Apple Unveils the iDud

[John Coloccia]

Anyone plan on buying this thing? I like my iPhone and the couple of Macs I have, especially my laptop, but that iPad thing strikes me as completely useless, especially when I can get a tablet PC that is many times more capable. If it ran OSX, it would be different, but this thing is a dud, IMHO.

[Robert Parrish]

Did you watch the Apple Keynote presentation or read any of the reviews? If so you might have a different opinion.

[Scott Shepherd]

but this thing is a dud, IMHO.

That was the same thing said about the iphone and the ipod. I wouldn't bet money against Steve Jobs and his ideas/marketing. Most people in recent years that have bet against him and his ideas have lost and lost big.

Give it some time and let the 2nd Generation come out. You've got to start somewhere.

[Jerome Hanby]

That was the same thing said about the iphone and the ipod.

And I have neither one of those. They aren't the best or most versatile gadgets in their class and they lock you into one company's architecture. This new thing will be the same way. If you like the look and feel of the things then wallow in them. Saying they are the best or brightest (which you didn't say, but many of the reviewers do) is just silly.

If they were the best at what they do or represented some new innovative idea, then their names would have become verbs. You don't ipod music, you don't iphone someone to talk, but you do tivo your favorite shows and simonize your couch.

[Bob Borzelleri]

And I have neither one of those. They aren't the best or most versatile gadgets in their class and they lock you into one company's architecture. This new thing will be the same way. If you like the look and feel of the things then wallow in them. Saying they are the best or brightest (which you didn't say, but many of the reviewers do) is just silly.

If they were the best at what they do or represented some new innovative idea, then their names would have become verbs. You don't ipod music, you don't iphone someone to talk, but you do tivo your favorite shows and simonize your couch.

Maybe if you did have one of them, you might have a different opinion. I went through three generations of Treos and a Blackberry before I bought an iPhone. The capability of the iPhone compared to the limitations of the other smart phones made the transition like coming out of the dark ages.

What's silly is passing judgment on products that you don't own.

[Eric DeSilva]

Did you watch the Apple Keynote presentation or read any of the reviews? If so you might have a different opinion.

Having watched the keynote and being an avid tech blog reader, I'm not sure John's opinion is different than the non-Mosspuppet pundits. The iPad seems to be taking a lot of crap for the name, and getting a big "meh" from the crowds on functionality.

Face it, it is a scaled up iPhone without the phone or camera. As a competitor to eBook readers, it suffers from being an LCD where eyestrain (compared to real eInk) is a factor. I can see it as a PMP for people who spend a lot of time on airplanes, but at $499, that is pretty steep. If it had a video camera, I could see it as a convenient video phone. But it doesn't have a video camera. Oh yeah, it runs iWork. That should make the three people in the US who use iWork very happy.

On the plus side, the multitouch interface is intriguing, as is the deal they struck with AT&T. I think there will be some surprising apps flowing out of the multitouch, but until I see them, I'm not rushing out to buy one.

When the iPhone got announced, I wanted one. I even liked Apple's iTV or whatever the heck it was. This one doesn't excite me and doesn't seem to be a game changer.

[Eric DeSilva]

That was the same thing said about the iphone and the ipod.

I seem to recall the iPhone and the iPod getting pretty phenomenal reviews right out of the box.

I love my iPhone, even if the functionality is beginning to look old and the closed system beginning to annoy me. I loved my iPods--I've owned a Gen I, four Nanos, and a Touch. Just because Steve Jobs made it doesn't mean that everyone who is underwhelmed lacks vision. Maybe he just made a marketing mistake. (This, incidentially, being the guy who brought you the rocking commercial successes that are the Apple Newton, the NeXT, and Apple TV).

[Scott Shepherd]

And I have neither one of those. They aren't the best or most versatile gadgets in their class and they lock you into one company's architecture. This new thing will be the same way. If you like the look and feel of the things then wallow in them. Saying they are the best or brightest (which you didn't say, but many of the reviewers do) is just silly.

If they were the best at what they do or represented some new innovative idea, then their names would have become verbs. You don't ipod music, you don't iphone someone to talk, but you do tivo your favorite shows and simonize your couch.

Clearly I must have missed something. 12,000,000,000 downloads from itunes. They all went somewhere. Ipods and Iphones. Also, what's the architecture I'm locked into with the iphone? I can open Microsoft Word Documents, Excel documents, I can edit them, save them, email them. I can check my email from any pop3 or imap account. That's about as cross platform as you can ask for.

The iphone is the market leader and that's facts, not opinions. Blackberry operated in that arena with all the carriers for years. The iphone comes out with one carrier that's got spotty coverage and it's beating blackberry in every category.

So I'm not sure how any of that translates into a fad or fad like product. If all their devices we are horrible as some of you say, the company would be bankrupt by now.

[Pat Germain]

I think one of the reasons the iPhone and iTouch were so well received is the display is very high quality. I recently heard a review about the Nook E-Reader. The reviewer wasn't impressed and said people would get a better experience reading an E-book on their iPhones; primarily because the display was so much better. So, I would expect this new product has a killer display. Of course, I'd have to see it to be sure.

Some people think the Kindle is stupid. But people who own them love them. I think people will embrace this new Apple product no matter how many others poo-poo it.

[Matt Sollars]

There will always be people downplaying a product, as there have been with every product released. To call the thing ''magical'' is a bit of a stretch, but I do feel like it meets a niche market. I hate the name, but who cares if it meets your needs. And of course, as with everything, they have to leave some stuff out for revision#2 of this thing. Multitasking would be huge. Camera would be nice. Smaller bezel would look better, in my opinion.
Do I need it....heavens no. Are there people out there that this will be perfect for.....sure. Will people love it because it has an apple emblem on it....of course. Will others hate it for the same reason.....you bet.

As with anything, before raving about it......use it......and before crapping all over it.......use it. Make your mind up after using the product....not hearing about other people using it.

Matt

[Keith Outten]

I think that the Ipad is going to be a very hot product with a waiting list to get one for the first year. I also think that it is a notebook and laptop killer, so does the President of ASUS.
.

[Eric DeSilva]

I think one of the reasons the iPhone and iTouch were so well received is the display is very high quality. I recently heard a review about the Nook E-Reader. The reviewer wasn't impressed and said people would get a better experience reading an E-book on their iPhones

There has been a huge investment into researching eInk, and there is a reason why the Kindle and the Nook use eInk and not an LCD. I believe most of the research suggests that from a "eBook" perspective, the readability of eInk and the battery life associated with eInk trump the lack of color and delay in refresh. If you have spent a lot of time with an LCD and a eInk based reader, I think there is no question you would grab the eInk device if you want to read plain text.

Of course, if you want to read color magazine, cookbook, or comic, eInk sucks.

[Eric DeSilva]

I think that the Ipad is going to be a very hot product with a waiting list to get one for the first year. I also think that it is a notebook and laptop killer, so does the President of ASUS.
.

For work computing, would you give up your laptop for a device that: (i) has a touch keyboard that even Jobs messed up on; (ii) has an OS based on a mobile phone; and (iii) doesn't support the Office suite of products? I wouldn't.

For an eReader, would you pay a premium for higher priced eBooks, no eInk readability, and lousy battery life (as compared to eInk based readers)? Although, admittedly, you get color and magazines and comics.

For a web browser, would you pay a premium over a netbook for a device that doesn't even support Flash?

I just don't see how this device improves my life. Or even fits into it.

[Todd Franks]

I work in hi-tech, but am not really a techie kind of guy. I don't own any of the 'i' products. I haven't looked at the iPad and I'm sure I'll never own one. Time will tell if Apple keeps up their winning streak with this product.

I have to say this product name isn't as "catchy" as say the iPod or iPhone. The iPad sounds more like a Kimberly-Clark product rather than an Apple product.

[glenn bradley]

As of yet, the masses have not reacted well to the pad format. Will this be the one? Doubt it; could be wrong. Maybe the time, technology and user awareness is finally right?