Tell that to Android which has accomplished the widget use very well. It is one of the highlights of the system. Apple should have been prepared for this. I will buy an Ipad, but I'm waiting for 3g so I have time to hope...and see.
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Gruber: No 'Widget Mode' for Minor Applications on iPad
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Tell that to Android which has accomplished the widget use very well. It is one of the highlights of the system. Apple should have been prepared for this. I will buy an Ipad, but I'm waiting for 3g so I have time to hope...and see.
A 10" 1024x768 calculator with big buttons is handy for the elderly I guess but most of us prefer our calculators to be about the size of say, oh I know, about the size of a pocket calculator, perhaps.
Making something 'fit specifically for iPad' might actually mean the type of application or widget is no longer fit for purpose.
What’s your point? None of the built-in apps would be useful if they were just upscaled. That’s why Apple is rebuilding their UIs.
No one is advocating just upscaling the old apps.
A new calculator app for the iPad could have more advanced features like conversions and currency calculation, scientific/programmer modes, a virtual paper tape and even Grapher capabilities. All of the features that are built-in to the Mac OS X Calculator.app.
A new stock app for the iPad could show both stock and overall market charts and each ticker’s news.
A new weather app for the iPad could should Doppler radar, a 10-day forecast, multiple cities and an integrated Google Maps to show weather in different locations around the world (like the Wii’s Weather channel).
You can pretty much come up with all sorts of stuff.
Yes it is a big deal. This is just a few more things missing. I wish the iPad never existed because it will become the lowest common denominator to the iPhone since it's running the same OS.
I'm really starting to hate the iPad.
...and make it stay resident. Maybe add a Notepad and an ASCII Chart too so you can just flip to it and have some handy things all to hand.
I've even thought of a name - Sidekick. Here's a mockup...
The marketing copy can run something like ...
Sidekick, because like MSDOS in 1988, your iPad can't multi-task either.
That's exactly my point.
That only works so far. Adding more features to something as simple as a calculator, just to fill up screen real estate is mental. Apple won't do that. I'm 100% certain they won't do that. It's totally stupid.
Calculator.app by default on the Mac is a simple calculator. Here's it's UI...
Sure, you can switch it into ever more complex modes but 99.9% of the time, most people do not need a tape window, programmers mode, trig buttons or graphing. They just want a simple calculator. You'll just scare people if the calculator came up in scientific mode.
Sure you can but you're building your app to justify use of a 1024x768 screen form and not it's function.
That's incorrect. It would be still be just as useful, just not optimal for the new screen.
I don't see why widgets couldn't be sold in the app store, which would make that point moot.
Though I agree that a lot of great apps will be available to fill the void, I'm left wondering why Apple let the ball drop on the software side so much. For as much hype as they're putting behind this thing they couldn't find the resources to rework a few simple apps to work on it out-of-the-box? Lets see, iBooks... yay, a 3d flip bookcase with a list of books you've purchased on the reverse side. It's almost as if they spent 4 years building hardware then some time last December thought they better make some software for it. Not to mention, it runs a point release update of iPhone OS. Where is the software to back up this vision, Apple?
I know . . I feel your pain. I feel it should definitely have at least a front facing camera for video conferencing as well as office. Compatibility with Adobe's CS is asking a little too much I guess at this point, but I feel that the former two should have definitely been included. I say yay, but I am still very much on the fence with this as well. As far as some of the native Apple apps though, I have noticed that they stink lol. For instance, there are stock apps that blow away Apples. Apples stock app, doesn't even work half the time. There are also many calc. apps.
This does stink but I'm sure there will be apps released scaled to iPad with the functionality we are not getting. I use TWC for weather because it's better than the native weather app. I know there are calculators and various others.
The thing is that those concerned should be either partnering with a developer or developing these for the iPad resolution and you can make a little cash...or a lot. Hey, wait a minute....I just spilled the beans.
The thing is that those concerned should be either partnering with a developer or developing these for the iPad resolution and you can make a little cash...or a lot. Hey, wait a minute....I just spilled the beans.
This is what I was thinking when I saw there were fewer applications.
The iPad's screen is so large for something like the current calculator unless it was a TI calculator (which I don't think Apple is going to put an entire graphing calculator as the standard calculator).
Stocks I'd actually figure they'd find a way to put it on a large screen. I don't know anything about stocks, but it seems like it would have a ton of information.
Didn't think that weather would look too bad blown up.
Clock and voice memo would look a bit odd.
The iPad's screen is so large for something like the current calculator unless it was a TI calculator (which I don't think Apple is going to put an entire graphing calculator as the standard calculator).
Stocks I'd actually figure they'd find a way to put it on a large screen. I don't know anything about stocks, but it seems like it would have a ton of information.
Didn't think that weather would look too bad blown up.
Clock and voice memo would look a bit odd.
Wow, that's sheer laziness on the part of Apple. There are plenty of ways to make these apps look good on the ipad! I mean why couldn't they just open up an iphone sized version of the app until they figure out how to make it look better full screen?
You want me to throw down $549 for a tablet that doesn't even have a calculator on it? Forget it Apple!!
Or as Cartman says..
SCREW U GUYS! I'M GOIN HOME!!!
You want me to throw down $549 for a tablet that doesn't even have a calculator on it? Forget it Apple!!
Or as Cartman says..
SCREW U GUYS! I'M GOIN HOME!!!
"Blame Canada" - South Park
No. That's what widgets and built-in apps are for. You know, the apps that Apple doesn't allow us delete or temper with.
What the lack of widget verifies is that Apple has no intention NOT to exploit any revenue-generating instrument that they can control. What the lack of of basic iPhone/iPod apps might prove is that Apple wants you to have all their products. They arrogantly and intentionally reject certain options. It's disgusting! This is the equivalent of not having a videocamera on the iPhone 3G, not having Firewire on the early unibody MacBooks, not having camera on the iPod Touch and not having sense.
That's what the App Store is for.
No. That's what widgets and built-in apps are for. You know, the apps that Apple doesn't allow us delete or temper with.
What the lack of widget verifies is that Apple has no intention NOT to exploit any revenue-generating instrument that they can control. What the lack of of basic iPhone/iPod apps might prove is that Apple wants you to have all their products. They arrogantly and intentionally reject certain options. It's disgusting! This is the equivalent of not having a videocamera on the iPhone 3G, not having Firewire on the early unibody MacBooks, not having camera on the iPod Touch and not having sense.
As long as we're confessing our confusion, how can you say that you use your iPhone clock all the time, but then turn around and bemoan the lack of the exact same feature in an iPad? You want, what, two alarm clocks?
Everybody who buys an iPad is going to have a phone. Maybe an iPhone, maybe not, but everybody has a phone. Every phone has a clock on it, and they all have alarms and whatnot. Why duplicate functionality that everyone already has in their pocket?
Award screen size issues
As a developer whose company has spent the better part of the past 2 years figuring out how to effectively utilize the real estate of an iPhone screen, I can say that it is really, really awkward to be designing for iPad and running into situations where you literally can't figure out what to do with all of that extra space.
It's a different paradigm to which developers will adjust, but I would expect for the first round of iPad-specific apps to include a lot of interfaces that just feel strange.
As a developer whose company has spent the better part of the past 2 years figuring out how to effectively utilize the real estate of an iPhone screen, I can say that it is really, really awkward to be designing for iPad and running into situations where you literally can't figure out what to do with all of that extra space.
It's a different paradigm to which developers will adjust, but I would expect for the first round of iPad-specific apps to include a lot of interfaces that just feel strange.
Good On Apple
There are many better alternatives to those preloaded apps that you could not remove.
This could be perhaps a decision to give 3rd party developers the lead on making these. For most people if you already have a decent calculator app why buy another better one that costs $3?
The only problem i have with this is the loss of the clock, I want to be able to set alarms and timers in the background and not leave an app open. Perhaps these basic functions have been integrated into the settings.
There are many better alternatives to those preloaded apps that you could not remove.
This could be perhaps a decision to give 3rd party developers the lead on making these. For most people if you already have a decent calculator app why buy another better one that costs $3?
The only problem i have with this is the loss of the clock, I want to be able to set alarms and timers in the background and not leave an app open. Perhaps these basic functions have been integrated into the settings.
The absence of a calculator and clock/alarm app seems like a bit of a joke really, sure there are 3rd party ones.
They don't need to take up the full screen.
In fact why not combine the two so a app opens up a window in which there is a clock, a calculator +/- weather dater displayed?
Gee... I'd write an App to do this, but my life is busy enough.
They don't need to take up the full screen.
In fact why not combine the two so a app opens up a window in which there is a clock, a calculator +/- weather dater displayed?
Gee... I'd write an App to do this, but my life is busy enough.
Not everyone who owns an iPad will have an iPhone.
My next phone may not be an iPhone.
No phone I've ever owned allowed an alarm clock feature that allowed me to set it for different times based on the day of week.
Removing this feature removes important functionality from the device. Functionality that can't be replaced by a third party APP, and that shouldn't need to be replaced by a different device.
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No built-in calculator?
Really, Steve J.?
No calculator?
I mean... no calculator?
I'm starting to think the iPad wasn't thought through all the way.
No built-in calculator?
Really, Steve J.?
No calculator?
I mean... no calculator?
I'm starting to think the iPad wasn't thought through all the way.