The Apple Products Thread

[Ice]

It's cool. I want one. But not at those prices. I don't even get the point of offering a 16 gb version, and I can't believe that Apple would make a separate line for 3G-enabled devices.

Lots of complaining about it...seems people were expecting it to be more than an oversize iPod Touch.

I'll wait for version 2, I guess.

I completely agree with everything. I shall also wait.



Also:

More Comics' Pros & Publishers React to iPad

Marvel Comics Cautious About iPad's Potential

THE IPAD AND COMICS: WHAT'S NEXT?

 

[E]

There is an app (a couple actually, but one in particular I use) that displays CBZ and CBR comics for the iPhone. I like it, but putting comics on a device like this and reading them at that size would make it worth the price alone.

 

[ProjectX2]

Imagine the day when you wake up on a Wednesday morning to find that your iPad has already downloaded all of the new comics for that week.

 

[E]

Imagine the day when you wake up on a Wednesday morning to find that your iPad has already downloaded all of the new comics for that week.

I'm interested to see what comic companies do with it officially. Whatever it is it won't be as good as the current method for reading digital comics, but it might be an interesting stepping stone.

I fail to see how it can be considered a criticism that it's just a bigger iPod. If people can't use their imagination to understand how a larger-screen iPod would be beneficial they should just ignore the entire product and announcement because it's obviously not for them.

Luddites. :roll:

 

[moonmaster]

I fail to see how it can be considered a criticism that it's just a bigger iPod. If people can't use their imagination to understand how a larger-screen iPod would be beneficial they should just ignore the entire product and announcement because it's obviously not for them.

What, people with common sense?

 

[E]

What, people with common sense?

This is typical anti-Apple backlash, and really no different from what started at the beginning of this thread with the "iPhone sux" stuff. Resorting to insults.

It's typical because a lot of people either don't understand the target market or are jealous because they can't get one or aren't part of that target market. So they throw a fit. Planet-man's bitter posts at the beginning of this thread are hilarious.

I'm very amused by the number of comments I'm seeing all over the place that say, "But I have an iPhone and an iPod Touch and an iPod Nano and a Mackbook and an iMac and a Mac Pro and oh my God what would I do with this?!?!?!?!"

If you can't think of anything you can use it for, it's obviously not for you. But don't cut down people who like it and can use it.

 

[Ice]

I watched the keynote last night. Just ask Skotti how many times I was like, "This is AWESOME!" It will be awesome when I get one, because I definitely will. It would have been nice to have this when I go to San Diego on the 5 hour plane ride.

 

[Jaggyd]

Oh come on, it is an oversize iPod. That can read books.

This literally does nothing but make another device much larger, less portable, and twice as expensive. It's like Apple's gone so far that they're just going to start regressing now and making technology that's less advanced than what came before it.

Actually, techwise, it's a LOT more advanced than the iPhone/iPod Touch, with the 1GHz Apple A4 System on a Chip CPU. As a student, this has the potential to be one of the best products ever. When text books start being made available, you'll be able to replace 30lbs of books with a 1.5 lb tablet.

A better example for your "less advanced than", is like when the first laptop came out, people were baffled as to why people spent up to $10,000 for something less advanced than a desktop. Fast forward 20 years, and notebooks are as fast as desktops and only slightly more expensive.

Eventually slates/tablets are more oriented for businesses, students, medical field. It's obviously not for you, nor does it have to be, not everything can be everything for everyone.

 

[Planet-man]

This is typical anti-Apple backlash, and really no different from what started at the beginning of this thread with the "iPhone sux" stuff. Resorting to insults.

It's typical because a lot of people either don't understand the target market or are jealous because they can't get one or aren't part of that target market. So they throw a fit. Planet-man's bitter posts at the beginning of this thread are hilarious.

Are you serious?

Of my three posts in this whole thread, one was a link to the Maddox article with no commentary from me that either side liked, another was a CollegeHumor vid spoofing the COMMERCIALS for it with nothing to do with the quality of the phone, and the only time I said anything myself was a knock on one thing - the terrible battery system. I don't pretend to be in the target market for this stuff, but I don't need to be to see that specific aspect was total bull****. Do you even like it?

Knock it off.

If you can't think of anything you can use it for, it's obviously not for you. But don't cut down people who like it and can use it.

I think the problem people have with Apple here is that they put so much effort and hype into something that doesn't meet the needs of MOST of their usual market, in other words, wasted time on too small a market when they could've been doing something for everyone.

 

[Jaggyd]

I think the problem people have with Apple here is that they put so much effort and hype into something that doesn't meet the needs of MOST of their usual market, in other words, wasted time on too small a market when they could've been doing something for everyone.

Seriously, no one's forcing you to buy their products. Just like BMW, Apple is a boutique item. Seeing as they're 8-10% of the computer market, but makes about 50% of the profits for the whole industry, I can't see how you can say they put little effort into their stuff.


As to the hype, you need to pay a little more attention. Apple did ZERO hype before the launch of the product, as usual. It's the pundits and the forum geeks that hype **** to death.


Oh, and P.S.: What do you mean "Doesn't meet the needs..."? It's essentially in the Kindle/eReader market. This isn't redesigning the wheel. It's a multimedia tablet, it's not intended to replace your main computer. It's for media and entertainment, pretty simple if you ask me.

 

[E]

Knock it off.

:lol:

in other words, wasted time on too small a market when they could've been doing something for everyone.

Apple does a pretty good job CREATING markets by creating new products.

 

[Planet-man]

Seriously, no one's forcing you to buy their products. Just like BMW, Apple is a boutique item. Seeing as they're 8-10% of the computer market, but makes about 50% of the profits for the whole industry, I can't see how you can say they put little effort into their stuff.

That's.... the opposite of what I said. "Little effort".... where are you getting that?

As to the hype, you need to pay a little more attention. Apple did ZERO hype before the launch of the product, as usual. It's the pundits and the forum geeks that hype **** to death.

It's impossible not to pay attention when there's this much of it(at least here), but fair enough about who's hyping it up. I guess people are just disappointed with it because:

Oh, and P.S.: What do you mean "Doesn't meet the needs..."? It's essentially in the Kindle/eReader market. This isn't redesigning the wheel. It's a multimedia tablet, it's not intended to replace your main computer. It's for media and entertainment, pretty simple if you ask me.

This.

Again, I'm not saying it doesn't meet the needs of a market(the eReaders). It obviously does. It just doesn't seem like the majority of people who currently buy every new Apple gadget are in that market, and they're used to being in it, so they're pissed, because Apple could've spent this time doing something for them.

And to clarify: I'm not in the market for this either, but I didn't expect to be, so I PERSONALLY don't care about what it can do. This is just speculation about why Apple's getting so much flack from others, which I'm speculating on simply because I think it has more to do with than everyone just being bitter and jealous and not being able to use imagination and all the other things E said in a post berating Moonmaster for insults.

:lol:

:roll: You still singled me out for something that didn't happen. The idea of me being "bitter" over any Apple release is crazy, because it could wildly exceeded all expectations and cost 50 bucks and I'd STILL have no use for it.

Apple does a pretty good job CREATING markets by creating new products.

We'll obviously have to wait and see. My current expectation is that it looks like they've fumbled by making an eReader that contains enough of the usual iPod features to make it too expensive for people looking for an eReader and not enough for people who usually pay this much for Apple stuff. This is what it looks like to me. I don't think they'll be able to create a market of people who want to pay several hundred dollars more than they would on a Kindle because it comes with some iPod features. I could be wrong. We'll see.

 

[Jaggyd]

@Planet-Man: you do realize that the iPad is almost the exact same price as the 9" Kindle, right? And for the $10 more ($499 iPad vs $489 Kindle) you get;

14GB of more storage
a capacitive multitouch display
a full color 1024x768 resolution
a large app library
etc

So, I'm kinda missing the "several hundred dollars more for just some iPod features", heck even the 3G iPad is only $130 more.

 

[Ice]

I find it ironic that while we're talking about the iPad, I have an ad for the Kindle. :lol:

 

[Planet-man]

@Planet-Man: you do realize that the iPad is almost the exact same price as the 9" Kindle, right? And for the $10 more ($499 iPad vs $489 Kindle) you get;

14GB of more storage
a capacitive multitouch display
a full color 1024x768 resolution
a large app library
etc

So, I'm kinda missing the "several hundred dollars more for just some iPod features", heck even the 3G iPad is only $130 more.

The cheapest iPad is only $10 more than the most expensive Kindle, yes. The several hundred dollars more refers to the rest, and the Kindle DX will almost certainly come down even further before the iPad comes out in March.

And Apple of course might still be able to market themselves out of this. The bottom line is we just have to wait and see what people will want.

 

[Jaggyd]

The cheapest iPad is only $10 more than the most expensive Kindle, yes. The several hundred dollars more refers to the rest, and the Kindle DX will almost certainly come down even further before the iPad comes out in March.

And Apple of course might still be able to market themselves out of this. The bottom line is we just have to wait and see what people will want.

but apparently what you're not getting, or refusing to acknowledge, the BASE iPad is far better than the high end Kindle DX (which is the market leader), or any other eReader.

You may not be old enough to remember when the iPod came out in 2001, there were the same arguments. It was too expensive, it didn't have FM radios, etc, Apple was making a HUGE mistake, no one would buy it. What a failure that product was.

Then don't forget in 2007, Apple announced they were making a phone. Again, too expensive, OMG no Flash support, AT&T exclusivity, no FM radio, no replaceable battery. Yeah, no one bought that crapass phone.


Granted, Apple has made a big stumble recently with the AppleTV, but since Jobs' return, nearly everything he's touched has turned to gold. Hell, he's tripled Apple's market share in desktops, and now 35% of all laptops sold are Apple, and 90+% of the premium computer market ($1000+) are Macs. So forgive me if I look at the iPad with a slightly more optimistic view.

With that said, I'm still waiting to see how the text book and comic markets use the iPad before I get one. Mostly because I'm having to save up for a $2000 Cintiq.

 

[E]

all the other things E said in a post berating Moonmaster for insults.

Oh puh-leeeeeeze. "Berating" - :roll:

Stop speaking for people. If he feels I "berated" him then he can take that up with me himself.

it looks like they've fumbled by making an eReader that contains enough of the usual iPod features to make it too expensive for people looking for an eReader and not enough for people who usually pay this much for Apple stuff. This is what it looks like to me. I don't think they'll be able to create a market of people who want to pay several hundred dollars more than they would on a Kindle because it comes with some iPod features. I could be wrong. We'll see.

You're looking at it in terms of what's out there already. It's not an ebook reader that plays music or vice-versa. It's not an Apple netbook or tablet. This is a different device that incorporates some features of each and has shortcomings some of those devices don't have. But to compare them one on one doesn't really make much sense.

the Kindle DX will almost certainly come down even further before the iPad comes out in March.

Maybe, but the iPad will definitely come down in price in due time as well. The iPhone was $600 when it came out and now you can get one for $49, 2 years later

With that said, I'm still waiting to see how the text book and comic markets use the iPad before I get one. Mostly because I'm having to save up for a $2000 Cintiq.

I'm not sure if you've used the myComics app on the iPhone but I would be perfectly happy with that over any official, sanctioned apps, and the prospect of that app on a larger tablet-like device is worth it right there. I don't trust the publishers to not lock everything down. I would want to read on my laptop, etc.

 

[Planet-man]

but apparently what you're not getting, or refusing to acknowledge, the BASE iPad is far better than the high end Kindle DX (which is the market leader), or any other eReader.

You may not be old enough to remember when the iPod came out in 2001, there were the same arguments. It was too expensive, it didn't have FM radios, etc, Apple was making a HUGE mistake, no one would buy it. What a failure that product was.

Then don't forget in 2007, Apple announced they were making a phone. Again, too expensive, OMG no Flash support, AT&T exclusivity, no FM radio, no replaceable battery. Yeah, no one bought that crapass phone.

I'm certainly remember, but at least when it came to the iPod, I thought it looked cool. Most of my friends had a wide variety of mp3 players that had all sorts of problems and less features than the iPod(and didn't care about things like radio or wireless). There was a way bigger market for it, and the iPhone, than there is for the iPad I think, and even then it was a good three or four years before the iPod really caught on here.

I think Apple does make pretty great stuff most of the time, and I have immense respect for their marketing(in fact, they're one of the few companies who I think "get it" at all in that field). I just think this specific product, while not necessarily overhyped by them, probably wasn't the best use of their resources right now.

Oh puh-leeeeeeze. "Berating" - :roll:

Stop speaking for people. If he feels I "berated" him then he can take that up with me himself.

Oh, call it whatever you like. I'm not trying to speak for him. Whether or not he feels berated you're knocking statements like "people who like iPads have no common sense" while making statements like "people who don't like iPads have no imagination or are jealous". Both are insults, so you make no sense.

You're looking at it in terms of what's out there already. It's not an ebook reader that plays music or vice-versa. It's not an Apple netbook or tablet. This is a different device that incorporates some features of each and has shortcomings some of those devices don't have. But to compare them one on one doesn't really make much sense.

I just disagree. It doesn't have anything new that those things don't have. Its only originality is in the specific combination of features, so I think it's completely fair to compare it to what's out there.

Maybe, but the iPad will definitely come down in price in due time as well. The iPhone was $600 when it came out and now you can get one for $49, 2 years later

Obviously, but my point is that in its debut, it will be way more expensive than its current competitor while not, in my opinion, offering enough more to Kindle fans for them to switch. All Kindle needs to do is keep their technology, and marketing campaign(which has been pretty lackluster so far) at the top of its game and they'll have the market cornered for years.

 

[Jaggyd]

I'm not sure if you've used the myComics app on the iPhone but I would be perfectly happy with that over any official, sanctioned apps, and the prospect of that app on a larger tablet-like device is worth it right there. I don't trust the publishers to not lock everything down. I would want to read on my laptop, etc.

Yeah, I have MyComics on my Touch and my phone, I'm hoping they make a native iPad version, since iPhone apps will be scaled via pixel doubling.

 

[Captain Canuck]

The little that I've seen about the tablet looks pretty cool. I can't see myself getting into it mostly because I don't like reading off a screen that much. I'd rather read a hard copy.