The Apple iPad Conspiracy

Originally posted by Otto Von Bismarck

Originally posted by blupblup
reply to post by The time lord

 

You're missing the dozen or so faults with the IPAD and why a higher spec laptop would be a better investment.

Not missing much.

Then don't buy one. What I don't understand about all this is the Microsoft groupthink mentality in trying to convince others not to buy one through the denigration of the iPad.

Holy cow.

Microsoft invented the PC????? Someone better tell IBM.......

2nd line = Linux runs my PC's.......
edited to fix grammar again.....

[edit on 4/5/2010 by IceHappy]

After spending some more time, and reading many of the comments here... some additional thoughts.


HYPE: Sometimes, Apple can be a victim of it's own hype-generation ecosystem. The actually product is decidedly anticlimactic if you're a follower of the hype. While definitely fueled by Apple, some of the over-the-top hype was certainly runaway hope-and-expectations from people who were a little to exuberant.

PRODUCT: One thing to keep in mind, as is the case with any high-profile product, if you don't like it, then you're most likely not the intended target audience. I don't like the iPhone because I'm apparently not the intended audience, I want to make reliable phone calls.

CONCEPT: But I am a fan of this concept, and while not perfectly executed, it's pretty damn close to a solid digital media consumption device, when a full-TV or computer isn't needed. If anything, it represents a channel through which hard journalism may again financially succeed (where it's falling/failing in print and broadcast)... and quite possible may provide level playing field where small providers (ATS!) can publish hard journalism that is audience competitive with the big boys.

CLOSED SYSTEM? I didn't get this feeling. I grabbed a very nice and inexpensive APP that opens any PDF on the iPad, and provides a very fluid interface, with stunningly-good text-rendering. The old ATS "Book of Threads" documents looked fantastic... but for some reason, the links didn't work. I was also able to run my own videos, once imported into iTunes, on the iPad just fine.


There are two huge problems right now...


Misplaced/Overdone Hype: It is what it is, a digital media consumption device not intended for the keyboard-and-computer crowd... and really not much more (though the email app is very nice). The hype created a buzz where it (the iPad) was expected to be (somehow) much, much more than that.

Tethered to iTunes: There was apparently no way to initialize the iPad without an iTunes account and computer. Once it was initialized, I can unplug and get content without being connected to a computer. I think this is a significant shortcoming.



Overall feel...


This is the device where the fluidity and gracefulness of the multi-touch interface of the OS really approaches something "revolutionary," and where some of the hype is well-placed. I've used ATS pretty much all-day on this, from leaning back in the office to sitting outside, and when I came back to the computer... it was a rather jarring transition. Grabbing the mouse and looking up at the monitor suddenly felt archaic.



Prior "game changing" products...


Many important products weren't seen as significant by the media upon release. The Walkman, WiFi, iPod, PalmPilot, CD, computer mouse, TiVo, consumer video tape players, etc. all had rather noisy detractors at the time... and represent the evolutionary steps that led to something like the iPad (and the inevitable slew of copy-cats).



Will this be game-changing?


It -- or more specifically, what it represents -- has serious potential, but not all by itself.

It's going to rely on innovative publishers and content providers doing more than just repackaging the current version of their monthly magazine or daily newspapers into an iPad app. For now, we're not seeing that (except for the Bloomberg and NPR apps which show promise). An app that provides a 1-year subscription to a magazine who pushes unique (not available online) editorial and journalism to the iPad as soon as it's ready, and is accessible in this fluid/organic interface, will come close to changing the game. Even closer if that content evolves as the story evolves... and changing the game if the evolving content comes from trusted sources other than big media who are unlikely to be nimble enough to do it right.

And there is significant potential for web sites coded in HTML5 specifically for display on the iPad and similar devices. The possibility exists for a very-rich environment that functions and feels just like an app, but contains up-to-the-second realtime information like ATS does now. While this is, of course, the promise of the future when all browsers are HTML5 compliant, the rising popularity of a tablet platform like the iPad may see it come sooner, rather than later. However, my brief experiences with casual browsing on the tablet platform tells me the HTML5 future of web sites is much more significant there, than on desktops.





Side note -- this post was created on the iPad, but this time I'm "cheating" by typing it on a bluetooth keyboard. The touchscreen keyboard is okay (and not bad on your lap while reclined with an open folio-case cover propping the iPod higher on your legs), but not for long bouts of typing.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


I'll give you a star for that one.
You hade one advantage living in the states though.
From what i've heard well-being will (scandinavia) not be abel to use certain functions. Not sure if that is correct though.

( i am writing this on my HD2 phone sitting on the toilet hiding from the family)

[edit on 5-4-2010 by Akezzon]

It will be interesting how people are speaking about it in 6 months time. People giving a review in 6 months time may be more apt, as people always get excited by techs, and often the excitement goes away.

Originally posted by IceHappy
Lets see hmmmmm it used to be a Mac was a Mac and a PC was a PC....... Then the Mac embraced the PC and got rid of Mac and replaced all bits with a PC..... Oh yeah the only difference these days is the look and the OS which is just a fancy Linux with a neat front end. Oh Mac runs their PC hdd at 50c. For my liking that is way too hot.

Oh my, bring on the geek debate! So Mac OS X doesn't run Linux. It runs a derivative of FreeBSD called Darwin. In the heady world of Internet routing there is a vendor called Juniper who builds the best of the best in the eyes of many. The likelihood of a given Internet backbone node being a Juniper router is very high. These routers run an OS built by Juniper, called JunOS. That OS evolved from FreeBSD. So, in a sense, a Mac user can say their laptop's OS shares pedigree with the core devices that make the Internet as you know is possible.

Some more details: while this is true of Apple's desktop and laptop hardware, it is not at all true of their mobile hardware (i.e. iPhone, iPad). The iPad, for example, uses a custom A4 processor to reduce the electrical demand and heat signature while maintaining good performance. Finally, for a lot of people, build quality, simplicity, and ease of use are a real value. Not everyone wants to buy a Jeep and have a hobby of replacing their own rear main seal. Some people want to buy a Honda that "just works" and will continue to do so with little intervention from the owner for many years to come.

Debate..... I think not the PC won...... all we are talking about really is an OS.

I rather use a real cool computer like the one as my avatar, Kooled by liquid!

Let the non debate continue....

Well, you have a point but you missed the boat. You have a point in that it's not "PC versus Mac" and never was. Apple is drinking some marketing kool-aid and using the term "PC" because it gets the point across. The real competition is between Windows and Mac OS X. Apple also doesn't want to break it down this way because they want to sell the software and hardware together even though there is no technical reason why that's necessary. The other implication of this revelation, however, is that Apple choosing to use hardware made by Intel is hardly "PC winning the war."

When the PC started to be affordable for the business world some 25.5 years ago there was a new system with Hdd which was tons more expensive than double floppy drives. When questioned why I spent the extra money I said I was clever enough to run a computer but not clever enough to run a computer on two floppies with all the disk changing.

Today I say I am not clever enough to have a "computer" that cannot do multi-tasking. There are so many things the iPad cannot do for the price I am amazed there are so many supporters in this thread!!!! I need functionality when I use a computer..... How else can I write and have my Webster's Talking Dictionary / thesaurus running at the same time as my word processor that I have used since 1996. Websters does not help my lack of grammar however.....

It's all about user interface. Apple wins people over for two reasons: user interface and status. Think very hard about the iPhone for a moment. It's undeniably dominating the mobile market, but what did it bring to the table that was new? Browsing? Calling? Email? No. None of those things. It's the user interface. The status crowd is probably following the user interface crowd who are often artists, scientists, and engineers. People who want the machine out of their way so they can focus on their work. They may be misguided in choosing Apple to achieve this (or they they may not be), but trust me, that's where that market share comes from. Apple locks down multitasking on mobile devices for two reasons: resource control and user interface control. They don't want the user to mess up their experience with the product by running several things in tandem and sucking the battery dry. They also clearly are of the opinion that only a handful of things actually benefit from multitasking when the screen is of limited size. You may or may not agree with them, but it's not that they can't, it's that they haven't because they think the compromise is not good for Apple or it's customers.

Who says MS invented the PC? Grasp at straws much?

[edit on 4/5/2010 by Otto Von Bismarck]

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/15f507a942b8.jpg[/atsimg]


I'm not sure if this has been posted already, but I thought it was funny

Edit to add...



[edit on 5-4-2010 by RMFX1]

nice pic lol



i like this too, lol



[edit on 4/5/2010 by andy1033]

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord
Side note -- this post was created on the iPad, but this time I'm "cheating" by typing it on a bluetooth keyboard. The touchscreen keyboard is okay (and not bad on your lap while reclined with an open folio-case cover propping the iPod higher on your legs), but not for long bouts of typing.

doesn't the need for a keyboard, therefore, make it somewhat more like a very high end netbook?

As to the rest of what you're saying, I'm with you. It's missing a few key elements that would have made this the product it was hyped to be. Check out the HP slate, which is rumored to drop in June. It has video conference, camera, removable memory cards, usb capable (in the video they use an apple cable heh) etc.

Had Apple put these elements in the first model, it would have been everything it was hyped to be. I'm not an ipod/iphone use but I've always been impressed with the products. This just seems, to me, to be far too similar to those products.

I think that the argument that this iPad device is a device to control content is valid. It is not the best execution of the tablet for the money that is certain.

I tried one today and found it clunky and tiring to hold. I will likely end up with the triple boot version of the SmartQ v7. For under $300 including shipping it is just more tablet PC for the money and since it has the Android OS included you can access a lot of apps for it to expand its abilities. It also has an HDMI cable and can output full 1080p HD movies from your portable to your big screen TV something that the iPad will never be able to do.

Hype and hyperbole is mostly what Apple is selling.

SmartQ v7 on ebay

Originally posted by Crakeur
doesn't the need for a keyboard, therefore, make it somewhat more like a very high end netbook?

My previous long posts were typed with the open cover of the folio case holding the iPad higher up on my lap, while reclined. If you're used to a touch screen, it wasn't a bad way to type longish bits of text... so the multi-touch keyboard isn't as bad as feared.

I used the bluetooth keyboard in the office, at a desk, which was better for long copy.

But, I see the tablet platform as different, and never expected to "create" long pieces of content or emails on it. Right now I'm outside again, typing on the touch keyboard, and the more I use it, the quicker I'm typing. So it's more than sufficient for interacting on the web... just don't expect to write a novel on it.


If HP wants to create a tablet that does more, that's fine (though I suspect it'll get hot and have a short battery life). But tablet efforts on the PC side are nothing new, and none have done well so far.

Here's the difference as far as I can explain it -- when you walk up to a nice new Bentley, you're impressed by the beautiful fit-and-finish of the thing... it's one of the reasons (beauty) high-end cars are admired. Using the multi-touch interface on the larger-than-iPhone screen of the iPad gives a similar emotional response, the impression of a well-crafted fit-and-finish to the operation of the OS is the single most important thing about this device... and as close to anything revolutionary that the hype expected.

No amount of add-on cameras and USB ports will ever make up for the lack of a well-crafted core operating system with a stunning fit-and-finish. Luxury auto-makers know that type of thinking, PC product engineers don't.

reply to post by Faiol


i dont know, this is too far fetched, although it could be possible, you never know in the world we live in nowadays. all i know is earth battery is awesome and im about to make a post about it yay!

the ipad is about commercializing the computer. making the computer version 1.5... easy as a pad of paper, as useful as a computer, single community brings people who see computers as advanced or overly private; unsocial.

theirs a huge craze over it...definitely doesnt have a hidden agenda. now is media using it to their advantage? maybe a little, but mostly people just really are crazed over the little thing.

while i'm not buying one, i probably will when it upgrades maybe 5 or 6 times...you know like in a year.........lol

but honestly it is an amazing step for technology, while it doesnt seem it; its not really about the hardware as it is the interface and ease of use...not to call it the next wii or anything...ok a little, but mainly its to increase productivity in technology, create a new base, advance our culture like all other apple products have.

(and no, a mac can't handle the amount i do on a computer, i've gone through three, but they were simple, and mindlessly perfect for awhile.

the microsoft courier concept looks more useful

but lets hope more tablets get released, so we can decide for ourselves whats the best option


this is the first of these netbooks wanna be tablets ...

So ATS, what's the verdict? Digital media vending machine or the device we've all been waiting for?

BTW here's a clip of the upcoming HP Slate mentioned above.





www.youtube.com...

edit: added video and url.

[edit on 6-4-2010 by cripmeister]

reply to post by cripmeister


much better than iPad ... it looks like at least, since you can do a lot of more things, much more multimedia things

but lets wait the release

but both ipad and slate are not revolutionary ... I hope microsoft and others can deliver with courier type of tablet

slater x ipad

www.blogcdn.com...



AMAZING video, displaying why flash is a must in any device, and I agree ... slate is looking good



[edit on 6-4-2010 by Faiol]

reply to post by Faiol


I agree, at least from what the videos show the Slate seems superior to the iPad. It's a real computer (Intel Atom processor likely). I am definitely looking forward to the release of this device.

edit: maybe you can run OS X on it too

[edit on 6-4-2010 by cripmeister]

The iPad is nothing more than an iPod touch for the fatties and people with big hands/fingers. The real conspiracy is why everyone is pandering to the fat people. What's going on here? And airplane food, what's the deal with that?

Originally posted by Faiol
reply to post by demonseed

 

yeah, thats why I recommended that review

in any moment I argue that the review I recommended was poor or anything

its amazing how so many people here dont even tryto read, dont have any interpretation skills, and dont read (again)

if you want to find the NYT review, you can search yourself

the problem here is that people think conspiracy is something supernatural, instead of just business

many media websites are promoting the device since they will be able to provide a centralization of their product, its just logic

if you dont think the promotion of a product because of a future profit that they may obtain is a conspiracy, then you should start learning communication 1 on 1 all over again

[edit on 4-4-2010 by Faiol]

Ok. My mistake on the interpretation part. I didnt quite grasp the point you where making.

You could be right. I cant say. However, the media always says good things about apple products(unless of course there are Windows based corporations sponsoring that outlet).
Is it a conspiracy? i guess. Its not really "above top secret" though. Everybody knows the media works for the corporations that sponsor them. MSNBC is party owned by LG, and anything that helps LG and hurts its competitors is a good story for MSNBC. This is the way the media is.
Im gonna call you out and say your post is trying to "sneakily" bash a product without merit.
But, that would be a conspiracy, right?

Originally posted by Faiol

AMAZING video, displaying why flash is a must in any device, and I agree ... slate is looking good

There's nothing in that video that can't be done in HTML5, _javascript & css... Nothing. Even the SpongeBob game could be written in Javascript.