Just realized something about iPad criticism

[drjsway]

Responding to this post would be a good example of why you don't want to lose half your screen. Wouldn't fit on half a screen. As for quality, there's nothing wrong with the one on my old rebadged MSI wind. I'm sure they're better now.

I prefer losing some screen real estate while I type opposed to being forced to carry around a big physical keyboard everywhere I go. All netbooks use $10 screens. The iPad display is over $100 and probably the same price as a MacBook Pro.

Sounds like your trackpad is set up incorrectly then.

If you can move the cursor from the bottom of the screen to the top in just one swipe, then maybe I'm doing it wrong.

If that's the case, then say goodbye to connecting it to a projector for your Keynote presentations, downloading pictures from your camera, typing up anything non trivial in Pages or any useful spreadsheet in Numbers.

The point I'm trying to make is that you are not forced to carry everything all the time. Most of the time, you can enjoy a 1.5 pound machine. When you do something that requires an accessory, you carry the extra weight. Netbooks are around 2.6 pounds all the time and none are .5" thick.

All the evidence points to it being at least as fast as the A4, it's just doing more work.

Let's wait until the iPad is released and benchmarks are out.

The Air is indeed a lovely piece of kit. However, it sells for around $1400, whereas netbooks sell for around $400

The ONLY reason the netbook exists is because of price. There is no other product like that in Apple's line up.

To illustrate this, let's say you are a billionaire and money was no object. Would you get a netbook? No, you would get an expensive ultraportable which are around the same weight.

However, a billionaire might still buy a mac mini, ipad, ipod shuffle/nano, etc., because there are features unique to those products that have nothing to do with price.

That's because they are features. Good luck getting a file from a client's memory stick onto your iPad, printing a document or connecting to a wired network, a projector or monitor. Not to mention recharging or syncing your iPhone. That desktop OS that you dislike brings a lot of functionality with it.

The reason Apple is so successful is because of it's minimalism, simplicity, and ease of use. When the iPod came out, there were MP3 players that had way more features and played every format under the sun. Same goes for Android vs iPhone.

Apple = SIMPLE. MINIMALISTIC. EASY TO USE. INTUITIVE. STYLISH. Instead of doing everything mediocrely, their devices do only a few things exceptionally well.

By "you people", I presume you mean me. There isn't a committee writing this post.

I mean, all the people who rather see a netbook than an iPad.

I don't see why an Apple netbook would be boring. A 10" Air would probably be just as lovely as the current one. (cut)

And even if you up the price compared to a conventional netbook by 50%, that's still only $600. I'd buy that in an instant.

A 10" Air would be similar to a VAIO X Series and will probably be around the same price ($1,499). Usually, the smaller and lighter the machine, the more expensive it is. The only reason why netbooks are cheap is because they have absolutely no R&D and use the cheapest and outdated parts.

 

[Brazzan]

I prefer losing some screen real estate while I type opposed to being forced to carry around a big physical keyboard everywhere I go.

I'd prefer the opposite trade-off. I'd rather have the keyboard and full screen, particularly when that keyboard provides screen protection when closed.

Netbooks are around 2.6 pounds all the time and none are .5" thick.

Thick isn't that big a deal to me within limits. I can't think of many situations where I could carry a 0.5" machine, but not a 1.2" thick one. As for weight, anything around the MBA's weight of 3lb seems light enough to me.

The ONLY reason the netbook exists is because of price.

It's not price, it's value for money. A pen & paper is cheap, but if it doesn't offer the functionality you need, it's no good.

To illustrate this, let's say you are a billionaire and money was no object. Would you get a netbook? No, you would get an expensive ultraportable which are around the same weight.

I'm not sure basing your product pricing strategy around the preferences of billionaires is the optimal strategy for a mass-market company.

The reason Apple is so successful is because of it's minimalism, simplicity, and ease of use.

I'd agree with that and I'd say their current computers are good examples of this. Why not just make one of those, but smaller?

A 10" Air would be similar to a VAIO X Series and will probably be around the same price ($1,499).

With hindsight, I can see how my casual use of the phrase 10" Air might have given the wrong impression. Perhaps 10" Macbook, which I used elsewhere, is closer to what I meant. Imagine something with roughly the same innards as the HP Mini 311, but with Apple's case design & running OSX. That would do nicely.

 

[lordhamster]

Thick isn't that big a deal to me within limits. I can't think of many situations where I could carry a 0.5" machine, but not a 1.2" thick one. As for weight, anything around the MBA's weight of 3lb seems light enough to me.

I travel extensively internationally and only travel with a single shoulder carried "carryon." (http://tacticalgearhead.com/?p=501) This means that I do everything in my power to keep the weight of that bag to under 10% of my bodymass which comes to around 16 pounds. The bag I use alone weighs around 3 pounds, so every oz I can shave off and still get done what I need is great.

I've even cut the handles off toothbrushes to save on weight. Call me crazy, but every pound counts.

For now that means traveling with my Asus EEE 1000HE, but keep in mind, every small notebook or netbook I've seen still has a decent sized heavy power brick. I suspect the iPad will be charged much like an iPhone with the tiny USB charger dodad. I'm assuming here. Hopefully the iPad will still allow me to do what I need to do on the road with a bit less bulk and a bit less weight.

 

[nick9191]

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Completely correct OP.
If Apple gave me a Dell netbook with snow leopard it would an insta-buy for mr. But the iPad with no flash, no USB, no memory card slot it's a wait n see. The iPad is very unimaginative because it is just a big iPod touch. People have been dreaming about that on this forum for years.

I really think will be taking a lot of heat when average consumers get a hold of the iPad and find all the limitations.

But a netbook running OS X is imaginative?

What's wrong with an oversized iPod Touch? It can run all iPhone apps faster than an iPhone or iPod Touch, it can run new apps with a native UI and that 100% real estate increase will do so much for the app store potential.

Better a larger iPod Touch than a smaller, slower, poorer build quality laptop, running an OS not designed for it. Or even worse a tablet running OS X, people don't seem to comprehend the difference between keyboard/mouse user interfaces and touch based ones. Mac OS X or any desktop OS is terrible for touch based input.

 

[Brazzan]

I travel extensively internationally and only travel with a single shoulder carried "carryon."

I'd agree with you about travelling light - it's years since I've flown with more than cabin baggage. The "brick" that come with my rebadged wind is anything but brick-like, though - about 3"x1.5"x1" and weighs about the same as the (UK) plug on the end. It hasn't been a problem for me. If I really wish to travel ultra-light, I stick to my iPhone.

We don't know how to make a $500 computer that's not a piece of junk

So, by that logic, either the iPad isn't a computer or it's a piece of junk. Since it clearly is a computer, that leaves one possibility. Alternatively, of course, SJ could simply be wrong on this one.

 

[Sketh]

But a netbook running OS X is imaginative?

What's wrong with an oversized iPod Touch? It can run all iPhone apps faster than an iPhone or iPod Touch, it can run new apps with a native UI and that 100% real estate increase will do so much for the app store potential.

Better a larger iPod Touch than a smaller, slower, poorer build quality laptop, running an OS not designed for it. Or even worse a tablet running OS X, people don't seem to comprehend the difference between keyboard/mouse user interfaces and touch based ones. Mac OS X or any desktop OS is terrible for touch based input.

I thank you for pointing this out.

If only everyone could realize that.


Don't get me wrong guys, I had my HP Mini 1000 with Snow Leopard as soon as I could install it correctly, and it was a decent experience.

But as SOON as the iPad was announced, I sold that baby for cash towards it. I know I'm only one person, but browsing on my netbooks small resolution, with the lag in just even scrolling in chrome or safari, and how instant scrolling appears on the iPad, that alone justified the switch to me. Not to mention the quality games and apps that will soon be coming to the iPad.

 

[TheSpaz]

The more I think about it... this whole mouse and cursor thing seems old-tech to me. Imagine how comfortable it would be to pick up a single screen and just touch what you want. It may be a lot harder to type on if you're used to feeling the actual keys though. I can see myself finding it very awkward to type on a flat surface that I have to look at to see what I'm hitting. Plus, with typing, you kind of have to poke at the screen and you can't rest your fingers down like you can on a real keyboard. Basically, you'll have to prop the iPad up on your leg or lay it on a table and poke at the keys with your hands suspended in the air.... weird. I'm sure it's fine for short emails or website addresses though.

 

[roland.g]

The more I think about it... this whole mouse and cursor thing seems old-tech to me. Imagine how comfortable it would be to pick up a single screen and just touch what you want. It may be a lot harder to type on if you're used to feeling the actual keys though. I can see myself finding it very awkward to type on a flat surface that I have to look at to see what I'm hitting. Plus, with typing, you kind of have to poke at the screen and you can't rest your fingers down like you can on a real keyboard. Basically, you'll have to prop the iPad up on your leg or lay it on a table and poke at the keys with your hands suspended in the air.... weird. I'm sure it's fine for short emails or website addresses though.

I'm sure just like the iPhone, at first typing will be awkward, wanting to rest your fingers, etc, and then after a week or so you will get more adept and it will feel quite natural. There's going to be a learning curve but my guess is if it was really that hard to get used to, then it would have been scraped again.

 

[Brazzan]

The more I think about it... this whole mouse and cursor thing seems old-tech to me. Imagine how comfortable it would be to pick up a single screen and just touch what you want. It may be a lot harder to type on if you're used to feeling the actual keys though.

I'd say it is a great way of doing casual web browsing or something similar, essentially blurring the lines between reading a book and browsing the web. Unfortunate, for any kind of content creation, it's rather clumsy. Ergonomically, the optimum location for typing is in a different place to the optimum location for viewing a screen. The trouble is, we're all content creators to an extent, either by posting on forums like this or doing basic stuff like writing letters or doing the household accounts. Until voice recognition actually works (which is a long way away imo, due to the problem of recognising poorly enunciated words from context, which requires understanding, not just sound pattern matching), it's hard to see how that problem can be resolved.

 

[ucfgrad93]

No, then critics will complain that it doesn't make Orange Juice. People will always find something to complain about even if the damn thing was free and did everything imaginable.

Sad but very true.

 

[drjsway]

Don't worry, guys! I just submitted my Orange Juice making app so hopefully it'll be approved by launch!

 

[WLS]

(Sorry, I'm the original poster; reregistered because real names don't seem to be standard practice here.)

With respect to the "giant iPod Touch" thing, in case anyone hasn't seen it, this is extremely relevant.

The summary is, basically, upon seeing the iPhone, Alan Kay told Steve Jobs "Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you’ll rule the world."

Well, they did...

Did they?? Really, cause the last time I looked the dimensions of the Ipad were 7.47 by 9.56 and that is not 5 by 8.
Why does that matter? Well because I do think the iPad is still too big and not pocket-able which is what Alan was trying to tell Steve in my opinion.
Now if they come out with a new Touch that is 5 by 8 or somewhat smaller I think they will have the device everyone will carry. The current iPad I'm not so sure about. I'm in the market for something smaller than a laptop but I'm a techy kind of guy and perhaps not the target market for this. I like to be able to upgrade hardware and use features like USB GPS devices and SD card access without clumsy adapters. I prefer to make up my own mind as to whether I want flash to run or not and I sure as heck prefer using a mouse than poking at a screen. I'm satisfied to do without those things on my Touch for the sake of pocket mobility but not so much when the foot print of the iPad is not much different than a 10 inch netbook.
But that's just my opinion.

 

[admanimal]

Did they?? Really, cause the last time I looked the dimensions of the Ipad were 7.47 by 9.56 and that is not 5 by 8.
Why does that matter? Well because I do think the iPad is still too big and not pocket-able which is what Alan was trying to tell Steve in my opinion.

Upon seeing the first iPhone, Alan Kay basically said, make the screen big enough to do useful work on it (i.e. about 5 by 8...7.5 by 9.5 also counts), and you'll have a big success. Essentially he was saying it needs to be less portable than an iPhone. Besides, if you take away the bezel the iPad is even closer to 5 x 8.

 

[shakenmartini]

A 10" Air would be similar to a VAIO X Series and will probably be around the same price ($1,499). Usually, the smaller and lighter the machine, the more expensive it is. The only reason why netbooks are cheap is because they have absolutely no R&D and use the cheapest and outdated parts.

I don't understand people who want a Mac "netbook".

Netbooks are cheap pieces of crap for under $500, with the biggest compromise being a slow processor and a crappy screen. Some people don't mind trading off everything to get an uber cheap PC. But as an ultraportable they are way underpowered and usually (with some exception) under-battery powered. I work with a guy that bought a whizzed out Eee PC and then spend another $400 upgrading it. He still has a slow PC and a 6 months after he bought it, he bought a 13" Macbook pro.

Anybody who says they want a Mac netbook, just mean they want a cheap POS portable mac. The closest you can get is to buy a last generation Macbook from the refurb store for $800 (a good value IMHO). They funny thing is that refurb macbook is only slightly more expensive than a tricked out netbook and is light years better than any netbook out there.

On the other hand, there are people who need ultraportable productivity machines. These people do not buy netbooks because they are crap, they buy machines that cost over $1000. These machines have real processors, excellent batteries and excellent screens. These people aren't whining about a lack of a netbook mac because they already have their choice of the Macbook air (compromise performance for size) or the 13" macbook pro. If they are PC people then they are looking at a Vaio's or Dell's recent entries. All of these are excellent machines, and priced competitively relative to 3 years ago when a ultraportable would set you back well over $3500.

Heck, i carry a 17" macbook pro. It is so small and light and has enough battery power that it doesn't really add much more than a netbook. Since I don't have to carry the power adapter (I get real 5 hr+ battery life) I can skip the power adapter that usually makes a netbook the same weight as my MBP. They are all squinting to look at their screens alt-tabbing and I have 4 windows open at the same time. I know lots of people that buy macs simply because they are 1/2 the weight of a PC and have 4-5X the battery power of a PC with no performance compromises. Students seem to buy macs for just the reason (and they get a free iPod touch).

What my point? There are already Macbook ultra-portables out there. Quit whining if you can't afford a $1400 ultraportable, but don't try and mask your financial woes trying to argue that Apple doesn't make "netbooks". They do, they just don't make CRAPPY netbooks like other makers do.

If you can't afford to pay for the quality of Apple, then there are plenty of Eees and Dell Minis out there to make you happy for the 12 months that it stays intact. Heck, Apple is even nice enough to largely ignore the OSX86 project, so don't even try and argue that you can't have MacOSX on your nebook, because you can (and illustrates EXACTLY why Apple does not make this type of device - they suck with windows or OSX).

 

[FlashHead]

So many criticisms about the iPad have been about it not really "doing anything new", and it is just a big iPod. Apple has never been so much about doing "new" things (IMO) as much as doing things we all like to do in a "new" way. There had been "smart phones" out for years, GPS units, hand held gaming, MP3 players and iPods, Mobile browsing via laptops, and poorly implemented media versions on "Razor" and other such phones. But Apple took all of those things the industry had been doing poorly, on multiple devices, and did it Very well, and seamlessly, on one device; that "doesn't do anything new" iPhone you may have heard of.

Now we have readers (galore in the past couple of months), like the Kindle, Nook and Sony's that are nice for reading, but have no internet capability, or very hobbled web experiences in 16 shades of gray-scale. We have netbooks that really can't serve as readers for books, and are not optimal for video/movies (even if iTunes is loaded on them). Netbooks and laptops are certainly not optimized for gaming (especially netbooks). PSP has the only media player in a dedicated game system, but it is very poor, and inconvenient (UMD-were they kidding - and now only downloads on the new version) and it can't browse. Only the laptops and netbooks can do business apps equivalent to iWork. So again, Apple, while not really "doing anything new" is going to do Everything "old" in a "new" way. And on one device. That is called innovation, and that is were Apple just "gets it" (and why their stock and market capitalization absolutely blow every other computer maker out of the water).

One device-the difference: I work on my presentation for a while on the flight. Take a break, catch an episode of "Lost" and watch the really cool chase scene in the "Matrix-Reloaded" for the umpteenth time. Start talking with the person in the seat beside me, tell him about my family and flip through pictures in iPhoto. I exchange contact info later in the flight and enter it easily via touch in my Contacts. I preview my Keynote presentation one last time on my HD screen, which I will be able to pass around at the conference. My new friend on the flight is clearly jealous as the ink from his USA Today transfers to his hands as he tries to complete the crossword puzzle. He sees I too have today's puzzle on my iPad (yes, there's an App for that). He is also jealous as I read the paper without unfolding a newspaper across the breadth of three seats. I leave him to his ink-stained hands, flip through cover-flow to choose my favorite album, then jump into some intense driving in "Need for Speed-Undercover", hoping my accelerometer induced gyrations don't bump his newspaper that is hanging over my seat. As we descend through 10,000 feet, the announcement tells us to prepare for landing and to do all the "securing" that goes with it. I slip my iPad into its slender sleeve and easily slide it into the seat-back in front of me. My new friend opens his carry-on, which he had earlier deposited his netbook with its 2 hour battery. He stashes his paper among the cable clutter for his Blackberry, netbook, brand new Nook and (ironically) his iPod. I laugh to myself as I think he may need help carrying that bag of the plane.

To the people who say the iPad, "doesn't do anything new" - You just don't get it, and perhaps you should try "saying something new".

Brilliant and spot on! I understand how someone might think they could do better for themselves with a different product, but I don't understand how anyone could not see the truth in this post and see how it will be the perfect product for a lot of people.

Where Apple innovates time and time again is bringing a dynamic user experience on a quality product. To a person, all of the press who got their hands on one, marvelled at the speed, responsiveness, the experience. They talked about how 5 seconds in, the device disappears in your hands and you lose yourself in the content. How many of you can say that about your netbooks?

 

[FlashHead]

The iPad is a luxury item. And I believe it's inarguable that one doesn't NEED an iPad. But rather one can find uses for it.

With respect, just because you may not find a great need for it, doesn't mean that will be true for everyone. There are things I need to do for my job that are too much for the small screen of my ipod touch, and use only a fraction of the capabilities of my heavier macbook pro (a lot to carry with you everyday). The ipad is a perfect solution for me. Large enough, fast enough, capable enough to fill my daily needs on a single charge all at a tidy 1.5 pounds (also don't have to worry about having enough space to open it's clamshell on my international flights).

True, no one NEEDS an ipad, in the same way no one NEEDS an iphone. It will however, make my life a whole lot easier and more convenient. I also suspect I'm far from alone.

 

[mrsir2009]

Nothing can ever be completely perfect. That's why critics will always find something, always.... And perhaps thats what pushes Apple to make their products better...? Who knows.

 

[dave1812dave]

Nothing can ever be completely perfect. That's why critics will always find something, always.... And perhaps thats what pushes Apple to make their products better...? Who knows.

critics are customers, or potential customers, and have a right to complain about shortcomings, defects, high prices, or whatever else makes them unhappy with a product. that's their rights as consumers. Unlike you, I don't consider "critic" to be a dirty word. And those "critics" can vote by withholding their credit card if they feel an item isn't suitable for them or costs too much. I personally think the iPad pricing is not an issue, but the lack of features that many were hoping against hope for, IS going to be an issue for many.

 

[RazHyena]

Nothing can ever be completely perfect. That's why critics will always find something, always.... And perhaps thats what pushes Apple to make their products better...? Who knows.

If you don't know what you're doing wrong or what you're missing, how will you ever improve? Certainly Apple has observed criticisms of their products and made improvements in the next generations of those products.

Remember how long it took Apple to put SD card slots in their macbooks? Maybe the consumer base was.....critical about it's absence?

Why do think there's so many people waiting to see what happens when gen 2 of the iPad comes around?

 

[blackNBUK]

I'd say it is a great way of doing casual web browsing or something similar, essentially blurring the lines between reading a book and browsing the web. Unfortunate, for any kind of content creation, it's rather clumsy. Ergonomically, the optimum location for typing is in a different place to the optimum location for viewing a screen. The trouble is, we're all content creators to an extent, either by posting on forums like this or doing basic stuff like writing letters or doing the household accounts. Until voice recognition actually works (which is a long way away imo, due to the problem of recognising poorly enunciated words from context, which requires understanding, not just sound pattern matching), it's hard to see how that problem can be resolved.

Text entry on a tablet is definitely a difficult problem as all of the obvious options have something wrong with them. As you mention, virtual keyboards don't really work if you're holding the tablet like a book. Handwriting recognition has some of the same issues in that you'd probably want to lay the tablet down to write any real amount. The UI designer would also have to resist the temptation to make the stylus an essential part of using the interface. Finally even if voice recognition worked perfectly it still relies on you being in a private place where you can talk out loud.

I'm rather disappointed that Apple didn't really try to tackle the problem but I can understand why they didn't.

 

[anthonymoody]

I travel extensively internationally and only travel with a single shoulder carried "carryon." (http://tacticalgearhead.com/?p=501) This means that I do everything in my power to keep the weight of that bag to under 10% of my bodymass which comes to around 16 pounds. The bag I use alone weighs around 3 pounds, so every oz I can shave off and still get done what I need is great.

I've even cut the handles off toothbrushes to save on weight. Call me crazy, but every pound counts..

TOTALLY agreed on this. My MBP is 5.5 pounds, closer to 6 with the power brick. Substituting my Hackintosh Dell mini9 (which I abhor by the way except for its weight...), which itself weighs 2.2 pounds or 2.5 with its ac adapter, makes an *enormous* difference. I'm tremendously excited about shaving another pound when using an iPad instead as my primary computer.

Then, shave another 2 pounds switching from a messenger bag to a <1 pound murse. Then, shave another 1/2 pound by leaving my kindle2 behind for good. I'll be toting <3 pounds all in and if you don't think that makes a difference to your shoulders and back over time as compared to 5-6 or 6-8 pounds, then I'll call you next time to haul my bag around for me

... I personally think the iPad pricing is not an issue, but the lack of features that many were hoping against hope for, IS going to be an issue for many.

Not nearly enough people will be upset about any lacking features to prevent the iPad from being a smashing success in the market (and by that I mean several million units sold in Year 1).