The iPad IS a computer

[nwxtl88]

I've noticed that many times in this forum, and in others, that people write that the iPad is not a computer and wasn't meant to be. The same thing is often said about the iPod Touch. I wonder why so many people seem to have such a narrow view of these computers.

The iPad is a computer. Right out of the box it will be able to run somewhere around 150,000 apps that run on the iPod Touch and iPhone. Included in these are apps that can manipulate photographs, including a Photoshop app. There are apps that create and manage databases. There are apps that compute the amount of concrete needed at a construction site. Write books and do other word processing... . The list is getting to be nearly endless. As far as I know, these are all processes that require computers and are exactly how computers are used.

Many on this forum may be mostly looking at the iPad to surf the web, listen to music, watch a video, send/receive email, etc., but that's not all it can do or was designed to do. I'm pretty sure Steve Jobs and the rest at Apple designed the iPad (and iPhone/iPod Touch) to be used like a computer. That is probably why the capability of creating all these computer applications was put into the SDK with all the APIs making real computer applications possible.

Personally, I plan on using my iPad as a real computer, just like I do my iPod Touch now.

What are you going to use your iPad for other than what the four main dock icons connect you too?

Cheers

 

[spinnerlys]

Because many people confuse a computer for a personal computer (PC), that's why they can't fathom the idea of anything else being a computer.



computer |kəmˈpyoōtər|
noun
an electronic device for storing and processing data, typically in binary form, according to instructions given to it in a variable program.
• a person who makes calculations, esp. with a calculating machine.

 

[Chaos123x]

I've noticed that many times in this forum, and in others, that people write that the iPad is not a computer and wasn't meant to be. The same thing is often said about the iPod Touch. I wonder why so many people seem to have such a narrow view of these computers.

The iPad is a computer. Right out of the box it will be able to run somewhere around 150,000 apps that run on the iPod Touch and iPhone. Included in these are apps that can manipulate photographs, including a Photoshop app. There are apps that create and manage databases. There are apps that compute the amount of concrete needed at a construction site. Write books and do other word processing... . The list is getting to be nearly endless. As far as I know, these are all processes that require computers and are exactly how computers are used.

Many on this forum may be mostly looking at the iPad to surf the web, listen to music, watch a video, send/receive email, etc., but that's not all it can do or was designed to do. I'm pretty sure Steve Jobs and the rest at Apple designed the iPad (and iPhone/iPod Touch) to be used like a computer. That is probably why the capability of creating all these computer applications was put into the SDK with all the APIs making real computer applications possible.

Personally, I plan on using my iPad as a real computer, just like I do my iPod Touch now.

What are you going to use your iPad for other than what the four main dock icons connect you too?

Cheers

They need a way to sync a ipod/iphone to the iPad without another computer.

i beleave that one day the Mac Line will be discontined and the iPad's future iterations will take over (like in 10 years).

Right now it's just a toy, but with the right apps and software it will do things we can't even imagine.

 

[bossxii]

I've noticed that many times in this forum, and in others, that people write that the iPad is not a computer and wasn't meant to be. The same thing is often said about the iPod Touch. I wonder why so many people seem to have such a narrow view of these computers.

The iPad is a computer. Right out of the box it will be able to run somewhere around 150,000 apps that run on the iPod Touch and iPhone. Included in these are apps that can manipulate photographs, including a Photoshop app. There are apps that create and manage databases. There are apps that compute the amount of concrete needed at a construction site. Write books and do other word processing... . The list is getting to be nearly endless. As far as I know, these are all processes that require computers and are exactly how computers are used.

Many on this forum may be mostly looking at the iPad to surf the web, listen to music, watch a video, send/receive email, etc., but that's not all it can do or was designed to do. I'm pretty sure Steve Jobs and the rest at Apple designed the iPad (and iPhone/iPod Touch) to be used like a computer. That is probably why the capability of creating all these computer applications was put into the SDK with all the APIs making real computer applications possible.

Personally, I plan on using my iPad as a real computer, just like I do my iPod Touch now.

What are you going to use your iPad for other than what the four main dock icons connect you too?

Cheers

Because they simply don't' get it. They want to define it by "their own" standard vs what common sense tells them. They are upset because it didn't meet their hyped up expectations. Their are more powerful computers in wrist watches than what I created my first program on in the early 80's. (C64)


The iPad is a computer. It has a CPU/GPU, memory, storage etc... It processes data, bottom line that is a computer (see definition posted above) The basics of any modern day computer. Just because it does not have some USB port or DVD drive make it a "toy" or "waste of space" or any other of their comments. I don't' really care what they call it, it will do more work related things for me just as my iPhone does now. Citrix, VNC clients, email, and the ability to edit and create documents and spreadsheets is what I have used numerous laptops for in the past. This will easily replace my MBP 13" for these types of tasks. I'll just enjoy using it more in a touch interface vs a traditional laptop.

 

[bobob]

They need a way to sync a ipod/iphone to the iPad without another computer.

Bingo! That is the missing link. Even a means of cloud synching would give it the independence it's lacking to be considered a full computer. (Yeah, yeah - - my washing machine's a freakin' computer nowadays too, if you want to stretch the definition.) As it is, the umbilical cord to a "real" computer has yet to be severed.

 

[JS82189]

Surfing the web and checking e-mails is not a valid reason to get this unless u have cash to spend. Im getting it for note taking in class because even tho I have a 13" pro, its still too heavy to be part of my daily class schedule with books and all else. My .02

Edit: I plan on getting MobileMe because it uses cloud synching. Seems like the right time to get it, online HD, cloud synching, etc.

 

[bossxii]

Bingo! That is the missing link. Even a means of cloud synching would give it the independence it's lacking to be considered a full computer. (Yeah, yeah - - my washing machine's a freakin' computer nowadays too, if you want to stretch the definition.) As it is, the umbilical cord to a "real" computer has yet to be severed.

So then your desktop is not a real computer unless you can hook it to the internet right? The internet on a CD must be the missing link to making it a "real" computer. (sounds just as silly as your arguments to me)

This iMac I have needs a mouse and keyboard hooked to it, a power cord and a wired/wireless internet connection or it's basically a paperweight. That is the same theory you all are trying to make a case for. Sorry it doesn't meet your specific needs, but doesn't make it any less of the basic definition of a computer.

Also if I read your first sentence.. correct me if I'm wrong here, you are basically saying if it was able to sync 100% wirelessly it would be a computer?? So some pc of software that is not currently in place all the sudden changes what this device is? I find that baffling as not a single thing would actually need to be done to the hardware on the iPad, but a simple app changes the very classification of it?

I can't think of another pc of hardware that magically turns itself into a computer by simply adding some lines of code. Holy **** SJ was right, the iPad IS MAGICAL!!

 

[admanimal]

Surfing the web and checking e-mails is not a valid reason to get this unless u have cash to spend.

Well those two functions are the only reasons that a huge number of people even own computers, and many of them spend way more than the $500 it will cost for an iPad.

 

[bossxii]

Surfing the web and checking e-mails is not a valid reason to get this unless u have cash to spend. Im getting it for note taking in class because even tho I have a 13" pro, its still too heavy to be part of my daily class schedule with books and all else. My .02

Edit: I plan on getting MobileMe because it uses cloud synching. Seems like the right time to get it, online HD, cloud synching, etc.

Glad you decide for everyone what is and isn't a "valid" reason to buy an iPad.

 

[maldoblaz]

I've noticed that many times in this forum, and in others, that people write that the iPad is not a computer and wasn't meant to be. The same thing is often said about the iPod Touch. I wonder why so many people seem to have such a narrow view of these computers.

The iPad is a computer. Right out of the box it will be able to run somewhere around 150,000 apps that run on the iPod Touch and iPhone. Included in these are apps that can manipulate photographs, including a Photoshop app. There are apps that create and manage databases. There are apps that compute the amount of concrete needed at a construction site. Write books and do other word processing... . The list is getting to be nearly endless. As far as I know, these are all processes that require computers and are exactly how computers are used.

Many on this forum may be mostly looking at the iPad to surf the web, listen to music, watch a video, send/receive email, etc., but that's not all it can do or was designed to do. I'm pretty sure Steve Jobs and the rest at Apple designed the iPad (and iPhone/iPod Touch) to be used like a computer. That is probably why the capability of creating all these computer applications was put into the SDK with all the APIs making real computer applications possible.

Personally, I plan on using my iPad as a real computer, just like I do my iPod Touch now.

What are you going to use your iPad for other than what the four main dock icons connect you too?

Cheers

I think that it's not a matter of discussion if the iPad or iPhone or your everyday DVD/BluRay player is a computer. Any electronic device which works with a logical device IS a computer by itself. It all depends on what are you using your device for.

87% of all PC owners in the world use their machines as:
a) Typing machine (or any advanced word processor there is)
b) A calculator (or any advanced spreadsheet or data base software)
c) A media player/viewer (photos, music, video, pdf's, ppt's and more likely)
d) A communication tool (mail, text chatrooms, voice and/or video interaction, social life groups)
e) A source of knowledge (wikipedia, google, and many more)

All others use their computers for almost everything else you could imagine...

We get to think that a computer needs to work as expected under our experience, so we need a "full" OS to perform those tasks to feel comfortable...

All new devices such as iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Blackberry's, Nexus, Nokia's and more to come, are ready to work as a full device with all the previous tasks that I mentioned, and MORE!! There are plenty of programers developing new software for the new devices just to achieve these goals.

I still think that ANY new device must have a camera, microphone, true GPS, accelerometer, compass, wireless comm, AND a hardware "open" connection such as USB. The iPad doesn't have a camera, restricted wireless comm or an open hardware connection, but we haven't seen one yet right?...

A new age is to come for all these new devices. They will perform better inexpensive software, doing as much as we use everyday and more.

 

[Michael CM1]

About my iPhone, my mom says, "That's not a phone, it's a computer."

As someone else mentioned, people confuse "computer" with "PC." Someone want to claim that expensive airplanes don't have computers because there isn't a Windows or Mac box aboard?

More and more electronic devices are becoming computers, closing in on PCs. My Blu-ray Disc player has a wireless networking adapter, streams content from the Internet, has an optical drive, apparently has a CPU in there somewhere, and has upgradable firmware. It's a specialized computer.

The iPad IS a computer. It's pretty close to a PC. It runs iPhone OS instead of Mac OS, which is about the only thing keeping it from being a touchscreen Mac that lacks an optical drive. Considering the main uses of something in the range of a netbook, it doesn't need to be. I used a netbook owned by someone I know. It's a horrible experience. The keys are too small, the screen is too small, and the designs are usually horrid.

Netbooks can't run World of Warcraft or Photoshop anyway, so no need to really try for that. The iPad screen looks way bigger than any netbook and doesn't require an itty bitty keyboard to waste space when not needed. A virtual keyboard is good enough on the go. I made an insane amount of errors on that netbook, so I don't expect any typing speed. That's what regular-size notebooks are for.

 

[JS82189]

Glad you decide for everyone what is and isn't a "valid" reason to buy an iPad.

I said its my .02, if all u do is check e-mails and browse the web you dont really need a whatever x whatever iPad, as a college student I could not justify spending the 500+ i plan for the 3G if it was just for something that trivial.. maybe the (higher) 5 figure guys in here dont mind dropping the cash and having a car computer and a lunch-time media pad..

i dont blame them either, its

 

[admanimal]

I said its my .02, if all u do is check e-mails and browse the web you dont really need a whatever x whatever iPad

Are you saying this with the assumption that the person already has a regular computer of some sort that lets them do this? If that's the case then OK, but if not I think one could also make the argument that the iPad was made for people who just need to check e-mails and surf the web (which as I mentioned is a ton of people).

 

[maldoblaz]

Are you saying this with the assumption that the person already has a regular computer of some sort that lets them do this? If that's the case then OK, but if not I think one could also make the argument that the iPad was made for people who just need to check e-mails and surf the web (which as I mentioned is a ton of people).

Don't you guys think that ANY device has many more things inside to just check eMails and browse?? A -not so expensive- Blackberry under an all inclusive deal could do so, maybe an $65 US a month contract? An it's still a computer with MANY other things inside.

Computers are nowadays our main tool for such many things to do including work, entertainment, communications and more.

Will you ever try to use again your typing machine, calculator, fax, VHS, Walkman or Nintendo 1.0?, I don't think so....

 

[OllyW]

Will you ever try to use again your typing machine, calculator, fax, VHS, Walkman or Nintendo 1.0?, I don't think so....

I use a calculator and fax machine every day at work.

 

[FrankieTDouglas]

I think the majority of time you hear people saying it's not a computer, is in response to when people found out it lacked in so many features that would make it a highly effective and functional computer. It's still a computer, just a stripped version of its keyboarded cousin.

And it's interesting how the $500 price point is the most common price I see for this device. Why do I not see more $830 references? People do realize that $500 is for the most basic version of it, with storage capacity in the range of an Nano? Not exactly the most honest of price points to tout, if you think about the other 5 models that will see as much if not more sales.

 

[smiddlehurst]

Came across this yesterday which I think sums it up very nicely: http://stevenf.tumblr.com/post/359224392/i-need-to-talk-to-you-about-computers-ive-been

A lot of thoughtful people, many of whom are bloggers, look at this history and say, “Look at this march of progress! Surely the desktop + windows + mouse interface can’t be the end of the road? What’s next?”

Then “next” arrived and it was so unrecognizable to most of them (myself included) that we looked at it said, “What in the s**t is this?”

 

[greygray]

OP: So since my iPhone has all the apps you mentioned save iWork, can it be counted as a computer?

Anyway, I would like to see an iWrok app for the iPhone/ iPod touch.

 

[teidon]

In my opinion iPad is not a "computer". The reasoning is that when most people talk about computers, they refer to PCs and Macs and likes. I do know that computer is "an electronic device for storing and processing data", but with that despriction nearly every electrical device is a "computer". Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, DVRs, camcorders, heck even microwave ovens are computers by the definition "an electronic device for storing and processing data".

But people don't call their Xbox 360s or camcorders or microwave ovens as computers, do they? No, they use more specific terms for them. Xbox 360 is game console, camcorder is camcorder and microwave oven is microwave oven.

And that's why iPad is not a computer, in my opinion. It's a specialized device, much like game consoles and camcorders.

Now, I don't really know what iPad should be called, it's after all a new category, but for now I prefer to call it "mediapad". It's main use is to consume media, and it's a pad, so it's mediapad.

 

[master-ceo]

Bingo! That is the missing link. Even a means of cloud synching would give it the independence it's lacking to be considered a full computer. (Yeah, yeah - - my washing machine's a freakin' computer nowadays too, if you want to stretch the definition.) As it is, the umbilical cord to a "real" computer has yet to be severed.

yep. its a computer but its still attached to its momma Steve.

 

[greygray]

yep. its a computer but its still attached to its momma Steve.

And the fact that you still have to sync it to another computer makes it not a computer.

 

[cyrax83]

ipad - the computer that needs another computer, runs one app at a time and only runs apps approved by Apple.
gg.

 

[bobob]

So then your desktop is not a real computer unless you can hook it to the internet right? The internet on a CD must be the missing link to making it a "real" computer.

Huh?!?

 

[GeekGirl*]

And the fact that you still have to sync it to another computer makes it not a computer.

some people dont need to sync it...I never needed to sync my iPhone

 

[johnnyhow]

This thread, and arguement, is about as useful as the arguement between the term iPod touch and iTouch.

Although it may be technically true that the iPad is a computer, in everyday-speak, it is not. The term 'Computer' is these days interchangable with the term 'PC' or Personal Computer. The fact is, the ipad doesn't have the standard range of functions an average computer has, and it requires one to have a desktop (or laptop) in order to set up and properly use the device. That said, it can't be denied that both the Personal Computer and iPad have some overlapping features, such as web browsing and doc editing (plus
apps) but it doesn't give you the same control, functions or choice that The normal computer does.

If one must insist on calling the ipad a computer, then they must also be prepared to call the iPod clasic and nano computers.