Will you buy an iPad?

[Tarekith]

I actually think the opposite to be honest. To me, it's much more important and geared towards the average user who just wants to check their email, pay some online bills, maybe do the facebook thing. For only $500 they have a very straight forward and easy to use method with the iPad. It's people who are more reliant on the horsepower and connectivity a laptop provides for creative endeavors that seem to be struggling with the concept the most.

I think as computer musicians we're just stuck in sort of a mindset of wanting the power of a Mac Pro, with the hands on aspect of a controller like the Lemur. I think that day is coming soon, but for now it's not here yet. We see how "close" this is to being something ideal (on some levels, admittedly very far on others) and it's frustrating.

As artists, we're usually very good at learning our tools so well that they facilitate the creative process, and don't require much thought in use. And when new paradigms appear that change our tools in such a drastic manner, I think it's only natural that it's met with some resistance. I don't think it matters WHO makes them, tablets are likely what's going to replace the laptop in the near future, and this is the first device that's really publicly been available at a reasonable price with an infrastructure already in place that many people are familiar with.

It'll be interesting to see where it goes from here. I have a feeling iPad v2 or v3 are what most people are waiting for in terms of features, but for $499 I'm willing to jump in early and check it out.

[deanc2000]

What's the big deal?

The "IPad" is just a glorified TABLET PC. The Tablet's hey day was around 2004, with the HP TC1100, and they all were promising but ultimately didn't go anywhere because 1) You needed something to hold up the screen if you were typing something in (the tablets didn't have this), and 2)Where's the keyboard?, IT'S NOT THERE!.


This iPad thing will not amount to much I think, maybe as competition for the kindle, but not the laptops.

D.

[wildcon]

Hi,

I won't get one and I'm far from a fan boy.

Nothing paticlular against Apple (I had one of the first Macintosh computers
- The operating system had to be part loaded from a floppy disk!!)

However I value function over style and didn't buy into the ipod thing
(my sony walkman absolutely blows the ipod for sound quality - which is after all
what a MP3 player is for !!)

his iPad thing will not amount to much I think, maybe as competition for the kindle, but not the laptops.

That's exactly what it is in many ways - but with much superior cababilities. I don't think it is even aiming to be a Laptop.

Lots of people have bought Kindles and other book readers and will absolutely be drawn to this.

I still feel it is falling between two stones a little though - certainly for my needs.

[littlepig]

Why be an early adopter and pay to do Apples R&D for them? Better to wait until the 3rd generation when these devices are cheaper and more functional...

I have one worry, if devices go this way we are losing freedom. Currently laptops are relatively open devices, you can install what you want on them, this thing you are tied to Apples walled garden.

[3dot...]

I just want a (multi)touch screen to connect to my desktop/laptop...
where I can use it like an extra screen/controller....
(and that would function with the os..not independently like the Lemur )
when that thing comes out .. I'll get it.

I don't really need anymore 'computing' power..

[anybody human]

Tablets aren't supposed to replace laptops, atleast that's what Jobs said. Something in between smart phones and laptops I guess. That sounds redundant at first but I can see the niche. Since I got an iPhone I rarely surf the web on my laptop. Why read the paper at my desk when I can read it outside while smoking or on the subway etc. It would be really nice not to have to scroll.

From what I understand the hope with these tablets is supposed to be that newspapers/magazines/blogs etc. start making websites that take advantage of them. Photography, graphic design, interactive features, skype-ish communication like video blogs/networks. Or touch a news story or National Geographic photo and it becomes video- that's the idea I guess.
Not to mention dedicated music apps or touch controllers a la Lemur. It's more what people and developers do with it. A platform for new technologies rather than a new technology. Judging by the iPhone people will take this and run with it in a couple years.

There is still the issue of open source though, as articulated on Create Digital Music and elsewhere.

[sen10]

I think I'll be picking one up before the end of this year, but I'll mostly use it as a controller if such apps become available.

I can see Novation doing a bigger/better version of it's app for the iPad and I'm sure there will be many more once the product becomes available. I hope it won't be too overpriced here in the UK, as we have no idea how much it's going to be in this country yet.

[Action Jackson]

Is it possible to connect to another Mac with a terminal server connection in iPad? If this is possible, I will buy an iPad, otherwise, no way.

[ethios4]

Big, Ugly Bezel
It will be probably be smaller in a later version.

No Multitasking
Apple will add this later, possibly as an OS upgrade, more likely as new hardware.

No Cameras
Again, next version

No HDMI Out
Probably not going to happen

The Name iPad
Meh

No Flash
Future OS upgrade

Adapters, Adapters, Adapters
Next Version

It's Not Widescreen
Two versions from now.

Doesn't Support T-Mobile 3G
Typical Apple proprietary action

A Closed App Ecosystem
Typical Apple proprietary action.


There is no way I would buy this thing until at least the 3rd version has come out.

[delicioso]

Big, Ugly Bezel
It will be probably be smaller in a later version.

Did you get that idea from a Gizmodo article? I think it's pretty hilarious that is one of the main complaints in the blogosphere. I don't see how the bezel is big or ugly. I'm guessing it's more of a functional feature that works as a palm rest.

No Multitasking
Apple will add this later, possibly as an OS upgrade, more likely as new hardware.

I don't see much need for multitasking for a device like this, other than listening to music while running another app which is already there but jailbreakers will enable multitasking before Apple even for the 1st gen just as they did with the iphone.

No HDMI Out
Probably not going to happen

I will never have a need for HDMI but I'm happy with “Support for 1024 x 768 with Dock Connector to VGA adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Composite A/V Cable, 576i and 480i with Apple Composite A/V Cable.”

No Flash
Future OS upgrade

Or not. This is an interesting one as it seems to be political as well as technical. Flash is the only de facto standard technology based on proprietary code. Apple likes to have access to the source code for everything that runs on their devices so that they can fix it if something is buggy. Adobe owns the source code for Flash and won't make it available for Apple. http://daringfireball.net/2010/01/apple_adobe_flash

A Closed App Ecosystem
Typical Apple proprietary action.

Closed/open is relative. I wouldn't call Microsoft open as Peter's rant on CDM suggested. An argument can be made that a certain type of infrastructure is necessary for something like this to work as well as it should as Apple did with the iPhone/Ipod touch.

I for one welcome my $500 Lemur and other awesome music apps that I can control directly with my fingers on a decent sized touchscreen. I don't like everything Apple does but then again I don't like most of what people do within the capitalist system. If an open source alternative multitouch capacitive touchscreen with similar pricing were to be released, with developers clamoring to release apps like touchOSC and Beatmaker, then I would probably get that instead.

[Tarekith]

“Support for 1024 x 768 with Dock Connector to VGA adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Composite A/V Cable, 576i and 480i with Apple Composite A/V Cable.”

Ah thanks for posting that, this was something I was curious about too. I hook up my laptop all the time to my TV to watch stuff, good to know it'll at least do 576i

[beats me]

I really don't get the open source complaints and as I am an avid Apple user and somebody who doesn't program anything I probably never will. From my angle I see it as a way to implement some kind of quality control coupled with the one stop shop user reviews on itunes.

I could be wrong on this because I am not a programmer, but isn't their development kit free to whoever wants to use it and you just have to work within it's structure? And I'm not sure on the iPhone kit but I'm pretty sure it was said that there's an interface to test your device on the iPad and by extension you could make whatever you want to use and just use it yourself. If you want to share it then go through the itunes store and offer it for free. You might even discover you can invent something people would actually pay for.

What am I missing here?

[ethios4]

Did you get that idea from a Gizmodo article? I think it's pretty hilarious that is one of the main complaints in the blogosphere.

Yea, I copied all of those point from the Gizmodo article. I don't really care about half of them. Not hating on Apple either, I just think they will release them with more functionality later, same as with the iphone. I'm quite interested in the iPad actually, just not an early adopter.

[steko]

Good read: http://joehewitt.com/post/ipad/ - http://speirs.org/blog/2010/1/29/future-shock.html

[Tarekith]

I really don't get the open source complaints and as I am an avid Apple user and somebody who doesn't program anything I probably never will. From my angle I see it as a way to implement some kind of quality control coupled with the one stop shop user reviews on itunes.

I could be wrong on this because I am not a programmer, but isn't their development kit free to whoever wants to use it and you just have to work within it's structure? And I'm not sure on the iPhone kit but I'm pretty sure it was said that there's an interface to test your device on the iPad and by extension you could make whatever you want to use and just use it yourself. If you want to share it then go through the itunes store and offer it for free. You might even discover you can invent something people would actually pay for.

What am I missing here?

major downside is that you can't install something unless Apple deems it ok. I agree with the quality control angle, but the approval process is a little lame IMO.