Apple introuduces the iPad

Ruroshen · #1 01-27-2010, 02:56 PM

So after all the hype of the past few weeks, Apple finally reveals its much-rumored "tablet", the iPad...which turns out to be an oversized iPod Touch with 3G capability.

Was anyone else really, really underwhelmed? If it had a full OS, and the ability to operate independently without needing to sync with another computer, I'd be impressed...but speaking as somebody who already owns both a netbook and an iTouch, I can't see why I'd need or want this. It's like getting half the Mac for half the price.

I think it'll have legs strictly because it's got an Apple logo on it, and the $499 entry level price point makes it a Kindle-killer...but honestly, my overall reaction was 'meh'.

JimmyDean23 · #2 01-27-2010, 04:49 PM

HOW DARE YOU START THIS THREAD WITHOUT ME!!

jk

I'll get back to this after class.

Junkmale · #3 01-27-2010, 05:53 PM

Yep.
Initial thoughts are that it looks like an iPod Touch only with a bigger screen?

Don't get me wrong. The Touch is a fantastic device but i was expecting something more from Apple.

Time will tell.

Fish · #4 01-27-2010, 06:36 PM

9 iPhones duct taped together?

JimmyDean23 · #5 01-27-2010, 08:18 PM

First off, I need to admit that I am a HUGE Apple fan, Machead, fanboy, etc. and I am extremely biased towards Apple and I generally get super excited about everything they make and eventually buy it.

That being said, the iPad itself is not as good as everyone was hoping for because it was didn't have that one thing that would knock you off your feet. The real problem is that we have all become used to Apple blowing our minds every year and it gets harder for them to live up to our expectations that we set for them. The iPad is a great device, but thats the problem. Apple doesn't do "great", they do "perfect". The real story here isn't the iPad, its the hype surrounding it and it just shows how much control Apple has over us and the media. Check any search engine, the searches for "iPad" and "Steve Jobs" far outnumber "State of the Union." Steve Jobs could sell a pile of dog poop and people would buy it. I'm sure his keynote will be much more interesting (not more important) the that other speech thats happening tonight.

Regardless of whether or not the iPad is the next big thing like the iPhone was, it will be hugely successful not because it has the Apple logo, but because Apple doesn't look for a niche to fill or an audience to target, they create one. Before today, I had no need or use for the iPad, but now I do. Weird, huh? I will definitely buy one this summer after I get a job and I'm sure I will love it and wont be able to live without it. I'm thinking the 64GB WiFi only one. Anyways, I got to get back to watching MacBreak Weekly Live.

puffyrock2 · #6 01-27-2010, 09:51 PM

I don't keep up with things like this anymore. I only call and text, so i don't need an iPhone. I don't download music and i'm somewhat of an audiophile, so i don't need an iPod. I love physical books, wouldn't imagine reading one on a kindle, so i don't need that. Don't have HD, so i don't need blu-ray.

Yeah, i'm getting behind. I'm OK with that

JimmyDean23 · #7 01-27-2010, 10:11 PM

Nothing wrong with being behind Puffyrock, staying on the cutting edge is exhausting, overwhelming, and expensive. Its not easy but its very rewarding.

Ruroshen · #8 01-27-2010, 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyDean23

The real problem is that we have all become used to Apple blowing our minds every year and it gets harder for them to live up to our expectations that we set for them.

I think part of the problem was that they pushed too hard on the "it works just like the iPhone!" angle, which I think is what led to the widespread criticism on Twitter and elsewhere that it's just an upsized iPod Touch. And the one thing that I think really could have set it apart--the iWorks demo--was by all reports deadly dull.

I'm really intrigued by iBook, though, which has serious potential to become a game-changer for the publishing industry if it catches on the way iTunes has. I hope they release a version for iPhone/iPod Touch as well.

Quote:

Before today, I had no need or use for the iPad, but now I do. Weird, huh? I will definitely buy one this summer after I get a job and I'm sure I will love it and wont be able to live without it.

Can I ask why? Because while I can see it would have certain advantages over my iTouch or netbook--larger display than the iTouch, lighter and less bulky than the netbook, 3G capability without a contract--it doesn't seem like enough of an upgrade to make it a 'must-have'. It'd be a neat toy to have, certainly, but I don't feel like it's enough of a trade-up to make it worth my while.

paintballpdh19 · #9 01-28-2010, 12:15 AM

i had the same reaction... i thought it could have been better. not worth buying if you have an iphone and a laptop.

JimmyDean23 · #10 01-28-2010, 12:28 AM

Its just one of those things that you didn't know you needed until you have it. If you look at it not as a competitor to the iPod touch or netbook, but as an all new category of devices, then it makes more sense. The timing was really off on this, if it had come out two or three years ago, it would have been as big if not bigger than the iPhone. When this thing comes out, go to an Apple store and hold one in your hands and tell me that you don't want one. You don't need one, you just want one.