Simon beat me to the punch mentioning the iPad. I've been watching a live-blog of the event. These are my first impressions.
It's meant for things like "Browsing the web. Doing email. Enjoying and sharing pics. Watching videos. Enjoying music. Playing games. Reading ebooks". Jobs says it has to be better than either a phone or a laptop at these,or its not worthwhile.
It certainly looks good in his demo – works like the iPhone — indeed, iPhone apps work on it.
Pricing: $499 for 16GB. 32GB is $599, 64GB is $799. 3G models cost an extra $130. $629, 729, and 829 with 3G.
Wifi versions ship in 60 days. Wifi plus 3G in 90. Apple has negotiated some good 3G rates with ATT. That's for data — doesn't seem to do voice. But it has a mic and speakers — so Skype?
So is this really, as Jobs has apparently said " the most important thing I've ever done."?
Could it, as some have suggested, save the publishing industry, reboot education and maybe even change the way we treat medicine? Or is that just hyperbole resulting from the Steve Jobs reality distortion field?
Frankly, while impressive, there was nothing that was really unexpected. The next few days will be interesting as the tech press dissects the good and bad of the iPad.
This is not the first, or the only, slate type product. The HP slate Steve Ballmer introduced at the CES is another example. It won't be available until later this year.
But is the iPad perhaps the one that, like the iPhone, will be the disruptive tipping point that will define the category?
Frankly, I want a device like this — especially if I can use it to replace paper versions of newspapers and magazines. It could also be a great alternative to a laptop for taking notes in a meeting, or taking to visit clients. I think I'll wait just a while though to see how the competition shakes out.
The press on this is hard to miss. Wired, Engadget, Cnet and Scobleizer are as good as any.
I agree, David – this is the device I've been waiting for. The Sony reader/Kindle was a short-lived precursor to this sort of technology. It multitasks, and looks like it is more capable to do many things well than the smaller devices. An exciting evolution!
Honestly when I saw the Ipad I was super excited it has some outstanding features and reminded me of the space show “how star trek changed the world” since in that future it seems everyone has a pad to write on.
However I see a lot of, perhaps, wasted potential. When I look at the product I see a platform to supersede my use for a lap top but without the ability. It will absolutely be better for reading, email and pictures, but why stop there?
I see a device here that should allow you to use any program you would wish to use on a lap top or phone and run it, but it doesn’t. This is a device that should give you the ability of a web cam but it doesn’t. This is the type of product that should nearly kill all other forms of laptops and maybe even some phones but it still limits itself to a midway point.
All and all it is a great base line for the future, but I will wait for the next generation of Ipads which I hope will utilize their great potential before I purchase one.
Sony ereader, Kindle and other ebook readers will "just" have to lower prices. In the meantime, early adopters could decide the success of the iPad, while most users will wait for the next generation.
Steve, I think you hit the nail on the head it is a, "great base line for the future" and I think that is what they were going for; with the added benefit to apple of taking out the kindle and taking on Amazon in the realm of providing ebook content. Ultimately a transitional piece of equipment but one that will make lots of $ and begin to shift how we think of mobile computing.
Someone pointed out that the iPad is intended for consuming info – not creating it. Perhaps Apple drew that line in part because then it would be more like a netbook – which Jobs despises as being inadequate.
The test will be whether that's what people want – and I suspect they will indeed sell a lot of them. This category will get interesting by the end of the year when competition arrives. It will be particularly interesting to see how HP positions its slate in light of the perceptions of the iPad.
i-Pad trashed in this commentary http://i.gizmodo.com/5458382/8-things-that-suck-about-the-ipad
What makes you decide to take the plunge and buy a new piece of technology? How long are you willing to wait – is it better to hang on for the second generation?
My wife and I love our Kindle but it would definitely be better with color and a larger screen. I would also be nice to use our Kindle for things like RSS feeds.
I'm curious how well the iPad is expected to run the iPhone apps. I would expect a number of those apps just won't look right on the iPad due UI design.
Also, like most things Apple the price is just too high for what it does. I can get a pretty good laptop for the price of a 3G iPad. Toting the iPad around would be easier but does it really have enough functionality for a client meeting? I doubt it (at least for my purposes).
I wonder if anyone at Slaw has taken a look at how the iPad could be used at law firms for document review. I've recently been brought on board a large litigation file at our firm involving libraries full of documents. Most of the materials have been scanned to pdf. Rather than lugging multiple boxes of binders around to review documents, there is something obviously appealing about having the entire library of records available on a single device in my hand.
Having little to no experience with the iPhone, can anyone share their experiences or expectations with respect to reading, searching and annotating pdfs on the iPad?
I've been a happy owner of the iPad for about two months now and I simply love it. It has already replaced my old NetBook (it's in the corner as I write this collecting dust) completely.
For my needs – surfing the web anywhere I am, watching videos, reading books, etc. – it's perfect. Now, there are a few drawbacks, of course, but I find that the speed which you can surf the web, more flexibility in the design (it's like holding a heavy magazine), allows us to use the iPad in different ways and forms than with a conventional-shaped laptop or NetBook.
Then there is the performance of the unit, from an engineering standpoint the iPad is "beautiful".
Cheers,
Anthony
David i totally agree with you.
I just received my new apple ipad from https://www.epicdraw.com and i can easily say i totally love it.
Its performance is incredible, its so quick and easy to use. Nonetheless the size is perfect as you can carry it around without any trouble. Surfing the web is fun and easy, and all the apps make it even more fun to use. The device allows you to do virtually everything, and im a happy owner of the apple ipad
Cheers
The Canadian cost of the 64 GB, 3G, iPad is just under $1000 including taxes.
For $1,000 one can buy two bells & whistles netbooks, a reasonably good bottle of single malt whisky, and probably have some spare change.
Or, one can buy one bells & whistles netbook and a few bottles of good single malt, or one very very good bottle, regardless of whether one prefers the sweeter McCallan or the smokey Lagavulin.
There shouldn't be any question, right?