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[isthisthingon]

I'm siding with the excluded, shivering, rain soaked masses who can't afford the $499 minimum price tag to keep current with the cutting edge technologies that Apple defines for the world. 

That's a pretty pathetic appeal to sympathy for folks who's lives will be utterly unaffected whether they can purchase an iPad or not.

There's no widening of the gap in the digital divide here. The unwashed, shivering masses can not afford to build or purchase one of your gaming supercomputers either, don't give me that hooie - perhaps not even an XBox. Just because it's something they WANT doesn't mean it's something that they deserve, nor that they need. No one is "left out in the cold" because they can't purchase an iPad, any more than they'd be left out in the cold because they can't purchase a notebook. Or even a netbook.

Silly to me that on one hand we'd talk about the utter triviality of such a new device, and on the other whip the great horse of economic division because po'folk can't have one.

You've emphasized my point brilliantly, and I believe unwittingly: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_divide.

Yes sir, I am most definitely a member of the haves and partake in building gaming "supercomputers" to my heart's content.  I also do what I can to reveal the sham of a shell game we westerners hide behind.

I'm reading a great book called "The Official ubuntu Book" 4'th edition.  Honestly I didn't know what ubuntu even meant until I looked it up.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_%28philosophy%29

Ubuntu is an ethic or humanist  philosophy  focusing on people's allegiances and relations with each other. The word has its origin in the Bantu languages of southern Africa. Ubuntu is seen as a classical African concept.[1]  The Ubuntu operating system was named for this principle.

As was the iPad announcement, this post is totally nothing new for itto.  I'm a die-hard open source/free software man.  $500 creates a barrier that forbids most of the world from participating in the iPad experience.  I'll join them until Apple brings this entry price down so millions of others can learn and enjoy the experience along with us 

[kurdt]

Why? Because we have to know/understand it. But that said, PinkHat and I *often* are in bed or in some place other than our desk where we want more than the phone, but I don't want to take my entire laptop. This device is not everything - but it is a lot. It is a great bridge/gap device between the phone and a notebook.

That's exactly my problem with this device. I immediately thought this scenario too BUT then again, it's only that scenario. I can't picture myself using this device in everyday situations and that's the final deal killer for me.

We all knew that the rumors FAR FAR outstripped what the machine would be, so let's not get too hyperbolic about it. It is disappointing in a lot of ways, but so was the iPhone (think Edge and no apps etc etc) when it first came out. There is NO WAY IN HELL that this thing could have lived up to the hype. This is a PLATFORM. They are now going to let early adopters do real-world beta testing for them, and just like we eventually got the app store and video and more memory and a faster processor and real GPS and and and ... so will this platform grow. I am both disappointed and very excited. I know from the discussions on this board that there is no satisfying a lot of folks - there will ALWAYS be a feature that is missing, ergo it's a pile of shit. I honestly expected nothing different.

I know what you are saying and I really wasn't expecting god device like some people obviously were in the forums. But I was expecting something new simply because of all the ideas that have been floating around the web. When iPhone came out, they really did something in a new and innovative even it didn't have all those advanced tech features like 3G or Appstore. It was a-w-e-s-o-m-e take on the concept of phone. Now Steve Jobs said himself that there has to be something new with this third category but then he fails miserably to demonstrate what's new. To me it feels like that Apple didn't release tablet, they released iPhone with bigger screen. They didn't have anything to justify iPad being third category except the form factor and because they said so. If Steve would had said that "ok, we realize that even iPhone is awesome, screen size restricts it. so we made a bigger one." it would have been cool. I'm not buying "it's a platform" point either. Again it's basically iPhone with more processing power and bigger screen.

iPad is only good for dabbling and playing around. Because there's no multitasking, I can't do any work except something I can do with one program like do some quick forking with SSH or write something with Pages. It feels like it doesn't even try to be useful like laptops. If you have only one program you use in your work, like doctors might have, then this device will be awesome. So like I said, I feel this doesn't bring anything new to justify creating new category.

But I do believe that this type of computing will be the future but iPad is like mockups on the web, looks great but doesn't do anything useful.

[isthisthingon]

They didn't have anything to justify iPad being third category except the form factor and because they said so.

Because they said so   

[kurdt]

Guys, just watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftf4riVJyqw&feature=related

I know you have seen it but just watch it. iPad is nifty little thing but it just doesn't live even in the near galaxy compared to what that presentation above delivered.

[deregular]

 

[nutballs]

Citrix receiver, my thoughts exactly. Glad to see we are thinking the same lines. That pallet jud became slot smaller. But that is not consumer oriented, and that is what this thing is billed as, a consumer lifestyle device

the lacking features are not deal breakers, IF the dock port is able to accept ANY device, different combo.

Voip over 3g? Pffft the carrier will block it.

I also don't think any of us expected it to live up to the rumors in the slightest. But, I did expect 1 or 2 obvious things, like a forward facing camera.

[isthisthingon]

>iPad is nifty little thing but it just doesn't live even in the near galaxy compared to what that presentation above delivered.

Wicked argument.  How can even the staunchest of fanbois argue against this since it's Apple against Apple.  They both have to be right! 

>forward facing camera (nuts)

I wonder if having this would reveal how weak single threading is since obviously people would want video conferencing with VoIP and simultaneous Internet browsing.  But I also have a sneaking suspicion that this will be an upgrade or a must-have next version.  God we're such slaves to consumerism. 

[rcjordan]

>RCJordan assertions of no positive press, both Engadget and Gizmodo have pretty damn glowing reviews
>whoop-de-do-all-thumbs-up-gotta-have-it review

Found one, though it struggles.

Why Apple's iPad will change gadget world
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_14279787


>engadget
Not so credible. They gave Calancanis a handjob from the git-go.  Their review is somewhat akin to the McGraw-Hill (faked) nipple-slip.

http://www.slashgamer.com/2010/01/27/real-info-about-apples-islate-and-its-gaming-aspect/


Gizmodo (currently in the leaderboard header section):
8 Things That Suck About the iPad
http://gizmodo.com/5458382/8-things-that-suck-about-the-ipad

BusinessInsider
Mossberg Damns The iPad With Faint Praise
http://www.businessinsider.com/henry-blodget-mossberg-damns-the-ipad-with-faint-praise-2010-1

[isthisthingon]

Found one, though it struggles.

Why Apple's iPad will change gadget world
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_14279787

Either I've become prescient or this is a wicked Deja Vu.  I swear I've read rc saying "found one, though it struggles" before   I didn't read it the first time you posted it but I couldn't agree more with this opener:

Who would have thought that the most innovative thing about the iPad was going to be its price?

That's what totally hit me with the yuck stick.  When I realized price was the "big secret" and this secret was nothing even remotely newsworthy, they completely lost my vote for it.  But I have fantastic news for Apple fans!  The following product is all you need to fix the situation: https://www.asseenontvvideo.com/511809/What-Odor.html

[rcjordan]

>Deja Vu

Oops, sorry. That's going to happen somewhere when you're involved in a few forums.

I get a lot of my reading on the pulse of things from watching headlines wax and wane. Before the iTampon's release, I had decided that my personalized Reddit (primarily set to the tech category to tune out the politics) would be a good place to gauge the success of the rollout.  It was pretty good, very much in line with the general sentiment of the press --disappointment.

>light & thin

Not really a big deal in terms of being groundbreaking. I have a Toughbook W2 and an R7. The W2 is 1.8 inches at the hinges where the battery is but only 1.2 inches in front. It has an magnesium-alloy case and weighs 2.9 pounds.  12" screen and battery life (new) was 7 hours.  It's 4 or 5 years old. (Best laptop we've ever owned, btw.)

The R-7 also has an magnesium-alloy case. 10.4-inch screen. Case: 9.0×7.2×0.9 (front) 1.6 (hinge) inches and 2.0 pounds. Battery life (new) was 8 hours. It's approaching 2 years old.

[perkiset]

I can't take that much time ATM, but I'm all geared up for a complete refutation of you nay-sayers.

In fact, as I work more through the thinking and what's about to come, the more excited I get.

Stay tuned, film at eleven.

[rcjordan]

>complete refutation of you nay-sayers

As perceived by you, perhaps.


No wait! The ipad has been saved. It'll do porn.

http://www.businessinsider.com/publisher-apps-for-ipad-2010-1

<added>

I do agree that it's going to sell despite its limitations, probably with a big pick-up once ver2 corrects some of the problems.  Piper Jaffray predicting "Apple will sell 3 million to 4 million iPads in the first year. It may sell as many 8 million in 2011, which would add $4.6 billion to revenue, almost equivalent to Apple’s current iPod business. Some of those gains will likely come at the expense of Apple’s current 3.5-inch iPod Touch player."  (Note, however that the Piper Jaffray guy also says "It needs to be $300 to $400”)

"Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s David Bailey predicts sales of as many as 6 million iPads this year, adding $3.9 billion in revenue and 99 cents a share in profit."

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-01-28/apple-s-ipad-may-take-year-to-be-breakout-product-update1-.html

So 4 or 5 million over the next 12 months seems mid-range in these predictions.

[vsloathe]

Completely underwhelming.

If you are happy with what we know so far of this product, I'd like to purchase some of whatever you're smoking.

[perkiset]

Still don't have much free time, but I'm starting to wonder if The Steve Show was just early.

Current rumors show that the "Return to call" bar has been demonstrated on the iPad already.

Camera traps are all in the new SDK.

Here, the most interesting of the morning is videos of the iPad and the NYT running flash. Yep, if that's for real and just wasn't announced yet, it'd be big ... although really curious as to why it wasn't discussed.

I'm wondering if there'll be another show just as it is released with "all the new goodness you want now installed" or something ... Who knows. but the rumors are flying at fever pitch yet again.

Another interesting article this morning from a guy that claimed the browsing experience on the pad was better than anything else he'd ever used ... "by a lot." This because touching the screen and the speed of rendering made for something that was more intuitive and quick.

I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on one. There is an old saying that "it's all pink on the inside..." so the equilibration would be that "it's just tech and browsing." But there are always those few that we remember ... or married that simply knock our socks off. I'm wondering if that's exactly what this little thing is.

[perkiset]

BTW @ ITTO, re. Digital Divide: you are way off base here. The term refers to the inability or limited ability for people to get to the information sphere. The argument that the tablet increases that gap is like saying that because someone can only afford a bean bag and not a leather chair they have no ability to sit. Just because people cannot afford the new shiny shiny does not mean that they are limited in their information gathering capability. I think it is a vast fallacy to assert that all people must be able to afford all technology for their to be balance - especially along some arbitrary numberic line. And to that point, if you add up a tablet and the iWork suite ($30) you're in for a super superior experience and capability than a netbook.