The Aaron Bowley
The iPad. Not impressed. With this generation anyway. Don’t get me wrong, this is the future. This product is a great example of where techonology is headed. But I will not be purchasing this product. Maybe 2nd generation. But maybe not until 3rd. Then again, maybe never. I enjoy Apple products. I don’t own any, as I am savvy enough to build my own computers, and smart enough to recoginze how ridiculously overpriced their products are compared to, well, just about anyone elses. (NOT to imply that the purchase of a Mac is for the un-intelligent, however I have a businesses to run and clients to think about, and my money is better spent on investments and improving the quality of my actual services than to buy myself a fancy laptop) (And for the record, I’ll probably be buying a Mac later this year, k!) Prices on Mac’s are typically at least 3 times more expensive than their PC counterparts (and I am talking about with the exact same internal parts). My Quad-Core beast of a recording studio computer (which runs flawlessly, and has yet to ever go beyond 25% of it’s potential even when I’m tracking 14 tracks simultaneously with multiple plug-ins running) cost me about $1500. That’s including a 28” screen. Want to know how much that would cost me if I got a Mac Pro? About $5,000, not including their “Cinema Display” which runs at almost a grand on it’s own. (for the 24”). My 28” screen looks great and cost me 300 bucks. (Even my new 42” HD Plasma screen in my living room only cost me $550) You can even get a TOP end quad core PC laptop with all the same parts as a top end Macbook Pro for about half the price. (I have Windows 7 on my laptop and studio computer, and Windows has yet to crash, I have never gotten any kind of virus - I don’t even have any 3rd party anti-virus software! But for the record, Vista blew) Then again, there are some incredible things in a Mac. iChat and iMovie, Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, etc. As well as a plethora of conveniences that leave the PC market way behind, eating their dust. However as much as I would like to enjoy those Mac perks, I can’t justify the enourmous price difference. Like I said before, I do believe it’s Apple paving the way fo computer and handheld technology. I would hate to think how far back we’d still be without them. Would we even be using touch screens yet? However I still do not believe that the premium on these devices justifies their creativity. I can see a 20% markup on their devices. 30% even. But a full 100%-300%+ markup on some of their products? Give me a break. So why am I not impressed with the iPad? For one, what the heck am I going to do with it? In the video’s I see a lot of people sitting down on the floor with the iPad on their lap angled towards them. The problem is, I’m an adult, and I don’t sit around on the floor, I sit at desks. In chairs, on the couch. As I type this right now, my laptop is on the coffee table. If this were a iPad, the screen would be facing straight up, and I’d have to be bend way far forward, hurting both my neck and my back to have a decent look at what I am doing. So I am not about to set this thing down on the table and watch a movie on it while I’m eating my lunch. So it’s not replacing my laptop, and it’s not replacing my tv. I should also point out, as far as typing goes, that the people who text me with BY FAR the most typos in their texts are definitely the iPhone users, and this iPad will be no different. As I’m typing this right now, my hands are touching all sorts of keys as they move around, or as I rest my hands on the keyboard as I gather my thoughts. Can’t do that on an iPad because you’ll definitely be typing all sorts of gibberish. So if you want to type a lot on this thing, you’ll have to have your hands in this awkward, super careful floating position over the device, and that’s neither quick nor is it good for your hands and wrists. I’m aware of the keyboard dock, which either means you’ll have to carry that around with you to have a decent typing experience or you’d have to go to your dock. Not terribly convenient, and again will not replace laptops and netbooks. Also, I believe what Jobs said about netbooks is horribly stupid, the kind of comment I would normally expect from Microsoft super moron Steve Ballmer. Netbooks aren’t good because they don’t do anything better? You’ve got to be kidding me. They are cheaper, and extra portable. I don’t need a 24” Cinema Display and a blazing fast quad-core chip to check my e-mail, browse the web, chat on Facebook, or watch a tv show during a flight. To compare them to devices that are cutting edge is stupid. They are cutting edge in price, not cutting edge quality. They are better at giving average joe exactly what he needs at an extremely low price. So what are the pro’s for this iPad thing? Although this thing is going to suck for laying in bed trying to Facebook chat, it’ll be great for reading books, blogs, articles, etc. It’ll be just fine for watching a quick tv show before snoozing (I wouldn’t want to have to have this thing propped up on my lap for 2 hours during a movie!). It’ll be fun I am sure to shop online, play with different apps. Looking at picture will be fine, and it plays music, too. I highly doubt you’ll see many people playing games though on this thing haha. So when will I buy it? I’m not sure. If it had a wireless HDMI out (and if more TV’s and monitors had wireless HDMI receivers, the technology has been out a while now, come on people) there could be some potential. Say I want to watch a movie, but I definitely don’t want to watch it on my inconvenient and small iPad screen, just select my big screen tv from a little drop down menu and boom, we’re in business. Other than that, I’m not convinced of a reason to have this replace anything already out there. Is it going to replace my cell phone? Of course not, you can chat and browse the web on your smartphone or iPhone, and that fits in your pocket. Typing sucks on this thing, so it’s not going to replace your laptop/netbook. It certainly doesn’t replace your desktop or your TV at home. So what does it replace? Right now, pretty much just the eReader/Kindle market, which even then struggles to compete with the laptop and netbook market. (It’s cool that you can read things on a Kindle, but you know what, I can read plenty of stuff on a laptop/netbook too!) So again, I don’t mean to rag on Apple. I think they are a brilliant company, and I truly am grateful for the wonderful things they do, although I believe they still are far too expensive (but then again, a lot of people buy their products, not everyone pays as much attention to what is actually in these devices and how inflated the prices are as I do). And this product I believe will continue to push things forward (why buy a Kindle when you can have this fancy and attractive gizmo) but this 1st generation is definitely something I can do without. AND it doesn’t have USB ports. I need to finally take a shower now, more to come :P

The iPad.

Not impressed.

With this generation anyway.

Don’t get me wrong, this is the future. This product is a great example of where techonology is headed. But I will not be purchasing this product. Maybe 2nd generation. But maybe not until 3rd. Then again, maybe never.

I enjoy Apple products. I don’t own any, as I am savvy enough to build my own computers, and smart enough to recoginze how ridiculously overpriced their products are compared to, well, just about anyone elses. (NOT to imply that the purchase of a Mac is for the un-intelligent, however I have a businesses to run and clients to think about, and my money is better spent on investments and improving the quality of my actual services than to buy myself a fancy laptop) (And for the record, I’ll probably be buying a Mac later this year, k!) Prices on Mac’s are typically at least 3 times more expensive than their PC counterparts (and I am talking about with the exact same internal parts). My Quad-Core beast of a recording studio computer (which runs flawlessly, and has yet to ever go beyond 25% of it’s potential even when I’m tracking 14 tracks simultaneously with multiple plug-ins running) cost me about $1500. That’s including a 28” screen. Want to know how much that would cost me if I got a Mac Pro? About $5,000, not including their “Cinema Display” which runs at almost a grand on it’s own. (for the 24”). My 28” screen looks great and cost me 300 bucks. (Even my new 42” HD Plasma screen in my living room only cost me $550) You can even get a TOP end quad core PC laptop with all the same parts as a top end Macbook Pro for about half the price. (I have Windows 7 on my laptop and studio computer, and Windows has yet to crash, I have never gotten any kind of virus - I don’t even have any 3rd party anti-virus software! But for the record, Vista blew)

Then again, there are some incredible things in a Mac. iChat and iMovie, Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, etc. As well as a plethora of conveniences that leave the PC market way behind, eating their dust. However as much as I would like to enjoy those Mac perks, I can’t justify the enourmous price difference.

Like I said before, I do believe it’s Apple paving the way fo computer and handheld technology. I would hate to think how far back we’d still be without them. Would we even be using touch screens yet? However I still do not believe that the premium on these devices justifies their creativity. I can see a 20% markup on their devices. 30% even. But a full 100%-300%+ markup on some of their products? Give me a break.

So why am I not impressed with the iPad? For one, what the heck am I going to do with it? In the video’s I see a lot of people sitting down on the floor with the iPad on their lap angled towards them. The problem is, I’m an adult, and I don’t sit around on the floor, I sit at desks. In chairs, on the couch. As I type this right now, my laptop is on the coffee table. If this were a iPad, the screen would be facing straight up, and I’d have to be bend way far forward, hurting both my neck and my back to have a decent look at what I am doing. So I am not about to set this thing down on the table and watch a movie on it while I’m eating my lunch. So it’s not replacing my laptop, and it’s not replacing my tv. I should also point out, as far as typing goes, that the people who text me with BY FAR the most typos in their texts are definitely the iPhone users, and this iPad will be no different. As I’m typing this right now, my hands are touching all sorts of keys as they move around, or as I rest my hands on the keyboard as I gather my thoughts. Can’t do that on an iPad because you’ll definitely be typing all sorts of gibberish. So if you want to type a lot on this thing, you’ll have to have your hands in this awkward, super careful floating position over the device, and that’s neither quick nor is it good for your hands and wrists. I’m aware of the keyboard dock, which either means you’ll have to carry that around with you to have a decent typing experience or you’d have to go to your dock. Not terribly convenient, and again will not replace laptops and netbooks.

Also, I believe what Jobs said about netbooks is horribly stupid, the kind of comment I would normally expect from Microsoft super moron Steve Ballmer. Netbooks aren’t good because they don’t do anything better? You’ve got to be kidding me. They are cheaper, and extra portable. I don’t need a 24” Cinema Display and a blazing fast quad-core chip to check my e-mail, browse the web, chat on Facebook, or watch a tv show during a flight. To compare them to devices that are cutting edge is stupid. They are cutting edge in price, not cutting edge quality. They are better at giving average joe exactly what he needs at an extremely low price.

So what are the pro’s for this iPad thing? Although this thing is going to suck for laying in bed trying to Facebook chat, it’ll be great for reading books, blogs, articles, etc. It’ll be just fine for watching a quick tv show before snoozing (I wouldn’t want to have to have this thing propped up on my lap for 2 hours during a movie!). It’ll be fun I am sure to shop online, play with different apps. Looking at picture will be fine, and it plays music, too. I highly doubt you’ll see many people playing games though on this thing haha.

So when will I buy it? I’m not sure. If it had a wireless HDMI out (and if more TV’s and monitors had wireless HDMI receivers, the technology has been out a while now, come on people) there could be some potential. Say I want to watch a movie, but I definitely don’t want to watch it on my inconvenient and small iPad screen, just select my big screen tv from a little drop down menu and boom, we’re in business. Other than that, I’m not convinced of a reason to have this replace anything already out there. Is it going to replace my cell phone? Of course not, you can chat and browse the web on your smartphone or iPhone, and that fits in your pocket. Typing sucks on this thing, so it’s not going to replace your laptop/netbook. It certainly doesn’t replace your desktop or your TV at home. So what does it replace? Right now, pretty much just the eReader/Kindle market, which even then struggles to compete with the laptop and netbook market. (It’s cool that you can read things on a Kindle, but you know what, I can read plenty of stuff on a laptop/netbook too!)

So again, I don’t mean to rag on Apple. I think they are a brilliant company, and I truly am grateful for the wonderful things they do, although I believe they still are far too expensive (but then again, a lot of people buy their products, not everyone pays as much attention to what is actually in these devices and how inflated the prices are as I do).

And this product I believe will continue to push things forward (why buy a Kindle when you can have this fancy and attractive gizmo) but this 1st generation is definitely something I can do without. AND it doesn’t have USB ports.

I need to finally take a shower now, more to come :P

Posted 2 years ago
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