Apple iPad
Submitted by Gareth on Sat, 01/30/2010 - 18:02.
Apple has released details of their new iPad product which is basically a big ipod touch. I have to admit that I can see a place for this product in my home and at $499 it is hard to ignore. Anyone else see this as an information hub for your home and while travelling?
The long and winding road
Gareth,
I've wanted one since a good friend of mine worked at Go Computer ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GO_Corp. ) back in the early 90's. There's a good chance Apple's iPad will be in the neighborhood of useful and practical. This is a very hard category to get right, and the company that succeeds will likely sell hundreds of millions.
I want to use one before concluding whether this is "the one." It lacks some key things (Flash, Video input and output, USB port, death ray) but Apple should not be underestimated. iTunes, not the iPod, was the more revolutionary innovation.
As managers, we can learn some things from the iPad launch. Apple delivered first, before promising anything. They are going to let the product speak for itself. No bragging about what's coming.
Most impressive to me, though, is how long Apple has been working on this product. Here is a link to the prototype they developed (with Frog Design) back in 1983: http://designmind.frogdesign.com/blog/from-the-archives-frog-s-early-app... That's right, Apple has been working on this for over a quarter century. Does your firm have a willingness to invest in R&D that might not pay off this quarter, or even this decade? Somewhere at Apple, someone's working on something that won't be a real product until 2037. How will you compete with them?
And on a personal level, are you investing in your own skills, looking ahead to another decade? What's your innovation?
John Hack
Flash appears to be coming....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/27/AR201001...
but there are some serious mixed messages. It's a balance between control of the platform by Apple, and letting 3rd party apps in.
Unfortunate for Mr. Jobs that flash didn't load during his demo! Someone had a stern talking to afterwards, I'm sure, since Flash did appear in the pre-launch advertising. A reminder of the very funny blue screen of death moment for Bill Gates during a presentation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgriTO8UHvs
I know a lot of people who are hopeful the iPad will be a worthy successor to the Newton. I'm hoping it functions like a Blackberry for those of us with bifocals and clumsy thumbs. (I am at an age where I can't be bothered with tiny screens, alas.) One of the neatest things is the reaction by my blind friends--Apple has been *outstanding* in making their computers accessible to the visually impaired, and early reports say this will not be a difference.
The price isn't too bad if you're an early adopter, but I think I'm going to hang back on this one.
And yes, it's a terrible name. iPad??? Srsly dude? Folks were making fun of that in 2005! Possibly NSFW since girl parts are mentioned:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eF0y0IfpPU
I read a very balanced
I read a very balanced article last night, can't find the link sorry, that explained why it is unlikely for flash to available as a standard plug in for the iPhone/iPad.
It generally comes down to the historic relationship between Flash and OS X. Flash is apparently the most significant cause of crashes in OS X and a resource hog - it could technically demand 100% of your processing power.
Apple have in fact redeveloped how Safari runs plug-ins like flash to avoid any failings having system wide impact, all plug-ins run in a sandbox environment.
EDIT: You will also notice that HTML5 will start replacing some flash website. IN fact Youtube now runs HTML (see beta site) instead of Flash!
Oh and yes.... the name is
Oh and yes.... the name is terrible for obvious reasons.
Underwhelmed.
The key for me is that they chose the closed iPhone platform, rather than the more open MacOS platform.
I'm a software guy, and I make and use Open Source tools. I think anybody serious about software has to be serious about Open Source. The App Store is a significant bottleneck to getting innovative software into the hands of users, and the rules are too arbitrary and inconsistent.
The hardware is too big to carry - much bigger than a phone and bigger than the Kindle. It's not a good book-reading platform, since it's still a backlit OLED instead of e-ink. The battery life is hours, not days, and it won't do well in direct sunlight. The cognitive experience is also different between transmissive and reflective screens, which seems to have escaped Apple's notice.
So I still have to carry a phone (Apple would like that to be an iPhone) and I still have to carry a laptop (Apple would like that to be a MacBook). I can't think of any content that the iPad provides that won't be just as accessible from my MacBook. (I do wish I could get WiFi plus 3G into my MacBook networks stack, even if the 3G was rate-limited.)
Even at $500, it's all the functionality of an iPod touch, in a platform nearly as large as a MacBook Air. So it feels more like a Segway (or the ill-fated Apple HiFi) than a category maker like the iPod.
Too bad.
md-144
MD_144, it is probally the
MD_144, it is probally the Apple fan in me but I still want one. The app store has had its problems but the quality of some of the apps are amazing. I have an app that helped me avoid getting lost on the London Tube and another that told me how fast I had to run to avoid missing my train back home.
The battery is 10 hours of video / wifi / 3G use which would suggest if your going to use it to read or listen to music your looking at a significant amount of more time. It has a month of stand-by time! The lack of e-ink is notable yes. Reading with the screen will not be as pleasing as using the kindle BUT it opens up a different type of reading material such as full content newspapers and magazines. And while you comment how close the iPad is, what about the Kindle - even more closed down surely?
Going back to the apps I think the bigger screen will open up a higher value of apps that will start a gold rush for developers. I will use the iPad as quick access to content and in situations that allow the uses of a bigger screen such as on a plane, train and at home.
EDIT: Found a different article that focused on the history between Apple and Flash: http://www.macrumors.com/2010/01/31/steve-jobs-at-apple-town-hall-meeting-google-adobe-next-iphone-2010-macs-and-more/
I Love My iPad!
My 3G arrived a week ago and it has exceeded my expectations.
I travel a lot (I'm on Amtrak right now) and laptops are poor tools for tight cabins, long flights, and waiting areas. The iPad is a joy to travel with. It's light. The form factor is perfect, and the battery is giving 12 hours of continuous use.
I can get all my personal and corporate email. It reads and edits MS-Office docs. The book reader is as good as the Kindle or Sony (but I don't read in full sun so that may be an issue for you). All iPhone apps work on it. Surfing is as good as the laptop experience (except flash, but I'm not going there). Custom news readers like BBC or the Wall Street Journal are arguably as good or better than paper ( this from someone who subscribes to four newspapers and many magazines).
The MT site is totally usable. I'm posting tonight from the website on my iPad. While on the train.
In short, it's teh awesome. More later if folks have questions.
John Hack
PS. I am not an Apple fanboy...my first computer experience was an HP2000F in 1971 (that's not a typo) and I bought an HP last month. I've worked at Wang, Sun, and SAP. I'm ecumenical.