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Dvorak on recent iPad reviews
- Thread starter barkomatic
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While I see your point, I don't agree. The ipod touch would be more towards the smartphone category, and I do realize it wasn't a phone. The ipad is more likely to be compared to a laptop or even a full desktop. The Tablet category had already been invented, but it was not a device in any manufacturers form, which was portable to the point where you could take it anywhere, turn it on anytime you wanted, and use it truly ALL day.
The ipad certainly has some weakensses, several off the top of my head, but I still think it will be a game changer in that "everyone" will have one, and by everyone I don't think 100% of the population of course, but just a large enough majority where it will be mainstream. Without the battery life, instant on, and idiot proof UI this mainstream adoption could never have happened.
He's the Roger Ebert of the PC world. A useless critic who's job is to critique, but never to create hardware or software on his own. As with all critics I've learned their opinion, and that's exactly and only what a critic provides, is just as useless or just as valuable as my own opinion.
He is just bitter b/c he is going to lose his bet (expensive bottle of wine) that Apple won't sell 5m units this year. He's a h8tr. Also he's on the record stating he like to post outrageous articles b/c it gets him more hits. So a lot of what he does is marketing and not all that sincere.
I agree the iPad is not the best thing since sliced bread or whatever, at least not yet, but it is killing the netbook, and forced stand-along eBook readers down market -- note the recent price slashing.
We will look back in the iPad launch in ten years the same way we now look back at the original Mac.
I agree the iPad is not the best thing since sliced bread or whatever, at least not yet, but it is killing the netbook, and forced stand-along eBook readers down market -- note the recent price slashing.
We will look back in the iPad launch in ten years the same way we now look back at the original Mac.
Yes, the iPad is a "game changer" for some of the reasons you cited.
But it goes a bit further....
Since the advent of affordable personal computers, we've done things with it because that is all we had available. Whether or not it was the best device for the task was secondary. People who needed to move their computers from place to place bought cases and carts to facilitate transporting their systems to other locations. They had no choice.
When affordable laptop/luggable computers arrived, it was a "game changer". It wasn't a game changer for everyone who used computers at that time, but it DID change the game for those who needed to use their computers in more than one physical location. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best option available at the time.
Some of the people who bought notebooks wanted a mobile device that could surf the web, check email, and create documents. They bought a notebook because that was the best tool available for the job.
Enter netbooks. The original promise and premise of the netbook was a reduced function, reduced footprint, reduced complexity mobile computer primarily for surfing the web, checking email, and light document creation. This was a game changer for the surf/email/doc-on-the-go crowd. They no longer needed to lug around a cumbersome notebook (relatively speaking), the netbook still wasn't perfect, but it served that role better than a notebook.
On the other end of the gadget spectrum, people used smartphones for similar purposes. They weren't perfect either, but they served that role better than notebooks for those people.
Now on to the iPad. I won't rehash all that it can do and how it overlaps a variety of market segments. But the iPad is a game changer, maybe more than those other technologies, because it satisfies the needs of some ebook readers better than dedicated ebook devices. It satisfies the needs of some netbook users better than the netbook did. It satisfies the needs of some smartphone users better than the smartphone did.
Just because other devices can do what the iPad can do doesn't make the iPad unnecessary. Just like the pre-existence of notebooks didn't make netbooks unnecessary.
For many people, myself included, netbooks were a compromise solution to mobile computing needs. I bought a netbook at the time because that was the best option available. (I can't buy something that isn't sold) But the iPad better suits my needs.
But for others, netbooks are still a better fit for their needs than an iPad.
Every person who claims that the iPad is a toy is like that old guy on the block who refused to buy a car with power windows, door locks, and air conditioning....because they were useless gadgets.
In my opinion, based on my experience with it to date, I can't classify the iPad as a "game-changer" when compared to how the iPod and iPhone revolutionized their respective product segments.
While the impact of the first iPhone was pretty much immediate (especially considering the geologic pace of smart phone development up until that point), it did take some time for the iPod to hit its stride.
Of course it was iTunes that really made the iPod into a game-changer and I'd say the analogy to the iPad would be that it's the continued innovation by the app developers that is absolutely key to push the iPad into a similar classification (for me at least).
But back to the point of JCD's article, that list of "stellar" apps "that will blow you away" looked like they poached it from any one of countless posts in the iPad Apps section of the MacRumors Forums... some seriously lazy journalism, that looks like Wired was just trying to make sure they stay on the good side of Apple Marketing's "Naughty or Nice List".
While the impact of the first iPhone was pretty much immediate (especially considering the geologic pace of smart phone development up until that point), it did take some time for the iPod to hit its stride.
Of course it was iTunes that really made the iPod into a game-changer and I'd say the analogy to the iPad would be that it's the continued innovation by the app developers that is absolutely key to push the iPad into a similar classification (for me at least).
But back to the point of JCD's article, that list of "stellar" apps "that will blow you away" looked like they poached it from any one of countless posts in the iPad Apps section of the MacRumors Forums... some seriously lazy journalism, that looks like Wired was just trying to make sure they stay on the good side of Apple Marketing's "Naughty or Nice List".
I think everyone needs to settle down and take a deep breath. John Dvorak is an opinion columnist, He is writing his opinion. If anyone read the column the point he was trying to make is that that he feels that apple in many ways gets a free pass on things in the press, and the people covering their products are falling over themselves to promote every chance they have. I think he made a good point, but I don't think he took the best approach (my opinion). I feel that if apple fanboyism is being perpetrated in the press then who is keeping apple in check. Apple is known to banish columnist who have been critical of them in the past and everyone is afraid to get on their bad list (event invites, free demos etc...) In many ways apple's tactics are far worse then anyones, and they are given a free ride for the most part in the press. And this is from someone who is typing on an iPad with an iPhone 4 in his pocket and a MacBook pro at home.
I remember many other similar predictions by Dvorak over the years while he still contributed to the PC Magazine. His columns are entertaining, but that's really all there is to them.
If this is his attempt at sarcastic humor, he is right on. However, he comes off like just another journalist trying to stir the angry mob. I guess he didn't read Tim Gideon's editor review, huh? Oh, was that the PCmag Editor's Choice award I saw? Ah yup, ah yup. The iPad is not for everyone, but what it does, it does very well. Can't wait to see what the competition comes up with. Like the iPod and iPhone, the rest have a long way to go to catch up..
JCD is one of the original tech-news pot stir'ers. He's pretty good at making a point in a way that is not fanboy-PC.
For me, the iPod Touch was the game-changer... it changed how I interact with technology. The iPad is just awesomer, and for me is like a next-generation iPod Touch.
Sure they did. For instance, there have been Windows CE tablets for a decade.
But they didn't have a plethora of easy-to-download apps, and they didn't have a major company pushing them as "game changers", and they didn't have huge press coverage.
I thought so too, so I gave my 85 year old mother one. She's quite smart and not afraid of technology, but she's never really used a computer before.
Guess what? Most of the apps still use small unlabeled icons from the iPhone UI paradigm of not having a dedicated Menu button. And settings likewise are scattered between inside of apps and over in the General Settings page. You have to either experiment or be told what to do, but many actions are definitely not obvious.
It's not really that intuitive a UI for someone who's never had someone next to them to explain it. No one on their own would ever figure out pinch, for example, if they'd never heard of it. Heck, accidentally turning on "wiggling icons" can be confusing for newcomers.
Back to the tiny icons. She called and asked how to send an email to someone new (not just hitting "Reply" which she had done). I said, "Oh just click the Compose button". Can't find one she says. Umm.
For some reason I figured that with a larger screen, and supposedly a device "for the rest of us", that it would have nice big buttons for common actions. No, it still has a tiny little unlabeled icon that's supposed to look like a pad with a pen, but which is not that obvious to a newcomer or even an oldtimer for that matter.
There have been several more situations like this where it really took some back-and-forth to show her how to do simple things. Seriously, icons are not the best idea if they don't have a text option as well.
I'm hoping that when I see her in a few weeks, I can cram in some personal tutoring and she'll get back into using the iPad. Otherwise I can easily see replacing her iPad with an Android tablet, since frankly I think its icon+text menu system is easier for casual users.
I don't remember a WinCE device that lasted ALL day, if anything the ipad has been lasting me 2 full days of use with no charge, so that doesn't count in my book. There isn't just one reason the ipad is truly a game changer, but several reasons which all come together into a convergence of a device that becomes ubiquitous. That is you don't think about having it, you just grab it when you go out the door with no concern for battery life or other inconveniences like how to use a laptop standing up, or how long it takes the device to boot up, or how to navigate a UI that is half desktop half mobile. I've been an ardent WindowsCE, pocket PC, windows mobile, and tablet PC follower since the beginning, I've still got a basement full of old devices, I do respect Windows quite a bit, they should have been the ones to invent this category, but they didn't, they only supplied some pieces of the puzzle.
It's inarguable that the ipad takes a lot of ideas from a lot of pre-existing devices, but it's how it incorporated those ideas into the package which are important. There has been no device before the ipad which had such a convergence of convenience and function, and that's why it's a game changer.
I agree with the first half of that comment, but mildly disagree with the second:
I'm one of the many sitting for now on the "it's a giant iPod touch" side of the fence.
In other words, the iPod touch seemed much more of a "game changer".
It's possible that I simply have missed seeing a game-changing app for the iPad, of course.
Regards.
Nah, this is a lame article.
E.g., he leads with the idea that there is some kind of new plague of Apple-sychophant reviewers. But he blows off the fact that there are plenty of inflated, credulous and absurdly positive reviews on almost anything. Movies, music, games, phones, cars, etc., etc., etc, etc.
Also, it's a lazy article -- he only critiques one bad review. If I turned this in as a 7th grade writing assignment, Ms. Rustin would have given me a C with the comment that the body doesn't support the claim.
Then there's the part where he characterizes iPad owners as spoiled, insecure brats trolling the internet for reassuring reviews. He drops this one on us with nothing to back it up. I think this is where we can start to see what he is really trying to do: provoke a strong reaction from his readers so that they will -- e.g., post a link to his stupid article so that more people will read it.
This is the same crap he does every week: he's rude, mean-spirited, and misleading over inconsequential matters to provoke a reaction to boost his readership to keep the $$$ flowing into his pocket. Anyone who writes a column for a living needs to build a readership on way or another. But he offers nothing but muddled analysis and weak insults to get it.
I agree with the first half of that comment, but mildly disagree with the second:
I'm one of the many sitting for now on the "it's a giant iPod touch" side of the fence.
In other words, the iPod touch seemed much more of a "game changer".
It's possible that I simply have missed seeing a game-changing app for the iPad, of course.
Regards.
I'm on the fence about the touch being a game changer, I think in regards to the touch there have been instant on devices like the touch going back 10+ years, but I definitely see your point. The ipad being a big touch is true, and I agree there havent been any game changing apps, but it's not about the apps on the ipad. It's about having a "full" computer experience with a device you don't have to think about whether you take it with you or not. The touch doesn't give a "full" computer experience, although it certainly qualifies for the take it anywhere criteria.
While it's quite arguable whether the ipad gives you a "full" computer experience, I think it is close enough for the unwashed masses to accept "hey this is my computer when I'm on the go". Something that is probably quite easy for us tech types to accept, but if you can get the non tech type grandmothers and other non tech type people to accept it then that's what is game changing IMO. It's similar to how you would never see a "smartphone" unless a techie was using it until after the iphone, now many people don't think twice about grabbing their large screened mini computer smartphone from the dresser every morning.
It's more subtle, yet more obvious than it appears. It's just that acceptance as a daily part of our lives that will make it game changing. Has it happened yet? No, but you can see it coming along. It may not be that everyone has an ipad, but the ipad has changed the way we think about portable computing. You can see this in how other companies are stepping over each other to copy the design.
Exactly!!! This is why I'm not currently on the iPhone section of this site. My iPhone and iPad both work great and I'm tired of the negative crap.