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As if I needed anymore convincing... the Clamshell!

B

bigwayne3000

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 23, 2008
137
0
Well I was already pretty much set on getting an iPad. looking at the 32gb 3G, it was just a matter or when I was going to get one. Than I just got home from work and came onto MacRumors where i say the Clamshell case which is a case but also opens up as a laptop with a keyboard to use w/ the ipad. now the renderings had it in landscape so idk if itd work in portrait as well but still, i think if ppl were on the fence with the for school i think this will sway a lot of ppl. it also folds back into the keyboard so that you can use it normally. i assume you all saw it by now since its on the main page. any thoughts on this? obviously we need to wait for the reviews whenever this thing comes out but i think the idea is awesome.

Edit **i meant Clamcase.**
 
Definitely looks cool...

I wonder how you insert and remove the iPad from it though..That and it also makes your beautiful iPad look like a netbook :)
 
AIRniloc said:
it also makes your beautiful iPad look like a netbook :)
Click to expand...

Because you really want to take the device that is not supposed to look like or be used like a netbook a netbook. If you wanted to do this why not just buy a netbook??
 
TerryJoyce said:
Because you really want to take the device that is not supposed to look like or be used like a netbook a netbook. If you wanted to do this why not just buy a netbook??
Click to expand...

I definitely was not implying that making your iPad look like a net book was a good thing :rolleyes:
 
well idk how they would attach it or how heavy itd make the ipad since the keyboard would need to be heavy enough to keep it from tilting over from being top heavy. my point was that if it is just a pop on/off device than ppl who wanted to use it for school/class than it would be perfect for them. itd make taking notes lightyears easier.
 
PsyD4Me said:
looks stupid to me....just buy a netbook
Click to expand...

I have to agree here...the iPad is a design beauty on its own, why ruin it by putting it inside a poorly designed netbook case? IMHO

This case inspired a question in my mind though, does anyone know from using the Apple keyboards with the iPad does it know when you are using an external keyboard an therefore not pop up the on screen keyboard. That would be annoying if you put your cursor on a form and the on screen keyboard popped up like it does today and then the user had to close it because they were using an external keyboard.
 
no need to be condescending, i was meerly asking what ppl thought about this. i guess ot each his own, i think its a good idea for ppl who want to use it for taking notes in class than just pop it off when youre done. i think itll be less than $100. probably $75ish.
 
I'd use it if I were on extended travel (ie, more likely I'd need to type out some long stuff), but for day to day use, no thanks.
 
bigwayne3000 said:
no need to be condescending, i was meerly asking what ppl thought about this. i guess ot each his own, i think its a good idea for ppl who want to use it for taking notes in class than just pop it off when youre done. i think itll be less than $100. probably $75ish.
Click to expand...

I didn't mean to appear condescending, I apologize if it came off that way. You're right, to each his own.
 
bigwayne3000 said:
no need to be condescending, i was meerly asking what ppl thought about this. i guess ot each his own, i think its a good idea for ppl who want to use it for taking notes in class than just pop it off when youre done. i think itll be less than $100. probably $75ish.
Click to expand...

That's actually a good idea... as long as it's easy to take in and out, I could see popping it in for whatever text heavy thing you have to do, then removing it later when you want it to go back to being a casual media consumption device. :)
 
my bad fj, i thought you were justbeing a smarta... haha again i apologize for misunderstanding you.
 
bigwayne3000 said:
no need to be condescending, i was meerly asking what ppl thought about this. i guess ot each his own, i think its a good idea for ppl who want to use it for taking notes in class than just pop it off when youre done. i think itll be less than $100. probably $75ish.
Click to expand...

Well, I wouldn't use one - I'm perfectly happy with my iPad as is, but I'll be shocked if it's priced at or below 100 bucks. I'm guessing $150 - $200.
 
I see one serious flaw - the screen doesn't flip around and fold back, it just folds back. Which means if you want to fold it around and use it as a slab, the keyboard with be exposed on the bottom of the unit while you hold it. They need to allow you to rotate the screen first and then fold it forward, like a standard tablet PC, in order to hide the keyboard.
 
It looks kinda cool, but I prefer to have the keyboard separate so I have more flexibility in terms of use landscape/portrait, etc. That's why I got the apple bluetooth keyboard and not the keyboard dock for my pad.
 
Up next from this company...


The Motorcycle Clam Chassis. Add 2 much needed wheels to your motorcycle's measly 2 wheels, turning it into a 4 wheeled tour de force.
 
i really dont understand the negativity surrounding this item. perhaps its just because Apple didnt make it? i mean they have basically the same thing in the form of the keyboard dock. only difference with this is it folds back into a tablet. unless of course you all who hate this just as much hate Apples keyboard dock than i digress.
 
I think some of the negativity is because it doesn't make sense from an engineering view.
Think about it the iPad has the screen and battery plus case weight that has to be held stable by the base. This base has to be at least as heavy as the iPad or it will tip over. Making it twice as heavy is a nonstarter for most. Plus it is just dumb. If you want a laptop get one.
 
It looks nice until you consider the keyboard sitting under the device while you're using it. Perhaps they will make the hinge swivel like one of those HP convertible tablets. Then the keyboard will be protected when using it in tablet mode. The keyboard part seems a little too thick to me. If you look at the thickness of the Apple bt keyboard, it's thinner except for the area where the batteries are inserted. And that could get thinner by going to AAA cells.

There are loads of membrane keyboards on the market. I wonder why somebody hasn't taken one of them and added bluetooth? That would make more sense. I wouldn't mind tossing a membrane keyboard inside my Apple case, especially if it only added a few ounces of weight but allowed me to type longer documents without taking up so much of the screen with the on screen keyboard.
 
TerryJoyce said:
Because you really want to take the device that is not supposed to look like or be used like a netbook a netbook. If you wanted to do this why not just buy a netbook??
Click to expand...
The answer is obvious.

With the iPad one has the CHOICE and OPTION to use it as a tablet or as a terminal (when using the keyboard dock), or as a netbook (when using this case). It's about the flexibility of the choice. Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't. (obtuse reference to Almond Joy and Mounds candybar commercial)

One device + a few OPTIONAL peripherals = flexibility.

To answer your question, when you buy a netbook, you are forced to carry that keyboard with you wherever you take your netbook. You don't have the OPTION of leaving the keyboard behind. If your netbook doesn't have a touchscreen, then you don't have the OPTION of using a touch interface.

It's not like using this case will fuse it to the iPad never to be a tablet again.
 
I think people are completely mis-reading the design of the clamcase. It's basically a different design of the apple keyboard dock, with the following changes:
- no power dock
- works in landscape or portrait
- probably a bluetooth connection
- includes a hinge so you can change the angle, or fold it inward to make the whole setup more portable.

that's basically it. If you don't want to use the keyboard, just pop the iPad off of it. This is far different than a netbook... the iPad is still the iPad. There's no mouse, the screen is instantly removable, everything operates via touchscreen.

This is simply a more portable keyboard. The apple keyboard dock is nice, but it's not very portable because of the way it's shaped.
 
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