Ahh the old "it's useless to me so it must be useless to everybody but if I am proven wrong I'll just get the undoubtedly better 2nd revision" response. A true classic.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple iPad to Go on Sale Friday March 26th?
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Ahh the old "it's useless to me so it must be useless to everybody but if I am proven wrong I'll just get the undoubtedly better 2nd revision" response. A true classic.
OK, so according to my countdown widget, we're currently looking at:
22 days 13 hours 22 minutes 30 seconds
22 days 13 hours 22 minutes 30 seconds
Ah, the old cynical I'll criticize anyone who doesn't want to rush out and be first in line for every Apple product created response.
Just as classic as the useless to me response. ;-)
I'm just a bit jaded with Apple lately. If you're a first in line type for the iPad more power to you.
The sad truth is, Apple's rushing to market with a lot of products lately, and the first in line are paying the price. Ask all the 27" iMac people who suffered for months with problems before Apple even admitted a problem existed.
Same story with the radio on one of the iPhone models, and the OS on several of them.
I'm a little tired of premium prices to beta test the hardware for Cupertino.
Same story with the radio on one of the iPhone models, and the OS on several of them.
I'm a little tired of premium prices to beta test the hardware for Cupertino.
At least the iPad will be a lot lighter to carry in for service.
I literally laughed out loud at that one.
hopefully they will hand out free coffee
Bottled water at the iPhone lines I stood in four different times.
Maybe they'll serve up Apple flavored vitamin water...
i wonder if they are going to give the USB and SD card reader attachments as a special gift.
Nah, most people won't need those anyway.
i wonder if they are going to give the USB and SD card reader attachments as a special gift.
Nope.
What they'll do is package them separately and sell them for $29.99 each as optional peripherals.
But they'll think they do, and they'll pay the high Apple tax if they buy them from Apple.
Is being a large iPhone such a bad thing? It has a larger multi-touch screen (you don't like large multi-touch screens with much more screen real estate and possibilities for user interfaces?) and a much faster processor (you don't like speedy products?). Oh, and then there's iBooks, iWork, and it includes more eye-pleasing and more functional Macintosh-like applications. Yeah, sounds like a terrible product.
Is being a large iPhone such a bad thing? It has a larger multi-touch screen (you don't like large multi-touch screens with much more screen real estate and possibilities for user interfaces?) and a much faster processor (you don't like speedy products?). Oh, and then there's iBooks, iWork, and it includes more eye-pleasing and more functional Macintosh-like applications. Yeah, sounds like a terrible product.
Why did the 2 of you assume that he mentioned "large iPhone" like it was a bad thing? He was merely responding the another poster who said the iPad interface is new and different. In fact, the iPhone interface is familiar and probably a good thing, although it could be made bigger for the iPad.
Don't assume, stuff about asses and all that
We don't even know that they will have a 'launch' for this product. It could just show up.
Actually I doubt that. I think the wi-fi will have a big day, lots of workshops and such. the 3g will be the one that slips in. Since I think fewer folks will jump for it. they already have an iphone etc, why spend the extra money on something they aren't likely to ever turn on.
as for demand, I can see it. From a few fronts.
1. keeping the kids happy. trust me they would much rather watch Up on a bigger screen. probably better for their eyes also
2. mass transit/road warrior types, same eyes thing applies.
3. ebooks/textbooks/emags
and so on.
I can also see hospitals buying a nice stack of these. Not so much for the doctors but for the patients. What better way to keep a kid calm and quiet during a chemo treatment or dialysis than handing them an ipad with some games on it or a movie to watch. Once the apps and central systems get better the docs and nurses will likely start using them as well.
My own boss is going to grab a couple of ipads to test on set since using a laptop to quickly check script pages, etc isn't so quick and easy. He loves the notion that it can be in a bag on his hip (or rather mine as his scud) no matter where we are. No more running back to video village where the computer is propped up on the equipment cart. quicker, easier, no risk of someone knocking the computer off the cart and no chance of someone getting curious when they shouldn't or worse, greedy and stealing the computer. If the battery life pans out is the only real question for him.
and promotes their software. get them into it on the ipad and it's easier to tell it to them for the computer. Win.
it's tricky with these gifts cause in some states if the value is over a certain mark you have to pay taxes (you being both the company and the receiver) so they will want to stay under that rule. So folks should not expect too much.
other contenders
1. t-shirts and/or hats.
2. free ipad case, perhaps with the camera kit and/or headphones (all apple so cheap for them)
3. free accessory pack put together by one or more 3rd party folks with perhaps a case, a screen film, a stylus. maybe even a little hip bag. (given to them for this purpose as free marketing for said companies. no cost to apple)
4. itunes gift card, likely not more than $25, $50 max. due to those tax issues
5. preselected app sampler a kin to the music ones they occasionally do. As it is not a 'cash equivalent' they can afford tax thing.
6. preselected book sampler (perhaps even just first chapters)
7. preselected mixed sampler. small video, couple of songs, some book chapters, etc
try reading script pages in dim light on an iphone. not pretty, even with them blown up. I'd want the lowest ipad for the screen just for that.
logistical nightmare for the stores. they'd have to assume it would be a holiday sitch so they aren't understaffed. That also restricts staff for standard business hours as those folks can't close day one or open day two under most state laws do to turn around rules. And even if you could open day one, overnight and then close day two any of them, there's rules about OT, split shift pay etc.
When they have a major product release they typically close all training, and non related workshops and all bar repairs. they might even like one guy at the bar in case someone walks in with a phone emergency but you can't book. And most folks know this will all happen as soon as they hear the release date. so they know not to even come near the store unless you want the hot item cause no one is around for anything else.
Which wasn't as many folks as the blogs want it to seem. and even less of them had multiple issues and bad machines. My employer, which does hard core animation and fx work, has bought over 100 spread throughout the release weeks and we had only a couple of problems, one of which was fixed by the firmware updates, the other by a display replacement. And we know lots of folks that had no problems.
if the issue had been that extreme the units would have been recalled before the government got involved and forced it.
Oscar Commercials
I would agree with you since Apple aired the first iPhone Commercial on the Academy Awards a few years ago (the "Hello" commercial featuring a lot of celebrities).
In addition, Disney owns ABC on which the Academy Awards will air. Steve Jobs is the largest shareholder of Disney.
Finally, the iPad is schedule to debut this month.
So add those together and I would agree that an ad for the iPad will be a definite for Sunday night's show.
HOWEVER, the press reports so far on the commercials that will appear do not include Apple - but it would be just like Apple to require that their ad not be announced prior to its showing.
$1.5 million for a 30 second spot. I think Apple can afford that!
First commercial will be on the night of the Oscars. You heard it from me first.
I would agree with you since Apple aired the first iPhone Commercial on the Academy Awards a few years ago (the "Hello" commercial featuring a lot of celebrities).
In addition, Disney owns ABC on which the Academy Awards will air. Steve Jobs is the largest shareholder of Disney.
Finally, the iPad is schedule to debut this month.
So add those together and I would agree that an ad for the iPad will be a definite for Sunday night's show.
HOWEVER, the press reports so far on the commercials that will appear do not include Apple - but it would be just like Apple to require that their ad not be announced prior to its showing.
$1.5 million for a 30 second spot. I think Apple can afford that!
Which doesn't change my opinion that Apple quality is slipping. Personal anecdotes for what very little they're worth, but over the years almost every Apple product I've had except my iPhone 3G
Mac Mini - ethernet port died 2 weeks after the one year warranty expired, no way to fix that and ever get gigabit speeds again.
Mac Pro (model 1,1) - ODD port went bad in less than 6 months, this requires a motherboard change.
23" Cinema Display - had a pinkish tinge to it from day one. Well known issue with these things I didn't learn of until after buying one.
Mac Book Pro (model 1,1 - my old one) - hard disk failed in under 6 months.
iPod (3rd gen) harddrive failure after a year - I'd have been screwed if not for my Best Buy ext warranty.
iPhone EDGE 8gb model - external speaker died 13 months after purchase. Luckily I had Applecare ext warranty.
iPhone 3G - developed numerous structural cracks on the back at what appear to be screw-in hard points.
Airport Extpresses g and n models - numerous bugs with the software, constant dropouts with streaming Airtunes music over the years; another well known problem not addressed.
Contrast that to my 80 year old mother's POS HP desktop that she's had for almost 8 years. It just now had the cd-drive go bad. That's some long lasting staying power for a cheap brand computer used daily and never turned off.
And do we even need to discuss all the well publicized failures with Time Capsules and other products over the last couple of years?
For full disclosure though, I have no issue with my 3G
Even with those "good" products, I'm still hitting almost 2/3 products having serious defects with Apple. That's not good, not good at all, it's downright sh*tty.
Apple products are already expensive, but you're really gambling with poor odds if you don't buy AppleCare with them, and that adds another 10-15% to the cost.
Makes me wonder why I'm such a devotee to the brand. (Answer - it's the Mac OS. (But they've lost me in the phone arena to Android.))
So, what am I to do with my mom and her need for a new computer - it'll be an Apple, but I'm leery of how long it will last before it craps out in some form or another.
Hopefully the iPad will not come out the gate with some embarrassing issues - and even though it got me flamed earlier, I'll repeat that at least I'm not so interested in one to be first in line. I can wait on this product to see if it lives up to the hype or not. Doing so will also let me avoid the first-in-line-beta-tester syndrome some Apple products seem to be.
You forgot to add - don't get me wrong, I have an iPhone, MBP and iPhone, AppleTV. Yeah, right.
Don't know whether any bodies noticed, but the main Apple web page, now says iPad launch 3rd April, with pre-orders on 12th March.
Daz
Daz
