Hype, thy name is iPad

[OakRidgeStars]

Same thing would have probably happened to Verizon.

It's all about the network

http://phones.verizonwireless.com/3g/

[OakRidgeStars]

Did anyone here buy an iPad yet?

[LFS]

Well, I was gonna buy one but I bought a Walther PK380 instead. My wife and I are discussing it. No matter what, we probably won't get one until Uncle Sam gives us our tax refund.

One of the reasons I want one is to replace the portable DVD player for the kids. Shlupping around a stack of DVDs and that damn portable DVD player is a pain.

[zephyp]

I was getting ready to buy one but decided I'd rather wash my hair instead...buy an iPad? What for? I already have a PC, iPod, notebook, GPS, and Droid smart phone.

[Bernie]

When my wife bought me the first generation iPod I thanked her and thought what am I going to do with this.
My PowerBook is ten years old but I will wait for USB 3 to be added to it. There is as good an excuse as any to wait. My tower is 2 years old and monitor is hanging in there. My iPhone contract is complete and waiting for a new carrier. Please!
We are quite the Mac addicts here but I see no iPad in the immediate future.

[Mindflayer]

I am biased: http://www.mindflayer.net/2010/05/09/on ... d-cameras/

[OakRidgeStars]

Hmmm...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... d=yahoo_hs

[gfost1]

Howdy, Y'all,

My oldest (13) lusted for the iPad from the moment she saw one. She saved every penny she earned up to Labor Day, and had enough for a 32G wifi-only. I kicked in the extra $100.00 so she could get the 64G.

This thing is amazing! It boots up from cold dead in under 30 sec. It reboots from standby in an instant, and she can leave it like that for days. The on-screen keyboard is large enough for comfortable e-mail and facebooking, and the display is incredibly sharp, bright and colorful. There are tons of free apps available, and the paid ones seem reasonably priced.

The only downside I see is that it is married to iTunes. It doesn't work out of the box; you have to have a computer with iTunes installed and an account to "activate" the iPad. iTunes is also used for backup and OS patches/updates. The only ports are the multi-purpose dongle port and the headphone jack - nowhere to plug in a usb stick.

There appear to be some apps that will allow it to join a computer network, but I haven't tried it. I can see it taking the place of a laptop for e-mail and web surfing and, with the optional keyboard dock and a wireless mouse, some light-to-moderate productivity tasks.

Regards,

George

[OakRidgeStars]

The next generation iPads will probably be out next year. They will be more network-friendly for enterprise users.

The lack of a USB port, and the mandatory iTunes, has prevented me from buying one. I'm anxious to see what the next gen will offer. Hopefully there will be an LTE (4G) version for Verizon Wireless.

[nickf829]

When I saw the first novelty sized iPhone, I thought it was crazy that anybody would pay that much for just that, an oversized iPhone. As I began to hear feedback and get my hands on them, I started to understand the hype. If you want something just to browse the net on, watch movies, or do very light work on, this is for you. The picture quality is great, the battery life is great, the speed is great and it is so small and packable, you would find yourself taking it when you wouldn't typically want to lug your laptop and gear around. If I can stop buying guns, tv's and computer stuff, I will get myself one one of these days.

[KaosDad]

When I saw the first novelty sized iPod Touch,

Fixed it for you. The iPad does NOTHING new. It is simply an oversized iPod Touch. I have seen SO many folks in the wild exhibiting hatred for the Pad that it is now comedy. It's a fad. Let it pass.

[LFS]

We've got one. The kids fight over it. So much so that we had to dredge up an old iPhone to solve the squabbles. I like it. It is very useful, but if you are looking for a power users workstation you shouldn't expect it to fill that role.

To be quite honest, I actually want a Samsung Galaxy Tab. I've been looking into doing some Android programming and getting away from Apple.... not because I have any issues with Apple, but professionally I'm not sure I want to go down that route.

[Mindflayer]

When I saw the first novelty sized iPod Touch,

Fixed it for you. The iPad does NOTHING new. It is simply an oversized iPod Touch. I have seen SO many folks in the wild exhibiting hatred for the Pad that it is now comedy. It's a fad. Let it pass.

Firmly disagree. The form factor makes a world of difference in use. Saying it's like an iPod Touch is saying your AR-15 is just like your handgun since they both fire bullets.

[KaosDad]

OK, but other than make everything bigger - what NEW stuff does it do? Does it make calls drop free? Does it play Gemstone better?

What new things does it do and what old things does it do that much better?

[gunderwood]

When I saw the first novelty sized iPod Touch,

Fixed it for you. The iPad does NOTHING new. It is simply an oversized iPod Touch. I have seen SO many folks in the wild exhibiting hatred for the Pad that it is now comedy. It's a fad. Let it pass.

Firmly disagree. The form factor makes a world of difference in use. Saying it's like an iPod Touch is saying your AR-15 is just like your handgun since they both fire bullets.

The new format makes it more useful, but IMHO it still is an overpriced device considering its limitations.

[Mindflayer]

Kaos - I could go on and on. I'll stick with an analogy, though. The iPad is to an iPhone (or other smartphone) what a SUV or pickup truck is to a 4 banger turbo. You may not be able to fit the former into every street, but you can haul a helluva lot more.

Gunderwood - "overpriced" is relative, no? Some people say buying any more than a $200 KelTec is stupid, for example. I get a lot of work done on my iPad. I also get a lot of reading done on it, I travel with it when I don't want to take my laptop, and so on.

I am not saying it's the answer to everyone's portability needs. Some people prefer Android. Some people prefer Windows (ugh, Windows tablet UI is so so bad). Some people are waiting for HP to get off their butts and release a WebOS tablet. Some people don't like the tablet format at all.

Now, if you buy the iPad just so you can look hip at the local café, yeah, then you need to be smacked.

[gunderwood]

Gunderwood - "overpriced" is relative, no? Some people say buying any more than a $200 KelTec is stupid, for example. I get a lot of work done on my iPad. I also get a lot of reading done on it, I travel with it when I don't want to take my laptop, and so on.

Yes it is, which is why I noted it was IMHO.

Like netbooks, they are "neat," but you loose to much functionality and usability over a real laptop to justify their price IMHO. Thus, I have no interest in a big screen iphone or a glorified, touch enabled e-reader.

[Mindflayer]

I used the SDK and built a hardware trigger for a chronometer, hydrometer, thermometer, and external interface into my Nikon so I can record all of my shots and conditions.

[gunderwood]

I used the SDK and built a hardware trigger for a chronometer, hydrometer, thermometer, and external interface into my Nikon so I can record all of my shots and conditions.

You should create a new thread about that. Post pictures.