The iPad

[Bryancd]

I'm not sure why I get sucked into this discussion each time.  I guess I must enjoy it!  LOL!

Look, again it all comes down to what you need and want the item to do.  An iPad has simply less things it can handle than just about any laptop being made out there.  Does that make it bad or less desirable?  No.  It just might not be able to do what certain people need.  Now, that group of people might be small percentage wise.  But for some, only having an iPad might not cut it.

Let me use an analogy.  There are tons of cars you can buy out there.  You could own a truck, a van, a sports car, a Hummer, etc.  But you get something based on both what you need and like.  Doesn't make one really better than another.  Probably not the best analogy, but I think you get my meaning.  And I think that covers it for me.

Totally agree. My contention always has been that the iPad isn't the penultimate portable computing device which will render other forms of portable technology useless, it's that it's a device which address a massive market share currently untapped and they will sell a bazillion of these things. As an Investment Advisor, THAT'S ALL that matter to me, being able to anticipate that demand and the way Apple has addressed it.

[Rico]

Completely agree too Bryan.  For average Joe Consumer, it's a great item.  But, I'm just far from average Joe Consumer.  ;)

[Blackride]

Multi-Tasking?

Are you asking what multi-tasking means?  (in regards to the iPad) or if it's come to it yet?

King

No I mean it's silly that they built the ipods and the ipad without it.

[Blackride]

Apple's iPad is just not for me. I have virtually no use for it. I use my computers at home and my multiple computers and laptops at work which an iPad can not replace. That being said my sis has a couple of them and likes them but she will buy anything that has the word Apple on it.

iPad's would be interesting for our upper level management at work but our problem is supporting them.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

Multi-Tasking?

Are you asking what multi-tasking means?  (in regards to the iPad) or if it's come to it yet?

King

No I mean it's silly that they built the ipods and the ipad without it.

Ah, I thought you meant that, no not yet, the iPad is getting multitasking in 4.2 this November. 

King

[X]

King, did you notice what you did there? When you compared the laptop the the iPAD, you wanted more things than the iPAD could offer.

Most software costs money, but so does many of the more productive apps.

You mention that Office is a necessity for a laptop, but there are free programs that can compete with Office and Office is something that isn't an option on iPAD.

Your other point about preinstalled software made me laugh. If you don't like a program, you uninstall it. I think you know enough about computers for that not to be an issue.

Your points seemed, and this is only from my perspective, as a way to justify the limitations of the iPAD and compare it to something that the iPAD could never be.

Even the laptops that Rico posted have far more to offer than the iPAD. There are also other devices like the iPAD with flash and greater memory for less cost.

In the end, the iPAD is like Nike. There are other and better shoes out there, but people like to pay for the privilege of wearing the brand. It doesn't matter how good or bad the product is, it's the brand that carries it.

iPADs are the Air Jordans of the electronics industry. People are willing to pay more and accept the limitations because they are cool. I don't see a problem with that because this is a capitalist system.

Just remember that few tech savy people can mount an argument on how the iPAD is a better tech product.

I am willing to concede that it might even be more fun than some other tech products, but it won't compete with a real system.

Hell, I'm kind if shocked that you spent 2,000 on a laptop, but at the same time, it sort of highlights a difference in thinking. I would never pay even half that for a laptop. I can't see a 2,000 laptop giving me anything that I need that couldn't be achieved with a cheaper laptop, more memory and a larger drive ... and still cost less than 2k. I won't even get into the home system I could build with 2k and have money left over for a low end laptop and an ereader.

[Bryancd]

Wow, Chris, you really don't get it. People accept the iPad because Apple has succeeded in creating an entire user experience around their proprietary ecosystem. Apple makes technology WORK and is EASY. However, they also have to DELIVER the experience, which they do. You can try, as you have continuously, to paint Apple consumers as mindless numb nuts, which I find insulting, and you can live in your little tech Savoy world and disparage all you like, but you know nothing about what people want, that much is clear. The iPad will be THE DOMINATE portable device for years to come and I hope it drives you crazy.  :roflmao

Rather than be so vague, why don't you just say what you really mean? "Gee, King, you would be an idiot to buy that stupid thing!"

I'll give you another case in point. My wife has zero interest in technology and yet she LOVES the iPad. Why? Because it's EASY and INTUITIVE to use. She has bought apps, e-books, it's an economic ecosystem on to itself and has opened a whole new world to her. So, Chris, is my wife an mindless idiot because she didn't build her own computer?

[X]

Wow, Chris, you really don't get it. People accept the iPad because Apple has succeeded in creating an entire user experience around their proprietary ecosystem. Apple makes technology WORK and is EASY. However, they also have to DELIVER the experience, which they do. You can try, as you have continuously, to paint Apple consumers as mindless numb nuts, which I find insulting, and you can live in your little tech Savoy world and disparage all you like, but you know nothing about what people want, that much is clear. The iPad will be THE DOMINATE portable device for years to come and I hope it drives you crazy.  :roflmao

I'm not saying they are mindless numb nuts. I freely admitted that people do want them. What I refuse to admit is that it is better tech. It's not. I also admit that they do deliver an experience. I didn't say that people won't buy them or that they are crap. They just don't do anything for me. They don't meet my needs. I also admitted that people wanted them. Still, that doesn't make them a great system.

I think that you are missing my point. I can like the iPAD for what it is, but I can also not like it for what it isn't. I'm not blinded by the cool to know that it can't do many of the things that I need a portable device to do.

I fully and totally agree with you that the iPAD is easy. I will even say that it does exactly what they say it does. Easy however doesn't mean better.

Did you notice that in that whole post above I didn't disparage the iPAD other that point out the branding behind it. That was a small percentage of what I wrote. Beside my opinion on the branding, everything I said is obvious information about the iPAD.

Are you suggesting that I'm wrong about the iPAD having limitations? OR that you can't get cheaper portable devices that do more than the iPAD?

Other than these posts on the boards, the iPAD has very little to do with my day to day life. I don't lust for one, I don't spend sleepless nights wondering how much better my life would be with one. I actually spend more time thinking about what I want in my next two cell phones than thinking about the iPAD.

I don't feel the need to hunt down or flag stories relating to it, beyond the typical research I do when buying any product and comparing it to others of it's type. In all fairness, it's just not that important to me. Be it iPADs, Bluray, or imported cheese, I like to know the pros and the cons of anything that I might buy or compare to something that I might buy.

In the end, I've always had a rule of thumb. Is something that I'm buying worth the cost for it? For me, the iPAD isn't. I don't need the EXPERIENCE. I need something that I can add more memory to when I need to. I need something that I can change the battery without voiding the warranty. I'd also like to be able to access Farmville and Bejewled Blitz.

I respect what the device is. If I look at it in a vacuum, I love the iPAD, but I want better than they can offer and I want more than what they are willing to provide.

[Bryancd]

That's fine, what you did say, and I am amazed you are not capable of seeing it, is classic passive aggressive where you are qualifying people for whom this is a great option as being absent minded consumers willing to buy whatever. I understand you don't get what I am saying. Being a bit more self examined helps. Also not filtering everything through your own sensibilities and seeing the broader picture might help. Either way, the fact that you don't see how insulting your comments are is impressive, I'll give you that.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

you are right that I was trying to justify the iPad

You are right, having Flash is nice for those things like Farmville but I heavily dislike it tbh.  We can't live without it annoyingly enough.  

I paid $2,000 because I was very naiive and stupid at the time.  I was 16 if that's any indication.  I never would have paid that much, hell, it's likely I wouldn't have bought one back then knowing what I do now.  

I am comparing apples and oranges, this whole argument is actually pointless in this regard.  What I appreciate about the iPad is that software works because it was designed for it, viruses are very few and far between and it's quality.  I'm the type of person who learns to adapt to limitations, or at least, these days I am.  (and I still suck at that, so let's not poke holes in logic shall we?  ;) )  So the iPhone limitations don't bother me.  

I am looking at this from a perspective of what does the iPad offer me as a student and what does the Laptop offer me as a student.  I am not losing any sleep over it myself, as I don't have the $$ to currently afford either of them.  But it is something that I will probably need to obtain when I transfer to another college.  I haven't decided this, so this argument really is academic and I am curious what your guy's opinions on them are.  I apologize if I sounded rude or abrasive for my comments. 

You do make valid points on your posts though X, I will not deny you that.  

King

[X]

Rather than be so vague, why don't you just say what you really mean? "Gee, King, you would be an idiot to buy that stupid thing!"

Surely you know by now that if I want to say something then I will say it. If King buys an iPAD, I assure you that I won't lose any sleep of over. However, given some of the things he suggested that he might need in a system, is it wrong for pointing out that the iPAD might not be able to fit his needs? I consider many of the people here friends and I'm not making any money from any companies when I suggest that people look into a product to make sure that it will do what they need instead of just what they think they might want. If someone I call a friend talked about buying a SUV, I have and will point out the issues with the MPG and how they can cause some pretty bad accidents because the bumpers, until the federal mandate to lower the hight of the product, had a habit of doing serious damage to other automobiles and people because they were higher up. Sure, you had a better chance of surviving, but it was at the possible cost of having to wash someone's grey matter off your bumper.

Bryan, my world isn't that black and white. I don't think there is a pro or anti iPAD camp. I think that there are people that will have no problem with the iPAd and it will do everything that they could ever want it to do. I'm just not one of those people. I have also not told anyone to not buy the thing. I said that I wouldn't and I gave actual reasons on why it doesn't work for me. I'm not even saying that I will never buy one or use one. If the benefits to cost thing (for me) ever falls to the iPAD's favor, I'm sure I would get one. That being said, now is not that time. Tomorrow isn't looking good either.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

Just posting that I heavily edited my earlier post to make it more clear and concise.  (The one above X's)

King

[X]

While you are right that I was trying to justify the iPad, at the same time I do have some correct details:

Laptops more than not have a tendency to break down due to overheating issues, terrible designs/hardware flaws and the amount of "damage" that is caused by everyday usage.  This causes me angst because let's face it, these should be designed with being mobile in-mind, but so far as I can tell, they are not.  The average life of non-broken Laptop has been about a year with me (and I am grabbing from friends and relatives on this data).  And I do treat them well.  But after a year, it seems that the chances of the Laptop being sent back to get fixed (which takes about 2-3 months for some dumb reason, no matter what) goes up by leaps and bounds.  Not acceptable. I am sorry, but that is simply not acceptable.  

You are right, having Flash is nice for those things like Farmville.  I hate flash tbh, but we can't live without it annoyingly enough.  

I paid $2,000 because I was very naiive and stupid at the time.  I was 16 if that's any indication.  I never would have paid that much, hell, it's likely I wouldn't have bought one back then knowing what I do now.  

I am comparing apples and oranges, this whole argument is actually pointless in this regard.  What I appreciate about the iPad is that software works because it was designed for it, viruses are very few and far between and it's quality.  I'm the type of person who learns to adapt to limitations, or at least, these days I am.  (and I still suck at that, so let's not poke holes in logic shall we?  ;) )  So the iPhone limitations don't bother me.  

What I would like to hear is one reason why I should get the laptop for Educational reasons.  Ignoring the obvious answers, but what does the laptop offer that the iPad, does not.  

I know I'm asking the wrong crowd, but what does the Laptop really have to offer me when I have a desktop?  

You do make valid points on your posts though X, I will not deny you that.  

King

King here are two reasons to have a laptop.

Portable media. With a laptop, regardless of the manufacturer, there are universal programs that allow you to do your reports and get them printed out at a variety of locations. There are few place that you can't put a USB full of your work and get it printed out.

Online Classes. I know that your basic laptop is good enough to access most online classes and online resources. I'm not sure that it's the case with the iPAD. I haven't done that research. I would err on the side of caution with that one.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

While Online classes would be a good argument, I already have a desktop so I would just do classes from it. 

I dunno.  I'm going to see how this year works out.  That will tell me if I want a laptop or not. 

King

[X]

That's fine, what you did say, and I am amazed you are not capable of seeing it, is classic passive aggressive where you are qualifying people for whom this is a great option as being absent minded consumers willing to buy whatever. I understand you don't get what I am saying. Being a bit more self examined helps. Also not filtering everything through your own sensibilities and seeing the broader picture might help. Either way, the fact that you don't see how insulting your comments are is impressive, I'll give you that.

If I came off as passive aggressive, I'm sorry. I like to be more aggressive aggressive. I think that there is some lemming like behavior when it comes to the iPAD. Some people are followers and they get the cool thing because someone else wants it or has it. I'm not saying that it's everyone or even a large percentage of the people that buy the iPAD, but let's not be fools and pretend that they don't exist.

Some people also do the research and decide it's the product for them, I promise you I won't think any less of them for making an informed decision.

On the day the iPAD was released, what percentage of the people standing in lines for hours do you think was there because they had reviewed the specs and thought it will work well with their life style? What percentage of people were in those lines to buy it because it was the next big thing?

Since we don't have numbers on that, I will freely admit that I think more people were buying it because it was the new thing. Do you think that there was zero lemming effect in regards to the iPAD?