assure you that those users are not "screwing around with iTunes". In fact, iTunes doesn't even exist on the iPad, so you don't really know what you are talking about, at all.
(edit: Two instant downvotes on this, but I notice nobody is refuting my facts.)
I think that the integrated keyboard in both covers lets you make the choice which is what the point of the product seems to be.
Considering that Bud was spouting out of a bodily orifice, the rest of his argument is suspect as well. This, despite the fallacy of jrockway's argument deserves to be corrected.
At any rate, jrockway is a known troll. Should've known better than to enter this fight.
Launch the Apple Configurator app.
[+] Profiles -> Create new Profile...
Restrictions -> Configure button
Uncheck [Allow Installing Apps] Uncheck [Allow Use of iTunes Store]
Save, Prepare, done. Nasty icons gone.
I mean, I didn't work with Apple or Google, so I can guess you'd see them there. Neither bank allowed them on-site, and none of the defense contractors would even entertain the idea. You can also probably rule out obvious ones like Microsoft and HP from being big users of iPads. I can't imagine that the cashiers at Walmart, Target or the Home Depot are spending lots of time swiping around and now I'm quickly running out of companies.
I even did a part-time contract job at a company with 123,000 employees last year and not only didn't see an iPad, but they were forbidden on the corporate network and in most of the corporate offices (as was anything with a camera frankly).
oh, and FYI, jrockway actually does work at #73 on the 2012 list.
http://thenextweb.com/apple/2011/10/04/92-of-the-fortune-500...
I'm active duty Navy, so I hear you. I really do. I'm still using WinXP on NMCI and was recently directed to remove Chrome from my desktop. However,
http://www.dvidshub.net/news/71885/semper-fipad-marine-corps...
What I've seen is an aversion to the iPads, but there are certain places where they can't keep them out. If wireless is authenticated on AD or PSK, it's very difficult to stop them(though there are a growing number of options). If the executive has the power to override IT policy on approved devices, they have no choice.
For what it's worth, it's commonly referred to as the "Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)" movement or "the iPad problem".
Very few have truly accepted and encouraged iPad use since it's not an enterprise device. If you do have IT sponsorship for it, most companies are having to draw new lines around it rather than simply owning it like they historically did with Blackberries. Examples: you have to pay for your own, it has to be managed by MDM and have wipe privileges, you will have to access all applications through VDI, etc.
That said, enterprises aren't thrilled end users can take them home and sync them with their own iTunes and mess with what IT has built on the tablets. Plus Apple's grip on all aspects of the device don't lend to being controlled by MDM very well.
Enterprises are still looking for a replacement for Blackberry, and Microsoft is looking poised to make a shot. Apple doesn't seem interested in compromising their product to fit into the enterprise market.
You've either...
you are just blinded...
you don't really...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMate_300
Probably the best computer ever designed for children. I used one myself in school from 4th grade through 8th grade when I upgraded to a "real" laptop. The main reason for the upgrade: I couldn't program on the emate. Other than that it was in every way superior: Instant on, touch, nice keyboard, no distraction interface, usable in all lighting conditions, ect...
Now of course people would sneer at it since it didn't have any form of internet. However, at the time my teachers were more comfortable with it in the classroom due to those limitations.
But, here we are, with people praising Siri. It's how technology works-- every input modality is useful for some tasks, and at some level of maturity. Dismissing technological potential based purely on past technology is short-sighted. [For examples of how Pen+touch is a good idea see http://billbuxton.com/Pen+TouchUIST.pdf. Add type, and it could be powerful indeed]
- change playlists when when I'm working out or biking
- set the alarm when I go to bed
- reminders (a lot)
- the weather
- looking up something on wikipedia and imdb
- and sending short sms messages
I'd say my use has grown over the last few weeks as I'm biking a lot more. There was an initial trust issue, and I still sometimes have this weird feeling of being on the spot when I'm dictating to Siri, but otherwise best "app" on the phone for me.
1) Making it say silly things about hiding dead bodies in ravines.
2) Trying to make it text things, only to give up and type the message by hand. Usually done while driving, and usually spanning the course of around a minute.
It's not even remotely close to something usable yet, at least not from what I've seen. Just look at how people use it, they don't even understand [or maybe they just don't like?] the interface for it!
Most people I see address it by name, like you would the computer on star trek. They hold down the button, and then say:
"Siri, where can I get a blah blah blah nearby?"
Which usually doesn't return a useful result. In this time I'm usually searching on google maps, and telling them the instructions before they've finished their attempt at an interaction.
You don't invoke the service by addressing it. The service was invoked by pressing the button.
Seriously I have yet to see a person who uses siri for something useful.
It is much, much quicker to say "remind me about X tomorrow at 6pm" than unlock screen, find the app, open it up, create event etc.
I'm also a big fan of the iPad, but this definitely looks like something _worth criticizing_ (to paraphrase Alan Kay).
I think a big problem with this device as conceived is that most of the time I do not use my tablet neatly on a table, so the keyboard/cover is a cute gimmick, but only really of interest in limited cases (in much the same way as all the different keyboard options for the iPad, some quite clever, have proven a waste of time for me).
I'm all for experimenting by releasing products in the wild, hoping that the next iteration will finally find its market. But seriously, it's getting a little ridiculous.
And once the recognition fails, you're left with computer text that needs to be corrected. How? With a keyboard. So most people just gravitate toward using the keyboard in the first place.
A stylus is better for drawing (see: Wacom) but most people don't draw.
Yes, but making eInk good enough is just a matter of getting latency down low enough.
As a TabletPC user and a lawyer, I've been waiting for this form factor for years. IMHO, the only reason the TabletPC didn't thrive is (i) short battery life, and (ii) weight/size. This machine is, to me, the great promise.
No, what they learned is that requiring an active matrix behind the screen consuming battery and weighting more(and adding $1000 per device in terms of licenses), is not the way to go.
But I'm pretty sure that Apple is considering it with other technologies(like the same touch tech they use today with hi res for stylus). Not as the main input, of course, but for drawing like you can do on paper.
This is the single most important thing I need on a tablet as an engineer-designer, drawing sketches on a tablet so I don't need paper.