Apple iPad

[Channel Ribs]

... $820 or so in the US... so probably £820 or so in the UK.

... my netbook cost about £300, tethers to a dongle...

In the US a Mac Mini sells for 599 USD, in the UK they are 520 GBP so it would be reasonable to expect something other than a 1:1 price conversion.

If your Netbook requires an external device to make an internet connection then I am not sure it is a direct comparison with the iPad model with built in 3G cellular coverage?

The big attraction for me is the price of software: Navionics for 15 pounds, word processor for 10, and so on....

 

[Seahope]

As something to have on your lap on the sofa, it looks like a winner to me, so long as you don't have to do much typing, else the laptop still wins.

The killer app might well be "iBooks", plus games, internet, watching downloaded tv etc.

If the price was £299, I'd buy one tomorrow.

Sitting here with an iPhone 3GS in my pocket an ipod in my laptop bag and a macbook on my lap I initially thought what would I want one of those for? I agree though, I'd prefer to browse the web using a thinner lighter device so if they were cheaper I'd buy one as soon as I could. Given Apple's trend on converting the dollar price to pounds they will be too rich for me for a while yet though.

 

[Major Catastrophe]

I'll stick with my hard wired Big Bertha laptop. It has served me through many a campaign along with my personal thunderbox and Foldaway cot.

 

[Morpheous]

Quote from BBC web site:

"although the device has received rave reviews form some quarters, others have pointed out some of its failings.

For example, it does not support multi-tasking, the ability to have more than one application open at any one time.

Also absent is a camera and Flash, the ubiquitous software that handles video and animation on the web. "

Think I will wait for version 2.

 

[MarieK]

It looks like they have just taken the Iphone and doubled its dimensions, literally!

I still would like one though!

 

[FunkyMonkey]

Given the opportunity to surf the web on this or a net book, id take this every time even without flash. I have kept away from the tablet pc’s because they are basically running adapted pc software; as this has been designed around the touch screen taking its general format from the iphone so should be great to navigate.

With the complexity of modern software i think all interfaces will have to go this way eventually as there is just too much information to navigate otherwise; we will all have to bite the bullet at some point. Buttons are to general and specific on the range of applications we expect to handle.

I don’t need one as our house already has 2 laptops, 2 iphones, an ipod and net book........but i want one!

Steve jobs said it in the presentation "net books are not good at anything" but they still sell by the droves.

I think we demand too much from a single product these days this will make a great web surfer/photo sharer is that no enough? The camera phone is the perfect example of this; you end up with a useless phone with a mediocre camera that plays games and is slow with no battery life, then complain about the quality of the camera/signal/speed. I’ve resided to the fact that if im serious about a particular function then I will get a product to perform that function well; this represents a nice balance of functions, why would I want a camera in it, im not sure why would I want to multitask when im sitting at home surfing the web or reading a book?

btw im not techy at all this is jsut a regular persons view on the product!

 

[Channel Ribs]

I think we demand too much from a single product these days this will make a great web surfer/photo sharer is that no enough?

I think it is.

What a lovely way to browse charts and tidal data.

I do not want it to be waterproof, I have a plotter for that. I do not expect it to have huge battery life, it would be too big to hold if it had a bigger battery and a 12v charger is rarely very far away.

I can see it becoming my digital clipboard very quickly, it will fit very nicely into my chart case where a laptop would not. Very handy when doing training too, as it saves having arm loads of books with lights/shapes etc etc etc.

 

[Morpheous]

I'm coming to a similar conclusion after a recent experience when my (not very) smart phone packed up. While waiting for new one, I used an old Nokia 6310i and can to the realisation that what I what I need in a phone - is for it to be a reliable phone. Couldn't believe how good that old phone was. If I want internet use a computer. I have a Q1 tablet type thing that works ok on the move, but the reality is I always have a laptop handy. I also use an ebook reader which I love.

 

[oceanfroggie]

See HERE iPad crazy

• Like iPhone it's browser still doesn't seem to support Flash which rules out some content on web sites. As per launch demo glitch.
• It can only run ONE app at a time to you can't check an email in the middle of browsing without exiting one app and starting another (ie no windows, but that might be a good thing).
• No 3G in the standard $500 model only the $800 model.
• ONLY 10hrs stated battery life, more likely 5-6, so won't get you through a busy day.
• iTunes still cannot compress and transfer DVDs directly to iPad, iPhone or iTouch, you still have to use 3rd party software to rip dvds to mp4 files yourself and then import into iTunes (ie cucusoft for w32).
• It's a very nice product but at $800 will probably be close to £700 in UK for the 3G broadband model (ie truely portable internet access)

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[holderone]

Worth a laugh if you haven't seen it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQnT0zp8Ya4