A bit disappointed in the iPad now..

[Pinger]

Again my point was "I was disappointed" and i hoped the 2nd generation addresses the shortfalls NOT I hate this iPad and rants of bashing the iPad.. Loyalty to Apple is fine but rude "drivel" is ridiculous and childlike.. Hopefully Apple reads this forum and sees what it's consumers want and need and uses it for improving each coming generation of it's products..
I've been on forums such as this for over 18 years such as Dell, IBM, Windows ect. and never have I seen replies so rude and childlike.. Maybe the moderators should get a bit more aggressive here as they do on other forums and weed out the bad "apples"..

 

[Stealthipad]

Cumbersome or not, flash is here to stay and will not be offered on an Apple device. Until these new tablets were introduced, there were few choices and Apple was STILL the winner.

Things will be changing in the months to come. I love my iPad but not so much that I would limit myself to only an Apple product!

Flash is a cumbersome, antiquated, resource-hound and is not a necessary thing when there are dozens if not hundreds of custom-tailored iPad apps to handle news, weather, sports, whatever you would need really. I use the accuweather app and have no problems at all with it. Not sure why you would need USB inputs unless you're trying to upload from a camera or something - an if that's the case, you can get the iPad Camera Connection Kit (SD or USB). As for Flip videos, as another reader mentioned, they require conversion, but work quite well.

Before bashing the technology, make sure you've done your homework.

 

[joehahn]

OP,

I read all of the responses people were giving you and didn't find anything that was half as "rude and childish" as you make it out to be. The main focus was on why you shouldn't be complaining about the stuff that you are. Yes, the iPad does not support flash, but the overwhelming majority of the sites still using Flash have applications optimized for your iPad and function worlds better than their online counterparts. And I have no idea why people see it as a short coming to not have dual cameras on the ipad...Front webcam....yes that would be a great thing to have, but honestly what are you going to do with a rear camera? Anyone trying to use it in public would just look stupid...And as far as the behavior of people on these forums, or any forum for that matter, nobody knows who you are so it's always safe to assume the worst of a situation, after all that's the correct guess more often that not. And people generally can be as rude and childish as they want because anonymity is gives you the freedom to do so.

 

[ssdeg7]

Asking for a USB port in an iPad is like asking for a diskette in your Mac

 

[ripper998]

sorry, but my post was not childish or anything other then confused.

How can you buy a device and take it on a trip not knowing its limitations? Something doesnt add up here and I am calling shenanigans. You are not talking about its detractors overall, you are talking about a specific instantance in which you are on vacation. Again, doesnt add up that you were happy with what it did before you left only to discover its limitations when you were away from a desktop/laptop?

 

[iPhoneCollector]

The web on my iPad looks the same as the web on my Mac, but that's because I removed Flash from the Mac about 2 years ago.

The onlu reason i keep flash on my mac is because of youtube. But overall the ipad is my primary computer

 

[Uofmtiger]

I did my research before purchasing it therefore I avoided your misfortune.

It seems that a lot of people don't research the stuff they buy because I see a lot of posts complaining about how the iPad owner was disappointed when they came to the realization that it didn't have Flash, USB, and camera. The fact is that it is extremely well publicized that these features don't exist on an iPad.

I just wonder why people take more time going to websites to complain than reading a couple reviews of the stuff they buy?

Personally, I have things I want to see on future versions of the iPad...but I can also say that about every piece of tech that I own.

 

[ucfgrad93]

Sorry OP, but it seems like you should have known about these limitations before you bought your iPad.

 

[matt90036]

Unless the OP was forced to purchase his iPad at gunpoint, he has no one to blame for his "terrible experience" but himself. I mean really, the iPad doesn't support Flash and has no USB ports. If either of those facts is a problem for you, don't buy an iPad to begin with.
??

Yes the op has himself to blame but he has EVERY right into world to say that he is disappointed.

I like my iPad, I knew it's limitations before I bought it. I am greatly disappointed that it is missing key features. I don't like the way that steve jobs locked everything down.

To OP
You can try some several programs to help you fix the iPad into a usable computer.
- jailbreak it to stick it up to the man
- ifile will open up the system
- if you don't want to jailbreak it use good reader and atomic browser
- there is no fix for flash just hang in there and wait for android or playbook tablets to come up on the market

 

[poloponies]

I don't like the way that steve jobs locked everything down.

Aaargh. Apple does what it can within the parameters that allow it function as a company. It's not a matter of Steve Jobs' whims, it involves a balancing between providing a useful set of features without hurting other segments of Apple's business. Other companies can throw a lot of features in and hope something sticks because they aren't risking cannibalization of other products. That's true for Blackberry, Samsung and Motorola (especially true of Notion Ink).

The fact that Apple provides consistently desirable products within those parameters is commendable. There's little doubt that the iPad and MacBook lines will converge at some future point and the distinctions will fade, but if they provided 90% of the features and functionality of a MacBook in an iPad then MacBook sales would plummet.

 

[matt90036]

, but if they provided 90% of the features and functionality of a MacBook in an iPad then MacBook sales would plummet.

Well the apple is doomed because playbook and honeycomb will give 90% functionality of a MacBook.

 

[adnoh]

I am on vacation in Mexico and finding it a bit disappointing.. I thought it was great not having to pack up my laptop was a big plus but finding the lack of flash is making new & weather browsing disappointing plus the no USB inputs is definitely missed.. Also I tried to load a bunch of Flip videos onto it before I left only to have iTunes tell me they are not compatible with the iPad.. I'm finding here on vacation my new Windows Phone 7 is out working my iPad and that is a very sad thing.. In the coming months I may be looking to go with a android or if they come up with a Windows Phone7 OS for tablets instead of the 2nd gen. iPad.. Either will need to come with USB ports, Flash, front and rear cameras..

good for you.

Buy a galaxy tab.

See ya!

 

[poloponies]

Well the apple is doomed because playbook and honeycomb will give 90% functionality of a MacBook.

That's the risk Apple faces. If the PlayBook provides a superior experience it will compete effectively and may outpace the iPad in sales. But it's still vaporware until you can see how it functions in real-life.

 

[harcosparky]

Yes but other people like having USB to do the following
- transfer files from USB drive
- connect a camera without carrying an extra cable
- connect a keyboard fo some serious typing
- connect your mp3 player
- connect video conferencing camera

I'd like to have Firewire 800 to hook up my RAID ARRAY!

Oh wait, that's what the MBP is for!

Yes but other people

Yes but other people ... need to learn the limitations of a device before they buy it, and not buy it them complain afterwards !!!!

 

[LeighAnna Jones]

I almost was going to jump and get an iPad; but then I thought; "I'm going to wait for a GREAT, OUTSTANDING version.

I think I'll get a macbook air or a regular macbook instead. The iPad does not do enough things to replace a laptop.

 

[matt90036]

If I'm going to hear another person saying that the OP should have learned the limitations of the device I am going to shoot myself... Read the post that I wrote 5 posts above before you say something so arrogant again.

 

[darngooddesign]

Should have bought Skyfire web browser. That would have sorted out your flash problem

How does Skyfire sort out regular Flash sites? Video is an extremely narrow aspect of Flash use on the web.

Asking for a USB port in an iPad is like asking for a diskette in your Mac

That's a horrible analogy. USB is a currently supported technology.

 

[PatrickCocoa]

To/Too/Two

To many nuts running the nuthouse here for me to hang around.. Apple's discussion community will do just fine..

That should be "Too many nuts".

 

[darngooddesign]

That should be "Too many nuts".

You should be using “ ” instead of the inch symbol.

 

[joehahn]

guys, a sad time has befallen us...Pinger has left..

 

[kdarling]

Flash. Would you like to be able to see the abundance of flash ads and maybe the occasional video, or would you rather have your iPad battery last more than three hours like the rest of the world?

It's not a problem.

As most people should know by now, mobile Flash can be set to be either 1) off, 2) on always, or 3) only appear if you click the little onscreen icon (what used to be a blue box on iOS).

So the battery doesn't get used up as you thought, because most people have the plugin set to only show Flash sections on demand. And even if it isn't, most people wouldn't sit on a huge animation page very long anyway.

I've personally found that Angry Birds uses up far more battery

How can you buy a device and take it on a trip not knowing its limitations?

Easily. Very easily. I'm as techie as they come, but when I bought an iPad for my mother to use, I simply didn't realize how much out there was based on Flash. I must've taken it for granted.

For instance, she went to a family Flickr bookmark and tried to play the slideshow, but the iPad showed nothing. A little bit later, someone sent a Flip HD movie link to her in email of a grandkid. Guess what also didn't work? She was pretty disappointed in her first computer and so was I.

 

[SidBala]

Well it seemed the OP enjoyed his WP7 more.

WP7 FTW!

 

[Uofmtiger]

I think people need to stop thinking of the current tablets as being desktop replacements. There will be files that can't run on every device I see coming out in the near future. If I send a Playbook owner an ALAC or Flac file, they can't play it. While that may be a disappointment, it is just a fact of life. Personally, I use ALAC a lot more than flash.

I don't think the iPad works as a great first or only computer. You also need a computer for updates, backups, syncing, etc...

Personally, if the iPad had been a full scale computer, I would not have bothered with it. I wanted something similar to my iPhone with a much larger screen for running apps, reading, web surfing, etc.. I actually like iOS.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

Just got back from Mexico myself. On what news and weather sites did you need Flash? That's just plain silly. I used the same sources as I do in the states so I don't get your complaint. I also traveled through much of Europe over the summer and the absence of Flash was a non-issue.

Why not use one of the zillion weather apps available at the AppStore???
Flash is not a must have add-on to check the weather.

 

[Uofmtiger]

There are also a lot of news apps.