It is rumored that it will be out in Q3 or Q4 of this year and it will be priced around $500.
As I said I don't see any point (for myself) to buy an iPad, but if courier works as it is shown in concept I will buy it.
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Early iPad Reviews Appear
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It is rumored that it will be out in Q3 or Q4 of this year and it will be priced around $500.
As I said I don't see any point (for myself) to buy an iPad, but if courier works as it is shown in concept I will buy it.
I love the Courier concept. MS does have experience in notetaking experience (OneNote), in fact it's the best notetaking application in my opinion, no competition for it. Evernote, NoteBook, Journlr, Together and so on don't match the user experience of Onenote. I'm willing to bet the Courier will have some OneNote blood in it. However, the only issue is I don't think it'll be anywhere like the concept, it'll be toned down a lot.
Concepts rarely work from Microsoft, that doesn't mean it can't happen, it just means the concepts are never going to match the expectations people set for it. Remember the concepts of Vista (like WinFS)? I'm willing to bet second or third generation of Courier will turn out to be much closer to the concept than the first one, which means we'll at least 3-5 years away from that.
I honestly think once Apple enables third party multitasking in either OS 4.0 or 5.0, they are going to unleash a new wave of interactivity that can't be matched anywhere for years. Even in the current state of iPad, the applications coming out for it are looking amazing and there's going to be a lot of killer applications in the next several months.
I understand. This is why I put "if" in front of my sentence.
Regarding the iPad, my main problem is that it is not portable. I have access to my full power computer/laptop at home and at work. I can check my email by my cellphone. In my case, I don't see any need for a device like iPad, however, a device like courier which can do more, and is PORTABLE is attracting me.
Microsoft looks that it is getting back to right track. Windows 7 is amazing, and Windows phone 7 looks great. They might be able to make a device that is very close to Courier concept.
Finally, I have to say I wish iPad was portable and had handwriting input (not necessarily hand writing recognition).
W7 Mobile isn't even more powerful than the iPhone OS 1.0. Doesn't do flash, doesn't do multi-tasking, doesn't have copy/paste, no Native applications allowed (only managed APIs) and only allowing applications through MS Marketplace.
Also, how is Courier going to be more portable than iPad? Just because it's foldable, doesn't mean it's going to be more portable than the iPad.
not portable?
really? i travel alot and i would MUCH RATHER pull this ipad out of a shoulder sling pouch to watch movies and browse the web in an airport and use twitter and facebook ,than pull off my bookbag and pull out my macbook pro. i'd rather leave the 2,000 dollar machine i make music with at home and take this with me. i cant put it in my pocket but its not a dang turkey dish. its only 2 pounds and would fit in a nice shoulder sling type bag with ease. it'll be way better for movies on a plane than my ipod touch is now. 10 hours of battery life? this thing is made to port. be reasonable. its not a macbook pro. its an ipad.
really? i travel alot and i would MUCH RATHER pull this ipad out of a shoulder sling pouch to watch movies and browse the web in an airport and use twitter and facebook ,than pull off my bookbag and pull out my macbook pro. i'd rather leave the 2,000 dollar machine i make music with at home and take this with me. i cant put it in my pocket but its not a dang turkey dish. its only 2 pounds and would fit in a nice shoulder sling type bag with ease. it'll be way better for movies on a plane than my ipod touch is now. 10 hours of battery life? this thing is made to port. be reasonable. its not a macbook pro. its an ipad.
Because it also does LOTS of other things. Some Chinese company made a clone that looks just like a big iPod Touch (meaning it really did have the long screen) and when you see it, you instantly understand why 4:3 is better.
With 4:3, the films still look good, and it's perfect for App development and browsing the net etc. To perfect the experience of watching a widescreen movie, it would have ruined the screen real estate for everything else. 4:3 is an intelligent feature.
I'm getting tired of people missing the bigger picture. The complaints about the 4:3 are like complaining about a wide bezel. It's a deliberate feature that should improve the use of the device. Would movies be even better in a different aspect ratio? Yes. Would the iPad look even slicker with a super thin bezel? Yes. But since the 4:3 and a thick bezel are intelligent design decisions and make perfect sense while improving the device, I don't mind. I want my apps to look good at an aspect ratio that makes sense for computing/gaming/browsing etc and I want a perfectly sized bezel that allows me to hold the device in different ways without accidentally touching the screen. I mean, do people forget that it's multitouch?
Fair enough if you only plan on watching video though. That would be a fair point and I would suggest purchasing an entirely different product.
Horses for courses. People have different needs and wants in a portable device. Why is it so hard to understand?
I thought this would get good reviews but wow. It seems like it really is delivering on what it promised. Can't wait to get one now.
Just because it doesn't do heavy document creation doesn't mean its not a serious tool. It recognises that computer use these days is fundamentally different. Its optimised for most uses - consumption, light email/typing etc. Browser based lifestyle stuff which is what most people use their computers for.
a netbook isn't a tweener IMO. Its a tiny, compromised computer. Its not optimised for web browsing due to the small screen and tiny trackpad. Its not optimised for your 'serious documents' due to the small keyboards - even the best netbook keyboards are suboptimal for typing, and most are terrible.
The ipad is way more optimal for web browsing and email etc.
And let's not forget that innovative touchscreen 3D gaming isn't happening on netbooks (cheap laptops 
).
).These reviews just solidified that I'll be getting one of these bad boys.
+1... this is so sweet!
(comment, what happened to the apple emoticon? it changed into a windows preview
)Wow! your arguement is interesting.
You are comparing iPad to Macbook pro.
I was talking about someway to put a device like iPad in pocket or small bag.
I was talking about that version of portability. At least courier will fold and cover the screen. It will be 5 x 7 inches when it is folded.
And to all other comments: I am not being negative. I like new gadgets. I am just just saying the word MAGICAL is tooooo much for this device, and I (like many people) don't need this kind of device).
I am sure it will sell a lot, and I am excited seeing different tablets coming this year (hp slate, Microsoft courier, and Android-based ones).
Perhaps its the mood I'm in this morning but the reviews were not much more than watching the keynote without Steve's enthusiasm. Nothing new and no new unadvertised features. Great for surfing and email. I don't buy movies from iTunes, I buy Blu-ray and watch movies on my large Sony XBR. I have an 80GB V-iPod and a 32Gb iPhone so music is no big deal and I don't do games. I have a few that never get played. Perhaps I'll feel better after lunch. Still plan on going to the Apple store next week to put one through it's paces. at least it Friday Eve.
.Just some thoughts...
My son who will be starting college in the fall just sold his blackbook and bought an imac and is ready to buy a 32GB Ipad 3G. When he was making these plans I thought it was a mistake.
However, at this point it seems my son has this figured out. For his college life to take a device into the classroom, the ipad more than fits the bill much more so than the macbook. It is lighter, less obtrusive, has the potential to have his school books on it and will be more than he needs to take notes, check email, use his calendar, etc... When he needs a "real" computer - he has his beautiful 22" imac in the dorm.
I believe the ipad is a game changer in this respect and the college crowd will make this product a huge success, not to mention all of the other groups that will latch onto this for many of the same reasons.
For myself, I have a new macbook pro which I use between home and my office. Love it, however I have never found myself really using it when I go out to a coffee shop etc. as I have used my iphone for web browsing or checking email. I just felt the macbook was a bit too much for that while out.
Now, after seeing the videos and learning more about the ipad I can see where I would enjoy this device for my mobile uses as the iphone is just so small. The e-reader is also something that would be great at home and on the road, as I had been kicking around buying a kindle. Not now.
For trips this will be my go to device, and I can always pack my macbook pro if I feel I will need to do any extensive work - even though I think maybe not so much.
The beauty of the ipad IS in it's simplicity, not what is lacks such as flash and multitasking (which is coming), Change is coming... and it is good.
My son who will be starting college in the fall just sold his blackbook and bought an imac and is ready to buy a 32GB Ipad 3G. When he was making these plans I thought it was a mistake.
However, at this point it seems my son has this figured out. For his college life to take a device into the classroom, the ipad more than fits the bill much more so than the macbook. It is lighter, less obtrusive, has the potential to have his school books on it and will be more than he needs to take notes, check email, use his calendar, etc... When he needs a "real" computer - he has his beautiful 22" imac in the dorm.
I believe the ipad is a game changer in this respect and the college crowd will make this product a huge success, not to mention all of the other groups that will latch onto this for many of the same reasons.
For myself, I have a new macbook pro which I use between home and my office. Love it, however I have never found myself really using it when I go out to a coffee shop etc. as I have used my iphone for web browsing or checking email. I just felt the macbook was a bit too much for that while out.
Now, after seeing the videos and learning more about the ipad I can see where I would enjoy this device for my mobile uses as the iphone is just so small. The e-reader is also something that would be great at home and on the road, as I had been kicking around buying a kindle. Not now.
For trips this will be my go to device, and I can always pack my macbook pro if I feel I will need to do any extensive work - even though I think maybe not so much.
The beauty of the ipad IS in it's simplicity, not what is lacks such as flash and multitasking (which is coming), Change is coming... and it is good.
Like already the early reviews from engadget and gizmodo these new reviews now also say that the keyboard pretty much suck for any longer text writing. And because Bluetooth support is lacking you also can't use a tiny foldable keyboard.
And as it doesn't offer handwriting support or speech recognizion it won't really work well for college stuff either.
And as it doesn't offer handwriting support or speech recognizion it won't really work well for college stuff either.
Exactly, was more like the Apple guided tours cut down to 5 minutes.
I want the reviewers opinion about every aspect of using it, not just a shortlist of it's features.
It's good news for Apple that the reviews are positive, but they haven't made me more sure about purchasing an iPad. What has really sold me is the new list of EVERY launch app over at AppAdvice.com
Holy crap, there are some gems it seems. A lot of crap as well, as you would expect, but loads I wasn't expecting. Free television streaming? Awesome. Great VNC apps. Imagine playing Command & Conquer on this thing! Gameloft have about 8 launch games! I do play a few games on my iPhone, but not very often. I have to be really bored. But I am a gamer, playing on PS3 and Xbox 360. But I'm seriously interested in the iPad as a real gaming device now after seeing some of the launch titles.
But the reviews certainly are good as well. It's nice to know that the 10 hour battery life was honest (or possibly even a "promise less, deliver more" strategy!) and that the UI and apps really are lightning fast. Seeing that PCMag video, I never thought browsing and using Maps would really be as quick as that. It makes my iPhone seem very outdated.
I'm really going to need to save some cash for the launch apps that I'm already interested in. I think this will be ultimate travelling companion. Watch a movie, listen to some music, play some great games, read a book, and never have to squint at a tiny phone screen.
Holy crap, there are some gems it seems. A lot of crap as well, as you would expect, but loads I wasn't expecting. Free television streaming? Awesome. Great VNC apps. Imagine playing Command & Conquer on this thing! Gameloft have about 8 launch games! I do play a few games on my iPhone, but not very often. I have to be really bored. But I am a gamer, playing on PS3 and Xbox 360. But I'm seriously interested in the iPad as a real gaming device now after seeing some of the launch titles.
But the reviews certainly are good as well. It's nice to know that the 10 hour battery life was honest (or possibly even a "promise less, deliver more" strategy!) and that the UI and apps really are lightning fast. Seeing that PCMag video, I never thought browsing and using Maps would really be as quick as that. It makes my iPhone seem very outdated.
I'm really going to need to save some cash for the launch apps that I'm already interested in. I think this will be ultimate travelling companion. Watch a movie, listen to some music, play some great games, read a book, and never have to squint at a tiny phone screen.
Good god! how many times do we have to repeat this: The iPad is not a freakin computer. It is not designed nor advertised as such. It is aimed at people who don't want a computer. When I am in bed or on the couch I don't want to carry my goddamn netbook or mac to read a book. When I want to show my clients some of my photography I don't want to pull out a netbook that takes 1 minute to wake up from sleep then start "double clicking" or "browsing" or "closing popups". When my friends and family are at my place and I want to show them a youtube video I don't want to hand around a netbook or laptop. When I am at home and I wake up, I want to read the newspaper. I don't want to turn on a computer or a laptop. This IS portability.
Of course all this "can" be done on a normal computer, but it is not the same. Just like you could do all the stuff on the iPhone on a 4 years old smart phone, it is about how you do things.
These reviews are terrible, there's no depth to them. Why did none of the reviewers touch on the one feature that Apple doesn't talk about on their iPad site - the file system.
We know there is a "My Documents" section where pages documents are stored, but how does it work? Do you sync files via iTunes? Does the iPad show up as a mass storage device on your computer when plugged in or is it accessible via the network like another computer? Can other apps see the file system? Can safari upload or download files from the file system? Can mail upload or download files to the file system?
And what about in Safari if I open a link in a new window, and then switch back to the original window. Will the new window load in the background or do I have to switch to it? I typically read a site like Macrumors and when I see a link I like, I open them in new tabs and then go to them once I am done readint he page. Having them load in the background is a must.
Seriously reviewers tell us something about the device that we don't know.
We know there is a "My Documents" section where pages documents are stored, but how does it work? Do you sync files via iTunes? Does the iPad show up as a mass storage device on your computer when plugged in or is it accessible via the network like another computer? Can other apps see the file system? Can safari upload or download files from the file system? Can mail upload or download files to the file system?
And what about in Safari if I open a link in a new window, and then switch back to the original window. Will the new window load in the background or do I have to switch to it? I typically read a site like Macrumors and when I see a link I like, I open them in new tabs and then go to them once I am done readint he page. Having them load in the background is a must.
Seriously reviewers tell us something about the device that we don't know.
It has bluetooth. Even Apple's website shows the Apple wireless (bluetooth) keyboard as an accessory:
"Apple Wireless Keyboard
The incredibly thin Apple Wireless Keyboard uses Bluetooth technology, which makes it compatible with iPad. And youre free to type wherever you like with the keyboard in front of your iPad or even on your lap."
Good god! You are creating new NEEDS!
I just said my opinion. I am sure you need such a thing and you have already ordered one!
Three reasons, I believe: one, they are writing for a general audience that is not as up to speed on the device as MacRumors readers are; two, their devices are light on apps, and used the old version of iTunes until yesterday; three, wait -- the key to this type of device are the developers and if they could wait six months before writing the review each would probably read differently.
As a consumer, these reviews would encourage me to buy an iPad (too late, already did), but as a media guy who thinks 24 hours a day about electronic publishing, these reviews lack (Pogue's review, when looking at it from that perspective was very negative). Edward Baig's review in USAT probably comes closest when he writes that "Apple is taking solid aim at the burgeoning electronic-reader market dominated by the Kindle. Judged solely from a sizzle standpoint: There's no contest."
As for those concerned about printing and filing: wait, when developers see an opening they quickly fill it. And I agree with Peter Harrison, watch AppAdvice.com -- that's where the action is.
Please, calling a term paper and a long essay serious writing is laughable.
You have to knock it up a notch. Academic users spend hours upon hours reading actual books and taking notes for their research projects. That's serious writing. Scribbling things down from Wikipedia or the web is the least reputable source you should consider touching. In fact, you would get laughed at.
Besides, I doubt 1% of the users in here can actually use programs like Word to their full potential to begin with.