on Browsing: I think alot of it has to do with the type of browsing you do. The majority of my browsing is forums, news articles, school related materials and work related materials. In hindsight, if I was a different person with different uses for the web, I might not appreciate the iPad as much as I do now, which only affirms the fact that it is a different kind of product, that is meant for a particular audience, and even that particular audience will not like it if they are anticipating something else.
on Luxury item: Duh. My lampshade doesn't turn into a helicopter, but it's still useful. The majority of what we have are luxury items, the necessities make up so little of what we own. It has it's practical purposes, but it's also nice. I'm a Pastor, the majority of my professional use of the computer revolves around word processing, powerpoint, papers and e-mail communication. The kind of stuff that my dusty old 366MHz Laptop will do. That didn't stop me from using my dual core laptop I'm using right now, it's a practical convenience. The iPad also helps me in that way, e-mail correspondence is nice on it, plus doing research for schoolwork and even for my sermons is very nice by flipping through things with my fingers.
on It's-Not-A-Mac: You're right. So go buy a Mac if that's what you want.
on Flash: The response to Apple's push of HTML5 has been good, more and more websites (even YouTube) are headed towards HTML5. Apple says their number one support call comes from issues surrounding Flash, and that the number one reason Macs crash is because of flash. I would venture to say that the number one reason my dual boot laptop (Ubuntu 10, Windows XP) crashes, is flash, in either OS. Part of Apples product model with iOS is a user-friendly no-brainer device. When we download or buy software for our PC's we need to make sure it's safe, and that it's not going to crash. Apple does that for us. Now, that can be good or bad- bad because it restricts what we can and can't do by allowing Apple to block workarounds (such as the MiWi app for Jailbroken iPhones, which allows the user to work around AT&T's restricted use of a persons own data, by tethering outside of what is built in.) so it's a give-and-take thing, but it's not going to change. Apple says that the main reason they reject apps is because they cause the device to crash, or because it might not work with future OS updates (Custom API's), Flash would easily be denied in the app store. This can only turn out good in the long run, as it will at very least, increase the amount of HTML5 content on the web, to appeal to the iMarket.
on Screen Size: I don't care who you are, nobody can be as productive with an iPhone screen as they can be with a 10" iPad screen. It's a two-handed immerse-yourself-in-whatever device. The iPhone is convenient and small, and can probably do anything the iPad can do, but without a doubt there are things the iPad can do faster, and for the user, easier.
-John
on Luxury item: Duh. My lampshade doesn't turn into a helicopter, but it's still useful. The majority of what we have are luxury items, the necessities make up so little of what we own. It has it's practical purposes, but it's also nice. I'm a Pastor, the majority of my professional use of the computer revolves around word processing, powerpoint, papers and e-mail communication. The kind of stuff that my dusty old 366MHz Laptop will do. That didn't stop me from using my dual core laptop I'm using right now, it's a practical convenience. The iPad also helps me in that way, e-mail correspondence is nice on it, plus doing research for schoolwork and even for my sermons is very nice by flipping through things with my fingers.
on It's-Not-A-Mac: You're right. So go buy a Mac if that's what you want.
on Flash: The response to Apple's push of HTML5 has been good, more and more websites (even YouTube) are headed towards HTML5. Apple says their number one support call comes from issues surrounding Flash, and that the number one reason Macs crash is because of flash. I would venture to say that the number one reason my dual boot laptop (Ubuntu 10, Windows XP) crashes, is flash, in either OS. Part of Apples product model with iOS is a user-friendly no-brainer device. When we download or buy software for our PC's we need to make sure it's safe, and that it's not going to crash. Apple does that for us. Now, that can be good or bad- bad because it restricts what we can and can't do by allowing Apple to block workarounds (such as the MiWi app for Jailbroken iPhones, which allows the user to work around AT&T's restricted use of a persons own data, by tethering outside of what is built in.) so it's a give-and-take thing, but it's not going to change. Apple says that the main reason they reject apps is because they cause the device to crash, or because it might not work with future OS updates (Custom API's), Flash would easily be denied in the app store. This can only turn out good in the long run, as it will at very least, increase the amount of HTML5 content on the web, to appeal to the iMarket.
on Screen Size: I don't care who you are, nobody can be as productive with an iPhone screen as they can be with a 10" iPad screen. It's a two-handed immerse-yourself-in-whatever device. The iPhone is convenient and small, and can probably do anything the iPad can do, but without a doubt there are things the iPad can do faster, and for the user, easier.
-John
