Quote:
Originally Posted by 0utf0xZer0
Some Apple projects actually don't end up being huge hits - the Apple TV comes to mind.
I'm not saying the iPad will end up being one of the "forgotten" Apple products like the Apple TV, but I kind of doubt that it's going to be as popular as the iPhone either. The iPhone had significant advantages compared to the devices most people were using and very few disadvantages. The iPad, from what I can see, has quite a few compromises.
I basically fall into the same category as Synaesthetic when it comes to the iPad. I cannot see a scenario in which I would use the iPad in which I couldn't do the task just as well with my friends Asus 1008HE netbook, which is cheaper. I can think of scenarios where I'd find the Asus' capabilities quite useful.
Edit:
The way I see it, the main appeal of this device is mainly to people looking at something like the Kindle but whom want better web browsing capabilities, not netbook users. So yeah, that explains the lack of appeal to people like Synaesthetic and I right there. I also suspect it'll be more popular after a couple price cuts.
|
If this thing had a Pixel Qi hybrid display, especially with a price very close to that of most e-readers, I'd say it'd completely smash them. As it is right now, I'm much more interested in the Notion Ink tablet, which
does have a Pixel Qi display.
As it is now, I don't see the iPad competing strongly in the e-reader space. Why?
It doesn't have an eInk display. That's the whole point of an e-reader; the eInk displays are much, much easier on the eyes--and also on battery life. When this little gadget was announced, I was really surprised and disappointed in Apple that they did not put a Pixel Qi hybrid display in it.
I have very little interest in a slate like the iPad, but I have a
lot of interest in an e-reader because of the display. Reading on a standard LCD screen gets tiring, but I can read off an eInk display just as if I were reading off a piece of paper. That's the whole point, and the iPad's lack of a Pixel Qi display just kills it dead.
Speaking of niches, when netbooks first came out, they tried to make a niche for themselves (a cheap web browser) but ended up shoehorned into a totally different niche which was previously filled by old, used laptops. The cheap knockaround computer niche.
Most of the people I know who own netbooks (myself included) pick a netbook because they need a cheap computer that can do basic productivity tasks and communication. Really, I don't see why people come down on netbooks so hard; for the average user, they're a hell of a lot more practical than two-ton budget notebooks, and cheaper to boot. If you're looking for someone to attack, attack Intel for purposely making the Atom CPU slower than necessary and not playing nice with nvidia.
Edit:
http://notionink.wordpress.com/
This is what the iPad needs to beat. Tegra 2. Pixel Qi display. Full 1080p playback. Has USB ports. Has expandable memory. Runs Android, so with adroit hackery, putting other Linux distros on it shouldn't be impossible...
Yes, I know it's not out yet, but damn... it's nice.