It's a rant - it's a rant against the "naysayers" and raising yourself above them all. But that's ok. You're a little conflicted I see based on your entries here and your blog. Maybe you can enlighten us regarding yours posts vs. your blog entry?
I don't understand how you're going to be iPad "only" but still have/need your iMac. Aren't you stating in this thread over and over to those that "oppose" your viewpoint that there's no need for anything but the iPad and cloud computing? And do you or don't you still need to rip CD's and DVDs?
You realized that CDs and DVDs aren't going anywhere for a long long long long long time, right? You also must know, being as technically minded as you are that when the average Joe thinks they're getting Hi-Def video, they are in fact - not? Just because the screen size is 720 or 1080 doesn't mean the bitrate is. Itunes does NOT offer true hi-def. And until internet speeds are MUCH MUCH higher - they can't. That's why a movie download isn't 20 gigs like blu-ray. So for now - physical media isn't going anywhere. But I digress....
Onto your conflicting views...
AnthonyMoody: Again, I don't need to rip CDs and DVDs any more.
AnthonyMoody: What else do I need a desktop, laptop, or netbook for??? I'm waiting.
From AnthonyMoody's blog: (Bold are my "enhancements")
I have drunk gallons of Kool-Aid. *I am a believer. *Ive watched the keynote and promo videos. *More than once. *Ive read the pundits, both pro and con, entering into thoughtful debate where appropriate. *And I am prepared to ditch my MBP and embrace the iPad fully and without reservation as my primary computer. *Yes I have to keep my household iMac for the few things the iPad is physically incapable of (ripping media primarily, and acting as a central repository for storing and syncing).
Re-read your post. Other than arguing that my OP is a rant (which it's not) you're not arguing any point. You're somehow trying to state that I'm contradicting myself or am conflicted when nothing could be further from the truth.
I am 100% honest about communicating my needs, and equally aware of what those needs are. I am entirely open about my POV - why are you attempting to imply that I"m trying to hide something? Bizarre. Nothing I've said is contradictory. I am 100% sure - as of the date of the keynote and the info therein - of what the iPad can do now and what it cannot.
I am therefore sure that the iPad can serve - on Day 1 - as my primary computer. As I have openly pointed out here and elsewhere, I will continue to employ my iMac for two reasons: ripping and storing/syncing. Ripping has almost entirely disappeared as a need for me, and storing/syncing is a need that I firmly believe will disappear over time as much larger SS memory modules become available for future iterations of the iPad, and/or cloud storage/streaming become prevalent.
Oh, if you think CDs are going to be here a long time, you're delusional. CD unit sales dropped from 511 million to 384 million
from 2007 - 2008 alone, a 25% drop. (Source:
http://76.74.24.142/D5664E44-B9F7-69E0-5ABD-B605F2EB6EF2.pdf) Those rates have been more or less consistent for each of the last few years. It doesn't take a math genius to see that CDs are disappearing, and at a rate way faster than digital downloads are making up for the lost revenues (just ask the labels).
As for DVDs and Blu-Ray, have you seen an HDX encoded film on Vudu? It might surprise you. Of course it's not ubiquitous yet but to not see where this is all headed is to stick your head in the sand.
And oh, by the way, when pointing out that most people who think they're watching HD video are not, you do realize that you're arguing my point, not yours right?
Anyway, what I enjoy is discussing the possibilities - those things I believe likely to happen, those prospects which excite me, etc. It's not clear to me what you're doing.
I agree that the iPad is going to be great and I am really excited about it myself. However, that said, I can see it as a primary machine, but not the only machine. Regardless of cloud storage etc., I think you will still need a main computer - albiet secondary - but still a desktop or laptop of some sort for some syncing (unless you want to wait that long for media to wirelessly sync over your internet connection) but more importantly for things like OS upgrades, and eventually iPad upgrades. When you get another iPad at some point you will want to back up the old one and sync the new one. I don't think Apple will make this possible through cloud computing, even using 3rd party apps. Files may transfer but playlists and other iTunes specific data would not.
I currently have an iMac and an aluminum MacBook. I no longer really see the need for the MacBook. The only thing I use the MacBook for that I couldn't use the iPad for is video chatting outside of my home office. And no this isn't a call to get a webcam in the iPad. But almost every weekend my wife and I webcam with my mom, my dad, or her parents so they can see our boys and talk to them. A lot of times this is on Saturday or Sunday morning at the breakfast table and it is really easy to put the MacBook on the table and turn it to face various family members. We have much better success when they are in high chairs than trying to get them to sit still in the office for two minutes.
But if you do any really film editing which can be storage intensive, etc., and maybe you have machines at work for it and don't use your iMac in that capacity, then you really need a desktop for that software. And touch version editing software will be much lighter.
The other reason I won't give up my iMac is that we have 2 Apple TVs connected to our network and the iMac and iTunes stay running so that we can stream any movies from the iMac to our Apple TVs for ourselves or the kids, or listen to music, etc. I know some people have ATV flash running with connected drives or NAS structures that somehow mitigate access issues however I think for the most part I still think the iTunes conduit is the best way to go.
I have no problem being a consumer within the Apple ecosystem. I don't personally need to jailbreak anything or ATV flash anything to get more use out of it. If I have a video format that doesn't play on the Apple TV, I convert it and drop it in iTunes. But all that conversion and you have mentioned still doing some of that stuff, maybe not from DVD, but with files or what not needs to take place on a computer and not an iPad.
I too have long converted all my CDs and most of MY DVDs with some still left to do once I go Drobo and expand my storage, and now I buy almost all my music and movies and TV shows from iTunes, but I don't see having just an iPad as a reality in the next 2 years. Beyond that, who knows.
Well put and appreciated. Couple reactions...
-It's possible Apple could develop an on-iPad media sync/management tool which would only require you to connect to an external HD rather than a computer itself. It may not be likely from Apple, though it's possible. It's also quite possible we'll see something like this from within the jailbreak community.
-Same with iPad OS downloads. As pointed out elsewhere, if Apple cordons off a section of the memory to handle this, they could enable untethered OS updates.
-As for backing up and then syncing to a new iPad, I don't know. Given the above it may not be necessary to have a computer to do this.
All in all though, I have never been of the view that the iPad could be all things to all people. I can't say it enough however, that it's simply not meant or designed to be. And that's okay!
It's designed to be good/great for what most of the people do most of the time.
Pro-video editing, heavy photoshop type stuff...yeah not gonna happen in the near or medium term. I do though feel that the iron inside will ultimately (A6? A7 anyone?) be able to handle those chores assuming the UI issues for those types of applications get satisfactorily worked out.
I received a 48 hour suspension of my posting privileges, which ended yesteday at 4PM. I presume it was because MacRumors is "pro Apple" and I posted a lot of negative opinion about the iPad. I guess, as always, there really is no such thing as "free speech" on any forum. sigh. (I was suspended without notice or private message--no warning and no explanation).
Welcome back
If it makes you feel any better, I too got a suspension without notice or PM. I did get an explanation via a system message of sorts. I was apparently over aggressive in talking about my blog. It's legal to link to one in your signature, and legal to discuss one in context, etc. but not legal to "promote" it, a line I apparently crossed.
It ain't only what you say, it's how you say it.
