How do you explain the iPad ?

[Fr0dders]

I was no more enamoured with the product after using it than I was previously. I don't doubt it is really useful for some niche areas of business etc. but for most it is just another piece of must have gadge bling. I suspect a lot of those who bought them on an impulse now have them languishing in a drawer along with other pieces of tech they didn't really need but wanted anyway.

some niche areas ?

The video put together by apple highlighted quite a few. And big ones, not niche.

And it didn't even mention all the uses they are being put to. Airlines are looking into using them instead of inflight entertainment, and that wasn't mentioned in the video at all.

And these forums are full of people who've got an ipad and love it. I'd be willing to bet quite the opposite - that people are using their ipads rather than leaving them in their draw.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Faustus is stuck in his views after using someone else's iPad for a moment and it seems it's fine to sprout the same sermon on every iPad thread that comes up here. It's been happening the whole year...I'm waiting for him to find another hobby....

 

[Deleted member 651465]

There's always going to be people who impulse buy and don't use it very much after the honeymoon period. A mate of mine got a PS3 on launch day and stopped using it for about a year because he got bored with it.

 

[mothermachine]

Bought mine at xmas and use it daily. Love it. Fills a gap between heavy/expensive laptop and iphone which is a bit small for reading news and magazines etc. It's light, fast and does pretty much everything I wanted it to. They are a little overpriced but then when you don't have any competition why not charge a premium? Worth every penny to me, and I'm not just using it for niche business stuff. Day-to-day browsing, shopping, checking the trains and reading the news in bed every morning, watching movies and tv shows on planes or long train journeys etc... excellent device, especially when you JB it.

 

[GTA767]

Bought mine at xmas and use it daily. Love it. Fills a gap between heavy/expensive laptop and iphone which is a bit small for reading news and magazines etc. It's light, fast and does pretty much everything I wanted it to. They are a little overpriced but then when you don't have any competition why not charge a premium? Worth every penny to me, and I'm not just using it for niche business stuff. Day-to-day browsing, shopping, checking the trains and reading the news in bed every morning, watching movies and tv shows on planes or long train journeys etc... excellent device, especially when you JB it.


+ 9999999999

sold old one now waiting for ipad 2

 

[mothermachine]

Also, Edition29. If you have any interest in architecture, this is enough of a reason alone to own an iPad. Absolutely the most awesome magazine app out there bar none. Give it a try if you haven't already

 

[theron]

You have no idea, do you.

A company like Apple will have product road maps far beyond the next 2 or 3 years. Oh, and Tim Cook has done a pretty good job steering the ship when he's not been around, so to say they're doomed without Jobs is ill-founded IMO.

Steve Jobs is widely credited with single handedly rescuing apple from the brink of bankruptcy since he re-joined the company he helped to set up after the company took a nosedive when he left (I would say thats pretty well founded, not ill-founded IMO).

Also, he s a great sales man, i doubt anywhere near as many people would have bought an iPad/any varian of the iphone etc if it wasnt for him and the way he delivers his product launch presentations. cause lets face it, he really exaggerates how good the products are (i.e, about the ipad: the most incredible web experience ever <<-- just one example of many)

 

[Somnambulist]

I like to describe it as a magical device at a revolutionary price...

In all seriousness, Apple have done a wonderful job with the iPad. Those who said it was 'just a big iPhone' and that it 'wouldn't sell' have been so far wide of the mark, it's not even funny. Those still bitter about its success play the line 'Apple could sell its customers anything', without truly looking at what it has done for the industry.

Like the iPhone, it has really made it's mark in a sector of portable computing and aside from being an important product, it has further served to encourage competitors to try and make similar products - so even those who don't like Apple products or prefer something different are still benefiting from Apple's push in the market sector. That is not to say that other companies are not innovative but I think the iPhone and iPad have certainly did a lot to accelerate their respective product markets.

I would say that aside from the general hate that Apple get, some of it deserved and some of it not, the iPad genuinely does have to be held to be truly understood. Using it for a short time in an Apple store was far more beneficial to me than the numerous online reviews available.

I think many view it as a luxury item and I can kind of see where they're coming from on that front. But as the iPad's (and others) capabilities continue to grow, the need for the portable computer (see: laptop) will diminish. For now the laptop is not only more powerful but more useful - but not for much longer.

The thing that makes me laugh is when it came out, I got loads of stick on other forums for saying it was a great idea and would be wildly successful, "it's just a big iPod, there's no point to it, it's a device looking for a purpose", and now, one year later, those same people are all "Xoom is better, any other tablet than an iPad is better! I'm getting an Android tablet cos they are 1337!" e.t.c.

 

[Ev0]

Steve Jobs is widely credited with single handedly rescuing apple from the brink of bankruptcy since he re-joined the company he helped to set up after the company took a nosedive when he left (I would say thats pretty well founded, not ill-founded IMO).

To be fair, as quoted from another article I read this week, Apple were already in a slump in 84 before he left in 85. And on his return Apple were already a much larger company.

http://www.trustedreviews.com/edito...le-Needs-Jonathan-Ive-More-Than-Steve-Jobs/p1

He's obviously played a massive part in their success there's no doubting that, but claims he is some kind of Messiah (he's not a very naughty boy though either) raising Apple from the dead are a little over the top.

 

[Deleted member 651465]

I know all about his influence (as a stock holder and long time user), but I think the company has moved on from the "OMG he's ill.. sell sell sell" attitude. If this was 2001, and he was gravely ill, then yes, I'd probably agree that he "was" Apple.

I believe this attitude changed shortly after his second departure (WWDC 2009), when Phil Schiller gave the keynote for the iPhone 3G and Tim Cook successfully guided the company while he was away.

As I said, they'll have long term plans for their product lineup, so they are safe in that regard, but they do need to pick a public speaker for when he leaves, which isn't necessarily the next CEO. It just needs to be the best speaker (Steve Jobs just happens to be both).

 

[Turbo-G]

Also, he s a great sales man, i doubt anywhere near as many people would have bought an iPad/any varian of the iphone etc if it wasnt for him and the way he delivers his product launch presentations. cause lets face it, he really exaggerates how good the products are (i.e, about the ipad: the most incredible web experience ever <<-- just one example of many)

I agree he does give an excellent presentation, especially for product launches. But let's face it, a majorty of the population buying the devices won't have seen a keynote, or even be aware who jobs is tbh. These people will be lured in from other hype in the media and from their peers in many cases.

 

[Spook187]

the new features in the ipad 2 is a bit of a joke tbh,they could have fitted all of that in the orginal ipad,apple again ripping off at its best.

 

[theron]

I agree he does give an excellent presentation, especially for product launches. But let's face it, a majorty of the population buying the devices won't have seen a keynote, or even be aware who jobs is tbh. These people will be lured in from other hype in the media and from their peers in many cases.

and the media hype is caused by journalists being sent to watch steve jobs give his presentation and getting sucked into believing every word he says that the apple product is so much better in every single way than anything that has ever been made before. due to the way he presents himself and his company.

that article about jon ive was interesting, but just proves a company needs good designers. when the design went wrong (ie iphone4 antenna) i think it was 100% down to steve jobs that people didnt reject it entirely. people are still buying it now, and as far as i know, they havent actually fixed it (i mean REALLY fixed it).

 

[Mattus]

the new features in the ipad 2 is a bit of a joke tbh,they could have fitted all of that in the orginal ipad,apple again ripping off at its best.

Yeah - how dare Apple try to make money by releasing improved versions of its products!

 

[Deleted member 651465]

and the media hype is caused by journalists being sent to watch steve jobs give his presentation and getting sucked into believing every word he says that the apple product is so much better in every single way than anything that has ever been made before. due to the way he presents himself and his company.

that article about jon ive was interesting, but just proves a company needs good designers. when the design went wrong (ie iphone4 antenna) i think it was 100% down to steve jobs that people didnt reject it entirely. people are still buying it now, and as far as i know, they havent actually fixed it (i mean REALLY fixed it).

Why would any CEO not praise their products? He's hardly going to stand up and talk about how the iPad is the best product for x y z task, but oh wait it's not as good as [insert rival here] because it doesn't do a b c

I don't buy the point that the world's media are influenced by his keynotes. Yes, they talk about the RDF (reality distortion field), but in a negative way, if any.

 

[Slogan]

Yes I can really see one typing a longish email/document on an iPad - NOT.

With the likes of the keyboard dock it's not as bad as touch typing a long document. I personally wouldn't use a tablet to type a long e-mail but I bet there will be solutions to appease that particular problem in the future. I'm glad you were able to see what I was saying, in terms of the bigger picture - not. [I can do sarcasm too]

I know all about his influence (as a stock holder and long time user), but I think the company has moved on from the "OMG he's ill.. sell sell sell" attitude. If this was 2001, and he was gravely ill, then yes, I'd probably agree that he "was" Apple.

I believe this attitude changed shortly after his second departure (WWDC 2009), when Phil Schiller gave the keynote for the iPhone 3G and Tim Cook successfully guided the company while he was away.

As I said, they'll have long term plans for their product lineup, so they are safe in that regard, but they do need to pick a public speaker for when he leaves, which isn't necessarily the next CEO. It just needs to be the best speaker (Steve Jobs just happens to be both).

There's certainly more evidence to suggest that Apple will be okay in the post-Jobs era but personally I'm not convinced it will be. Steve is superb with the delivery of presentations as you mentioned but I would be more concerned about his behind-the-scenes attitude disappearing when he's gone.

I think it would be foolish to associate Steve as being the sole driving force behind Apple's major products but there's certainly a very calculated method to Apple's thinking on the 'final call', in products and strategies. A post-Jobs Apple may be one that lacks this ability to be ruthless and brutally stubborn - which I suppose works for and against Apple depending on how you wish to view it.

Would a post-Jobs Apple have released the white iPhone 4 when there was problems with it? Many companies would have got it out there (considering demand) and dealt with the consequences later. Apple annoyed many people by delaying it, but delaying and ultimately cancelling a phone in a different colour was a far better decision than the effect of forums and websites filled with complaints of Apple's poor product quality. To me at least, this was poor R&D from Apple (and I won't dress it up as anything else) but it was classic Jobs striving for perfection.

the new features in the ipad 2 is a bit of a joke tbh,they could have fitted all of that in the orginal ipad,apple again ripping off at its best.

You must be new to the world of technology. Hello there. Apple have been doing this for donkey's years. I'm going to let you in on a little secret, the camera in the iPad 2 could be better with current technology. Next year, Apple will release an iPad 3 with a better camera amongst other things.

Will people buy the iPad 3? Yes.
Why? Some will buy it because it has a better camera. Some will buy it for numerous other reasons.

Shocking I know.

 

[Mattus]

I think that Jobs has two attributes which make him a great Apple CEO:

• He understands why and how most people buy technology - i.e. based on quality of experience, rather than on spec sheets. His focus on developing the iOS ecosystem has been very shrewd and almost fanatical.
• He's really, really passionate about Apple products and the experiences they offer. When he uses words like 'magical' and 'revolutionary', I don't doubt that that's genuinely how he perceives the product in question. He realises that if you make things which you're truly passionate about, the consumer will be too and you'll make lots of money. (What on earth is Samsung doing, publicly admitting that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 isn't up to scratch? If you don't have any faith in your own product, why do you expect the consumer to have any?)

When Steve's gone, I'm sure that a company with Apple's resources will be able to find somebody else who can deliver a good presentation. But finding somebody who understands the value of the customer's experience so profoundly and is able to orient everything the company does around that experience will be tougher.

 

[Fr0dders]

I think Apple's biggest problem if Steve left would be to find the next big thing.

He ushered in the whole "post pc device" era.

But what next ?? whats the next big thing, the next ipad ? the next thing to shock the world.

THats where they'd struggle imo.

 

[Si105]

I love Apple, but it is just a big iPod touch with a few extra features. I can see why it sells though, and if I had spare money i'd get one.

 

[Faustus]

Faustus is stuck in his views after using someone else's iPad for a moment and it seems it's fine to sprout the same sermon on every iPad thread that comes up here. It's been happening the whole year...I'm waiting for him to find another hobby....

Raymond, why can you not accept that there are many of us out there who do not see the iPad as the best thing since sliced bread. We all know you have a professional use for it and as I said previously it does have a use for such things.

I have an iMac and couldn't care less if people **** it off or not. I'm confident and comfortable enough in my skin to not care what others think and yet you seem to have to rush to defend Apple and their products at every opportunity - why? I think Steve Jobs has enough money not to care what others think also.