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Apple missed a huge opportunity

R

rtay

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 16, 2010
221
0
I love my iPad. It's such a sweet device, I use it everyday, for everything. I can waste hours at a time on it. I use it to watch tv now instead of just looking up something on Comcast on demand. But apple could have revolutionized computers forever. I paid just as much as a MacBook would cost me for my iPad, case, keyboard, and dock. About $900. That puts this thing in co muter territory.

There is only three major flaws to this. The first will be fixed in a pcouole of months, no multitasking. The second is how it. Requires a computer. I can buy setting it up through iTunes once, whatever, but why cant I transfer the music I bought off my ipad onto my iPod? What would that hurt?

The third problem is that they don't allow you to download anything from the Internet. How am i supposed to write my paper when I cant find out what it is about? Why should i have to go to a co muter, download it, send it to my email, buy an app, then open it in that app? What harm will that cause?

Apple already has a small hold in the computer market. The ipad was their breakout chance. I love the idea of a iPhone operating system, but why cant it just be on top of a real operating system that is useable for productive tasks? Apple had a chance to define how computers for school, business, and general tasks would be. Instead, they left their systems potential to be unlocked by hackers, and showed people how make a good tablet, that they can build on anc mad a sauoerior product. Thats just my review of the iPad though.
 
This is how companies like SONY and APPLE turn regular computer users into Hackers. It's cool, because you learn more about computing when you HACK!

:cool:
 
Yea, most people won't realize just how bad it is not being able to download and upload files until they actually need to do something on the device and can't. It's happened to me and I totally agree with you it's a huge oversight on a device like this and one of the most disappointing aspects for me.
 
Relax, the way I see this, all of these issues are software limited, not hardware. If Apple doesn't offer solution in the future, someone else will via cydia. Be patient, it's only been released for barely a week.
 
I'm not worrying about it coming, i know nothing about computers or hacking or anything but I'm about to learn. I know enough to know how limited the ipad is, which i think everyone who picks up an ipad will see. I'm pumped for a jailbreak though, should open up a lot of the os.
 
rtay said:
I paid just as much as a MacBook would cost me for my iPad, case, keyboard, and dock. About $900. That puts this thing in co muter territory.
Click to expand...

Mac mini + Apple Display + Apple keyboard and mouse, that adds up too.

rtay said:
There is only three major flaws to this. The first will be fixed in a pcouole of months, no multitasking. The second is how it. Requires a computer. I can buy setting it up through iTunes once, whatever, but why cant I transfer the music I bought off my ipad onto my iPod? What would that hurt?
Click to expand...

The iPad is not a computer replacement.

rtay said:
The third problem is that they don't allow you to download anything from the Internet. How am i supposed to write my paper when I cant find out what it is about? Why should i have to go to a co muter, download it, send it to my email, buy an app, then open it in that app? What harm will that cause?
Click to expand...

Yeap, not much of a creation device.

rtay said:
Apple already has a small hold in the computer market. The ipad was their breakout chance. I love the idea of a iPhone operating system, but why cant it just be on top of a real operating system that is useable for productive tasks? Apple had a chance to define how computers for school, business, and general tasks would be. Instead, they left their systems potential to be unlocked by hackers, and showed people how make a good tablet, that they can build on anc mad a sauoerior product. Thats just my review of the iPad though.
Click to expand...

Give it some time, it's a 1.0 device in the end.
 
Apple didn't miss an opportunity. The hypothetical device you describe is being sold all over. It's called a MacBook.
The iPad is not, and was never meant to be a MacBook. The things you mention it lacks, it lacks BY DESIGN.
It's like complaining because you can't eat soup with a fork.
 
aaquib said:
Is there no way to transfer purchased music from the iPad back to the Mac?
Click to expand...

Of course there is. You can transfer music purchased on the iPad back to the computer it's sync-ed with just like you can on any iPhone or iPod Touch. I think the OP wants to be able to sync his/her iPod with the iPad, and eliminate the computer in the middle. That you can't do.
 
aaquib said:
Is there no way to transfer purchased music from the iPad back to the Mac?
Click to expand...

I could definitely be wrong but i was under the impression that if you purchased something from the itunes store on your iphone or ipad and synced it with your computer later, it would send the purchases to the computer.
 
rtay said:
I paid just as much as a MacBook would cost me for my iPad, case, keyboard, and dock. About $900. That puts this thing in co muter territory.
Click to expand...

Neither of which any of those items you listed are even required to use the iPad. If you're going to add a case, add a case for the Macbook and stack the prices fairly against each other.

rtay said:
The second is how it. Requires a computer. I can buy setting it up through iTunes once, whatever, but why cant I transfer the music I bought off my ipad onto my iPod? What would that hurt?
Click to expand...

It only requires a computer for the reason you mentioned, but it can still very well be a stand alone device. Yes, of course, the desktop or laptop computer is there to act as your central hub for media, but for an out of the box experience, saying that the iPad requires a computer is false. But it is feasible to speculate that Apple will one day allow for over the air syncing with their mobile devices, so anything is possible....in the future.

minik said:
The iPad is not a computer replacement.
Click to expand...

Not yet, anyway ;)

minik said:
Yeap, not much of a creation device.
Click to expand...

Yet Apple has put attention and focus in developing iWork for the iPad.

minik said:
Give it some time, it's a 1.0 device in the end.
Click to expand...

Yea, I agree totally. The fact that Apple has put effort into pushing iWork onto the iPad means that more functionality should most definitely be coming in future versions. I honestly can't wait for this. I believe Apple will eventually allow files to be easily imported and printed wirelessly from the iPad.
 
Icaras said:
Firstly, it does NOT require a computer. It can very well be a stand alone device. A desktop or laptop computer is required to act as your central hub for media, but for an out of the box experience, saying that the iPad requires a computer is false.
Click to expand...

How is it false? Out of the box the iPad must be plugged into iTunes before you can do anything with it. The USB cable -> iTunes icon doesn't go away on it's own. Granted, my iPad has not been plugged into the computer since then but iTunes is required for the initial setup, so the OP's statement is true.
 
Darth.Titan said:
How is it false? Out of the box the iPad must be plugged into iTunes before you can do anything with it. The USB cable -> iTunes icon doesn't go away on it's own. Granted, my iPad has not been plugged into the computer since then but iTunes is required for the initial setup, so the OP's statement is true.
Click to expand...

Ah, really then? I don't personally own one yet, but I've read from some users on these forums that they didn't use a computer for it at all. I might have misread though. Well if that's true then, I stand corrected.
 
minik said:
Mac mini + Apple Display + Apple keyboard and mouse, that adds up too.
The iPad is not a computer replacement.
Yeap, not much of a creation device.

Give it some time, it's a 1.0 device in the end.
Click to expand...
This is exactly the rational that allows apple to keep making underpowered devices. People don't care, they will just buy it regardless. And I thinkninsaw someone said I described something already on the market, how did I? Aplenty made tqbles useable with only a finger. Not complicated slow unresponsive touch screens. Apple put a lot of thought into content creation, they are advertising the crap out of iworks and had brushes at theirnannouncement.
 
You paid $900....

You realize for $900 you can get about 10x the memory, with multi tasking, faster processor....
 
Darth.Titan said:
How is it false? Out of the box the iPad must be plugged into iTunes before you can do anything with it. The USB cable -> iTunes icon doesn't go away on it's own. Granted, my iPad has not been plugged into the computer since then but iTunes is required for the initial setup, so the OP's statement is true.
Click to expand...

You need it once, whoop de do. After that, no computer use is required.
 
Darth.Titan said:
How is it false? Out of the box the iPad must be plugged into iTunes before you can do anything with it. The USB cable -> iTunes icon doesn't go away on it's own. Granted, my iPad has not been plugged into the computer since then but iTunes is required for the initial setup, so the OP's statement is true.
Click to expand...

Technically you're both right. Yes it needs iTunes to get going, but Apple Store staff have been assisting customers to do that using the in-store machines, meaning users can start using the iPad before they get home, meaning it can be used, albeit with limitations, without your own Mac or PC.
 
Apple has the opportunity to revolutionize the PC industry once again with multi-touch and they are wasting it by investing time and money in a device which satisfies only part of the market.

Ever since the release of the original Macintosh back in 1984, our PCs input devices haven't changed much - we still use keyboards and mice. However, the software we use has improved greatly and a substantial portion of it is absent from the iPad. Instead of building on top of the powerful hardware and software we have today, Apple chose to step back and work on a product that limits the capabilities of multi-touch and the user experience.

Only time will tell if the iPad satisfies most of the market or just part of it, but in my opinion, Apple could have made a much bigger impact by implementing multi-touch in Mac OS X and replacing the MacBooks' old keyboards and trackpads with a multi-touch display. Since Apple develops both hardware and software it would take a significantly shorter time for them to do so rather than the rest of the PC industry and that is what I call a real opportunity.
 
bluehaze013 said:
Yea, most people won't realize just how bad it is not being able to download and upload files until they actually need to do something on the device and can't. It's happened to me and I totally agree with you it's a huge oversight on a device like this and one of the most disappointing aspects for me.
Click to expand...

It is not an oversight!

This is exactly as Apple planned it.

The iPad was NEVER mention to be a computer replacement. You people are trying to push the iPad into doing more than it was designed for and then get pissed when it will not work. LOL:D
 
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