"I" don't want one, so it should not have one.

[Piggie]

Well, the differences among their computers are largely quantitative (bigger screens, speed, HD size) not, for the most part, qualitative. In other words, they are very similar, especially in terms of their function. What functions does their most expensive laptop have that their least expensive doesn't? They really do make one 'kind' of computer; differentiation is minimal.



They already do this with the iPad. Or do you mean that they will have something like the following options (just for example):
(1) a model with a high-speed processor and graphics for games
(2) a model with cameras and facetime
(3) a bare-bones model, or something with extended battery life
?

This will confuse consumers; instead of offering them something cool, they are now in the position of having to make tradeoffs when they buy something - instead of seeing all the great things they get, they have to think about the things they are foregoing. Others will ask 'why didn't they just put everything in one device?' whether possible or not. This question is posed every day on these forums; see: 'why doesn't the iPad have a camera, OSX, a slide-out keyboard, more storage, more RAM, come pre-jailbreaked, bla bla bla'.

I know what you are saying but then, does anyone say why does a Macbook Air not expand into a 17" screen with the power of a Macbook pro?

They don't as they understand that people want to run OSX but they buy the device which most fits the bill.

iPad Air, iPad, iPad Pro

They all run the same apps, perhaps one has smaller screen and it ultra thin and light, one is as we have now, the other has larger screen faster CPU and more storage.

With 3 price levels.

Of course I'd like 1 device that does everything, but I'm not sure if such a device will always be a compromise, ok at everything, not very good at anything.

Like one iMac for everyone, one iPod for everyone, one Laptop for everyone, One car for all occasions, One jacket for every use. etc etc.

It may not go that way, but it could do. And would allow Apple to offer different customers with different needs different options at different price points as it does with most of it's other products.

One size fits all it a tricky thing to do forever.

 

[craig1410]

iPad Air, iPad, iPad Pro

They all run the same apps, perhaps one has smaller screen and it ultra thin and light, one is as we have now, the other has larger screen faster CPU and more storage.

Have you forgotten that Apple did years worth of research into the form factor most suited to a tablet and came up with 9.7"? It would seem foolish for them then to dismiss this research and produce a 7" iPad or a 13" iPad would it not?

The other widely recognised "killer feature" of the iPad is its battery life which for a given screen size will dictate the weight and CPU power of the device. The A4 CPU is still quite new so I expect they will refine the design for the next iPad but I expect the power consumption won't change much to keep battery life at the 10 hour+ level. Memory capacity is largely a function of the target price points and availability of manufacturing capacity and economies of scale. I think Apple are already leading the race with up to 64GB of installed capacity in the current iPad.

You mention that your hypothetical iPads above would all run the same apps. I wonder if you are aware of the difficulties imposed by having numerous device specifications on the compatibility of apps? I'm an iOS developer and let me tell you that it would be much more difficult to develop for iOS if devices varied in spec in the same way as Android devices do. Evolution is fine and nobody expects devices to always be able to run the latest software forever but fragmented hardware specs would be a nightmare.

 

[Piggie]

Have you forgotten that Apple did years worth of research into the form factor most suited to a tablet and came up with 9.7"? It would seem foolish for them then to dismiss this research and produce a 7" iPad or a 13" iPad would it not?

The other widely recognised "killer feature" of the iPad is its battery life which for a given screen size will dictate the weight and CPU power of the device. The A4 CPU is still quite new so I expect they will refine the design for the next iPad but I expect the power consumption won't change much to keep battery life at the 10 hour+ level. Memory capacity is largely a function of the target price points and availability of manufacturing capacity and economies of scale. I think Apple are already leading the race with up to 64GB of installed capacity in the current iPad.

You mention that your hypothetical iPads above would all run the same apps. I wonder if you are aware of the difficulties imposed by having numerous device specifications on the compatibility of apps? I'm an iOS developer and let me tell you that it would be much more difficult to develop for iOS if devices varied in spec in the same way as Android devices do. Evolution is fine and nobody expects devices to always be able to run the latest software forever but fragmented hardware specs would be a nightmare.

How to developers cope with say a 11" Mac Book Air right up to a 17" Mac Book Pro?

Do they have to make sure their programs all work identical on these two ends of the range? Or is it just common sense than some programs will run faster/better or even at all on one model but not on the other?

Seems to work ok doesn't it? People understand that buy buying the ultra thin, small model that it's not going to run exactly the same as the top end powerful model. I don't really think Apple buyers have a problem with this concept, they buy the model which best fits their needs.

Do you perhaps feel Apple is wrong, and that they should indeed one build one, middle of the road Laptop so everyone has exactly the same spec and all developers know exactly what they have to make sure their programs run best on?

 

[craig1410]

How to developers cope with say a 11" Mac Book Air right up to a 17" Mac Book Pro?

Do they have to make sure their programs all work identical on these two ends of the range? Or is it just common sense than some programs will run faster/better or even at all on one model but not on the other?

Seems to work ok doesn't it? People understand that buy buying the ultra thin, small model that it's not going to run exactly the same as the top end powerful model. I don't really think Apple buyers have a problem with this concept, they buy the model which best fits their needs.

Do you perhaps feel Apple is wrong, and that they should indeed one build one, middle of the road Laptop so everyone has exactly the same spec and all developers know exactly what they have to make sure their programs run best on?

I can't quite decide if you are being naive or if you are trolling but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

Firstly, I was talking about iPads which run iOS where apps all run full screen all the time as opposed to Mac OS X where you have window of different sizes and can move them around as required. In iOS the screen resolution is important and fortunately at the moment there are only a few resolutions which need to be considered. Apps in OS X adapt according to the size of the window in which they are contained and this is handled by the app developer using different methods of anchoring controls within the app.

Software for the Mac will usually have a list of hardware requirements published so as long as you satisfy the minimum requirements then all should be well. Of course the better the hardware generally the better things will run but that's pretty obvious right?

No I don't think that Apple should build a single "middle of the road" laptop and they certainly don't do that just now. To be honest I don't know why you even ask this question... Apple's product line is currently plenty wide enough with good product differentiation and with enough user specified options to suit most users. No need to change in my opinion.

 

[Piggie]

I can't quite decide if you are being naive or if you are trolling but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

Firstly, I was talking about iPads which run iOS where apps all run full screen all the time as opposed to Mac OS X where you have window of different sizes and can move them around as required. In iOS the screen resolution is important and fortunately at the moment there are only a few resolutions which need to be considered. Apps in OS X adapt according to the size of the window in which they are contained and this is handled by the app developer using different methods of anchoring controls within the app.

Software for the Mac will usually have a list of hardware requirements published so as long as you satisfy the minimum requirements then all should be well. Of course the better the hardware generally the better things will run but that's pretty obvious right?

No I don't think that Apple should build a single "middle of the road" laptop and they certainly don't do that just now. To be honest I don't know why you even ask this question... Apple's product line is currently plenty wide enough with good product differentiation and with enough user specified options to suit most users. No need to change in my opinion.

No, I'm not trolling.

I'm trying to understand, clearly and logically why people think the way they do.

At the moment, we are in a position where people are saying it would be completely wrong of Apple to make more that one model of Tablet computer as it would cause buyer and developer confusion.

And yet, it's perfectly fine for Apple to make a whole range of Laptop computers where some apps will run on some models but not others.

To me this seems illogical really

I accept one point that you would need to keep screen res the same due to the current full screen nature of iOS, but apart from that one point I don't see an issue.

It seems to me, more a case of defending the current position than anything else to be honest.

In a different universe where Apple had a range of say 10 different tablet computers and had just bought out their 1st laptop I could see people here saying that scenario was correct and they should only be one laptop as different devices would confuse the issue.

I don't believe most Apple users are stupid. I think most Apple customers are intelligent people, who if given the choice of say 2 or 3 models of tablets, with say the same screen res (due to iOS full screen nature) but say for example, you could get a 7" one that was half the speed with a 30 hour batter life and limited memory for half the price, or one with a 12 or 13" screen with stereo speakers, cameras, faster CPU with a 6 hour batter life.

I'm just plucking those specs out there air, they could be anything.

I think Apple customers would be intelligent enough to be able to decide which model best fitted their requirements and their price point, in exactly the same way they currently pick the iMac or MacBook that best fits their needs.

I don't see why a Tablet, unlike almost every other single electronics product on the market today, has to only come as one single model that has to suit everyone.

It just seems an odd viewpoint to have to make this rule up that only applies to a Tablet computer.

 

[craig1410]

No, I'm not trolling.

I'm trying to understand, clearly and logically why people think the way they do.

At the moment, we are in a position where people are saying it would be completely wrong of Apple to make more that one model of Tablet computer as it would cause buyer and developer confusion.

And yet, it's perfectly fine for Apple to make a whole range of Laptop computers where some apps will run on some models but not others.

To me this seems illogical really

I accept one point that you would need to keep screen res the same due to the current full screen nature of iOS, but apart from that one point I don't see an issue.

It seems to me, more a case of defending the current position than anything else to be honest.

In a different universe where Apple had a range of say 10 different tablet computers and had just bought out their 1st laptop I could see people here saying that scenario was correct and they should only be one laptop as different devices would confuse the issue.

I don't believe most Apple users are stupid. I think most Apple customers are intelligent people, who if given the choice of say 2 or 3 models of tablets, with say the same screen res (due to iOS full screen nature) but say for example, you could get a 7" one that was half the speed with a 30 hour batter life and limited memory for half the price, or one with a 12 or 13" screen with stereo speakers, cameras, faster CPU with a 6 hour batter life.

I'm just plucking those specs out there air, they could be anything.

I think Apple customers would be intelligent enough to be able to decide which model best fitted their requirements and their price point, in exactly the same way they currently pick the iMac or MacBook that best fits their needs.

I don't see why a Tablet, unlike almost every other single electronics product on the market today, has to only come as one single model that has to suit everyone.

It just seems an odd viewpoint to have to make this rule up that only applies to a Tablet computer.

I don't think you will ever find out how everyone "thinks" in regards to Apple products, all we can do is speculate.

I don't think it would automatically be "completely wrong" of Apple to have more than one iPad but Apple are in the best position to decide if this is possible, practical or desirable. I'm sure their market research teams will have a better idea of what people want than any of us on these forums, and Apple will know better than any of us what would be involved in satisfying those demands. Based on the products available today we can only conclude that on balance it is not (yet) worth having more than on iPad. This may change if a competitor produces a successful tablet of a different size.

Buyer and developer confusion? No I don't think it is that clear cut. Fundamental difference in iPad spec would cause additional developer workload (eg. all graphics would need to be resized) and some small developers (there are many of us) would not have the resources to support multiple iPad products to there is a real chance of having apps available for one iPad but not for another. This might make for an inconsistent user experience amongst consumers which I suppose you could call confusion.

Even on Apple Personal Computers, some software won't run on older machines. An obvious example is where Snow Leopard won't run on any PowerPC machines. In some cases software will run but with reduced performance. Let's see what Apple do with the Mac App store which is due to be released soon. I suspect they will try to simplify machine requirements to help make for a more consistent experience.

I agree Apple users are usually intelligent, professional people and can make product differentiation choices without any trouble. The question here is whether there is a place for those different products. Apple benefit greatly from having very clear product identities because choice can often paralyse purchasing decisions. "I want an iPad...oh but wait, I don't know which one to buy, I'll go home and think about it and ask a friend" versus "I want an iPad...there's one - bought it"

I appreciate you were just plucking specs out of the air but bear in mind what I said earlier, for every different model of iPad you would increase the cost of ALL iPads due to a whole range of extra overheads. I for one find my iPad to be close to perfect for my purposes. Of course you will accuse me of just defending the status quo again but I honestly can't think of many ways to improve my iPad for my usage.

Here is my perfect iPad spec:
1. Existing iPad with a facetime camera only (camera on the rear is pointless imo)
2. Slightly louder speakers which don't get covered by my hand when holding the iPad
3. A bit lighter but not to the detriment of solidity (I don't want a plasticky thing like the Samsung Galaxy tab)
4. Faster battery charging (takes several hours at the moment)
5. Daylight readable screen (but with no reduction in indoors quality and brightness & e-ink is horrible and monochrome)
6. Flat back so it doesn't rock and roll when typing without the case.
7. A bit more (RAM) memory would be nice to bring it into line with iPhone 4

Hopefully you can see from this that I am not simply a slave to Apple's design decisions and can form opinions of my own. I think for a version 1 product the iPad is fantastic and will only get better with version 2. I think at least half of my points above will be sorted in iPad 2. (Points 1,2,6,7 at least)

Kind regards,
Craig.

 

[nemanjaj]

Actually the reason why it's silly to use joke photo's like the one above is that it's down to the user to decide.

It's a real product. $999
http://www.amazon.com/Wenger-16999-Giant-Swiss-Knife/dp/B001DZTJRQ

 

[Carouser]

I don't get it. Apple already has differentiation in the iPad line. They don't sell just one iPad, they sell six, and in doing so it means consumers are able to pick an iPad to fit their needs. The premise that Apple sells 'one iPad' versus 'several kinds of computer' is misleading.

If you mean 'will Apple further differentiate the iPad product line' I don't know and don't see the use of such speculation. One can say 'yes' but it's so vague that it's irrelevant. Even if they do, there will still be the potential for further differentiation again, and there will always be a niche that isn't addressed. Again, it's not 'will there ever be more than one iPad' (there already is); the question is 'will the product be differentiated in a way which is optimal for me' (differentiated based on a camera or battery life, rather than connectivity and hard drive space).

I don't believe most Apple users are stupid. I think most Apple customers are intelligent people, who if given the choice of say 2 or 3 models of tablets, with say the same screen res (due to iOS full screen nature) but say for example, you could get a 7" one that was half the speed with a 30 hour batter life and limited memory for half the price, or one with a 12 or 13" screen with stereo speakers, cameras, faster CPU with a 6 hour batter life.

I'm just plucking those specs out there air, they could be anything.

I know you are just making them up, but of course you couldn't go with half the speed for one model in any real-world situation if you want them to drive the same OS. Similarly, a camera, stereo speakers, and so forth wouldn't make a significant difference to battery usage. In other words, the actual differentiation possible would be fairly minimal, and the tradeoffs between products would thus not provide any advantage to consumers. If Apple can put a camera in an iPad, they can put it in all iPads. What will they do, charge an extra $200 for having the camera? Then everyone will freak at having to pay $200 just for a $20 camera. If they only charge an extra $20, nobody will buy the lesser model.

 

[jamesryanbell]

Why do we seem to get this type of reply so much in Apple forums?

I've never seen it on other forums generally with other products.

It's like a viewpoint that if something is not fitted to an Apple product, then it should not be fitted to an Apple product.

Also, if the poster personally does not see a need for him/her self to use a feature/function then under no circumstances should that be added to the product.

It's weird isn't it?

I suppose as soon as Apple do fit whatever it is, then suddenly it becomes correct that it's been fitted?

Because we want everyone to think the iteration that we purchased was the best one. The majority of people HATE it when they dropped a considerable amount of money on something, and the first response to it is "oooh...but have you seen the new one?". Therefore, in an attempt maintain the validity of a particular product (albeit in vain most of the time), we'll dismiss new features if they don't matter to us, trying to convince the rest of the world that there's no value in the "new" one, and the people that made the correct purchasing decision have already had theirs for a while...and that the correct INFORMED decision was NOT to wait.

I'm right in the middle of that crew, but I don't try to convince others of this that much.

It goes on everywhere.

 

[craig1410]

It should also be noted that there is effectively a 3.5" iPad (the iPod Touch). In fact you could say that the entire iOS family are variations on the same theme.

iPod Touch
iPhone 3GS
iPhone 4
iPad WiFi
iPad 3G

That's quite a wide range of options, especially if you consider the various storage options for each. Android devices have a much wider range of hardware options of course but there have already been warning signs that this is creating difficulties for consumers and developers. Of course this isn't helped when network operators also dictate if and when an operating system upgrade will be rolled out to users.