This is the end of 9.7" iPad era

[palpatine]

Ooh, car analogies. The zealot's failure of last resort on this forum.

Okay. I'm talking to someone trying to convince me is that the back seat of the car is the best spot for those creative activities, when in reality it's cramped, uncomfortable, awkward, and there's 100,000 better places that anyone with half a brain can come up with.

And just because with a great deal of struggling and ergonomic agony you can get the job done with an iPad, it doesn't mean anyone in their right mind should.

Attacking the analogy instead of the substance of my comments, and name-calling doesn't seem to be moving the conversation forward to me.

You used a lot of descriptive words that I don't think describe my experience with the iPad. For me, there is:

- nothing cramped about a full-sized bluetooth keyboard
- nothing uncomfortable about a screen that can be changed from landscape to portrait as needed
- nothing awkward about being in a meeting, taking notes by hand with a stylus while everyone else uses pen and paper, and then filing those notes away in your Evernote account before anyone has even had a chance to leave the room
- no struggling at all with twice the battery life, half the price, and about the same weight (with external keyboard) as the MBA.
- no ergonomic agony when going from a MacbookPro in a backpack to a small man-bag.

I am not sure why so many members of these forums repeat the mantra that "the iPad is made for content consumption, not content creation." I bought that line for a while when I first came here, and I made posts saying the same thing, until I realized how wrong I was. I hope open-minded visitors to this thread take the opportunity to look around the forums and the Web for some of the fantastic ways that people have used the iPad to get stuff done. We're in a new age with new potential that isn't circumscribed by the clamshell form-factor. It also is not an age in which smaller is always better, so while the iPad Mini will surely do well in the marketplace, I am quite optimistic that the larger iPad will continue to do better.

 

[Jinzen]

9.7" is the perfect all purpose size, especially for browsing the internet and watching movies

7.85" is the perfect size for reading books

anything larger than 9.7" won't be portable and will be something else entirely

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I saw someone doing a presentation with an iPad for his notes. I doubt the mini is large enough to read on a podium.

Lmao

 

[Night Spring]

I am not sure why so many members of these forums repeat the mantra that "the iPad is made for content consumption, not content creation." I bought that line for a while when I first came here, and I made posts saying the same thing, until I realized how wrong I was.

What I found really funny is that once the Kindle Fire came out, all of a sudden, in a lot of online reviews, the iPad was a content creation device. For instance, the following is from a random Kindle Fire HD review I found by searching google (emphasis added):

As I said before, the iPad is the "does everything" tablet in this comparison. Not only can the tablet be used as an enterprise machine and an actual content creation device, but it also has more apps than any other mobile platform. Also, the best apps really take advantage of its beautiful screen and high resolution.
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_7-57515034-251/kindle-fire-hd-vs-ipad/

And just because with a great deal of struggling and ergonomic agony you can get the job done with an iPad, it doesn't mean anyone in their right mind should.

As I keep saying (I forget whether I said this in this thread, but I've said this numerous times on this forum), I commute to work by bus and subway, and I find the iPad an ideal device to get things done while on the bus/subway. The seating conditions are too cramped to take out the laptop, and the iPhone is too small to work comfortably. Also, I've taken to leaving my laptop at work, and carrying only the iPad back and forth between work and home. So for the odd moments when I'm sitting on the sofa or in bed and want to check on my work documents, then the iPad is there, and I don't have to get up and walk to my desk so I can use my desktop computer.

I don't advocate working on the iPad when a desktop or laptop is readily at hand, and there is enough space to lay them out. What the iPad does do is let me work in places and moments where before I couldn't take my computers. I feel very liberated not having to lug my laptop everywhere I go, and it's quite convenient to be able to whip out my iPad and pull up a document during a business dinner to make a point. I think I'm in my right mind using the iPad to get things done. It's all in the context of how you use it.

 

[palpatine]

What I found really funny is that once the Kindle Fire came out, all of a sudden, in a lot of online reviews, the iPad was a content creation device.

I think that might have happened because the Fire was the first successful Android contrast with the Apple model. Amazon was taking this tablet=consumption idea to its logical conclusion by basically closing off the possibility of doing much productive with it.

I don't advocate working on the iPad when a desktop or laptop is readily at hand...

I suppose it depends on what you are doing, but a lot of days I don't even bother firing up the MBA, because I am doing just fine working on the iPad. The extended keyboard + keyboard shortcuts made this possible. Until I started using the shortcuts, I found the iPad useful only as a consumption device. I think you can find my epiphany somewhere on these forums. I finally listened to the advice of other users, gave the keyboard a try, and changed everything.

 

[plucky duck]

The smaller iPad will most likely target educational and business institution usage I would think, and target low-midrange Android tablets.

 

[Night Spring]

I think that might have happened because the Fire was the first successful Android contrast with the Apple model. Amazon was taking this tablet=consumption idea to its logical conclusion by basically closing off the possibility of doing much productive with it.

You are right about why it happened, but it still is funny how all of a sudden you get "the iPad is a content creation device" when I've been wading through months after months of arguments about how iPad is a toy on which we can't do any "real" work.

I suppose it depends on what you are doing, but a lot of days I don't even bother firing up the MBA, because I am doing just fine working on the iPad. The extended keyboard + keyboard shortcuts made this possible. Until I started using the shortcuts, I found the iPad useful only as a consumption device. I think you can find my epiphany somewhere on these forums. I finally listened to the advice of other users, gave the keyboard a try, and changed everything.

I did try using a keyboard with the iPad when I first got an iPad -- the original one. Like you say, the keyboard shortcuts do help, but there are still many functions you can only do by tapping on the screen. Plus, I find that I need to sit at a desk when using an iPad with a keyboard, clear enough space to prop up the iPad and put down a keyboard, etc. I just find it more convenient to go sit in front of my desktop, which is pretty much always on, or fire up my laptop.

And when the mood strikes me, I find I can get quite a lot of work done on the iPad, with just the on-screen keyboard. Of course, part of the reason may be that half of what I write is Japanese, and the iPad's Japanese input system is in some ways superior to inputting it from the physical keyboard on a desktop/laptop. In any case, I've found that lagging around a keyboard with an iPad detracts from both portability and ease of use. The thing I love about my iPad is that I can whip it out and start using it without setting up peripherals or looking around for enough space to prop it up.

Not to say that there is a right or wrong way to use the iPad, I'm happy for you that you found that a keyboard increases your productivity on the iPad. Just wanted to point out that that isn't the case for everyone, and that I, for one, have never felt that the iPad needed a keyboard in order to be a productivity tool for me.

 

[jumpmandds]

The end of this size for women maybe....I'm a man and the iPad 3 is perfect for me iPad mini is great for kids and women to stick in their purse

 

[Night Spring]

The end of this size for women maybe....I'm a man and the iPad 3 is perfect for me iPad mini is great for kids and women to stick in their purse

Hey, I'm a woman, and I plan to stick to my iPad 3. Might get the mini to try it out, but I really love the 9.7 size for reading and writing (nearly full size landscape keyboard is esp great).

 

[puppyflightclub]

Hey, I'm a woman, and I plan to stick to my iPad 3. Might get the mini to try it out, but I really love the 9.7 size for reading and writing (nearly full size landscape keyboard is esp great).

if you walk around with a 9.7 ipad in your purse (able to fit it in their for that matter) then you probably look like an easy target...

Women will love this in their purse..

 

[palpatine]

You are right about why it happened, but it still is funny how all of a sudden you get "the iPad is a content creation device" when I've been wading through months after months of arguments about how iPad is a toy on which we can't do any "real" work.

I think that if you dig through these forums then you'll find me making the case for the iPad as a content creation device for quite a long time now -- well before the Fire

Of course, part of the reason may be that half of what I write is Japanese, and the iPad's Japanese input system is in some ways superior to inputting it from the physical keyboard on a desktop/laptop.

I do a lot of my work in Japanese and Chinese. Is there something I am missing here? I find the experience with / without the external keyboard to be roughly equivalent on the iPad. On my MBA it is the same. Is there some feature I am missing?

 

[Night Spring]

I do a lot of my work in Japanese and Chinese. Is there something I am missing here? I find the experience with / without the external keyboard to be roughly equivalent on the iPad. On my MBA it is the same. Is there some feature I am missing?

For one thing, I use the kana input keyboard. Much easier, for me at least, than trying to figure out romaji spellings of words I'm trying to type. And I find that the iPad learns the words and expressions I use often, so I'm often able to type out entire sentences by just typing the first letter of each word, then selecting the word from the suggestions that pop up. The Japanese input system on my computers don't have such a function -- I have to type out the entire word each time.

if you walk around with a 9.7 ipad in your purse (able to fit it in their for that matter) then you probably look like an easy target...

Women will love this in their purse..

Well, obviously, I don't carry the iPad in a purse, I use a shoulder bag or backpack. Only time I use a purse is when I'm not carrying my shoulder bag or backpack. In other words, I pick my bags to fit what I have to carry that day.

 

[palpatine]

For one thing, I use the kana input keyboard.

Ugh. No way

I'm often able to type out entire sentences by just typing the first letter of each word, then selecting the word from the suggestions that pop up. The Japanese input system on my computers don't have such a function -- I have to type out the entire word each time.

True. The Mac is not terribly smart about this, and I miss Windows sometimes. Apparently, you can get Atok for about $100, but I doubt I will, even though people have recommended it.
http://www.justsystems.com/jp/products/atokmac/

Well, obviously, I don't carry the iPad in a purse, I use a shoulder bag or backpack. Only time I use a purse is when I'm not carrying my shoulder bag or backpack. In other words, I pick my bags to fit what I have to carry that day.

Yep. I have a murse (man purse) that I use every day myself. The iPad fits perfectly (Waterfield small VertiGo http://www.sfbags.com/products/vertigo/vertigo.htm). Interestingly, as a guy, I think I probably wouldn't see any difference between the mini and large iPad. This is as small as I would go with a murse anyhow, so the smaller size wouldn't impact me in this way. Maybe the mini will spur more men to join the murse club

 

[Night Spring]

True. The Mac is not terribly smart about this, and I miss Windows sometimes. Apparently, you can get Atok for about $100, but I doubt I will, even though people have recommended it.
http://www.justsystems.com/jp/products/atokmac/

Yeah, I suppose there are better Japanese input conversion systems out there, but not paying money for that.

EDIT: I just remembered another thing that frustrated me about using bluetooth keyboard with the iPad -- there's no way to select a word from the conversion list other than tapping the screen, is there? Do tell me if there is a way! I was tapping a few keys, then tapping the screen, tapping a few more keys, tap the screen....

Yep. I have a murse (man purse) that I use every day myself. The iPad fits perfectly (Waterfield small VertiGo http://www.sfbags.com/products/vertigo/vertigo.htm). Interestingly, as a guy, I think I probably wouldn't see any difference between the mini and large iPad. This is as small as I would go with a murse anyhow, so the smaller size wouldn't impact me in this way. Maybe the mini will spur more men to join the murse club

Funny thing is, when I was growing up in Japan, I remember men carrying these small flat bags -- they didn't have a shoulder strap, they were meant to be carried in your hands, but basically they were the male equivalent of purses. Frankly, I don't understand this derision over purses/murses. They are all just bags -- you just use whatever is necessary to carry what you have to carry, is how I see it. But then, I also like my bags/purses to be very simple and practical. I don't like the overly decorative or garishly colored ones at all.

 

[palpatine]

Funny thing is, when I was growing up in Japan, I remember men carrying these small flat bags -- they didn't have a shoulder strap, they were meant to be carried in your hands, but basically they were the male equivalent of purses.

Japanese men certainly carried them around in the 90s. As soon as I saw how convenient they were, I got one too! I think the practice isn't as common these days, though, and I tend to see more of those laptop bags. I don't like carrying stuff in my hands all the time, so I have the bag with a strap, and the bag is a little larger than those old-style handbags, but it is basically the same thing: a bag for men.

You know there will be men out there who buy pants with especially large pockets so that they can fit the mini into it. They'd rather do that than carry a murse, LOL.

 

[Oracle1729]

Attacking the analogy instead of the substance of my comments, and name-calling doesn't seem to be moving the conversation forward to me.

You came up with the analogy so you could use it instead of commenting on the merits of what I was saying.

When I point I point out the analogy is just as flawed as the rest of your reasoning and for the same reason, I get criticized for attacking the analogy instead of the substance of what you're saying.

Your mind is so rusted shut and you'll do anything to protect your apple-worshiping that I just can't win.

 

[palpatine]

If a tablet with a display that doesn't even compete favorably with the Nexus 7 manages to overtake sales of the iPad, as the OP has been claiming, I will be quite shocked. Not only have the arguments in this thread for the age of iPad Mini been unconvincing, but (as I predicted) the device is uninspiring. Seriously, an A5 processor?

The iPad Mini is what it is. I see a definite market for it, and I am sure it will sell OK, but I wouldn't expect anything near that high-end of 20% cannibalization. In fact, I am now kind of wishing I had sold my iPad 3 in preparation for the iPad 4. Actually, to be honest, I am quite curious about Jelly Bean 4.2 and this rumored 10" tablet that is supposed to be coming out with (if I heard correctly) more ppi than the iPad 4!

You came up with the analogy so you could use it instead of commenting on the merits of what I was saying.

Didn't I comment on what you said?

When I point I point out the analogy is just as flawed as the rest of your reasoning and for the same reason, I get criticized for attacking the analogy instead of the substance of what you're saying.

Because you did not address my arguments. You simply repeated the indefensible claim that no one could ever create anything as a professional on the iPad. OK... I'll go back to work now

Your mind is so rusted shut and you'll do anything to protect your apple-worshiping that I just can't win.

Yes. My disparaging remark about the iPad Mini was clearly disguised worship, right?