Re: Cory Doctorow on iPad, Apple ][+

[DaveSchmenk <dschmenk@gmail.com>]

On Apr 5, 9:54 am, datajerk <dataj...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Apr 3, 11:09 pm, Calibrator <calibra...@freenet.de> wrote:
>
> > On Apr 3, 9:57 pm, Mike <magin...@computist-project.net> wrote:
>
> > > Interesting article, though my own reasons for not buying one aren't
> > > as idealistic.
>
> > Care to elaborate as I'm on still the fence?
>
> > thx
> > Marcus
>
> If you do not mind I'll throw in my $0.02 US:
>
> My 32GB iPad arrive in the mail on Sat.  IMHO, the iPhone is a great
> communications (voice and text) device and audio device, but the
> visual experience is lacking on such a small screen.  IMHO, the iPad
> is primarily a device to consume visual media (games, books, video,
> web).  Neither is well suited for content creation (e.g. lots of
> email).  Both need a computer.  Both are great application platforms.
>
> The three reasons I got the iPad:
>
> 1.  Form factor.  I spend ~40 hours a month on planes and another
> 20-40 in taxis.  I find that my 15" MBP just too large.  Unless I need
> to type a lot of email or code I generally just read articles, web
> (Delta has WiFi), catch up on TiVo shows, etc...  The smaller form
> factor makes it ideal for that purpose.
>
> 2.  Battery life.  Some have measured 11.5 hours.  I have to charge my
> iPhone daily.  I often stop using my iPhone as a media/web device when
> the battery starts to dip because I really need it to be a phone.  My
> battery still has 47% and I've used it for hours over the last 2 days.
>
> 3.  Media consolidation.  Most of my magazines and journals I read
> have a digital option.  I travel with more than 1.5lb of paper.  The
> iPad is 1.5lb.  I'd really like to be paper free.  I was also
> considering a "nook" for e-books last year.  I am glad BN had delays
> and that Apple announced in January.  I think the iPad is a better
> eBook reader.
>
> Things I do not like:
>
> 1.  No flash.  At first I didn't think it'd be an issue since I never
> visit flash-based site on my iPhone.  But I do visit flash-based sites
> on my MBP and with the larger iPad screen I did hit a number of flash
> sites (e.g. take-out menus) that I normally never considered
> connecting to with my iPhone.  I do not think that sites that use
> flash outside of video will be rushing to HTML 5.  The iPhone OS is
> the number one mobile web browser, yet I still need my Mac to read
> many sites that use flash for navigation.  The point is that with
> millions of iPhones out there, many sites still use flash for basic
> navigation--change is slow or nonexistent.  I predict the #1 JB app
> for the iPad will be a browser with flash support.
>
> 2.  Freedom to run any app I choose.  This really didn't bother me too
> much with the iPhone, the gains outweighed the losses.  Plus I could
> just jailbreak to run the one app that I really wanted.  With the
> number of apps being built as universal then you are forced (unless
> you want to put some effort into it) to have both platforms at the
> correct OS versions.  I lost 7 apps on my last sync because they
> required 3.1.3 and iTunes just deleted them from my iPhone (including
> data) without asking.  I had to install 3.1.3 to get them back (I was
> out of the office without access to time machine).  I see this as
> being a reoccurring problem.
>
> Summary:
>
> I like it.  I see it increasing my overall life productivity.  I can
> take it places where my MBP would just be in the way and quickly out
> of power.  No more, "I'll have to wait until I get to my MBP because I
> need a larger screen", e.g. VNC sessions, large memory web sites.
>
> If you cannot find a use case for it, then I'd not get it.  I think as
> apps release and the price drops that you may find your use case.
> This was true for me.  All phones do text, voice, and audio.  But it
> was an app that convinced me to get the iPhone 3G.
I have to confess that I just picked up a 32GB iPad as well.  It is
quite a bit more than an uber-iTouch, but much less than a laptop. The
form factor sold me.  Very intimate and easy to use for the few things
it does.  VNC is the killer app for me, along with mail and browser. I
like to check on email and do a little browsing in bed before dozing -
my iPhone is just a little too small and a laptop is just a little too
big (even my 12" PowerBook).

Typing on it feels much like the old Tandy Model 100.  If it only had
AppleSoft.

Dave...