Couldn't the MacBook Air be better than the iPad?

[blairh]

I admitted that tablet computing is in its infancy and will take time to mature. The iPad is just getting multi-tasking when the Mac has had it for 15+ years. Is it possible that Mossberg and others see the potential of the form factor and UI? That more "level-headed" reviewers just can't see outside the box? Do you really believe we'll be using a mouse in ten years? Or a keyboard that hasn't really changed since the days of typewriters?

Since the beginning of computing, the ideal form factor has always been a tablet. If you watch Star Trek or other futuristic sci-fi, that's what you'll see. Apple has made the first tablet that's not a pain to use. This is huge. This is why journalists are going crazy over it. Look at how much laptops have changed in the last ten years. Then imagine tablet computing ten years from now.

On the eye-strain issue, I'll ask again. Don't people stare at a monitor for 8 hours a day at the office? What's the difference? Almost all writers write on a laptop (except a few who still use a typewriter). They sometimes write for 16 hours at a time.

Potential for the form factor? Okay. Saying it will be the potential end of laptops? No. Absolutely not.

The only concession I'm willing to give the iPad is that it gives us the option of something beyond a laptop with regards to consuming media in our travels. If you never truly needed that laptop's keypad during your vacation, well, now you don't have to bring it along. I recognize the freedom of that choice. But at the same time there are so many drawback (IMO) to the current iPad that I can't justify it as any sort of future model for computing. Perhaps if they place something more similar to Snow Leopard and put a widescreen on it (for watching movies PROPERLY and using that extra space for a better onscreen keyboard). I look at the iPad and I simply do not see the future. No matter what any reviewer may proclaim. The iPad is a great way to consume things and give Apple your money for apps and movies/tv shows. That's what I see.

Do I believe we'll be using a mouse in 10 years? Tell you what, I DON'T believe we'll be touching our screens for our desktop computers. That's for sure.

Just because you saw a tablet-like device in Star Trek doesn't mean a thing. Please. And with regards to laptops, yes, they've gotten better in many regards, but their form factor (screen and keyboard) is essentially the same as it was 10 years ago.

 

[drjsway]

Potential for the form factor? Okay. Saying it will be the potential end of laptops? No. Absolutely not.

The only concession I'm willing to give the iPad is that it gives us the option of something beyond a laptop with regards to consuming media in our travels. If you never truly needed that laptop's keypad during your vacation, well, now you don't have to bring it along. I recognize the freedom of that choice. But at the same time there are so many drawback (IMO) to the current iPad that I can't justify it as any sort of future model for computing. Perhaps if they place something more similar to Snow Leopard and put a widescreen on it (for watching movies PROPERLY and using that extra space for a better onscreen keyboard). I look at the iPad and I simply do not see the future. No matter what any reviewer may proclaim. The iPad is a great way to consume things and give Apple your money for apps and movies/tv shows. That's what I see.

Do I believe we'll be using a mouse in 10 years? Tell you what, I DON'T believe we'll be touching our screens for our desktop computers. That's for sure.

Just because you saw a tablet-like device in Star Trek doesn't mean a thing. Please. And with regards to laptops, yes, they've gotten better in many regards, but their form factor (screen and keyboard) is essentially the same as it was 10 years ago.

That's what I'm saying. The form factor of the iPad will stay the same, just like the laptop has, but it will be much better. I mentioned Star Trek because even before we had home computers, the tablet form factor has always been the ideal and what we've been working towards.

In ten years, when mobile computing is much more powerful, consumers won't even have desktops. Also, a widescreen will make vertical mode much less usable and anybody with an iPad will tell you how much time they spend in vertical mode.

 

[Scottsdale]

Again, I'm talking about the future. Are you really saying there will NEVER be virtual keyboard faster than a physical one?

To the others that also think I'm crazy. Walt Mossberg and other respected tech journalists also think the mouse/keyboard will become obsolete. It's not like I'm not the only one.

Regarding my desktop comment, I specifically mentioned the consumer space. Yes, desktops are more powerful and upgradable. Most consumers do not need the power and selling a used laptop and buying a new one isn't that much more expensive than upgrading.

Not what I am saying at all. I am saying right now, the iPad doesn't have a typing method that will be as fast as typing on a keyboard. In addition, it isn't preferential to put fingers leading to fingerprints all over the display I want to watch a movie on or even just surf the web. I believe a laser non-touch typing system will be the way of the future. It will predict where our fingers are intending to type and will be faster... but there will be a giant learning curve there too. What we're really in need of is an input device that reads our thoughts... that is where typing will become obsolete. Until then, typing on a physical keyboard or a virtual (laser 3D holographic keyboard) will be much faster than typing on a flat panel.

I don't think you're crazy at all. I just think you're moving far faster than the technology is that you're in lust with. I have grand ideas for the iPad, but in the near term (say one to four years) and the mid term (say four to seven years), the iPad will just be catching up to where the laptop is... in the long-run the iPad will work wonders. But let's think beyond that to why we need a display or computer at all. At some point we will all wear contacts that have a display tech embedded within them. We will be inside Target and look down an isle and little flags will pop up telling us which item we might want to buy will be shown on our display. Work will be less physical work, and typing, and the mind will control messages sent. So it's all about what's relevant today. I don't believe the iPad is relevant today in terms of WORKING or INPUT FROM HUMAN TO DEVICE, just as I don't believe my theory of contact lenses with display built in and mind-reading tech that automatically writes emails, documents and etc. Neither one has the capability of TODAY beating the computer. For the iPad, it's probably seven plus years away from even being a possibility that a writer would choose an iPad over an MBA.

Does that mean the iPad cannot do work, hell no. Think about medical charts on an iPad, or viewing how to videos while performing a surgery (okay we don't want to know our doctor is doing that but we'll be asleep), or training pilots how to fly a new airplane, or maybe even the media doing quick transmission of small bits of text. PLUS, think about all of the iPad apps that will be written to do work like be a cash register, or a scanning and package tracking center for UPS drivers, or even the librarians new tool to finding a book.

The iPad is great, but it's not going to take over the computer for INPUT tasks from the user... those wanting to view or observe on the iPad will do just fine.

I also believe the display is far superior on the iPad. I know it's a 4:3 aspect ratio, but it's not distorting an HD video to that aspect ratio. It's a much higher quality display than the MBA, but I believe that will change soon. I know there are a lot of great things about the iPad, but it's not going to change the way I work anytime soon. It will, however, change how I use a tech device to observe things and entertain myself. In the same thought, the iPad doesn't even do the real Internet, without Flash. But for watching a movie on a plane, or reading several books at a time (as a student or researcher perhaps), or for playing games on the go, for sharing photos with friends, or even just checking email on the couch while watching TV, the iPad will be great!

 

[blairh]

The only way I would entertain a tablet is if it was widescreen and I could load the movies I've already ripped from my DVD's (without having to do it again for the tablet).

If you ripped off the screen on my MBP and loaded it with Snow Leopard, that would work quite nicely. Even the on-screen keyboard would be much nicer to use seeing that the screen is wider (vs. the iPad) and could give me more room to type on.

Hell I might even be okay with the current iPad OS. Just give me the option to load it up with my movies (still keeping my MBP screen, or an IPS version of it).

 

[drjsway]

The only way I would entertain a tablet is if it was widescreen and I could load the movies I've already ripped from my DVD's (without having to do it again for the tablet).

If you ripped off the screen on my MBP and loaded it with Snow Leopard, that would work quite nicely. Even the on-screen keyboard would be much nicer to use seeing that the screen is wider (vs. the iPad) and could give me more room to type on.

Hell I might even be okay with the current iPad OS. Just give me the option to load it up with my movies (still keeping my MBP screen, or an IPS version of it).

4x3 is better for browsing the web, reading books and documents, and virtually every other task. A wider display is only good for movies and would make vertical mode less usable.

I think snow leopard on a touch screen is a horrible idea. Even if Apple put a touch UI over it, all the OSX apps would still be designed for a mouse/keyboard. Icons would be too small. Some things would be designed with keyboard shortcuts in mind, instead of touch gestures. Right clicking will be a chore. I know this because I run OSX in iPad. Some apps run fine. Most require a mouse to work optimally.

 

[Scottsdale]

4x3 is better for browsing the web, reading books and documents, and virtually every other task. A wider display is only good for movies and would make vertical mode less usable.

I think snow leopard on a touch screen is a horrible idea. Even if Apple put a touch UI over it, all the OSX apps would still be designed for a mouse/keyboard. Icons would be too small. Some things would be designed with keyboard shortcuts in mind, instead of touch gestures. Right clicking will be a chore. I know this because I run OSX in iPad. Some apps run fine. Most require a mouse to work optimally.

I completely disagree. The most screen real estate is the best screen. A widescreen like that which is on Mac notebooks allows us to have TWO windows side by side at the same time - I will take 16:10 over 4:3 any day of the week on an iPad or a Mac. When I am on my 24" LED ACD, I commonly have three windows open at the same time. 4:3 is NOT better than widescreen and people's acceptance of it proves such. The iPad is for watching movies or doing ONE task at a time, and it is stuck with a 4:3 display probably so Apple could make it fit and look more natural in the hands (like a pad of paper or memo book). The bottom line is a movie on the iPad is really like watching it on an 8" widescreen vs the MBA's 13" widescreen, and more space is wasted on the iPad because it's not a 16:9 format like BluRay or HD movies.

 

[0098386]

In ten years, when mobile computing is much more powerful, consumers won't even have desktops.

No, because desktops will always be more powerful. There's more room for larger chips, more efficient cooling.
The hilarious comparison to Star Trek and their choice of touchscreens completely disregarded the artistic direction required for a show. Even films now have touchscreen devices purely because seeing someone using a keyboard and mouse is very uninteresting. That's the reason why, they're not visionaries. Hell we're not all walking around with bowlcuts or tight spandex. Or are you because Star Trek did it?
But in those ~30 years old computers the desktop has always been ahead of laptops and portable systems. Why would this change?

Since moving to Widescreen I couldn't go back to 4:3, the web, iTunes... everything is just better in widescreen.

Also it's a poor show that Apple put in such a good display in the iPad and poor ones in the MBP line.

 

[blairh]

I completely agree with Scottsdale. To claim browsing on the web with a 4:3 screen is better is absurd. Widescreen panel gives you more room for tabs, etc. My favorite web experience is my good old 20" ACD.

 

[ddd269]

Ah... Preference is what comes to mind when I read all these posts. And yes, I read them all... Including yours Scottsdale.

This is why all the manufacturers got a piece of the action... Whether it's a computer, car, food, you name it. There's a market for pretty much everything because of people's preference. Sure, some got a bigger piece of the pie, but you get the idea.

iPad, MBA, Slate... the choice is yours.

If all the girls wanted a short guy, what would us tall guys to do? ...And vice versa

 

[NewSc2]

Been debating getting a MBA as a MBP replacement, but I want to step in on some comments about the iPad:

The notion that the iPad going to "replace" a notebook is kind of silly at this point. The iPad is really REALLY good at one thing -- replacing books, and bringing a more interactive experience away from a desk and chair and onto the couch. After having thoroughly used one for the past several days, it's the best conclusion to make. I'd never type a report on an iPad, and precision things (Photoshop, MIDI editing) is simply easier with a mouse at this point in time. Our fingers are too stubby. Plus there is no great position to sit with the iPad and really brainstorm thoughts, open up thesaurus, refer to an online manual, unless you're sitting at a desk, with iPad docked, and at that point you might as well get your laptop out.

The iPad transforms the internet into a book/magazine, and you can read it on your couch. It's something you can snuggle up with a loved one and watch a movie or TV show with. Ever tried using a notebook while reclining on a couch? You get hot laps, the trackpad is a little too low, the darn thing keeps slipping down your legs. Always worried about performance hit, or the need to charge? That's where the iPad excels at. It's something I can toss around, read a couple books on, play podcasts through the speaker while I'm reading over reports, and charge back up at night.

 

[drjsway]

I completely disagree. The most screen real estate is the best screen. A widescreen like that which is on Mac notebooks allows us to have TWO windows side by side at the same time - I will take 16:10 over 4:3 any day of the week on an iPad or a Mac. When I am on my 24" LED ACD, I commonly have three windows open at the same time. 4:3 is NOT better than widescreen and people's acceptance of it proves such. The iPad is for watching movies or doing ONE task at a time, and it is stuck with a 4:3 display probably so Apple could make it fit and look more natural in the hands (like a pad of paper or memo book). The bottom line is a movie on the iPad is really like watching it on an 8" widescreen vs the MBA's 13" widescreen, and more space is wasted on the iPad because it's not a 16:9 format like BluRay or HD movies.

I agree that most screen real estate is the best screen. However, for most tasks except video, what's important is VERTICAL real estate. On most websites, I'm not scrolling to the right, I'm scrolling down. On a 9.7 tablet, there is just enough room for one window. Having two windows side by side is torture.

Also, most websites are designed for 1024 width. On my MBA, my web browsing would be 1024x800, not much of a difference from 1024x768, especially considering that on OSX, the windows don't go all the way down to the edge of the screen. Since switching between apps is so fast, is there a reason I need two windows on the screen at the exact same time?

EDIT: A 16x9 video is exactly 13" on MBA and exactly 9" on an iPad (did the math and then actually got out my two machines and measured). Add to the fact that you can typically and more comfortably hold the iPad closer to your face than a MBA and the difference goes down.

 

[iSee]

^^^^

I finally watched a video on my iPad last night and it was an exceptional experience -- much better than I expected.

I expected the screen is bright and crisp so I think what made it a great experience was:

1. Like you mentioned, you can hold the iPad quite close to your face.
2. Because of the smooth glass surface across the entire device, the black bars from the letter boxing blend with the bezel, giving you the illusion that there isn't letter boxing at all. In fact, the smooth, plain black border around the video really lets the video pop.

Put those together and watch in a dark room like I was (in bed with headphones next to sleeping wife), and it was a surprisingly immersive experience. It was actually pretty close to watching a movie on the big home theater setup (though limited to one person, of course).

I was watching in a dark room and I was getting that immersive

And the letter boxing is not annoying
I guess it's because the scd

 

[Digital Skunk]

the instant on, long battery life and app store for games which i favor the ipad more than the macbook air.

im gonna sell my rev B macbook air and buy 2 ipads for my me and my wife. currently, all i do is browsing with my air. i might as well exchange it for the iPad which i can browse website while laying on my bed..

This example is the ideal iPad user. A person that consumes media with their devices, and doesn't do much creation. Not trying to sound negative, just stating the facts.

The iPad is definitely built for someone that wants to just sit around and take in movies and websites and such. Making it a content creator is a little more involved, and requires a few more tools.

1. Browse the web
2. Read books and magazines
3. Watch videos
4. Browse and share photos
5. Games

Stop NOT making sense.

1. No flash support, it's a 9" screen with a lower resolution.
2. See number 1
3. See number 1 (Hulu) also, bigger screen 17" FULL HD laptops people!
4. See number 1, bigger screen
5. HA! Can't play WoW on the iPad can we, or how about Civilization?

I am not bashing the iPad, but we need to keep things in perspective.

 

[drjsway]

Stop NOT making sense.

1. No flash support, it's a 9" screen with a lower resolution.
2. See number 1
3. See number 1 (Hulu) also, bigger screen 17" FULL HD laptops people!
4. See number 1, bigger screen
5. HA! Can't play WoW on the iPad can we, or how about Civilization?

I am not bashing the iPad, but we need to keep things in perspective.

So your only argument is bigger screen. Lol. Can your laptop switch to vertical mode to browse websites with long columns of text? Can you zoom in quickly to get rid of ads on the right side?

Read the post before yours regarding movie watching.

Haven't touched my MBA since Saturday.

EDIT: look at sites like Engadget. Articles on the left, crap on the right. Perfect for vertical mode and zooming in to cut out the crap on the right. I get 1024 vertical lines to browse with, almost as much as a 17" MBP and only 1.5 pounds to carry.

 

[ddd269]

This example is the ideal iPad user. A person that consumes media with their devices, and doesn't do much creation. Not trying to sound negative, just stating the facts.

The iPad is definitely built for someone that wants to just sit around and take in movies and websites and such. Making it a content creator is a little more involved, and requires a few more tools.



Stop NOT making sense.

1. No flash support, it's a 9" screen with a lower resolution.
2. See number 1
3. See number 1 (Hulu) also, bigger screen 17" FULL HD laptops people!
4. See number 1, bigger screen
5. HA! Can't play WoW on the iPad can we, or how about Civilization?

I am not bashing the iPad, but we need to keep things in perspective.

I think you're missing the point... most people don't "create" content on any level. Except for home videos and photos, watching content created by others is what the iPad is all about. This is perfect for most people. No need to fumble or setup (as easy as OS X is, for some people it's a hassle... like my mom(65) and my wife). They just want stuff to be simple.

Consider the Macbook (any model) a Swiss Army knife and the iPad a specific tool for media. Most people just don't need to carry around all that extra weight/capacity.

 

[albusseverus]

MBA is a light weight package for fairly heavy computing on the go—content creation - editing videos, Garage Band, more than basic word processing, spreadsheet, slides etc. More grunt than a WhiteBook, much lighter than a MacBook Pro, but not a pro machine. You could make a podcast on a MBA, for example, but not edit a feature film in Final Cut Studio.

iPad is for mobile computing - email, but not all your email; web surfing, but not heavy downloads; media consumption; emergency Pages/Numbers/Keynote, but not all the features that a MBA supports, for example.

iPad is the iPod of computers, you can take some of your 'stuff' with you, but not the whole lot. I think there's plenty of functionality (especially for books etc.) to make it 'another thing you carry', but it's not a computer as such. That's why the reviewers are reluctant to compare it to computers, it isn't really and it's not supposed be a computer as we know it, it's something else.

MBA is a great computer if you want portability and a fair bit of power. The price is too steep to be taken seriously (it has an iPod hard drive for Jobs-sake!), but it speeds through tasks that stop a WhiteBook in its tracks and that makes it semi-pro in my books.

 

[blairh]

These attempts at making video watching such a pleasant experience on your iPad is hilarious. Look, if it works for you, so be it. I'm happy it does. But you are making concessions to watch a film or tv show on your iPad. You see how that frame gets wider and encaptures the entire scene when holding your iPad vertically? Well as I'm sure you know that's how your film/tv show is meant to be viewed. So when you go back to holding your iPad horizontally, you are losing a lot of the picture. And what exactly is the point of being able to hold the screen closer to your face? Are you serious? If anything my MBP does me a favor by having the keyboard naturally provide a proper viewing distance for me to watch content. I would never want to push the screen closer to my face for viewing.

 

[drjsway]

These attempts at making video watching such a pleasant experience on your iPad is hilarious. Look, if it works for you, so be it. I'm happy it does. But you are making concessions to watch a film or tv show on your iPad. You see how that frame gets wider and encaptures the entire scene when holding your iPad vertically? Well as I'm sure you know that's how your film/tv show is meant to be viewed. So when you go back to holding your iPad horizontally, you are losing a lot of the picture. And what exactly is the point of being able to hold the screen closer to your face? Are you serious? If anything my MBP does me a favor by having the keyboard naturally provide a proper viewing distance for me to watch content. I would never want to push the screen closer to my face for viewing.

The fact is, the iPad has a much better screen. Period. I don't see how anyone can enjoy watching a movie on a 6-bit TN display.

 

[blairh]

The fact is, the iPad has a much better screen. Period. I don't see how anyone can enjoy watching a movie on a 6-bit TN display.

So by that logic it's hard for you to believe that anyone has enjoyed watching a film on their laptop all these years given almost all of them have TN panels? Please.

I'll take a 13" widescreen TN panel any day over your 4:3 IPS panel for a film. Not even a question. And this is coming from someone who uses an IPS monitor every day.

 

[0098386]

The fact is, the iPad has a much better screen. Period. I don't see how anyone can enjoy watching a movie on a 6-bit TN display.

Just as others here couldn't imagine watching modern, 16:9 content on a 4:3 display. I'd equate a 6-bit display to a 4:3 display. I'd also image that a lot of people here aren't running modern MBP's and have better displays.

 

[calderone]

It is not that bad. I prefer the iPad to my MBA when watching 16:9 content.

 

[Digital Skunk]

It is not that bad. I prefer the iPad to my MBA when watching 16:9 content.

I prefer my 46" HDTV.

9" viewing is so 80's

 

[calderone]

I prefer my 46" HDTV.

9" viewing is so 80's

And you assume that I don't prefer my 46" over the iPad?

 

[Scottsdale]

Been debating getting a MBA as a MBP replacement, but I want to step in on some comments about the iPad:

The notion that the iPad going to "replace" a notebook is kind of silly at this point. The iPad is really REALLY good at one thing -- replacing books, and bringing a more interactive experience away from a desk and chair and onto the couch. After having thoroughly used one for the past several days, it's the best conclusion to make. I'd never type a report on an iPad, and precision things (Photoshop, MIDI editing) is simply easier with a mouse at this point in time. Our fingers are too stubby. Plus there is no great position to sit with the iPad and really brainstorm thoughts, open up thesaurus, refer to an online manual, unless you're sitting at a desk, with iPad docked, and at that point you might as well get your laptop out.

The iPad transforms the internet into a book/magazine, and you can read it on your couch. It's something you can snuggle up with a loved one and watch a movie or TV show with. Ever tried using a notebook while reclining on a couch? You get hot laps, the trackpad is a little too low, the darn thing keeps slipping down your legs. Always worried about performance hit, or the need to charge? That's where the iPad excels at. It's something I can toss around, read a couple books on, play podcasts through the speaker while I'm reading over reports, and charge back up at night.

Funny thing about the iPad being such a great Internet tool. Today, I used an iPad for the first time. The first thing I did was open Safari to go to Masters.org to get a scoring update. The very first page I opened, when I clicked on the leaderboard, was FLASH, hence not going to happen on the iPad. And that just about sums up the iPad's Internet, UNDEPENDABLE!

I actually disagree with the iPad even being really good at books. The iPad still has a bright white background on books which is much harder on the eyes than e-Ink. I prefer the Nook to the iPad for reading.

Takes me to movies. The display is nice but has a lot of glare in light, and it's only about an 8" widescreen. I would rather watch a movie on the iPad than my iPhone, but I would rather watch a movie on my MBA than iPad.

Think about games, the iPad is better than the iPhone, sorta. However, I would much prefer a Wii, Playstation, or Xbox. It's definitely better than a game on a computer though.

The iPad does a lot of things okay, but it doesn't do anything great EXCEPT last longer in terms of battery capabilities when away from a power outlet, and it combine tools into one device that's extremely portable yet still not portable enough to fit in a pocket. The thing about the iPad is it's small, lightweight and portable - that is its advantage.

 

[Scottsdale]

I agree that most screen real estate is the best screen. However, for most tasks except video, what's important is VERTICAL real estate. On most websites, I'm not scrolling to the right, I'm scrolling down. On a 9.7 tablet, there is just enough room for one window. Having two windows side by side is torture.

Also, most websites are designed for 1024 width. On my MBA, my web browsing would be 1024x800, not much of a difference from 1024x768, especially considering that on OSX, the windows don't go all the way down to the edge of the screen. Since switching between apps is so fast, is there a reason I need two windows on the screen at the exact same time?

EDIT: A 16x9 video is exactly 13" on MBA and exactly 9" on an iPad (did the math and then actually got out my two machines and measured). Add to the fact that you can typically and more comfortably hold the iPad closer to your face than a MBA and the difference goes down.

I used an iPad today, and I didn't get near the experience you're touting. I couldn't even view the TEXT CONTENT on the very first website I visited, because the iPad is incapable of displaying the real Internet.

You were talking 4:3 being a better display for Internet. My point was based on the aspect ration not the size of the displays. I would prefer putting multiple pages across, and most pages nowadays automatically adjust for the width the browser is currently sized at. It's great for reading content or even researching on the left side of the page and typing on the right side of the page in a Word document... try doing that on an iPad.

^^^^

I finally watched a video on my iPad last night and it was an exceptional experience -- much better than I expected.

I expected the screen is bright and crisp so I think what made it a great experience was:

1. Like you mentioned, you can hold the iPad quite close to your face.
2. Because of the smooth glass surface across the entire device, the black bars from the letter boxing blend with the bezel, giving you the illusion that there isn't letter boxing at all. In fact, the smooth, plain black border around the video really lets the video pop.

Put those together and watch in a dark room like I was (in bed with headphones next to sleeping wife), and it was a surprisingly immersive experience. It was actually pretty close to watching a movie on the big home theater setup (though limited to one person, of course).

I was watching in a dark room and I was getting that immersive

And the letter boxing is not annoying
I guess it's because the scd

Funny, I still prefer the 50" flat panel hanging on the wall to watch movies with incredible surround sound to using a hand to hole the iPad next to my face to make it appear to look like a 50" flat panel hanging on the wall.