all things Apple iPad

Special Interest Areas consumer products
21

So I saw Microsoft’s tablet last month (they released it early to beat Apple to the punch, I’m sure), and I wasn’t very impressed.

I thought, “OK, feeble effort to beat Apple on Microsoft’s part, this is a touch tablet, runs Windows 7, looks like it does stuff, nothing wild, can’t wait for Apple to blow these idiots out of the water!”

Apple didn’t blow me out of the water.

Frankly, if you were looking to buy a new touch tablet, the Microsoft version doesn’t look too bad (even though its still just OK at best).

22

I completely disagree. I think people are being extremely short sighted about the exponential possibilities a device like this has.

If they had a designed a touchscreen laptop then that would have been a shame. Why? because, who really needs a touch screen laptop, designers? and how many designers are there! tablet laptops are a specialist product, and apple doesn’t do specialist it designs mass market user friendly devices.

The iPad will redefine laptop purchases for the mass market as its designed for the mass market, out of the majority of consumers who buy low end laptops, they are getting a machine which is over powered and over complicated for their needs. If all you do is watch a movie on the go, send emails to friends, chat on facebook, play the odd computer games and share your holiday and family snaps with your gran why would you need a “laptop” in their current state.

HP and the like have missed a trick as they’ve created devices which are too over powered and complicated for their target user base and too underpowered and unnessasry for their intended user base. HP uses a full windows 7 platform. WHY!

The processing speed doesn’t need to be as high as existing laptops becasue it’s not running a power hungry OS. The apps are an intuitive and simple way of buying and installing software instantly. Its got 3g so you can use it anywhere and on the go.

The new form also increase the user group allowing my gran to use it along with my kid brother and my parents. all of who do not require wacom style touch sensitivity and quad core processors.

So all in all HP, NOKIA, Dell etc need to do a lot of ecosystem work and study their target markets with an openmind if they intend their tablets to be effective. Its not a big iphone and its not a laptop its the first computer for a long while which doesn’t need a nerd, and those who don;t get it probably had doubts about how touch screen phones would work.

23

I love it how this forum is full of designer who have completely missed the point. The device isn’t for you to do your photoshop and maxwell rendering. If they did that it would be insanely stupid, because apple understands design doesn’t mean their devices are aimed at designers, thats been their weakness in becoming global, this product is their first step at redefining global personal computers?

Maybe ask yourself, what can a $499 laptop do that the iPad can’t OR what can the iPad do that a $499 laptop can’t AND when answering the question think like a regular Joe not as a designer or computer nerd.

Maybe apple understand their consumers better than they understand themselves? Did consumers ask for the ipod, or the iphone, the app store?

24

Pretty much agree with Cholden

is it the iPad I wished for? NO

Can I see the possibilities? #^@% yeah!

25

I have been reading the blogs and post across the web and have loved the shear volume of people missing the point, and the potential the iPad has at refining the mass market personal computer.

The beautiful point about this new product is that the normal apple cult crowd don’t seem to get it, which is fantastic! Why you may ask? well, the biggest problem with the existing personal computer market is that everything is based around Ghz, processor speeds, Powerful OS’s, technical programming, blah blah blah nerd talk.

Hence the reason why Joe bloggs and his wife buy a laptop computer which they use for surfing the web, playing the Sims and downloading their holiday snaps to while getting confused by they multiple file locations, messy desktops, technical setup and virus’s they get from their email from mum. The existing market is full of the same product in lots of different skins. Why make the mistake with their new device when they can save the problems of the masses with a new look, feel and interaction.

What the iphone OS has proved is that that people love the app world, not for gimmick reasons but for the fundamental reason that its built for them, its simple to interact with and it can be personalized to suit them.

This is where the iPad steps in and takes the place of the computer for the masses

It brings all the integral parts of a laptop to the interface of a iphone in the package of a portable device that even your gran can understand. If its got writing programs and presentation makers already what else does it need for the regular Joe who is fed up of his slow and unresponsive laptop he bought from a giant PC shop for $600, which is now riddled with viruses and is too heavy to put in his bag to take with him to school, work or on vacation.


Whats fantastic is that Apple have ignored what people have asked of them in a table. As the people who ask already have a macbook, wacom and cintiq or are part of the 100 or so consumers who buy a ‘tablet laptop computer’ as they really need to draw on a computer screen. OR they are nerdy cult apple geeks who want a full OSX so they can put on their specialist software and hack their way around hackable things.

Apple realized that all the niche markets are catered for, it everyone else who’s missing out! They have created a product, which granted I have no intention of buying yet, but the rest of my family could do with. With that in mind, if you were Apple, who would you design a computer for?

26

I think the device is compelling enough to release the 1st version now before flash and a camera are available. It is a hybrid of several existing products (e-book reader, PMP, etc) and will fill a need, whether that’s an evolution or a revolultion.

27

The think looking at Apple’s stock ticker from today is pretty telling of everyone’s collective sentiment.

After the announcement the stock dives, why because we’ve been waiting for the second coming of christ, not promised to us by Apple, but promised to us by all the techno-bloggers. We all wanted a touch screen MacBook, and we got a giant iPod. Based on everyone’s wild expectations yeah it was a let down, we were expecting a stallion and got a pony.
I don’t agree that this is necessarily a “bad” product though for what they have priced it at, and as the stock ticker shows it seems a lot of people agree. I do think this product will fill some peoples desires to consume media in a different way. I don’t see it as a competitor to anything that’s currently out, it’s just a physical extension of the iTunes platform.
As far as it taking on the Kindle or the netbook market, I guess time will tell. Personally I don’t see it as a compelling reason not to buy a Kindle or similar device because e-readers use non-backlit e-ink technology simulating the paper experience. I think youd be hard pressed trying to read on any backlit device of this size for a sustained period without experiencing significant eye strain. The lack of multitasking makes it apparent that Apple wasn’t trying to take on netbooks either, practically any cheapo netbook can run Excel, Windows Media Player, and Firefox at the same time!
I am disappointed that my expectations where so far off from what Apple had been working on, I won’t be buying an iPad, but I do think it will be a profitable device for Apple.

28

+1 I agree. Yep, personally a bit of a let down as it’s not of much use to me or other designers as it stands (no “real” power apps for now like PS, Ai, Word, Excel, etc.) but I have no doubt they’ve seen a glaring gap in the market and addressed it.

It’s true, that likely 80%+ of computer users do no more than this thing can do. Web, email, photos, multimedia, and the odd other app, plus coverage of some of the daily work stuff with iWork. Most people don’t know or care where their files are stored in whatever folder hierarchy and a huge bunch I bet can’t even find where a file went once it has been downloaded (“did that go to the desktop, some random downloads folder…?”).

As Apple has shown with the ipod and iphone, it’s all about ecosystem and entire user experience. Give this thing a year or so to get up to speed an I think we’ll see a pretty amazing game changer.

Remember, when the first ipod (still got mine, working like charm) came out - 2001 itunes was Mac only and most people had other options for more well equipped music players or other means of getting music. It wasn’t the largest capacity, most functionality and certainly not the cheapest. What it offered was ease of use. There was no iTunes store for quite a while (2003).

Same goes for the iphone. No App store on launch, missing key features like copy and paste, etc. Still, to this day there are better equipped (technically) phones but iphone dominates.

With the content partners they’ve already been able to get in place for movies, books, music, etc. (all apparently in the last two weeks for iPad specific things), it’s pretty amazing. I wouldn’t be surprised to see PS, Ai and Word on it in a short time or for rev 2.0.

No phone functionality, sure. But really are you going to hold that giant thing up to your head? AFAIK, since it runs all iphone apps, Skype should work on wifi for couch calls, but haven’t heard if there is a mic (must be a speaker though). I do see a front facing camera as a bit of a missing feature accordingly, but they gotta save something for the next round, right?

No, it’s not perfect, but I think the hype has overwhelmed the change in mentality that the ipad brings to the consumer device market. My mom has a new iMac and i’m sure this thing would do everything she needs. Same goes for my sister who recently bought an iMac.

Only thing I’m hesitating on is seeing how this is rolled out internationally and what the according plans might be. The AT&T data plans and no-contract subscription seems great, but not sure how that might/might not play out in other markets.

From what I’ve seen so far on the UI though it’s looks 1000% times more useable than any janky windows notebook where you can download 100s of apps that wont work with the hardware or worse yet some kind of Linux/Android build that nobodys knows or cares about…

one other great thing they got is the OPTIONAL 3g. Works well for users who just want to keep it at home, but yet provides several options for those who want to take it out. Interesting nobody else got something so simple, right.



R

29

So, let me get this right… you are saying that apps are going to revolutionize the entire computer industry?

Wow, bold statement.

AAPL just released their quarterlies… that was a bold statement as well; a negative one.

30

Because, I believe, that Apple expects the fanboy to be the target market with this device. They got greedy. Honestly, it’s like something out of SkyMall. It looks familiar, and does a few things, but it does them poorly.

31

3D televisions were HUGE at CES this year, but how much 3D content is available for me to actually watch? Also, to me there are instances when 3D content makes A LOT of sense and instances when it doesn’t.

I think this iPad will also be about content - what others (developers) dream up for it. Apple’s main role in this is just to create a framework (ID, hardware, OS) for these developers to execute their ideas - hybrid open (sorta) source if you will. Similarly to the 3D content, there will be content on the iPad that makes total sense to execute on such a framework and that would miss the mark on an iPhone or laptop.

Apple being a company with shareholders, the framework they released with this first version iPad seems about right.

32

Made me wonder why one of the first key features they mentioned about it is the ability to change the background picture? Why was something as mundane and common as background pictures be even mentioned?? I think it could be a good selling product eventually, but as of now the software/ OS needs some improvement. I was excited about to see what their new tablet would be out of curiosity, and am still wondering…

33

I love it how this forum is full of designer who have completely missed the point. The device isn’t for you to do your photoshop and maxwell rendering.

Give me a break. We’re not stupid here. Most of us do understand this. However, this is a designer’s forum so we can discuss this product as it relates to our needs and the implied context is mutual. It is obviously not what we, as designers, were hoping for.
As you stated it, within it’s target demo it is sufficient to the task of surfing the web and playing movies. True. I like what you said about most PCs being far too much machine for the basic customer. I think you’re right. I have a few PCs and an iBook and only one of the PCs sees any real work. The others are just for playing and serving music or photos.
We already have those things handled, Apple is just sexing it up. I don’t see the innovation outside of the form.
What we wanted was something that we don’t aleady have, something that we all thought Apple would deliver.

34

We already have those things handled, Apple is just s3x it up. I don’t see the innovation outside of the form.
What we wanted was something that we don’t aleady have, something that we all thought Apple would deliver.

Exactly.

I never said I’d use this for designing, running Photoshop or Alias. I use my computer for that. I also use it for everything the iPad does, and plenty of things it doesn’t and can’t do.

I’m not saying Apps aren’t cool. But come on. That’s all the iPad is. A container for apps. Aren’t PSPs, Gameboys, Smartphones already providing us with cool apps?

What it comes down to is that this is a product in between an iPhone and a laptop, and it doesn’t even have some of the features of the ‘lesser’ device(s).

35

I don’t think the ipad is lame its just a little different meant for doing simple stuff, perhaps only at home away from the desk. I would have liked them to cut down even more to lower the price. It’s just not what everyone (mac geeks) wanted…go buy modbook if you want a mac tablet (http://www.axiotron.com) which will be heavy, poor battery and awkward to use.

36

that’s an interesting point of view, that the iPad wasn’t designed for us as the target audience. The one thing that makes me wonder is that the iphone 3Gs is already great, a couple hundred cheaper, and is much more portable. I question whether my noncomputing parts of my family would go for a iPad or the iPhone first… I think it might be the iPhone

37

If it’s any food for thought keep this in mind:

A large # of gripes (Flash, multitasking, etc) are software based. This means that if these get worked out in the 4.0 OS, suddenly the list of reasons why it sucks may decrease.

I’m not sure so much I really care about the camera…everyone knows the Iphone camera sucks at taking photos, and the ability to capture image straight from a real digital camera means you could have some cool opportunities for a photo-side kick. Imagine if you could run a scaled down version of aperature and do some on-site photo editing. You could do the same with a macbook obviously, but the form factor is nice.

Also RE price: Remember the Iphone was $600 on release? If the price drops down for $299/399 for the base unit it will become a lot more compelling.

38

The iphone is essentially the same price as the ipad. In the uk if you want an iphone without a contrct is starts £350 for a 8gb then goes up to £540 for the 32gb so essential you get more bang for your buck with the ipad with the projected price point being about the same.

Also its not available for another 60day so thats 2months of app development. I only hope that when the iPad is docked that a you will be able to use the multitouch gesture mouse with it as point at the screen while using word would be a pain ( but I guess they’ve thought of that, lol). I agree that there is some missing features like a front facing webcam but in all that is the only downside. Also as it doesn’t multitask, it allows peak performance on every app that is opened so game play or application isn’t slowed down, something i need to do more often when working on my imac.

I’m guessing that accessories such as game pads, stands, speakers, wall mounts, etc will all come flooding in soon. So there is going to be no lack of extra products to help you get the most out of the device.

39

Good point. You could run Aviary apps on it, but you still have to use your finger.

40

All I was hoping for was a tablet i could run illustrator, photoshop and sketch book pro from. I know there a re PC tablets that do this but i already own mac versions of the software and i dont want to buy PC versions.