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Apple iPad Pre-Orders to Begin February 25th? Speculation about Other Features?

Frisco said:
Say hello to the new Apple TV. Only Mac fan-boys will buy :p
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No offense, but someone ought to frame this comment. It's going to look so wrong before this year is out.

I don't think a lot of us have caught on yet to how big a change the iPad represents. I'll simplify it:

The mainframe era gave way to the mini era.
The mini era gave way to the PC era.
We are now about to see the PC era give way to the tablet era.

People who say this is just a big iPod touch have missed the point. The iPod touch was a baby step toward this new era that proved the point. This is going to be massive. Fan boys can't see it because this is going to be directed at the non-fan boys. The 80-90% of the world market that do not get computers, never have, and now need not in the future. They might have one in their homes, but they barely know what to do with the thing other than what their relatives showed them.

That 80-90% of the world market is suddenly going to get computers the way we all got it when PCs came out.

And no, this isn't because of the form factor, or else Microsoft would have already won this market. No, this is going to be a new era because of the software. This is going to be a new era without a mouse, without file systems, without the things we think of as a PC -- because it won't be a PC. It's a new era. Just watch and see.
 
the first time I didn't want it. now, I found the reason to buy it. so I pretty much decided to go ahead. but I am not desperate to connect wifi everywhere. so I don't need 3G model. 32GB is just fine. so after decision, there is no more wondering about ipad. ipad is just pad.
 
Frisco said:
Say hello to the new Apple TV. Only Mac fan-boys will buy :p
Click to expand...

Not a fanboy, and I'm actually considering one. I'm just holding on to some of the other announced tablets. :cool:

But then again, I definitely do not share this opinion:

NebulaClash said:
The mainframe era gave way to the mini era.
The mini era gave way to the PC era.
We are now about to see the PC era give way to the tablet era.
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This is not a new era, this is nothing new. It's just a better implementation of something that already exists (and heck, it's still missing quite a few things)
 
cumanzor said:
This is not a new era, this is nothing new. It's just a better implementation of something that already exists (and heck, it's still missing quite a few things)
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Another quote to frame. You'll see. People who are heavily involved in the previous era rarely perceive when that era is about to fade.

And just to be clear, I don't mean PCs will disappear. I mean, there are still mainframes in use today, but it's hardly the mainframe era. So too will PCs continue to be heavily used in the work environment, but the PC era is about to end. The home user is going to move toward mouseless tablets that they won't think of as computers at all.

All of us in this thread will still have our Macs or PCs. I'm not talking about us.
 
All iPads include the Location Manager, which is the thing that apps query to get the device's location. The Location Manager does its best to come up with a location, given the hardware, settings and signals it has at hand. The Location Manager also tells apps how accurate it thinks the obtained location is.

The Wi-Fi-only iPad only has WiFi, so if it is on a network, it uses the IP address, and perhaps a large SkyHook database of WiFi hotspots to come up with a location.

The 3G iPad has 3G cellular, so it also adds information about the locations of nearby cellular towers into the mix. The 3G iPad also has a GPS chip, which can of course get very accurate coordinates, but more slowly than the less accurate methods.


The Location Manager is clever and uses all the resources at its disposal to get and update coordinates with increasing accuracy.

Why does only the 3G iPad have the GPS chip? Because only the 3G iPad has the black plastic strip along the back of the device! The plastic strip lets the weak 3G signal through the case. The GPS satellite signals are even weaker than the 3G signal, so the plastic is needed to be able to receive it.
 
Lepton said:
Why does only the 3G iPad have the GPS chip? Because only the 3G iPad has the black plastic strip along the back of the device! The plastic strip lets the weak 3G signal through the case. The GPS satellite signals are even weaker than the 3G signal, so the plastic is needed to be able to receive it.
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Remember a long time ago when Steve himself apologized for the black plastic rectangle on the BACK of an handtop? Remember he made a point of it? He was testing the waters for iPad.

Apple should widen OS compatibility on release to 10.4.11 and 10.5.x and 10.6.x so more folks can use iPad out of the box. Interestingly plenty of folks are still using 10.3.x and 9.2.2. Perhaps an app for that?

Rocketman
 
What I think that most people do not appreciate is that miniscule changes in the smartphone/tablet market are likely to make the difference between a big winner and a big loser.

The iPad is not revolutionary on paper, but if the UI tweaks allow the device to excel at one or two things well, it will be a huge winner.

The ipod touch still doesn't do any more than what a Dell axim or ipaq did 7 years ago, to be honest. But it does do them in ways such that I want to use the ipod touch.
 
NebulaClash said:
Another quote to frame. You'll see. People who are heavily involved in the previous era rarely perceive when that era is about to fade.
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Let's talk in a few years. Perhaps you will be right, I don't know, but the iPad misses some things that would allow it to replace a home computer.

The home user is going to move toward mouseless tablets that they won't think of as computers at all.
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You are dangerously underestimating the needs of the average customer.
 
I'm actually more excited about the iPad now, then when it was announced. The apps are going to be killer! I like where the Omni Group is going with their support of the iPad.
 
Rocketman said:
Remember a long time ago when Steve himself apologized for the black plastic rectangle on the BACK of an handtop? Remember he made a point of it? He was testing the waters for iPad.

Rocketman
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I don't remember it, when was that, the iphone launch you mean?
 
cumanzor said:
Let's talk in a few years. Perhaps you will be right, I don't know, but the iPad misses some things that would allow it to replace a home computer.
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You are quite right. None of us knows for sure. But a light bulb went off in my head as I thought about relatives who barely use PCs but could really use a Net device if they could ever find one that spoke their language. Well, we all know how to use our fingers. This will be big.

And yes, the iPad is missing some cool features, but that's not important. Those will come with later versions. Look at the iPhone today to what it was just two years ago. This is the start of something big, but not the end of it.

You are dangerously underestimating the needs of the average customer.
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We may be thinking of different types of people. I'm thinking of people who still do not know what to do with a computer other than very baby steps. I have one relative who used a PC, but barely. I bought him an iPod touch and he got it instantly and uses it all the time now.

We had to learn to use a mouse; we instinctively know how to point with our fingers.

We had to learn file structures; we instinctively know how to point to what we want.
 
Yes I'm getting one, I think it'll be great, but no way am I waiting in line. Waiting in line is what makes a fanboy a fanboy. Instead, I suggest getting a minimum wage part time job, working for a couple of weeks, and buying two with the extra money. It'll make both you and Steve Jobs happier in the long run. But mostly Steve Jobs.
 
qtx43 said:
Yes I'm getting one, I think it'll be great, but no way am I waiting in line. Waiting in line is what makes a fanboy a fanboy. Instead, I suggest getting a minimum wage part time job, working for a couple of weeks, and buying two with the extra money. It'll make both you and Steve Jobs happier in the long run. But mostly Steve Jobs.
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lol. funny post. nice one.
 
I'm glad to see that my iPad article was linked in this post. 9to5 Mac also picked it up. Between the new 3.2 SDK contacts app change to "stand-alone-contacts" for the springboard's app tag; the missing weather, stocks, calculator, voice recorder, etc; and now my discovery of the blank button with no other functionality at all on the iPad Keyboard Dock which I believe is likely to change into a future dashboard icon, widgets seem to be coming to the iPad at some point.

But when will they add this? The iPhone OS 4.0 event, likely in March? Not until the summer? Small widget apps are perfect for background multitasking because they wouldn't put much of a hit on the processor and would give the ability to quickly pull up all kinds of information while in other apps. Apple might even open them up to developers down the road. For instance, Pandora would be perfect as a widget.

So why didn't Apple show this at the event? Either they didn't have it polished enough to show (for instance, many people who used the demo units said the iBooks app was pretty glitchy and rough), or they simply wanted to bring more hype to the actual launch. It could also be that they plan to somehow bring this functionality, in some form, to all iPhone OS releases and didn't want to spoil the OS 4.0 event. Remember the rumor about OS 4.0 being more like a real computer and they were very excited about it? Either way I believe the signs are pointing to this happening. I mean, its not quite a make or break feature, but it would be really nice to have. Either way I'm buying one.
 
NebulaClash said:
We may be thinking of different types of people. I'm thinking of people who still do not know what to do with a computer other than very baby steps. I have one relative who used a PC, but barely. I bought him an iPod touch and he got it instantly and uses it all the time now.
.
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But that group of people is just becoming smaller. Nowadays almost anyone has access to a computer since they are born, in a few decades, everyone will.

We had to learn to use a mouse; we instinctively know how to point with our fingers.

We had to learn file structures; we instinctively know how to point to what we want
Click to expand...

Using a mouse is not exactly unintuitive. File structures, yes, they should be abstracted to make it easier to some folks. In any case, we already have touch enabled desktop computers**, in which case, the average person might not need a mouse anymore, but he still needs a keyboard. And if we remove the mouse then we have some ergonomic issues to discuss.

I believe, we should leave the touch/slate paradigms to mobile devices, it works wonders, and we should focus on touchless technologies, you know, Minority Report.

This would work better for the kind of user you described at the beginning of your post. Think of the case uses for such user; showing a picture gallery to his friends: They sit on the living room and with simple hand gestures you can control and manipulate the pictures, while everything is being projected to a wall, or displayed in a big screen HDTV.

Does that sound too unrealistic? :eek:
 
$500 entry is still too expensive for most people

You guys that are calling the iPad revolutionary and a game changer are seriously deluded by the RDF. First off, the $500 entry price is still too high for most people. I just ordered a refurb Lenovo Netbook for $175. Granted, it will be no iPad but at least it will support Flash and it has a 160gb hd. No Flash support means that the web will be a much emptier place (and I'm no fan of Flash). Maybe in two years when HTML5 takes over, then the iPad will allow for full web experience.

Don't get me wrong-- I would buy one if I could justify the price. $500 for 16 gigs of memory just isn't enough. I want to be able to store my music collection, home movies, purchased movies, ripped movies and apps on the device and not have to keep syncing them up to my Mac. To do this I would need at least 32-64 gigs of ram and I cannot justify spending $700 to 800 on a entertainment device. Those with too much disposable income can...
 
cumanzor said:
But that group of people is just becoming smaller. Nowadays almost anyone has access to a computer since they are born, in a few decades, everyone will.
Click to expand...

I did think of that, but you know what group of people will become even bigger? The people being born now who will grow up without much need of a mouse. Humans will never outgrow fingers, but they will outgrow abstractions that stand between your fingers and what you want to do.

No, this is not just the RDF talking, this is a realization I first had when I began to notice I was using my iPod touch more and more and my MacBook Pro less and less. A tablet-sized device will move this trend even further in my life. The fact that there will be iLife apps for the iPad (something that all by itself should shut up the "it's just a big iPhone" crowd) is something I can't wait to experience.

Now I imagine someone who is not as technically literate as I am. I know how to program these devices. I know file systems inside and out. But I'm gravitating toward these new devices. Someone who finds PCs a mystery or a tool that they are forced to use (and this represents -- by far -- the majority of humanity), is going to really gravitate toward an inviting device that works in ways they know intuitively. A device for them, finally.

But yes, by referencing Minority Report you get the big picture I'm talking about. This is the Star Trek future we're about to enter.
 
Evan_11 said:
You guys that are calling the iPad revolutionary and a game changer are seriously deluded by the RDF.
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It's not just us. It's the entire industry.

The iPad has *already* changed the game, and it's not even on sale yet.

As usual, Apple's implementation of mobile technology is the way forward.
 
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