Apple Announces April 3rd Launch Date for Wi-Fi iPad in the U.S.

[rtdunham]

Wonder if the new MBP will be before or after april 3

since people have varying opinions of how the iPad will/won't overlap MB/MBP or otherwise effect MB/MBP purchases, it'll be interesting to see how they handle things without impacting the iPad launch.

my guess is there will either be a very limited updating of specs soon, or MB/MBP models with useful new features and specs will be delayed quite a while, maybe june, when the initial rush of iPad purchases has concluded.

 

[gohanmzt]

Ok

It does not run the same OS version as any current device.

I stand corrected then. Which OS version does the ipad run?

EDIT: I just saw the answer a few post down from yours. Thanks

 

[md63]

Why is the US always privileged? That's just not fair... What about devs from Europe who want to test their apps before releasing them?

There are several reasons why the US tends to get Apple products before the rest of world. First, Apple needs to ramp up production and doesn't want to build up massive inventories of any of its new products just so it can roll out simultaneously in all markets. Inventory costs money. Therefore when rolling out a new product its going to supply its most important market first and like it or not that is the US. The US has a much higher market share of Apple products than Europe or any where else. I recall some figures on relative market share of OS X of approximately the following. If someone has access to better figures I would love to see them.

Approximate OS X Market Share by Region

US - 11%
UK - 5%
Europe - Don't recall but less than UK market share.
Asia - 2%

 

[EagerDragon]

what about the people that don't have apple stores? And don't want to order online what gives

They have a long drive to someplace where there is an Apple store.

 

[rtdunham]

Ot

Oh well, at least we have good health care

I'm for that, but doesn't look like we'll get it here. Just out of curiosity, because better health care comes with a price, what's the top tax rate in your country? Do you know what it is for people making, say, $25k, $50k, and $100k?

Just to put this back OT: The more we pay in taxes, the less we have for toys.

 

[JimTigerPT]

A Saturday launch means insane lines at the Apple stores, even with some people pre-ordering.

Wonder how the lines will be if the Apple store have a midnight opening?

 

[gwangung]

There are a few differences, like those 'popover' windows, but they are not
Size counts.

Size sure as hell matters.

By the way, based on my own unscientific polling, the keyboard input is going to make a big difference. I see all sorts of interest from screenwriting and author types, so my guess is that "just an oversized iPod Touch" is going to generate a different audience than what's already there.

 

[gohanmzt]

Thanks

There are a few differences, like those 'popover' windows, but they are not huge. The thing is, the size of the screen itself makes a really big difference.

Take iWork. You can't do that on the phone, it would be painful (and they did add some stuff to allow handling "rich text"). On Pages for iPad you've got a screen you can really read, room to fit a chunk of text, rulers, an almost full size keyboard, ability to use a real Bluetooth keyboard (also new for the pad) and so on. The size makes a word processor possible. Same with Numbers and Keynote.

And, its the same with many apps. Two of my apps feature maps. Wow, there is a huge difference between the cramped way they look on the iPhone and the big/full screen maps on the iPad. Just check out Google Maps on the iPad when you get a chance, you see a big chunk of real estate in amazing detail in the satellite view. I can't wait to see TomTom-like navigation apps on the iPad.

I think for app after app, the larger screen will make a surprisingly big difference, games, productivity, readers, on and on. The pad can really replace a netbook for many. People disagree, but I'm sure of it. We will see loads of these on planes, in conference rooms, libraries, schoolrooms.

Size counts.

Thanks for your very objective answer, and after reading it it just made me realize that while this thing has its shortcomings it really is creating a new segment, much like the mac did a few decades ago. That right now this segment is subject to the whims of apple is another story altogether but since apple created it I guess it's their prerogative.

 

[Bioux]

See how happy people are when Apple just gives a release date for the iPad, even though it was later than we expected? All I want is the same thing for that lovely MBP.

 

[sharkinfested]

yeah show her who's boss.

Lol – well I did buy it for her and she reads all the time so it’s not like I could read it when she is using it anyway. BUT take this from an old married guy: If your wife ain’t happy then neither are you!

 

[jragosta]

I don't think of it as a giant iPod Touch. More a giant iPhone, with no phone, no compass and no camera, but with the added bonus of an XGA screen resolution of 1024x768, just like cutting edge technology in 1990.

Really? I could have gotten a 10" 1.5 pound tablet with 1 GHz dual (or more) core processor, WiFi 802.11n and 3G for $500 in 1990?

Wow. I guess I missed that.

You can't print.

Wrong. The iPhone prints, so there's no reason to believe the iPad won't.

In fact, given the addition of Pages and Numbers, it's likely that printing will be even MORE important and useful on the iPad than the iPhone.

You can't view any media beyond the limited formats supported by an iPod (no automatic updates to codecs).

Limited? Which common formats won't it view (other than Flash which isn't a media codec, anyway)? The iPad views all the formats that 99% of the population needs.

You can't access files on the device.

Wrong. You most certainly can. Not all files and not all applications, but that's the entire purpose of the device. If you want a laptop, get a laptop.

You can't attach files from the email client.

Wrong. I attach photos to my emails on the iPhone all the time. There's no reason to believe the iPad will be any different.

You can't plug in any USB devices beyond a camera - most notably thumb drives.

And you know this-how?

More importantly, it's clear that you have no concept of what the iPad is. It's NOT a laptop. If you want a laptop, get a laptop. If you try to stuff everything into the iPad that you'd put into a laptop, it's going to be much larger, heavier, more expensive, and far less attractive to the target audience.

You can't open more than one app at a time.

Once again, you're missing the entire point. While your statement is technically true, it's irrelevant. You CAN play music in the background while you read or browse the web. You can receive IM notifications in the background.

What you can't do is have multiple third party apps open at the same time. But since app switching is so quick and easy, who cares (other than mindless geeks who have a checklist of things THEY want - but don't know why). Are you going to watch a video and read a book AT THE SAME TIME? Are you going to be browsing the web while you're playing a game? Not bloody likely.

You can't say, "There's an app for that" because it's a limited work-around, not a solution. For example, there are apps that support printing. That doesn't give the iPad the ability to print, however. It just means you can print from within the app.

So you admit you were lying when you said you couldn't print? You can print what's on the screen. It hardly matters if you need to launch another app. Not to mention, of course, that you still don't know if the iPad works the same way or has printing built in.

Because the iPhone or iPod Touch will never be updated to 3.2 (or 4.0 along with the iPad)...

Really? Who told you that?

The iPhone has been updated several times - for free. What makes you so certain that it won't accept 3.2 or 4.0?

Obviously, you're someone who gets off on spreading lies about a product you've never used and have no plans to buy because you can't stand that other people might have something different than you. A good psychiatrist can probably help you with that.

 

[cvaldes]

what about the people that don't have apple stores? And don't want to order online what gives

Tim Cook, the Apple COO touched on this topic at the recent Goldman Sachs conference.

The iPad's launch will focus on direct sales (i.e., Apple's brick-and-mortar stores plus their online store). Shortly thereafter, Apple will distribute the device to stores with assisted sales (e.g., Best Buy).

Source: http://mashable.com/2010/02/23/ipad-best-buy/

 

[rtdunham]

I will keep refreshing my browser that morning to get into the pre-order queue as fast as possible

yep, i want everyone here to start placing their orders as soon as it's 10 am PST.

But which model to get?!?

The 3G vs no-3G is a fairly obvious debate. But I'd like to see more on what SSD size to get. That's a less obvious choice because we don't know yet how we're gonna end up using the devices. Is 16GB enough because we're gonna be connected all the time? Or is 64GB the minimum i'd want because i'll be putting pix and especially videos on it?

What are y'all thinking?

 

[Jaro65]

Finally
Maybe we can get some peace in the iPad Forum now

Hmmmm.... maybe not

Doubt it. Now everyone will start speculating what secret feature/application is delaying the release.

 

[SinfonianShrek]

Magical and revolutionary my butt.

Cool, yes. Intriguing, sure. Something I will buy? Not likely, I'm broke.

 

[cvaldes]

But I'd like to see more on what SSD size to get. That's a less obvious choice because we don't know yet how we're gonna end up using the devices. Is 16GB enough because we're gonna be connected all the time? Or is 64GB the minimum i'd want because i'll be putting pix and especially videos on it?

What are y'all thinking?

Technically, the iPad does not have an SSD because the NAND memory will simply be soldered to the motherboard. There is nothing inside the device that will have a SSD form factor.

As to storage requirements, it depends on the individual. How much video do you want on the device? How much music? If I recall correctly, Apple does not currently offer streaming media services. How often will you find yourself away from a network? These are questions you must answer yourself.

I know how much space I need for music, videos, apps, photos, etc. on my iPod touch, but those numbers are basically irrelevant to anyone else.

 

[JSmoove05]

The question is will be able to order more then 1 on the apple website?

 

[rtdunham]

I am going to wait until it is the Apple Store before thinking of getting an iPad. Like to play around with a device before purchasing. I waited eight months after the iPhone was released before buying one.

refresh my memory: what tweaks did you gain by waiting?

I will buy one for novelty purposes for the wife, but I imagine this will sit and gather dust like her IPod touch. Got her the 27inch i7 too, but she still prefers her Asus netbook....

You DO see a pattern here, right? Maybe you should stop buying things for her, and let her buy what she wants!

i hate America... you always get stuff first... and i hate Steve Jobs, promising us International Shipping Dates at the end of March, not end of April....

i hate (well, not really, but do you sense the mocking alert?)...i hate people who don't realize the wi-fi model's delayed THREE days, and the 3G model is ON SCHEDULE...i hate foreigners who don't read the news and think about it before they post...i hate...myself for wasting time on this, instead of thinking about how I'll be using my iPad a month before skate.

 

[cublah]

You know the lines may get long at an Apple store, but you are only buying and leaving, you are not waiting to activate an AT&T contract so the lines should move pretty quickly especially with pre-ordering.

 

[gekkota]

With all the news about a possible price drop if the iPad didn't sell as well as expected, I was hoping for a pre-release price cut...so that the same type of angry outcry from iPhone early adopters could be avoided.
Oh, well... I guess it's not to be.

 

[gwangung]

Technically, the iPad does not have an SSD because the NAND memory will simply be soldered to the motherboard. There is nothing inside the device that will have a SSD form factor.

As to storage requirements, it depends on the individual. How much video do you want on the device? How much music? If I recall correctly, Apple does not currently offer streaming media services. How often will you find yourself away from a network? These are questions you must answer yourself.

I know how much space I need for music, videos, apps, photos, etc. on my iPod touch, but those numbers are basically irrelevant to anyone else.

Yeah, very idiosyncratic. If I had one, I might go for the lowest storage, because music would be on my iPhone, but my books and my writings would be on my iPad; that's how the two would go together. (And then I'd discover I'd keep my VIDEO on my iPad and end up wanting more for that...)

 

[jragosta]

With all the news about a possible price drop if the iPad didn't sell as well as expected, I was hoping for a pre-release price cut...so that the same type of angry outcry from iPhone early adopters could be avoided.
Oh, well... I guess it's not to be.

'All the news'??? You mean one comment from a loud-mouthed journalist who NEVER gets anything right about Apple?

Not a chance.

 

[jeznav]

You can't print.

Yes wirelessly through Bonjour. That includes printers on a network or attached to a computer.

You can't view any media beyond the limited formats supported by an iPod (no automatic updates to codecs).

If Apple lifts up some private APIs then it's possible to support decoding codecs such as VC-1, Realvideo, Theora. Until then I'll stick with Core Video.

You can't access files on the device.

Yes, but not system files. Has public folders where you store documents in and can be read by any app supporting the format.

You can't attach files from the email client.

Yes as stated above.

You can't plug in any USB devices beyond a camera - most notably thumb drives.

The USB dongle does more than uploading pictures from a camera.

You can't open more than one app at a time.

That's because apps are displayed in full view. In the desktop world, windows overlap each other unless you resize them and set it side by side. You can have 50 programs running at once but you don't use them all once so instead you context switch. On a limited hardware, battery would suffer, system will have to kill the running process.

You can't receive an mp3 from email/IM and play it.

It supports file type association. If an app is installed on the device supporting the format, it will open. If it has more than one app for supporting the same format, it has Open with...

You can't say, "There's an app for that" because it's a limited work-around, not a solution. For example, there are apps that support printing. That doesn't give the iPad the ability to print, however. It just means you can print from within the app.

The most popular printing app quadruples as a file-storage app (required to print files you cumbersomely load in the app over WiFi), an email client (after you set up your accounts independently within the app), a web browser (to print web pages), and a photo viewer (to print photos synced through iTunes).

Really, that's the best printing method they can devise on the iPad? Even then, it's limited to printing over WiFi because you can't plug in a printer (through USB, a standard fare these days).

Now, I just took printing as an example, but these are the kinds of solutions for many types of apps.

I've said more than enough. Just wait until the device comes out. All of the things you've said are possible.

 

[DaveSW]

Apple Stock Hits All-Time High, Near $200B Market Cap

http://techcrunch.com/2010/03/05/apple-stock-hits-all-time-high-near-200b-market-cap/


nice!

 

[RalfTheDog]

Special gift for those who buy on the first day (I can't remember the exact words).

Apple keeps talking about how magical(TM) the device is.

The device is coming out on Easter weekend.

I think people who buy on the first day will get to pull a rabbit out of their iPad. I just hope the super hot chick that works at the local Apple Store will dress up like a Playboy Bunny.