I think what struck me was the weight with respect to it's size (thinness). Like when you pick up a small lead weight, versus picking up something far larger but of equal weight--the smaller object might seem heavier. Being as thin as the iPad is, it seems almost impossibly heavy (IMO)
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finally got to the apple store to kick the tires.
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I think what struck me was the weight with respect to it's size (thinness). Like when you pick up a small lead weight, versus picking up something far larger but of equal weight--the smaller object might seem heavier. Being as thin as the iPad is, it seems almost impossibly heavy (IMO)
Thanks for the weight comparison! I'm anxious to see some of those on the list. Especially the Notion and HP. I'm keeping an open mind as to which, if any, I might purchase this year. My wife pretty much feels like I do--there were some very impressive functions on the ipad, but there are other considerations which of course, I've already mentioned above. I tend to be slow to warm up to new things (and it's not my age--I've been like that since I was a kid), so by the time I make a decision, I almost never regret my choice, as it's well thought out.
aha! Just got 9.1 installed so I can see ipad apps. It was Weatherbug elite. wow, that's a nice weather app. I could be super happy with that app and never covet any other. LOL!
The application showed nothing more than a gray screen. on every ipad in the store. Is that what u are referring to?
My University Union PC store now has iPads. A steady crowd of people playing with the three they put on display. Not a speedy sell-out as it seems college kids have better uses for $500+. They did sell out of 64gb models (5) in three days though, to "professor types" she said.
Well with the 40K annual tuitions of course the students cant afford the iPad and obviously the Professors could thanks to the tuitions
It's just you
Location services work on WiFi, if you have an active WiFi connection, the server that holds the "where is this WiFi hotspot" database is running, and you're on a known hotspot. It has been working for me since Saturday; it worked just now, both in the Maps app, and in a website that wanted to know my location.
Sheesh people, get a grip. When you read, do you hold a book out in the air all the while?... No. You rest it partly on your body. Same with the iPad. Too slippery? Get a rubberized skin for like $20. And you don't notice any fingerprints when the device is actually "on". These are all ridiculous complaints.
If you want to complain that the file input / output system doesn't work for you, that's far more legitimate... But these simple, easily solvable, or non-existent ergonomic "issues" (especially from people who haven't used an iPad outside a store - if at all) are kind of annoying.
1. heavier than I thought.
7. did I mention the thing is too heavy to hold for more than a brief period?
8 email app looks nice. 4.0 OS should make it even nicer, according to the rumors.
9. maps wasn't working. salespeople said the maps works off a different server than for the touch/iphone and it's been experiencing outages
11. ergonomics--meh, I'm not thrilled with the weight and the logistics of using the ipad in any manner but sitting down. lying in bed--I'm not sure how that would work. Propped up against the headboard, with the ipad in one's lap, ok, but i can easily read books on my touch while lying down. That's what I do the most with my touch now--read books at night, lights out, laying in bed. the touch is feather light. the ipad is simply much too heavy to hold. holding it with one hand is very awkward, too (IMO)
12. I'll skip the usual comments about what it lacks. we all know what it lacks. overall, once the new OS drops, and some rough edges in the first version of the ipad-centric apps are ironed out, I can ALMOST see myself sorta wanting one.
13. photos--THAT was impressive--the slideshow. really liked that. seems like the iPad would make a nice photoframe.
14. ipod - didn't notice anything especially compelling, when compared to my touch. it works.
15. weather - THAT was impressive. love all the extra info. very nice!
16. ibooks -- impressive graphics (translucent pages during page turns--cute!)
that's about I tried on it. I guess this Thursday we will learn about 4.0?
Too Heavy?
If you hit the gym for 15 minutes only once, the iPad is fine. No way is it heavy.
1. heavier than I thought. while the ibooks app is cool, holding the ipad is a chore.
2. screen--nice
3. fairly intuitive, coming from a touch. learning curve very short
4. sound--way too much vibration! dang, that's a bummer that the thing resonates badly when playing music.
5. responsive-nice
6. what's w/ the NY times app? that sucker looks awful. NYT is ok on Safari, but pixelated in the app. I suppose that will get fixed soon.
7. did I mention the thing is too heavy to hold for more than a brief period?
8 email app looks nice. 4.0 OS should make it even nicer, according to the rumors.
9. maps wasn't working. salespeople said the maps works off a different server than for the touch/iphone and it's been experiencing outages for the last 3 days.
10. typing--I was surprised it wasn't quite as bad as I thought it would be, considering it's size. but still, being a sensitive touch screen, one can't leave their fingers on the surface like you can when using a real keyboad. that makes if far more onerous to use than say, a netbook or other small physical keyboard.
11. ergonomics--meh, I'm not thrilled with the weight and the logistics of using the ipad in any manner but sitting down. lying in bed--I'm not sure how that would work. Propped up against the headboard, with the ipad in one's lap, ok, but i can easily read books on my touch while lying down. That's what I do the most with my touch now--read books at night, lights out, laying in bed. the touch is feather light. the ipad is simply much too heavy to hold. holding it with one hand is very awkward, too (IMO)
12. I'll skip the usual comments about what it lacks. we all know what it lacks. overall, once the new OS drops, and some rough edges in the first version of the ipad-centric apps are ironed out, I can ALMOST see myself sorta wanting one.
13. photos--THAT was impressive--the slideshow. really liked that. seems like the iPad would make a nice photoframe.
14. ipod - didn't notice anything especially compelling, when compared to my touch. it works.
15. weather - THAT was impressive. love all the extra info. very nice!
16. ibooks -- impressive graphics (translucent pages during page turns--cute!)
that's about I tried on it. I guess this Thursday we will learn about 4.0?
Like he said with a few additions and only one disagreement.
First, the disagreement. A pound and a half is a pound and a half. Thats equivalent to 24 ounces of water or two 12 ounce cans of coke zero vanilla without the cans
. I didn't find it the least bit heavy but then again I lift weights 3 to 4 times a week so my thoughts may not apply to many. So thats out the window. Geeeee!Okay, now for the rest of the story. Man that store (Columbia, MD) was crowded at 3:00PM
They had around 16 to 20 iPads out for people to play with. They were all loaded with a number of apps, not all the same.
I loved the keyboard and found it very easy to use, even with large (fat) fingers.
The iWork apps will take a little getting used to since there is no separate file system but was easy to use. Don't need any MS office apps for this.
I have to repeat was Dave said, I loved the photo app. The slide show was especially nice and the screen was crisp and vibrant, even with all of the finger smudges. Employees were constantly wiping off the screens when a unit was free.
I played a little with a couple of the games and they were awesome.
iBooks - fantastic
All apps loaded extremely fast. This is one impressive pad!
I would love to be able to text like I do on the iPhone. I suppose that may be on the 3G model but I'm not paying AT&T extra for that.
I also wish I could tether WITHOUT jail breaking my phone. Come on AT&T, you said tethering would be available last year!
As much as I like the iPad I did not purchase one. Still on the fence.
My $2700.00 MBP still serves it's purpose even though it's large and heavy. Maybe Thursday will change my mind, who knows.
A pound and a half is a pound and a half. Thats equivalent to 24 ounces of water or two 12 ounce cans of coke zero vanilla without the cans
Not quite. 12 fluid ounces of soda weighs about 13.2 avoirdupois (16 oz to the pound) ounces.
Add to the list....Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in hardcover-- 2lbs. 10 5/8 oz.
It may be that I'm one of the last holdouts for hardcover books. I'm not getting the weight thing, but I also am not used to using a cell phone. I've got an iPod Touch, but it never occurred to me to try and hold something considerably larger the same way. As always, everyone else's mileage may vary.
Add to the list....Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in hardcover-- 2lbs. 10 5/8 oz.
Before getting the iPad, I thought it shouldn't be too difficult to hold, because as you point out, many hardcover books are heavier, and I've held plenty of them for hours as I read. However, I've discovered that there are differences between holding an iPad and a hardcover book. For one thing, when you open a book, the weight gets distributed over a larger surface area than the iPad. Holding an iPad is like holding a closed hard cover book -- and no one ever holds a closed book in hand for an extended period of time. Also, when reading a physical book, you aren't trying to tap various points in the middle of the pages, and you can also rest your hand/finger/random body parts anywhere on the book. If you do that on the iPad, it sends a command to the device, so you have to be careful not to touch any part of the screen, except when you are trying to get the iPad to actually do something. All this adds up to the iPad being much more difficult to hold than a book of similar weight. I'm gradually getting used to this, and anybody trying to take away my iPad will have to pry it away from my dead fingers, but there certainly is a "learning curve" with how you hold this thing.
I was at best buy tonight, and what did not impress me was the non-native apps. Why would apple let their demos out in the wild, with iphone apps to show off? They should have either used native apps only, or ipad optimized apps. Otherwise, very cool "thingamajig"!
The concern about the weight was a real factor me.
I will be able to use the iPad for many things, but the main reason I wanted the iPad, was to be able to stand/walk around with a device for about an hour (give or take) having discussions from notes I'd taken (I'm a director). My 13" MacBook Pro used to handle this task, but it's not ideal because of the weight or form factor.
I've spent 2-45 minute sessions kicking the tires to see if the weight of the iPad would be feasible for this. I think it definitely will be.
When I first started holding it I grabbed it like you would a clipboard (thumb in front on the side and fingers in back on the side), but in landscape mode. I think that this is the worst way to hold it for extended periods. After 30 minutes or so my fingers were pretty achy.
Better ways of holding it (while standing and not really having anything to rest it on) include:
1. Portrait Mode - Better weight distribution
2. Palm of the hand on the center of the back - easier on the fingers.
3. iPad on the underside of the forearm (the way one would carry a stack of school books, for instance). I think this is the easiest way. Keeps it closer to your body, avoids stress on the hand by using a stronger part of the body.
4. Of course, regularly switching positions and hands/arms alleviates any part of the body from getting too fatigued. In my test in the store, I purposely held it only with one hand the clipboard way (that is what felt the most instinctive way) for as long as I could to test the limits of how long I could go. Even in this worst case scenario I could pretty comfortably for about 30 minutes.
I think once these modifications become second nature it will be quite easy to hold it for extended periods of time. It certainly would never be possible with my MacBook Pro, which I'm forced to leave on a desk and keep hunching over to look at my notes.
When you throw in the added benefit of being able to easily carry it back and forth to work everyday, and the ease of handing it off to someone (or a group of people) to share diagrams, costume ideas, photos or video clips) and 3G connectivity for on the spot internet research, this is going to be an invaluable asset for my work.
I will be able to use the iPad for many things, but the main reason I wanted the iPad, was to be able to stand/walk around with a device for about an hour (give or take) having discussions from notes I'd taken (I'm a director). My 13" MacBook Pro used to handle this task, but it's not ideal because of the weight or form factor.
I've spent 2-45 minute sessions kicking the tires to see if the weight of the iPad would be feasible for this. I think it definitely will be.
When I first started holding it I grabbed it like you would a clipboard (thumb in front on the side and fingers in back on the side), but in landscape mode. I think that this is the worst way to hold it for extended periods. After 30 minutes or so my fingers were pretty achy.
Better ways of holding it (while standing and not really having anything to rest it on) include:
1. Portrait Mode - Better weight distribution
2. Palm of the hand on the center of the back - easier on the fingers.
3. iPad on the underside of the forearm (the way one would carry a stack of school books, for instance). I think this is the easiest way. Keeps it closer to your body, avoids stress on the hand by using a stronger part of the body.
4. Of course, regularly switching positions and hands/arms alleviates any part of the body from getting too fatigued. In my test in the store, I purposely held it only with one hand the clipboard way (that is what felt the most instinctive way) for as long as I could to test the limits of how long I could go. Even in this worst case scenario I could pretty comfortably for about 30 minutes.
I think once these modifications become second nature it will be quite easy to hold it for extended periods of time. It certainly would never be possible with my MacBook Pro, which I'm forced to leave on a desk and keep hunching over to look at my notes.
When you throw in the added benefit of being able to easily carry it back and forth to work everyday, and the ease of handing it off to someone (or a group of people) to share diagrams, costume ideas, photos or video clips) and 3G connectivity for on the spot internet research, this is going to be an invaluable asset for my work.