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iPad Versus Netbook
- Thread starter Sketh
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I use an MBA as my main machine, but I also have an HP Mini 1000 happily running full OSX. I plan on purchasing an iPad at some point this year to replace the netbook.
I just know when i'm happily surfing my iPad on my couch, gawker is going to have a funny video with a million comments, and i'll be sitting there looking at a blue lego.
Why apple?
I just know when i'm happily surfing my iPad on my couch, gawker is going to have a funny video with a million comments, and i'll be sitting there looking at a blue lego.
Why apple?
After having to use my cousin's EEE PC for an emergency research term paper, I have to say I'd take the iPad hands down.
No way I will ever use a netbook again. Frigging thing took 2 minutes to take me to a full loaded XP and then another 2 min to load Word... surfing was ok (if you stand IE) but slower. I finished in a longer time span than usual. Hey it got the job done, but I am not going to take a netbook over an iPad that has proven fast and easier to use. Specially after having used iPhone OS. I know how to use it by more than 50%, no need to relearn or decode an OS for a netbook.
No way I will ever use a netbook again. Frigging thing took 2 minutes to take me to a full loaded XP and then another 2 min to load Word... surfing was ok (if you stand IE) but slower. I finished in a longer time span than usual. Hey it got the job done, but I am not going to take a netbook over an iPad that has proven fast and easier to use. Specially after having used iPhone OS. I know how to use it by more than 50%, no need to relearn or decode an OS for a netbook.
The iPad fulfills a different goal than the netbook. I need to create work, so I need a keyboard. Netbook, hands down.
Why not a smaller laptop then?
I've never understood the idea of using a smaller than standard keyboard to get work done. Is the trade off really that significant? (honest question)
Family netbook
I got into the netbook game after our family's 6 year IBM Thinkpad stopped working. (It went through many OS changes (XP->Ubuntu->Win7), malware cleanups, restores). So I spent $300 for an HP mini to replace the family laptop.
It was fun adding OSX in it, hoping it would be easier for my mom to use. I was actually surprised that she figured out how to use iPhoto and retouches without my help. This netbook is used mainly for webbrowsing and sits on the kitchen counter, breakfast table, dining table, living room table, and in the bedroom.
Now I don't get bothered as much when fixing a problem when she uses OSX over Windows, but even OSX has some flaws:
1. Fixed menu bar: When printing, although Safari is in full visible view, it is no where to be found. Because Finder is in focus? Explain to a non-techie how something thats in focus not visible.
2. Because of the small trackpad, although I tell her to use a mouse, all the Dock icons are gone. So she calls me saying the Internet got deleted. I said "No no, you deleted a shortcut. Don't click-drag, just click on the icon". Now I know why webpages' decals are appearing on the desktop.
3. Desktop clutter: She doesn't have a concept of file systems. Never opened root drive. All the files are on desktop. Spotlight was the only way.
4. Windowing system: She thought the scrollbar had disappeared, it was just clipped out of view since all the applications are expected to run fullscreen.
5. Lastly shutting down the OS: She clicks Shutdown, closes the lid immediately, netbook goes to sleepmode instead, the battery drains. I never saw her without an AC adaptor.
This what I have to put up with.
I told her about iPad and didn't care much about it, as long it has internet and iPhoto. The iPad may make it more easier for her to use. The only problem about it is 70% of her time spent is watching flash videos. And this is not Hulu, but a site that uses flash video player with absolutely no alternatives. (mov,wmv,etc.)
Meanwhile, I will getting one for non-intensive computing, but for general use.
I got into the netbook game after our family's 6 year IBM Thinkpad stopped working. (It went through many OS changes (XP->Ubuntu->Win7), malware cleanups, restores). So I spent $300 for an HP mini to replace the family laptop.
It was fun adding OSX in it, hoping it would be easier for my mom to use. I was actually surprised that she figured out how to use iPhoto and retouches without my help. This netbook is used mainly for webbrowsing and sits on the kitchen counter, breakfast table, dining table, living room table, and in the bedroom.
Now I don't get bothered as much when fixing a problem when she uses OSX over Windows, but even OSX has some flaws:
1. Fixed menu bar: When printing, although Safari is in full visible view, it is no where to be found. Because Finder is in focus? Explain to a non-techie how something thats in focus not visible.
2. Because of the small trackpad, although I tell her to use a mouse, all the Dock icons are gone. So she calls me saying the Internet got deleted. I said "No no, you deleted a shortcut. Don't click-drag, just click on the icon". Now I know why webpages' decals are appearing on the desktop.
3. Desktop clutter: She doesn't have a concept of file systems. Never opened root drive. All the files are on desktop. Spotlight was the only way.
4. Windowing system: She thought the scrollbar had disappeared, it was just clipped out of view since all the applications are expected to run fullscreen.
5. Lastly shutting down the OS: She clicks Shutdown, closes the lid immediately, netbook goes to sleepmode instead, the battery drains. I never saw her without an AC adaptor.
This what I have to put up with.
I told her about iPad and didn't care much about it, as long it has internet and iPhoto. The iPad may make it more easier for her to use. The only problem about it is 70% of her time spent is watching flash videos. And this is not Hulu, but a site that uses flash video player with absolutely no alternatives. (mov,wmv,etc.)
Meanwhile, I will getting one for non-intensive computing, but for general use.
I'm not an Apple apologist, but I do agree with their philosophy on netbooks. Their slow, have cramped keyboards, and tiny screens. An ergonomic nightmare. I'd rather have an iPad simply because it is a well thought out device, and besides f*ing flash (which I couldn't give a crap about, I'd work around it), the iPad would be better. Especially with that stand/keyboard, and that case/stand thing.
In the end it comes down to the fact that the best value is what offers you the most and best of what you need,
if you need a mini computer that does everything just OK and want to view flash videos & use specific windows applications, then a net-book is possibly suitable.
But the iPad offers much better components than your average $350 net-book.
Consider the screen, 1024x768 132 PPI LED-backlit multi-touch IPS display, you won't find that on a net-book for $350.
There's also it's size, 9.5" high, 7.5" wide, 0.5" deep and it only weighs 1.6 pounds.
It's got a fast 1GHz processor and it's battery can last up to 10 hours watching video on a single charge.
It's got a 16GB flash drive, and most importantly, it runs the iPhone OS 3.2 which looks awesome.
So that means we get the whole Apple eco-system, the iTunes store, App Store, and now the iBookstore. Has it ever been easier to download an application, some music, TV shows, movies, podcasts etc... Woohooo.
That's pretty impressive in such a small device. Even for the +$130 for the 3G model it's pretty good... and it'd be even greater if Apple cut some of the prices.
if you need a mini computer that does everything just OK and want to view flash videos & use specific windows applications, then a net-book is possibly suitable.
But the iPad offers much better components than your average $350 net-book.
Consider the screen, 1024x768 132 PPI LED-backlit multi-touch IPS display, you won't find that on a net-book for $350.
There's also it's size, 9.5" high, 7.5" wide, 0.5" deep and it only weighs 1.6 pounds.
It's got a fast 1GHz processor and it's battery can last up to 10 hours watching video on a single charge.
It's got a 16GB flash drive, and most importantly, it runs the iPhone OS 3.2 which looks awesome.
So that means we get the whole Apple eco-system, the iTunes store, App Store, and now the iBookstore. Has it ever been easier to download an application, some music, TV shows, movies, podcasts etc... Woohooo.
That's pretty impressive in such a small device. Even for the +$130 for the 3G model it's pretty good... and it'd be even greater if Apple cut some of the prices.
People who complain are usually a lot louder than the people who give praise. This applies to almost every aspect of our world and society today. I think it might be a natural law...
Seems like nothing compared to the iphone days.
At least there is no real competitors out there for the iPad. We got beaten to death with spec sheets from devices available and upcoming ad nauseum before the first iphone.
Talking about their awesome camera, and their horrible OS and UI and and the ridiculous slide out keyboard made for hamster fingers.
So we got that going for us.
All the items people try to compare to the iPad are laughable that they can't even make a legitimate argument to compare them. Though some try.
Mildly related, but I still wonder why people consider the MacBook Air a "subnotebook." I thought the term was dumb a couple of years ago and just as dumb today. The MBA is pretty much a notebook Mac that was made to be extremely light and very thin. That's why I don't have a problem with the "ultra-portable" categorization. "Subnotebook" also connotates a lesser price to me, which is obviously not true with the MBA.
I think the iPad gets netbooked because Apple hasn't made one and some people reach for a story. It's not even a "book" since it doesn't close up like a notebook or netbook.
Tablets are pretty much their own category, just as the PDA was when the Palm Pilot got popular about a decade ago. The Palm Pilot did something that other devices didn't do on a large scale. It has now pretty much merged into other devices, be it a smart phone or an iPod touch. Will the iPad do that if all computers start using multitouch displays and keyboards advance to the lightness of the iPad body? Time will tell.
I would not bring a netbook with me even though it's small and light. I think iPad's form factor is much better for carrying around and holding in hands. Also, iPad has much better screen resolution than most netbooks, which makes a big difference for browsing. For my needs I think iPad is way better than netbooks - unless you need flash to play games then it's a different story. My only complaint is I can't listen to music while surfing, whereas you can do the same with netbook.
Unless you're talking about listening to music from an app like Pandora, you can.
Subnotebooks have almost always been more expensive than regular notebooks in my experience. They're just smaller and lighter. Like the MBA. It's a large subnote, though, as many of the others in that category are 11-12" devices.
The iPad gets lumped with netbooks because of price and typical usage - web access, portable media hub, etc.
Tablets are a little nebulous, I think. There's never been a wildly successful tablet device so there's no standard to compare against. There are laptops with pivoting touch screens for a tablet mode, computers without keyboards that are basically touchscreen notebooks, there's Wacom secondary touchscreens too, which are a form of tablet. Now there's the iPad which is bridging the PDA/PMP-tablet market rather than the notebook-tablet market.
I would take the iPad because it actually has a purpose. Watching movies on the iPad is going to be absolutely brilliant. Photos looks fun too. Netbooks however, like Steve Jobs said, aren't better at anything. I would never want to use one. I would just get a laptop that can, you know, handle what it is supposed to do.
Besides, netbook = Windows. I'm way past that road.
Besides, netbook = Windows. I'm way past that road.
I have a pretty loaded hackintosh. Dell mini9, 64GB runcore SSD, 2GB ram, 1.3MP webcam, BT. And it weighs 2.2 pounds.
And you know what? I'm selling it, retiring my MBP, and relying on my iPad to be my primary computing device (I retain a household iMac to serve as my family's central media hub).
Can't wait!
The netbook experience was sort of fun, but I have little doubt that the iPhone OS will scale up to 9.7" much better than full-OSX scaled down to a netbook.
And you know what? I'm selling it, retiring my MBP, and relying on my iPad to be my primary computing device (I retain a household iMac to serve as my family's central media hub).
Can't wait!
The netbook experience was sort of fun, but I have little doubt that the iPhone OS will scale up to 9.7" much better than full-OSX scaled down to a netbook.
Depends on if you want a small portable computer with options for I/O or if you want a Media appliance to just view webpages and check email...
You can get a well spec'ed netbook for about $700... that will run circles around an equivelent ipad, but it wont be a pretty and it wont have multitouch.
Destop Software > Iphone Software
You can get a well spec'ed netbook for about $700... that will run circles around an equivelent ipad, but it wont be a pretty and it wont have multitouch.
Destop Software > Iphone Software
It does have a slim version of OSX, with an interface designed for a touch screen. That's what the iPhone OS is. But you're going to be waiting a long long time before MS ports Office to the iPad. And yes, needing an extra dongle thingy to use the SD card is bad, as is not knowing whether it will support other devices.
That's a given, although I think it will be called the iPad Extraordinaire.
Sort of a useless poll to be asked within the iPad area on an Apple forum. It's sort of like standing outside of Ford Field and asking everyone coming out of a Lion's game who their favorite team is and coming to the conclusion that most people in the US are Lions fans. Post the same poll on a netbook forum and I'll guarantee the results will be very different than what you'll end up with here.
the iPad is a true portable device that's almost always turned on and does what it's supposed to do without taking 2 minutes to boot and 2 minutes to load an app. As i said in another post, you can carry your iPad around and listen to music, audiobooks, etc. just like an iPod + it does eBooks,Videos, Photos, web browsing, etc. I don't think anyone ever does that with their netbooks. 
You say all that as if the iPad is the fastest most perfect, never-to-be-upstaged-by-version2, product. If you are "sick of playing that game" with a computer, what makes you think you won't be playing the same game with respect to the ipad, it's competitors, and it's successor(s)???
OS - tie. Apple OSX is superior to Win7 but iPhone OS is not.
Multi-tasking - netbook
Game playing - netbook. iPad games will be limited by the OS.
Internet Browsing - definately netbook. Mobile Safari cannot view all of the Internet, only non-Flash sites.
Applications - netbook. There are far more applications that will run on Win7 than will run on the iPad.
Quality construction - iPad
Innovation - iPad
Battery life - iPad
Memory - netbook
User friendly - iPad
Sex appeal - iPad
Functionality - netbook
Best toy of the year - iPad
Usefulness - netbook
Overall, both devices are pretty useless, IMO. I'll stick to my Macbook Pro.
Multi-tasking - netbook
Game playing - netbook. iPad games will be limited by the OS.
Internet Browsing - definately netbook. Mobile Safari cannot view all of the Internet, only non-Flash sites.
Applications - netbook. There are far more applications that will run on Win7 than will run on the iPad.
Quality construction - iPad
Innovation - iPad
Battery life - iPad
Memory - netbook
User friendly - iPad
Sex appeal - iPad
Functionality - netbook
Best toy of the year - iPad
Usefulness - netbook
Overall, both devices are pretty useless, IMO. I'll stick to my Macbook Pro.