BeyondtheTech
macrumors 68020
There's no doubt that the iPad will cannibalize sales of the iPhone, iPod touch, and Macs. Apple even said so, but to what extent?
As an owner of several Macs and iPhones for myself and my family, with one MacBook for my wife, I came to the conclusion that I now need another MacBook to continue to develop my iPhone and iPad applications on while I'm on the go. However, my wife basically uses her MacBook for surfing the internet and checking email. It was a no-brainer that I got her the iPad so I can have her MacBook instead. That action saved me about $500 (from the purchase price of a new MacBook), and we all have a new toy to play with.
So, after a full day or so of playing with the iPad, it's dawning on me how much more I like the device. So much so that I am considering dumping my iPhone to replace it with a dumbphone without a data plan, and getting the iPad 3G instead. After all, it's still $30 a month for unlimited data (or $15 if I realize I'm not hitting the low limit), and I'm not locked down to a 2-year contract with AT&T. With the 3G version, I'll keep GPS capability and have push notifications just like the iPhone. Also, with my iPhone 3GS in mint condition, the resales are still great that I would only have to pay about half for a 16GB or 32GB iPad with 3G. Granted, I'm still reeling over the fact that the iPad is missing a camera.
Also, I found my kids really enjoying the iPad as well. When you think about it, it's a closed system, half the price of an iMac, less maintenance than an iMac or Mac mini, draws less power, and they can take it anywhere with them. And the apps and books that you buy are relatively cheaper and can be just purchased once and used on all your devices. Though most people might not follow it, it's technically illegal to do so with a game or application you buy at the Apple Store, as it's only licensed for one machine. Also, try dealing with kids who need help swapping out discs or mounting disc images because of the software developer's protection scheme that it can't simply run off the hard drive. Or, coming back to a desktop with a messed up resolution or missing cursor control because they accidentally launched a couple of games from the Dock at once.
Looking at it now, if they really blew up the App Store with more educational titles for kids, the iPad will really fly.
People might be complaining about the lack of Flash, but with the iPad's fast speed, I'm remoting into my iMac using LogMeIn Ignition (and soon iTeleport for iPad) and I can hit up my desktop Safari with Flash anytime "I have to."
How are you perceiving your future purchases of other Apple products now that the iPad is showing its true colors?
As an owner of several Macs and iPhones for myself and my family, with one MacBook for my wife, I came to the conclusion that I now need another MacBook to continue to develop my iPhone and iPad applications on while I'm on the go. However, my wife basically uses her MacBook for surfing the internet and checking email. It was a no-brainer that I got her the iPad so I can have her MacBook instead. That action saved me about $500 (from the purchase price of a new MacBook), and we all have a new toy to play with.
So, after a full day or so of playing with the iPad, it's dawning on me how much more I like the device. So much so that I am considering dumping my iPhone to replace it with a dumbphone without a data plan, and getting the iPad 3G instead. After all, it's still $30 a month for unlimited data (or $15 if I realize I'm not hitting the low limit), and I'm not locked down to a 2-year contract with AT&T. With the 3G version, I'll keep GPS capability and have push notifications just like the iPhone. Also, with my iPhone 3GS in mint condition, the resales are still great that I would only have to pay about half for a 16GB or 32GB iPad with 3G. Granted, I'm still reeling over the fact that the iPad is missing a camera.
Also, I found my kids really enjoying the iPad as well. When you think about it, it's a closed system, half the price of an iMac, less maintenance than an iMac or Mac mini, draws less power, and they can take it anywhere with them. And the apps and books that you buy are relatively cheaper and can be just purchased once and used on all your devices. Though most people might not follow it, it's technically illegal to do so with a game or application you buy at the Apple Store, as it's only licensed for one machine. Also, try dealing with kids who need help swapping out discs or mounting disc images because of the software developer's protection scheme that it can't simply run off the hard drive. Or, coming back to a desktop with a messed up resolution or missing cursor control because they accidentally launched a couple of games from the Dock at once.
Looking at it now, if they really blew up the App Store with more educational titles for kids, the iPad will really fly.
People might be complaining about the lack of Flash, but with the iPad's fast speed, I'm remoting into my iMac using LogMeIn Ignition (and soon iTeleport for iPad) and I can hit up my desktop Safari with Flash anytime "I have to."
How are you perceiving your future purchases of other Apple products now that the iPad is showing its true colors?
