iPad SDK 3.2 Details: External Display, File Sharing System, No Multitasking

[nik.cooper]

A lingering camera possibility?

Interesting in the simulator, the native contacts app has the option to take a photo. Wonder if this is just a holdover from the iPhone or if the final shipping product will support a camera of some kind?

Yes, I do find that very interesting...

 

[617arg]

I was skeptical yesterday but after watching the keynote I'm actually pretty impressed. It's a nice couch/kitchen or train/plane device. It's also great for my parents who really don't need anything more from their computer (maybe flash for some websites they visit though.)

The one thing I will be waiting for before buying is iChat. This has the potential to revolutionize the way we communicate with people. I'm not sure why Apple would leave it out. Oh yeah, multitask would also be a welcome addition to the OS.

The apps are what will sell this thing. I don't watch baseball but if I did I would much rather watch through the MLB app than regular broadcast. Hooking up to a TV would be a must though. The revamped iWork looks like it is fun to use too.

 

[miknos]

wakeup call

Since Apple visits this Macrumors, let's hope they do some tuning, like including a camera and be able to multi-task. I don't think it's NOT possible to listen to music (ipod) while browsing the internet.

 

[myusernamesucks]

I respectfully disagree. This is a niche product. Why would someone go to the store and choose the iPad over a netbook when they see them side by side? What does the iPad bring that a netbook doesn't? A netbook is cheaper and more versatile. In my opinion, the iPad is just like the AppleTV - another product to act as an extension of your desktop.

Now, I will say that, as a niche product, it certainly has it's opportunity to be a huge hit in specific areas. For example, hospitals. I can take an iPad around our Intensive Care and bring up patient xrays or lab results, continuously monitor patient vitals, etc.

Why would someone go to the store and choose the iPad over a netbook when they see them side by side?

Because 18 months ago I bought a Dell Laptop. Then 17 months ago I bought a MBP.

 

[myusernamesucks]

I usually rave about Apple kit, I own loads of it, it's great....but this is just ridiculous. It would be less that 7$ to put in a half decent camera in the thing and then the iPad would have been a good purchase.

Shame, was looking forward to having it as a portable, 12 day travel device for work.. No good if I can't do Skype and other Video calling..

Are you talking front or rear facing? Front I can see, and I wouldn't bet $1 that it won't be included on later builds. Rear facing I'm not so sure about - it would be the World's biggest point and shoot.

 

[mnemonix]

Fail?

I hardly think so. This is the future of the personal computer for the majority of users.

The haters are neither typical users nor can they see beyond what *they* want *now* to where computers need to go to transparently integerate into everybodys lives. Apple's been doing this since it started but a lot of people seem to forget this.

It's a version 1, it's not perfect, but the direction is, the genius is in what the form factor coupled with the simple elegant iPhone UI offers. It does everything most people need from a computer, is appliance-easy to use, handles all traditional media forms from print to music to video, and is throw-a-book-in-a-bag portable.

I own a workstation, a 13" MacBook pro & an iPhone - I still want one and it'll only get better.

 

[3D-Troll]

You get 10 hours of doing that out of you Andriod phone?

Additionally, Apple just recently bought a music streaming company. Apple applications aren't as blocked from the no multitasking restrictions as 3rd party apps are... That wasn't the finished version of the system that was on display.

Adding additional power is easy, got a big external battery with a USB port for the road and enough power outlets at home. Try adding multitasking and Flash by yourself. So the web browsing experience will always lag behind even a cheap netbook. And the iPad is supposed to be better.
Should the Apple streaming service coming it will probably only stream what you bought. I'm looking for the whole radio experience (new music, news and comedy).

 

[Clown Boy]

What a total FAIL!

Ha ha, this is laughable, I actually stopped watching the keynote half way in when I noticed how LAME this device is.

It's the biggest, most over hyped fail since.... the iPhone 3GS.

Just a rehash of 3 year old tech in a 3 year old design that clearly no one needs. In 2010, to have a device that lacks so many features is inexcusable.

FAIL FAIL FAIL, and if you don't think so look at the Positive:Negative ratio on this thread, a major Fan Boi site. If they don't get it then your average joe won't.

Steve Jobs, please turn the light off in Cupertino when you leave...

You suck chicken's eggs.

 

[myusernamesucks]

There'll be a bit of use with this iPad, in six months you'll see them often, for awhile.

I won't buy one, though. I've seen maybe four iPhones in my life, and have no desire whatsoever to slide my fingers over some screen and watch graphics bounce around. None at all.

I have no desire to be on Facebook, or Myspace, or Twitter, or whatever seems to be grabbing everyone's goat these days. I do like Digg, and some of that stuff where people can rank a digest. I like fatwallet, too, as I've got a house full of stuff I didn't need that I got largely for free.

I do own a couple Macs, because I don't want to worry about the bullsh*t that goes on with the Windows OS, but I don't care about it other than that. I use Windows at work, though, because there isn't an embedded compiler made for the Mac - and let my employer pay the costs of maintaining Microsoft's tragedy.

I own a nook, because I like to read books - and lots of them - and with my near-photographic memory, I can recount tales from books I read when I was ten. You see, I'm deaf, and television didn't mean sh*t before the days of captioning and subtitling. Tora Tora Tora was my favorite show, as half of it was in Japanese! It wasn't until my kids started watching Scooby-Doo that I knew that there was a Fred, Velma, Daphne or even Shaggy. I absolutely hated, and still hate with a deep passion the muppets - try reading the lips of that green fa**ot frog. So, what did I do as a child, but read books (lots of comics).

Would I read read books on this iPad, if I was given one for free? Hell no. I would just browse fatwallet, check my email and spam, and be done with it. I might carry an iPad with me when shopping so I could quickly call up the actual price, check for coupons, or the like to determine if I'm getting the best deal I possibly could. But, mostly, it'd be the thing to use during commercials while watching TV, it's captioned now. If the iPad hadn't been such a crummy resolution, I might buy the thing for the quickie-ftvgirl on the shuttle but now the pubes are going to be a pixelated blend. HD hard-ly!!

Let me ask: Is anyone at all, let's be serious, going to use iWork on the thing in VGA resolution? For crying out loud, the text is going to be so spaced-out, you'll be holding it at arms length with a larger font to be able to read it comfortably at all. Damn, what a crying shame. Photographs aren't going to look that great either, the resolution being so much lower than the lousiest ink-jet printer's!

What I will spend my money on is the Skiff, if it sees the light of day and has sufficient content. (see http://skiff.com). To me, it's the kind of technology they're pioneering that will be more a next big thing than this iPad, if there was any promising technology to speak of. E-ink has some color technology being developed (see http://www.eink.com/press/images/image_release_86c.html). Yeah, baby, I'm interested! The iPad? No thanks!

And finally, I think I speak for a large part of the population - the part that isn't included in numbers Facebook likes to quote when counting its "unique visitors", most of whom are parents of children coaxed into signing up only to never log on again. The part that far outnumbers the little queebs and nerds running around acting as if their life depended on a gadget and its ability to tie them into knots!!

Here you go, from Pink Floyd's Animals:

"You like the feel of steel,
You're hot stuff with a hatpin,
And good fun with a hand gun.
You're nearly a laugh,
You're nearly a laugh
But you're really a cry."

You know, there are things called "stairs" that lead out of most basements.

 

[Maxipeg]

Multi-tasking is much needed in this device IMO. Definitely a let-down on that front.

It's so responsive you don't need multitasking...

 

[stonemann]

I don't own an ipod or an iphone. I don't feel a need to carry my music around or surf the net or watch videos on a tiny screen. And I can make phone calls on my cheap Nokia handset. But I will be considering an iPad. Just being able to interact by touch with web pages on a comfortably-sized screen, watching movies, photos, reading books and checking email, even playing the odd game, will be incredibly convenient. Heck, you can even do some word processing on it. I'm a little disappointed there's no camera for ichat but that will surely happen on a future version. Multi-tasking is not a deal-breaker for me. A limited form of multi-tasking may arrive on a future OS release. Can't say not having Flash is an issue either. I already de-activate Flash on Safari via a plug-in. I don't need 3G as Wifi is perfectly adequate around the house where I plan to use it. It won't be replacing my laptop where I will continue do my real work. But I can definitely see a use for this as a casual lightweight media device. Plus the pricing is pretty aggressive for a new Apple product. My chief concern is the lack of storage space. 64GB should be for starters. Be interesting to see how this evolves. In 18 months or so it should be a mature and capable device and some of its current limitations addressed...

 

[Maxipeg]

Ha ha, this is laughable, I actually stopped watching the keynote half way in when I noticed how LAME this device is.

It's the biggest, most over hyped fail since.... the iPhone 3GS.

Just a rehash of 3 year old tech in a 3 year old design that clearly no one needs. In 2010, to have a device that lacks so many features is inexcusable.

FAIL FAIL FAIL, and if you don't think so look at the Positive:Negative ratio on this thread, a major Fan Boi site. If they don't get it then your average joe won't.

Steve Jobs, please turn the light off in Cupertino when you leave...

You suck chicken's eggs.

You have chosen your name very well...

 

[Hattig]

I'm certain that not all of the details of the iPad have been revealed.

The photo of the iPad in the cage before the keynote yesterday had a camera porthole at the top (and a home button hole at the bottom).

Also whilst the initial release might be single-tasking, I'm certain that the "Apple A4" SoC has been designed with future uses in mind - i.e., it probably has a dual-core ARM Cortex A9 like most other SoCs of the upcoming generation. Expect an update to unlock multitasking (once they work out a UI to switch applications - a major bugbear on my Android phone) at some point.

A4: http://www.brightsideofnews.com/new...c-unveiled---its-an-arm-cpu-and-the-gpu!.aspx

"A4 is a System-on-a-Chip, or SOC, that integrates the main processor [ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore i.e. Multi-Processing Core, identical to ones used in nVidia Tegra and Qualcomm Snapdragon] with graphics silicon [ARM Mali 50-Series GPU], and other functions like the memory controller on one piece of silicon"

Weird it's ARM Mali, and not PowerVR SGX.

I wonder how much RAM it has. I'd expect 512MB or 1GB from such a device.

*waits 60 days for iSupply tear-down*

 

[Maxipeg]

Since Apple visits this Macrumors, let's hope they do some tuning, like including a camera and be able to multi-task. I don't think it's NOT possible to listen to music (ipod) while browsing the internet.

I don't get your point, if you knew the iPhone then you would have found out that you can listen to music and browse the net with Safari. So, the system is capable of multitasking, it is Apple's choice to allow it only for specific applications

 

[sswanky]

Help - Multi-tasking to do what?

Okay, I'm not sure I get all the clamoring for multi-tasking on the iPad. I get it for laptops and desktops, but why on the iPad?

Please list some examples of what you would like to do in a multi-tasking environment and why? Help me see the light

 

[kas23]

Fail?

I hardly think so. This is the future of the personal computer for the majority of users.

Seems like the future of personal computing will be netbooks (which currently are very nice, have much more storage, and are much more functional). Next, we will see full computing power within the palms of our hands - just as soon as Apple opens up the SDK more. I don't see the iPad becoming too much more functional, as it will then begin to out-sell the entry MacBook.

Okay, I'm not sure I get all the clamoring for multi-tasking on the iPad. I get it for laptops and desktops, but why on the iPad?

Please list some examples of what you would like to do in a multi-tasking environment and why? Help me see the light

Just a few: listening to Pandora while surfing the web/GPS/everything else, viewing things side-by-side (such as doing word processing while looking at a website, pulling off information/data from another app - like TapForms and adding it to a website), dragging-and-dropping files from one app to another.

The problem with not having true multitasking is that it sometimes takes a few seconds to switch back and forth between apps. It's not instant like clicking on an open program idling in the background.

 

[RQPS]

Okay, I'm not sure I get all the clamoring for multi-tasking on the iPad. I get it for laptops and desktops, but why on the iPad?

Please list some examples of what you would like to do in a multi-tasking environment and why? Help me see the light

I would like to be able to run ichat or aim and surf the internet. Or stream Pandora and run Tweetie. Think of the different programs you have open on your computer at any given time

 

[Hattig]

I don't get your point, if you knew the iPhone then you would have found out that you can listen to music and browse the net with Safari. So, the system is capable of multitasking, it is Apple's choice to allow it only for specific applications

Two things - background applications, and multitasking. The iPhone has always multi-tasked of course, it's just that the OS enforces single-tasking for most applications. The few apps (i.e., iPod) that were allowed to multitask had to present their front-most view, and a view for when they're in the background.

Most likely Apple need to finish and solidify this UI API for background applications to present an interface to the user much like the iPod's "background application" UI that pops up.

The same thing will probably enable application switching, via an Expose-like funkiness. It could even be a "widget layer" type system, like dashboard.

This surely must be coming in the next major release of the operating system.

 

[j763]

Perfect computer for my mom. Except that she actually multitasks between an internet browser and a word processor to create her travel plans and et-cetera. Multitasking is a must.

I think you mean to say it would be the perfect iPod for your mom. This is not a tablet Mac, folks... It's a really big clunky iPod Touch that views photos and does eBooks. And nothing else! It's impractical to enter text on by all accounts, you can't surf the web properly because it doesn't do flash, you can't print, you can't play DVDs. It's just a really big ol' iPod Touch!

I'm going to put my iPad next to my Apple TV.

 

[jlc1978]

but if you're not using them all simultaneously, what difference does it make?

you're not going to have the textbook and Pages and Safari up on the same screen at the same time. (well, maybe you could... but it doesn't look like that would be too efficient) ... so you don't really need multi-tasking. you need quick application switching.

Well, while for most aps that's true, in some, such as web browsers, the ability to switch away from the browser and while it loads a page / runs a search/ etc and then go back w/o having to reload is very useful.

 

[RQPS]

So is it worth buying this iPad or should we wait until rev. 2? Can the current hardware handle multitasking if apple chooses to include it in a future update?

 

[Hattig]

Okay, I'm not sure I get all the clamoring for multi-tasking on the iPad. I get it for laptops and desktops, but why on the iPad?

Please list some examples of what you would like to do in a multi-tasking environment and why? Help me see the light

Pandora/Spotify and iWork.

I'd also like a widget layer with instant widgets for controlling background applications and tools like a calculator, etc. This could replace/enhance the current background application UI that iPod application presents.

 

[blybug]

I'm certain that not all of the details of the iPad have been revealed.
...
Expect an update to unlock multitasking (once they work out a UI to switch applications - a major bugbear on my Android phone) at some point.

They've got a roomy Leopard-identical dock at the bottom of the iPad screen. Why not merge the Mac OS Dock function into the iPad environment? A software update to add multitasking could add Dock/Switch options to the Settings, which could include :

• Dock always showing (apps fit to space above like the Mac)
• Dock slides up and down as needed (touch icon in lower corner)
• Set gesture to act as "-tab" such as 4-finger cross-swipe...I like 4 finger down-swipe to minimize/hide current app into Dock also. How about Exposé-like feature with 4-finger up-swipe to show thumbnails of all active apps.
• App menu in upper right corner

I think having only one App "visible" at a time makes sense for a device like iPad...multi-window layering probably gets messy with Touch (are you trying to interact with that window or move it?). The present system of switching apps by quitting-resuming with the Home button is OK, but takes the user out of the seamless Touch environment.

Perhaps a wide-ish sidebar/dashboard in landscape mode could keep live mini windows of a few apps open like calendar, IM, iTunes controls, even a postage-stamp video playing while you "work" on something else. I suppose even with multitasking available Apple will necessarily limit it so as not to grind the user experience to a halt from users who never "quit" anything.

 

[Hattig]

IIt's a really big clunky iPod Touch that views photos and does eBooks. And nothing else!

Come on, don't be silly. It can do 140,000 other things.

It's impractical to enter text on by all accounts,

Mildly - it'll be better than nothing, and there's a keyboard dock for a reason. It isn't for major projects, but for idle stuff like your home finances, or holiday checklist, and so on, it's more than ideal.

you can't surf the web properly because it doesn't do flash,

Yet. Flash is available for ARM Cortex CPUs. It just requires Apple to allow a port to be made and installed.

you can't print, you can't play DVDs. It's just a really big ol' iPod Touch!
I'm going to put my iPad next to my Apple TV.

Most likely the Apple TV will get a revision soon to utilise the iPad's innards to reduce costs over the clunky and old hardware it uses currently.

Printing - a nasty thing. It may arrive in an update given the iWork software, maybe not for all makes of printer though.

DVDs - yeah, where's the drive? Duh. You can stream Youtube HD however.

 

[j763]

Fail?

I hardly think so. This is the future of the personal computer for the majority of users.

It's a version 1, it's not perfect, but the direction is, the genius is in what the form factor coupled with the simple elegant iPhone UI offers.

You should find a System 7 mac and install At Ease on it. I think you'd like the revolutionary simple elegant interface. I think it will be the future of personal computing.