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Opinions on the iPad?

What do you think?

Personally I think Apple completely missed their target audience... the intended target being netbook users.

People use netbooks because they're incredibly lightweight versions of a computer.

With that being said, netbooks multitask, netbooks have USB, you can expand netbooks with peripherals, netbooks are great for working with office programs... or loading it with programs that YOU need.

The iPad can't multitask, doesn't have USB (but plugs in AS a usb peripheral), useless as an office tool because you have to chose from Apples selection of "apps"... if you have an office program you wanted to use, too bad.

I personally cannot think of the intended use for this thing.
The ipod touch already does all of this, and is WAY more portable.

... maybe if you turn it off, add a little aluminum and a spring, it would make for a flashy clipboard.

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Permalink Reply by Lorien on January 31, 2010 at 5:55pm

http://www.atheistnexus.org/profiles/blogs/peewee-hermans-ipad-review

Peewee had a good use for it.

I don't own an ipod so it may be a large ipod for me. I am sure it will find uses. Apple hasn't made a lemon in a long time!

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Permalink Reply by ryan cameron on January 31, 2010 at 7:01pm

Its the 2d version of the G4 cube!

but seriously...yes its no netbook and when google, HP, and Microsoft come out (re-release) their tablet offerings it will be very easy for them to beat this.

What I dont understand is, WHY didnt apple put Mac OSX on it...include decent specs, ports etc, then have a wireless keyboard? They could have put an iPhone emulator on it then no one could really complain about it, it would truly be more "revolutionary"...but oh well, For now, Im going for a Sony Vaio P with 128GB solid state digital drive, 2GB of ram, bluetooth, wifi, 3G, all the card slots, USB2, 1600x768 screen AND all for $849!

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Permalink Reply by Eph Zero on January 31, 2010 at 7:17pm

Yeah, no USB, no camera, no Flash, no multitasking = no $ from me. I have a Samsung N120 netbook that I'm very happy with. I will say that the iPad has made me keep an eye out for a Linux tablet to replace the netbook with eventually, though. Oh, and I'd like to have a sunlight-readable screen. I have an OLPC XO, which has the precursor to the Pixel Qi screens, and the display looks really nice when outdoors.

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Permalink Reply by Goz on February 2, 2010 at 11:31pm

I'm going to repeat what someone said on Reddit about it:"It's basically a vending machine that sells you apps."

I became a Linux user because I don't like locked down,DRM'ed to death, our way or no way software...So you can well imagine I'd never buy one of these.
This would be more to my likeing if it just ran Linux:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5DYuVN6nuY

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Permalink Reply by JayBarti on February 2, 2010 at 11:54pm

I am hoping that this TouchBook isn't a vaporware product, seems to good to be true.

The first ARM device to propose all major distros: Ubuntu, Android, Mer, Gentoo, Chrome OS...

The Touch Book comes with an optimized home-made Linux-based OS. Guided by openness and wide support, we provide natively multi-OS boot on the device.
With a simple finger press at startup, the Touch Book will run either our AI OS, Ubuntu, or Android. Mer, Gentoo have also been adapted to the Touch Book.
Google Chrome OS and Maemo are on their way!

I have been looking to replace my mp3 player with a true portable multimedia device and this could fit the bill.

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Permalink Reply by Goz on February 3, 2010 at 6:21pm

Oh yeah,that's really nice!

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Permalink Reply by Фелч Гроган on January 31, 2010 at 8:38pm

Johnsky: I personally cannot think of the intended use for this thing.

You miss the point entirely. You're average Mac fanboy/girl is too retarded to even understand what the technical shortcomings you mention are. It's irrelevant. They're not buying function. They're buying a fashion statement.

But if you're into disposable junk that will be redundant in 6 months that you can't cannibalise for parts, locks all your media with DRM controls (not to mention vendor lock in to regulate what you can and can't use anyway) and is the kind of device that Big Content vendors want to force on everybody, then hey, it's a FANTASTIC product.

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Permalink Reply by Mat of The Jamhole on January 31, 2010 at 8:45pm

I would much rather have an android version. It's pretty though, if your into large itouchs.

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Permalink Reply by ryan cameron on January 31, 2010 at 9:23pm

I am by no means a fan of the iPhone or mac products in particular, but almost everyone I know who owns an iPhone did not purchase it as a "fashion statement". Compared to its various competitors, it is the best device available for a host of reasons. Were I to get a phone now, I would get an iPhone without question, and my fashion sense is pretty terrible.

The iPhone sold over 10 million units. Fashion statements do well some times, but at that price point plus locking one into a contract, I doubt they could sell more than a few million to only the most wealthy if they truly were a piece of crap in terms of competing devices.

I love making fun of Apple and its fanboys, but fair is fair, and in the interest of rational thinking, the claim that iPhones were so popular simply due to being a fashion statement is, in my humble opinion, dubious at best.

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Permalink Reply by Anthony Betters on January 31, 2010 at 9:51pm

maybe i'm an idiot but what is the point of that picture? the jeans are a bit expensive but other that that I don't see how this proves that mac is fashion only or overpriced.

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Permalink Reply by Фелч Гроган on January 31, 2010 at 10:47pm

It was my snideness leaking. Hipster uniformity. If I had to describe Mac users in two words, they'd be it. Kind of folks you see as extras in Friends.

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Permalink Reply by Anthony Betters on January 31, 2010 at 9:47pm

this product is simply an over-sized ipod touch. there is no real market for this product. It cannot be easily and conveniently used as an e-reader because of the lack of e-ink, it cannot be used as an internet browser because of the lack of flash support, and it cannot even be easily typed on. The only people who would buy this product are mac fan-boys with entirely too much money to burn and, of course people stupid enough to blindly listen to the adds.

I am not anti-apple mind you, as proven by the fact that I am buying a macbook pro next week. However, Apple has clearly missed the market for a product like this entirely.