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

[tmofee]

My biggest gripe (apart from the lack of a USB port or adapter for USB HDDs) is tethering. We all have data plans now, why isn't there a way to hook up your iphone and use the data plan on that. I eventually need a smaller machine to take away with me, I don't want to have to pay for another monthly contract. I barely use the 1GB i have now.

If they incorporate that to the iPad, it would make it slightly more appealing to me...

 

[milo]

And yes, I'd put this up against the iPad for browsing any day and twice on a Sunday.

Cool. I guess you'll be able to compare some browser benchmarks once these are actually shipping. Instead of just assuming that yours must be better.

I take it from your post that your battery life is pretty bad as well.

No GPS

876 posts in, and people still getting that one wrong.

A giant iPod Touch/iPhone. It is a pretty interesting device, but I can't figure out Who are the target customers. Oh, I forgot, many people will buy it just for the sake of having it so cool.

Is it so hard to figure out? It's appealing for those of us who love the touch but wish it had a bigger screen. You know, to actually do some stuff?

 

[Daringescape]

Wow - I'm amazed. I mean there are some pretty sophisticated apps on the app store. I don't mean to sound sarcastic but your menu must be insanely hi-tech. What's the link again?

no worries, the url is freshtxt.com.

There are a few issues with iphone compatibility.

1. there is just too much information going on to have an iphone handle it - there is not enough resolution.

2. Some of the calls we do on the back end would not be supported, since we handle text messages and some other things that I cannot talk about right now.

There is a possibility that the iPad could handle it (the resolution is there) but we also rely on being a web-based app so we can roll out updates and changes and there is nothing for our customers to download or install. (We are dealing with some of the most un-tech savvy people out there.)

Javascript, ruby, python, etc would not be able to handle all of the info without loading HUGE files that would slow the app down a ton. This is why we decided to go with flash. To make our web app more touch screen friendly, we even programmed our own touchscreen keyboard in flash because we weren't happy with the options that existed.

If you want to see how it works, click the login button and use demo demo. You wont be able to send texts, but you can play with pretty much everything else.

 

[bearcatrp]

HP tablet is not vaperware. Just the info is not released yet. Comparing the iPad and the HP tablet, if the specs are good, I will get the HP instead of the iPad. Sorry apple, you didn't deliver this time around.

 

[tkermit]

Could you explain your sig, I don't understand the relationship between liberty and iPad.

Is that a serious question? You do realize that my signature is not necessarily to be applied to the iPad...right ?
Nevertheless, if you want my personal opinion on the relationship between liberty and iPad, here's the rough idea: gadgets, including the iPad, can have the tendency to own one instead of the other way around. They impose artificial restrictions on your life and tend to ask for a certain conformity in regard to their usage that can take away a bit of one's humanity. Just something to have an open mind about. I use iPods and Macbooks myself, possibly even an iPad in the future, but still like to keep a critical perspective on technology in general, maybe even because I'm aware of a certain tendency to preoccupy my self with such stuff. (I am a member here after all)

 

[gnasher729]

No, it does not. I wish everyone would stop saying that.

* Wi-Fi
* Digital compass
* Assisted GPS (Wi-Fi + 3G model)
* Cellular (Wi-Fi + 3G model)

Thats not GPS. Thats approximating your position through AT&T's towers and whatever wifi spot you're connected to. Not GPS.

If you turn on a device with unassisted GPS, the device has no idea where it is, so it spends half a minute or a minute to scan the sky for the position and frequencies of the GPS satellites. Assisted GPS talks to the nearest tower and gets a rough idea of its position and the time, precise enough to locate the GPS satellites within a few seconds.

After that, assisted and unassisted GPS work exactly the same.

 

[0098386]

I just checked Apple's site and realised that in landscape mode it isn't widescreen. Movies will look fugly on that .

 

[coleridge78]

on Flash... first of all, for the trolls who think Flash = poorly designed websites that take over your browser and are hard to navigate, there's a lot more in Flash than that. Funny thing is, Flash is in the iPhone and iPad. The UTube app is a Flash-based video player, and others are developing similar players. So Flash is there, but for some reason, perhaps security, they don'[t want Flash applications running in your browser on the iDevices.

Perhaps its because Apple is still pushing WebKit, perhaps it's just part of the pissing war Apple has with Adobe.

You shouldn't call people "trolls" when you don't know what you're talking about.

1. It's "YouTube".
2. It does not use Flash on the iPhone.
3. Those who have jailbroken the iPhone can confirm there is no Flash runtime.
4. WebKit is not being "pushed" by Apple, it is the renderer of choice for most non-Opera/Firefox/IE browsers. And I don't mean "web browsing applications", but any app of any sort that needs a web browsing library under a GUI. It predates Safari.
5. WebKit is not in opposition to Flash. It is an (X)HTML rendering engine. This is completely orthogonal to Flash. You have no idea what either is, or what you're talking about.

 

[shiseiryu1]

Thank you Steve Jobs!

Thank you SJ for not totally screwing us. I'm glad that whatever iPhone apps you have you can just move over to the iPad. Also, I'm glad that you don't have to sign your soul over to get 3G wireless only when you need it (ie: the one or two times I go on vacation during the year).

Having a front-facing camera would be nice and I don't know what SJ has against cameras (think iPod Touch).

As far as the overall idea of the iPad, I like it. It's basically what a "tablet PC" should have been from the beginning. Current tablets on the market are horrible, clunky, and unimaginative. The iPad will work for at least 95% of what I currently use my laptop for. Unlike my laptop though it will be more portable, have better battery life, and not waste my time with booting and shutting down, asking for anti-virus updates, reboots for trivial system updates. Also finding and installing software will be a million times easier and fun. How many of you like to enter those long "serial numbers" to use your software and then have your software periodically try to "activate/deactivate" itself over the internet? The App Store is a WAY better experience.

Last thought: the iBooks app is a good idea but I still want to see it taken to the next level eventually. It's already a vast improvement over what anyone else has offered, however, when I get a ebook I want to have more interactive content and not just a glorified PDF. I want to see and be able to interact with graphs, models, videos, audio clips, and also if I'm tired it should be able to read the book to me! These enhancements will make it a killer app for the education market. Let's do it Apple!

 

[gnasher729]

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

I think it is more aimed at users who use their PC or Mac lightly, like wives, children and grandchildren.

 

[GermanSuplex]

The keynote is now streaming on Apple.com.

 

[shiseiryu1]

About Flash

I would like for the webpages to be fully functional although I don't care much for Flash. Seems to me that the largest use of Flash is for annoying in-page ads. Also, shame on web developers who don't code their pages to look nice when a person doesn't have flash (think design principle: "Progressive Enhancement / Graceful Degradation). Personally I wish Flash would just go away and be replaced with an open-source animation suite. Maybe that's also what Apple is hoping for and why they're not supporting it?... Until then it would be nice if Apple would support it if just to get everyone else to stop wining about it.

 

[coleridge78]

I think it is more aimed at users who use their PC or Mac lightly, like wives, children and grandchildren.

Or the minor demographic called "Two-thirds of middle-class people the world over". Those of us who spend our workday staring at BS on a computer, and want to get home and relax with a little light web surfing and photo editing/uploading with a device that we can carry around when we really want/need to (on vacation, to the diner/bakery/coffeeshop on sunday mornings, to night classes) without the hassle of a laptop.

 

[macaus]

Be Realistic

I'm not sure why people are raving on about how amazing this device is and how it's going to 'revolutionize' the world.

Is it a laptop? No.

Is it a netbook? No.

Is it a graphics tablet? No.

So what is it exactly?

It's an enlarged iPod Touch. Enlarged in physical size and speed. That's it. It will have some extra new software available for it (like iWork) that you cant get now.

Can it be used properly without already having another computer to feed resources to it? No.

If i dont have my own computer, can i put existing resources onto the iPad? No.

Can it replace an existing netbook, or graphics tablet, or notebook so i dont have to have multiple devices? No.


Don't get me wrong, it LOOKS great. It's visually pleasing. Hey, i like the iPod Touch. It's a great device. But i don't see how taking an existing product and making it huge in size, is "revolutionary" and "amazing".

Making the iPod Touch gigantic takes away all the compact, portable advantages that make it so successful. There is nothing new here (besides software.)

If i take any other popular and successful product, like a N95 or a Sony PSP or even a Sidekick, and make them all 5 times bigger than what they are now, wack on some new software and release it as a new product, will they too be this crazy new amazing revolutionary device that will "change the world"?

Apple took an existing product and made it huge. That's it.

Oh and please, its getting really old labeling anyone who doesn't praise the iPad as some amazing work of genius as an 'Apple Hater'. I have many apple products and if i didn't like the products i simply wouldn't own them.

 

[PlatinuM195]

Prices look great and the hardware looks good too, it's the OS that puts me off.

I was hoping for something along the lines of a OS X minus rather than iPhone OS plus, like how Windows 7 starter is on netbooks. Some form of crippled OS X would be fine.

 

[sanford]

Great, another thread for all the people that were expecting a $800 - $1000 tablet with potential 2 year phone contract to whine about getting a $500 device with no contract.

I for one am thrilled. I don't NEED it but I WANT it. And I can rationalize $500 for a want; I couldn't have done that for $800 w/ a 2-year data service contract in tow. Like I really want to pay for 3G twice every month.

It's everything I want from an ultraportable media device for convenient, general use. Everything. And it's priced as it should be for such a device outfitted by Apple's flair for industrial and interface design.

At these price points it's going to be a hit. Forget multitasking and cameras and fill-in-the-blank is missing: people want a good all-round media experience from these devices. If it's convenient and easy to use, with that brilliant display and reasonable pricing, not to mention expandability to basic laptop function, those technical features lists mean naught.

 

[partyBoy]

I can tell your a pc user !

 

[tmofee]

can anyone answer me that?? seeming that bluetooth is only on the 3G version, im guessing that the tethering option is a no??

 

[tmofee]

I have to giggle though - some people - I want it! Err, credit card?? *slyly ignores for the time being*

 

[sanford]

I can tell your a pc user !

Anybody who's actually seen e-ink and actually WANTS e-ink I do not understand. It's awful. The promise was great, the reality for the foreseeable future is miserable.

 

[master-ceo]

I'm not sure why people are raving on about how amazing this device is and how it's going to 'revolutionize' the world.

Is it a laptop? No.

Is it a netbook? No.

Is it a graphics tablet? No.

So what is it exactly?

It's an enlarged iPod Touch. Enlarged in physical size and speed. That's it. It will have some extra new software available for it (like iWork) that you cant get now.

Can it be used properly without already having another computer to feed resources to it? No.

If i dont have my own computer, can i put existing resources onto the iPad? No.

Can it replace an existing netbook, or graphics tablet, or notebook so i dont have to have multiple devices? No.


Don't get me wrong, it LOOKS great. It's visually pleasing. Hey, i like the iPod Touch. It's a great device. But i don't see how taking an existing product and making it huge in size, is "revolutionary" and "amazing".

Making the iPod Touch gigantic takes away all the compact, portable advantages that make it so successful. There is nothing new here (besides software.)

If i take any other popular and successful product, like a N95 or a Sony PSP or even a Sidekick, and make them all 5 times bigger than what they are now, wack on some new software and release it as a new product, will they too be this crazy new amazing revolutionary device that will "change the world"?

Apple took an existing product and made it huge. That's it.

Oh and please, its getting really old labeling anyone who doesn't praise the iPad as some amazing work of genius as an 'Apple Hater'. I have many apple products and if i didn't like the products i simply wouldn't own them.

Excellent post. The iPad is basically for MAC Collecters aka fan boys

 

[tkermit]

I can tell your a pc user !

Yeah, either that or a Mac user with a sense of humor...

 

[coleridge78]

Can it be used properly without already having another computer to feed resources to it? No.

False in any meaningful sense (that is, it's no more true than it is for your laptop).

If i dont have my own computer, can i put existing resources onto the iPad? No.

Also false.

Can it replace an existing netbook, or graphics tablet, or notebook so i dont have to have multiple devices? No.

Depends on the user, not to mention, non-sequiter. Do any of those devices replace each other? No? Why is that not a strike against them?

These comments aren't getting labeled "apple hater" and "troll" because they're critical, but because some of you haven't bothered to read the specs or watch the demo (for example, of iWork) and are simply wrong. And when you are wrong yet present your "facts" so boldly, what else can a person call you? "Idiot" or "lying douchebag" would be impolite.

 

[sanford]

can anyone answer me that?? seeming that bluetooth is only on the 3G version, im guessing that the tethering option is a no??

Apple specs and the product announcement presentation confirm Bluetooth on both Wifi and Wifi+3g models. There is no model lacking Bluetooth. Bluetooth not only supports keyboards but stereo headsets and microphones.

 

[ecualegacy]

Quick Kill It!!! It's A Positive Review!!!!

Thank you SJ for not totally screwing us. I'm glad that whatever iPhone apps you have you can just move over to the iPad. Also, I'm glad that you don't have to sign your soul over to get 3G wireless only when you need it (ie: the one or two times I go on vacation during the year).

Having a front-facing camera would be nice and I don't know what SJ has against cameras (think iPod Touch).

As far as the overall idea of the iPad, I like it. It's basically what a "tablet PC" should have been from the beginning. Current tablets on the market are horrible, clunky, and unimaginative. The iPad will work for at least 95% of what I currently use my laptop for. Unlike my laptop though it will be more portable, have better battery life, and not waste my time with booting and shutting down, asking for anti-virus updates, reboots for trivial system updates. Also finding and installing software will be a million times easier and fun. How many of you like to enter those long "serial numbers" to use your software and then have your software periodically try to "activate/deactivate" itself over the internet? The App Store is a WAY better experience.

Last thought: the iBooks app is a good idea but I still want to see it taken to the next level eventually. It's already a vast improvement over what anyone else has offered, however, when I get a ebook I want to have more interactive content and not just a glorified PDF. I want to see and be able to interact with graphs, models, videos, audio clips, and also if I'm tired it should be able to read the book to me! These enhancements will make it a killer app for the education market. Let's do it Apple!

Oh My Gosh! Someone here wrote a positve yet somewhat reasonable review of the new tablet! Best put it on the front page of Mac rumors BECAUSE IT IS PRACTICALLY THE ONLY ONE ONE THE INTERNET THAT I CAN FIND FOR THE iPAD!