Apple Releases iPad Tablet, New SDK, iBooks and iWork Apps

[br0adband]

Think about it. Doctor's couldn't effectively show medical information to patients on a small little iphone. It's too small. Way too ineffective. But now, with bigger touch screen it will make it awesome. You could so use all those good anatomy apps way more easily now.

That is where the dollars are going to be.

All the hospitals I've been too in the past 2 years here in Vegas all use IBM ThinkPad X61 Tablet PCs for almost everything. They come to the patient's bedside and get info, hand the tablet to the patient (if they can hold it, of course), use the stylus for the signature, can print out documents right there if needed since the cart uses a portable ink jet printer and it's all wirelessly connected.

This stuff is old hat for many of us that are serious about tablets - Apple is 15 years late to the party but since it's "the next big thing" from 'em, it'll sell like mad.

It's just too lackluster, it could honestly be so much more than it is instead of basically making people wait for two more revisions before it really shines.

Sad...

 

[Small White Car]

sooo much content now is based on flash. i can't believe you don't realize that.

And thanks to Apple, that's changing.

Even Youtube is slowly moving away from it, which is huge.

The thing to remember is that Apple isn't fighting Flash with their own proprietary Apple format. Yeah, that'd be just as bad.

But no, Apple is fighting flash with open standards. We should be cheering them on.

 

[bundu]

Somebody help me out here...

So, you're telling me that for $200+ more than a netbook, I don't get a camera, no Flash support, no multitasking, no physical keyboard and at MOST 64GB of space? And, to top it all off... the grand daddy of it all: for $30/month, I get the pleasure of using AT&T's 3G service (which is just amazing, right)?

Hahahahahahhahahaha.

Funny stuff.

 

[IzzyReal]

I haven't bought a printer in a few years, but the one I have is wireless - the first couple of years of its life it spent in a closet out of view. Why would you want a printer cable dangling to be used only once every so often - wireless should be possible, no?!

I am a student who prints things from the web ALL the time. I have a new HP laser printer. However, I could not afford the wireless version, therefore I need to be able to use a cable.

I was thinking maybe I will be able to connect to my printer via the camera connection kit... it converts the 30 pins slot to USB. I am hoping that it will work for printers too!!

 

[ericmooreart]

getting stuff on and off

Ok so I'm getting a 3g 32gig version. My only remaining wish (besides Flash support) is a usb slot. Lets say I create my great keynote presentation on the train and want to give to a client. How do I do that? Don't say email cause thats lame. Wifi file transfer? Can it be used as a storage device?

I think by june you'll be able to make calls on it. Why else have a mic? For now I see skype in my future

 

[cualexander]

Not without multitasking, or with such low storage, or even a USB to transfer files.

If you are looking an MRI, do you want your doctor multitasking? What do you want to listen to Pandora while you hear if you have cancer?

Who needs storage? You have WIFI. There are apps that already interface with Medical servers.

 

[gps]

ip(rrr)ad

This is a giant iPhone, there's no other way to put it. You can love it, you can hate it but in the end it is a giant iPhone.
Not revolutionary at all.

No, it is a giant ipod touch!

- no gps
- no camera
- 1024x768??????
- no ...nothing really exciting

I pray one day they will do a mini mac air with the same screen density of the iprrrad...

 

[Mr Gadget]

Ibook reader people keep mentioning. Well you will hurt your eyes reading a book on this. its not like the kindle with the ink technology. I guarantee you when the reviews come out this will be the biggest complaint.

 

[muskratboy]

You can use the apple wireless keyboard with the iPad... you don't have to use the dock/keyboard.

oh, right... hence the built-in bluetooth. duh.

so now that keyboard dock makes even less sense to me. and looks even uglier.

"now you can do what you could already do... but now, only in one place! awesome!"

 

[caffeinejoe]

Yeah - epic disappointment. Was really hoping for front facing camera & iChat; multi-tasking; e-ink for i-books; larger storage capacity.

Magical??? More like "pedestrian".

 

[Ducky280]

Looks cool


If safari "supports" flash I'll buy one. If it don't I'll laugh and wait until it does

 

[Svennig]

Love the design.
Love the interface.
Happy with the price.

But my money is staying where it is until they let it multi-task. Seriously, that's a staggering, staggering fail.

You could have multiple iphone-app sized windows that you could click on (bringing up the ipad interface of) arranged as you want them, with multi-touch drag and drop positioning, and multi-touch expose to find them.

It'd be like widgets. The iphone apps as small widgets which change interface and interface size to ipad on demand.

They really, really dropped the ball on this one.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

Thank you for winning the Idiot Award of the day.

Since I was recently suspended for calling someone an idiot, I can only hope that in fairness you are quickly suspended as well.

 

[iSee]

In a world where we are FINALLY appreciating widescreen movies and TV's are ALL moving to a 16:9 format why do we go back to a 4:3 aspect ratio on a brand new 2010 device!!



- Matt

Yeah, that was interesting. I guess it's because 3:4 is commenly used for reading materials.

 

[SiPat]

For me, the BIG factor is the Apple A4 chip -- just imagine this chip in the next generation iPhone.

I think that I'll opt for the 16GB non-GSM version initially and then wait for the 3rd-gen release before upgrading to whatever is top of the range in two year's time.

 

[macuserx86]

No, it's a giant iPod touch. The iPad cannot make calls, so how can it a giant iPhone? Key word here: PHONE.

My bad. Weirdly, it has a microphone, so if you coupled that with the 3G and Skype you could make a sort of giant phone.

 

[Scarpad]

It is a Giant Iphone. I Have a 64 gb touch and it will do everything the Pad will plus one thing it won't ...fit in my pocket, really can you see yourself carrying this around? On my couch I can use my netbook... it cost me under $300, and Why could'nt this be $499.$599..$699 with Wifi and 3G, for those not choosing the 3g they can use Wifi and maybe goo with 3 g in the future, Iphoners should really be able to tether to their phone..another $30 data charge for them? Certainly a 3g chip is not $130 more?

 

[MacModMachine]

No, it is a giant ipod touch!

- no gps
- no camera
- 1024x768??????
- no ...nothing really exciting

I pray one day they will do a mini mac air with the same screen density of the iprrrad...

how uninformative...

it has a gps on the 3g model....

 

[lokey]

I see the market for this. I even know someone that this would be perfect for but I do have one complaint... no multitasking. Just like the iPhone I can only run one app at a time and that is a shame.

 

[The Man]

People are always whining.

Complaining about the screen being 4:3. Hello, how would you do any typing on a 16:9 screen? You wouldn't have much screen real estate left.

Too large bezel. Hello, I want to hold that thing without obscuring the view and accidentally touch the interface.

It's too expensive. Considering a small screen 32GB iPod touch costs $299, $499 for a new product isn't too bad. Heck, the former CrunchPad, now JooJoo goes for $499. And I'm sure the price will go down.

 

[BrettJDeriso]

In a world where we are FINALLY appreciating widescreen movies and TV's are ALL moving to a 16:9 format why do we go back to a 4:3 aspect ratio on a brand new 2010 device!!



- Matt

Meh. Even on a 16:9 screen, you still get letterboxing. Cinematographers can use pretty much whatever aspect ratio they please.

All things considered, I'd rather tote this puppy for watching movies on a trip than haul out my MBP or squint at my iPhone screen.

 

[Avatar74]

I don't expect it to be a huge seller, but it is a game changer for a few reasons that aren't apparent to the people who see it as a large iPhone.

Apple has to hype it as much as possible, as with every major product launch, but internally I think their objective is to use it as a testbed, like the MacBook Air which was also received poorly. What'll happen is they'll get market feedback on the device's features and abilities, and then start incorporating them into existing platforms like the MacBooks, iMac and eventually car navigation/entertainment consoles that they are working on. Also, the device serves as a foil for the Amazon Kindle which is also a niche market, but a growing one. I think they wanted to keep Amazon from gaining more ground in mobile media now that Amazon has a presence, small but positioned well, in digital books and music.

The device will probably perform as expected, in that regard.

 

[iPie]

Everybody will want to buy one, just wait six months - there will be complaining about this that and the other thing. But everybody will have one in the stockings for Christmas this year.

 

[0dev]

I am little puzzled at to the target market for this device.

The iPad is not aimed at artist or developers because of the lack of CPU power and the lack of stylus pen.

The iPad is not aimed at business users on the go because the device is not mobile enough and we already have the iPhone to cover this aspect.

The iPad seems to be aimed at users who uses their PC lightly, (E-mail, surf the internet) like mothers and grandparents.

Perhaps the iPad aimed at students for note taking in class.

Most people who buy computers these days use them for web browsing, IM, Facebook, games, YouTube, music etc.

iPhone apps are hugely popular.

Flashy touch screens are hugely popular.

iWork gives it a practical purpose, and will make it more attractive to students and business people. So will the newspaper apps. And book app/store.

It will sell.

 

[MajorC]

I sort of feel the same way I did about the MacBook Air. Meh. Nice product but hardly revolutionary.