Multitasking, Camera and Tethering....

[Abyssgh0st]

It is far better than a netbook. What does a netbook do? Browse the web using a cramped keyboard, extremely underpowered, not good for much more than browsing the web.

The iPad is far more. It has an incredible looking iWork app for $10, you can browse photos and videos in an unbelievable fashion, the browser is a joy to use, you can download over 140 000 apps on the app store, now get books on it. Youtube, HD video on a 10" display. And its $499!

Day one purchase for me.

It is no better than a netbook. It fits a different niche. It's more of a multimedia device rather than a practical everyday device. My netbook has four times the storage, a faster processor, undoubtedly more RAM (doubt the iPad has 2GB), wireless N networking, an SD card slot, 3 USBs, a battery that actually gets 8-12 hours (8 hours being very heavy usage), and a keyboard that is undoubtedly easier to type on. Not to mention a webcam. My netbook with the RAM upgrade was only $450.

Sure an IPS display will look better, but I've got 10.1" 16:9 display, and it runs an actual PC OS. If I want Snow Leopard? Sure, no problem.

 

[mrgreen4242]

I notice on the Apple page under Connectivity it mentions a Camera Connection kit, so does seem like we might get some kind of external camera or maybe just a docking to Mini/Micro Usb cable to connect directly to cameras.

Interesting. Video conferencing may still be a possibility.

Uh, no. The camera connector is pretty clearly just a USB mass storage adaptor that lets you download photos off your camera/SD card and put them onto the tablet directly. Now, that's useful, don't get me wrong. But it's not going to let you do video conferencing, and it's also not new.

 

[125037]

No multitasking = 10 said hours of battery life.

 

[rayward]

Nothing said about any of those things.

The only one I care about is tethering.

I want to be able to tether off my iphone not pay $30 a month more to AT&T.

It's my understanding that tethering is AT&T's issue, not Apple's. The iPhone can do it right now, but AT&T won't let it.

 

[RawBert]

I am quite surprised at the lack of a camera. I thought it was a sure thing.

Me too. I though it was a sure bet. Damn! I still want one, though.

What I was most surprised with was the $500 price tag. Did not expect it to be so cheap.

 

[Nano2k]

It is far better than a netbook. What does a netbook do? Browse the web using a cramped keyboard, extremely underpowered, not good for much more than browsing the web.

The iPad is far more. It has an incredible looking iWork app for $10, you can browse photos and videos in an unbelievable fashion, the browser is a joy to use, you can download over 140 000 apps on the app store, now get books on it. Youtube, HD video on a 10" display. And its $499!

Day one purchase for me.

You don't have a clue what you are talking about, some netbooks can even run SL quite well, enough to do basic tasks. At least a netbook is a real computer and can do anything a real computer does, use any storage media and run any program. Oh and netbooks can be had for less than 300$...

The iPad is nice but I'd rather have something running a real OS...

 

[mcnicks]

Could somebody explain to me why I would want multitasking on my iPhone or on an iPad? I am not trying to pick a fight - I just don't see why I would need it on either device. What things could I do with multitasking that I cannot do now?

 

[rayward]

Could somebody explain to me why I would want multitasking on my iPhone or on an iPad? I am not trying to pick a fight - I just don't see why I would need it on either device. What things could I do with multitasking that I cannot do now?

If, for example, you're working in an iWork application, and an email comes in that you want to look at, you will close iWork when you switch to the Email app.

 

[JonboyDC]

Could somebody explain to me why I would want multitasking on my iPhone or on an iPad? I am not trying to pick a fight - I just don't see why I would need it on either device. What things could I do with multitasking that I cannot do now?

I've been asking myself that same question. Certainly, I don't get why people want it on the iPhone, or what they would do with it. If someone sends me an e-mail and I want to copy some info from it and add it as a note to a calendar, I just select the text in the e-mail, copy it, go to the home screen, open my calendar, open the event, and paste the info into it. That all happens incredibly fast. (On my computer I would want to be able to have both programs open when I started that just because it takes so long for programs to launch on most machines.) But it's not like I'm going to watch a movie and surf the web on my phone.

But I could see myself wanting to read web pages while simultaneously chatting with friends on the iPad. So to that extent, I can see the desire for it. But it's certainly not a deal breaker, since it would be so very easy and fast to switch back and forth between the apps.

 

[mcnicks]

If, for example, you're working in an iWork application, and an email comes in that you want to look at, you will close iWork when you switch to the Email app.

... But I do that all the time on my iPhone already. I am in and out of apps all the time.

I suppose theoretically if I had iWork on an iPad I might want to open multiple documents to compare them or to cut and paste between them, but if the apps and documents open fast enough I do not really see what difference multitasking would make.

I know that this argument is slightly reminiscent of "why would I ever need more than 640Kb of memory" but I do not see how either device is adversely affected for not having multitasking.

 

[Sydde]

If I read correctly, there are two dock connectors. Look for someone like MacAlly to have a small dock-in camera by the end of March. No cables, just a plug in that lies over the bezel. Apple themselves expects something like this to happen. This is a test-the-waters technique that could lead to your beloved camera in rev B.

 

[mrgreen4242]

If I read correctly, there are two dock connectors. Look for someone like MacAlly to have a small dock-in camera by the end of March. No cables, just a plug in that lies over the bezel. Apple themselves expects something like this to happen. This is a test-the-waters technique that could lead to your beloved camera in rev B.

Not going to say you are wrong but I think there is just one dock connector. I can't see any sign of a second one on the photos or 360 view. Just the one under the home button.

 

[mackmgg]

Nothing said about any of those things.

The only one I care about is tethering.

I want to be able to tether off my iphone not pay $30 a month more to AT&T.

If you jailbreak it, and install MyWi, you can create a wifi network from your iPhone that the iPad would join.

 

[chill.]

I've been asking myself that same question. Certainly, I don't get why people want it on the iPhone, or what they would do with it. If someone sends me an e-mail and I want to copy some info from it and add it as a note to a calendar, I just select the text in the e-mail, copy it, go to the home screen, open my calendar, open the event, and paste the info into it. That all happens incredibly fast. (On my computer I would want to be able to have both programs open when I started that just because it takes so long for programs to launch on most machines.) But it's not like I'm going to watch a movie and surf the web on my phone.

But I could see myself wanting to read web pages while simultaneously chatting with friends on the iPad. So to that extent, I can see the desire for it. But it's certainly not a deal breaker, since it would be so very easy and fast to switch back and forth between the apps.

say you are writing a document and want to check a website for reference frequently and multiple times or want to stream music. are you going to open pages/browser/pages/browser/pages/browser 15 times?

 

[marksman]

It is no better than a netbook. It fits a different niche. It's more of a multimedia device rather than a practical everyday device. My netbook has four times the storage, a faster processor, undoubtedly more RAM (doubt the iPad has 2GB), wireless N networking, an SD card slot, 3 USBs, a battery that actually gets 8-12 hours (8 hours being very heavy usage), and a keyboard that is undoubtedly easier to type on. Not to mention a webcam. My netbook with the RAM upgrade was only $450.

Sure an IPS display will look better, but I've got 10.1" 16:9 display, and it runs an actual PC OS. If I want Snow Leopard? Sure, no problem.

Your netbook also weighs twice as much and has a netbook form factor, both of which are massive negatives.

The iPad has wireless N by the way.

Also the information on the iPad is the battery lasts longer than you are claiming. What is the standby time on your netbook.

Here is the deal. There were two ways for people to attack the middle ground between notebooks and handhelds. Shrink down a notebook/laptop or blow up a handheld.

We have had a couple years of the first, (I have two netbooks myself), and none of the second. I have tried the shrinking down of the laptop, and I can say I am pretty underwhelmed and don't really use it. I use my iphone 100x more often than my netbooks combined. Sometimes on my iphone I think, ,"If I had a bigger screen this would be great." I never think, "I should go get my netbook and do this."

 

[marksman]

If you jailbreak it, and install MyWi, you can create a wifi network from your iPhone that the iPad would join.

Ah cool. Good to know. I will likely go that route if necessary. I have resisted jailbreaking my iphones mostly out of laziness and the desire to keep them intact for what I use them for... but if it comes down to it, I am not interested in unnecessarily paying $30 a month to AT&T.

Plus I could easily get the less expensive wifi version and not have any regrets.

 

[Rapmastac1]

If, for example, you're working in an iWork application, and an email comes in that you want to look at, you will close iWork when you switch to the Email app.

Well actually I believe it will work a little differently. I too have never thought of a reason to have multitasking on my iPod touch. But if I were working on an Pages chart and want to fill something out in my calender, I'm sure once I switch back it will go to where I last was in Pages. It won't be RUNNING in the background, but it will be in a "dormant" state for when I return. I'm hoping that is how it is.

I noticed they didn't say anything about Multi-Tasking during the keynote so I'm assuming it may be coming in the 4.0 OS Update, which is supposed to be out between now and September. That OS update should include of lot of new features for the iPad and I'll be damned if they charge for it!