Breaking News: Apple Announces the iPad 3 March 7, 2012

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

You have got to be kidding me. 64GB is the largest HD in the initial release? Wow. Well, I was pretty interested in this devide, now, not so much.

They are only going to go solid state in the device, no hope for a platter based HDD.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by DanGarion

Flash. Not a flash.

So basically it counts it out as a sweet porn device.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by RedKingGold

Looking foward to the influx of menstruation jokes.

See, I give Nintendo a pass on 'Wii,' because you wouldn't expect the Japanese parent company to necessarily go "Oh...there might be penis jokes if we use that name."

What's Apple's excuse?

And how long until we get a device aimed at "casual gamers" where the developers don't even mess around with innuendo, intended or otherwise, and just call it a 'Raging Boner,' because that's what using it will do for you?

[RainMaker]

Isn't it just a less functional version of the Sony Dash that costs $300 more?

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Mac Howard

It's a good price. Battery life looks good. Portability is good. It just isn't the great breakthrough that we were led to expect.

But who led you to expect anything? It certainly wasn't Apple since they have said absolutely nothing about the product before today.

[Draft Dodger]

iPad vs. stone tablet | Doobybrain.com

[Tasan]

[dawgfan]

I'm really not getting this device - I just don't understand why I'd want one or what I'd use it for.

I'm neutral on Apple - I have an iPhone and iPod and love them, hate iTunes, feel like Macs are overpriced, and I'm bothered by the superiority complex that Mac users have.

I'm sure the Apple fanboys will gobble them up, but for more neutral people like me, I fail to see how this is going to generate much enthusiasm.

[DaddyTorgo]

It's sad.

I was talking with my mother about this last night - my father overheard and he got RABIDLY upset. Like full on "Apple Fanboy" upset. "Ohhh so I guess Apple hasn't sold millions of Ipods and millions of Iphones. I'm sure they don't know what they're doing."

Very...weird. And my father is no luddite...he's worked in software development for the last like...30 years. He's also never been prone to being an "Apple Fanboy" before - in fact all of his development up until recently when he crossed over into more online video work, had been for PC's (LotusNotes, 1-2-3, Quattro Pro, etc).

The fact that he got obstinate and refused to listen to my legitmate points of criticism (which have been discussed upthread) was very shocking. He's been brainwashed by the IPhone.

[SportsDino]

I'm thinking of getting a tablet because I'm a habitual doodler and have literally thousands of pages of notes/sketches I can't find anything in. Deciding its time to waste some money and go techie, start tagging everything I write...

That said, without multitasking... not sure I'd go with an iPad, I can forgive just about everything else but its not like multiple processes on a machine is anything new Apple! When you start losing the market willing to pay several hundred just for a fancified notepad you messed up something in your design meeting (I literally care nothing for most apps other than web-surfing, although ahem FLASH mother******s!!!).

If you can't convince a rich nerd who just wants to doodle all day in technicolor for the most part you have failed!

[Logan]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

But who led you to expect anything? It certainly wasn't Apple since they have said absolutely nothing about the product before today.

Maybe not officially, but hype doesn't come out of thin air.

The launch of the iPad was perhaps the most anticipated in Apple's history, eclipsing even the iPhone three years ago. On the Web and on Wall Street, speculation reached a fever pitch, transforming the iPad into a device of mythical proportions, some details of which turned out to be false. A few disappointments: no built-in camera, no video chat, no multitasking between different applications, no ability to play Flash content from websites.

Apple unveils the iPad, its highly anticipated tablet computer - latimes.com

[JPhillips]

I've read speculation that this is the beginning of a push into the college textbook market. If that's the case it may indeed be a good idea.

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by Pyser

yes. but its not as bad as it sounds. you leave safari to make your call (music automatically pauses), when your call is done the music restarts. then go to your app. then close that, and when you go back into safari its still on the same page you left it (and you can have multiple safari pages open at once)

Thanks that makes sense.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I thought Kindle already had started the push into the college textbook market. Or maybe that was just some speculation.

As for the iPad being "perhaps the most anticipated [release] in Apple's history", I must be totally out of the loop beause until yesterday (or whatever day it was released), I had no idea that Apple was planning on releasing any new product around this time. It caught me completely unawares.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I thought Kindle already had started the push into the college textbook market. Or maybe that was just some speculation.

As for the iPad being "perhaps the most anticipated [release] in Apple's history", I must be totally out of the loop beause until yesterday (or whatever day it was released), I had no idea that Apple was planning on releasing any new product around this time. It caught me completely unawares.

Yeah, but from what I've read Kindle doesn't have enough color and video capabilities to excel.

As a prof I'd love to transition to e texts as they should be cheaper and would allow embedded videos, interactive charts/graphs, customizable content, etc. I don't think, though, that enough students are ready to make the transition to make it profitable for equipment manufacturers or content providers. Eventually the tipping point will arrive, but my experience in the classroom suggests we aren't there yet.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Yeah, but from what I've read Kindle doesn't have enough color and video capabilities to excel.

As a prof I'd love to transition to e texts as they should be cheaper and would allow embedded videos, interactive charts/graphs, customizable content, etc. I don't think, though, that enough students are ready to make the transition to make it profitable for equipment manufacturers or content providers. Eventually the tipping point will arrive, but my experience in the classroom suggests we aren't there yet.

That would be pretty cool to see. I imagine it wont take that long for it to happen.

While the comparison is not spot on, I remember when I started law school in 1997 there was one guy with a laptop in our class and we deemed him "Laptop Boy." By the time I graduated in 2000, about 50% of the students had a laptop in class.

[DaddyTorgo]

you don't want to read your textbook on an active screen though, that's the issue

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I thought Kindle already had started the push into the college textbook market. Or maybe that was just some speculation.

Its that sort of thing which I've been keeping an eye on the kindle for - whenever I travel for work I have to lug programming books with me and these things are heavy

As such I've been very tempted by the kindle in the past, but not given in simply because I'm a bookworm and I actively LIKE real books more than reading in an electronic format, yeah they're heavy and take up space - but thats something I can live with for the joy of being able to physically flip pages and scribble notes on them.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

you don't want to read your textbook on an active screen though, that's the issue

Yup. Color and video may be great, but not if you can't read them for very long.

The future may actually be one of the recent e-readers that was announced / came out that opens up and the left side is e-ink for text and the right is a more typical active display for web browsing, etc. That might work. But the vast majority of text books would do just fine on a Kindle DX that has e-ink and the larger screen. And many textbooks are already available.

As e-ink comes down with the improved tech to merge the display / controller into one, you'll see more DX-sized devices that will be awesome for textbooks.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Yup. Color and video may be great, but not if you can't read them for very long.

The future may actually be one of the recent e-readers that was announced / came out that opens up and the left side is e-ink for text and the right is a more typical active display for web browsing, etc. That might work. But the vast majority of text books would do just fine on a Kindle DX that has e-ink and the larger screen. And many textbooks are already available.

As e-ink comes down with the improved tech to merge the display / controller into one, you'll see more DX-sized devices that will be awesome for textbooks.

they have those dual-screen ones?? really?? i want one!!

[Drake]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

iPad vs. stone tablet | Doobybrain.com

I really enjoyed this.

[dervack]

Speculation is that multi-tasking will be added when apple updates the iPhone OS to 4.0 in July. I was excited to learn more about the tablet, but mark me in the underwhelmed category.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Logan

Maybe not officially, but hype doesn't come out of thin air.



Apple unveils the iPad, its highly anticipated tablet computer - latimes.com

No, in this case it came from people combing through patent filings and using vague references from 'people in the know'. The fact is, if I start working on a product that will show holographic images, and word gets out because I file for some patents and some of my necessary 3rd party partners leak "Fidatelo is making a hologram projector!", it's not really my fault when 6 months later people have built up in their mind the exact product they are going to receive and then the actual product doesn't match their wildest dreams. "Why doesn't your holographic projector display in 2 rooms at once??? I heard that it would!!".

I'm not saying iPad is perfect (its certainly not), but people made a lot of assumptions based on zero information and then got disappointed, which isn't entirely fair to Apple, I don't think.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Yup. Color and video may be great, but not if you can't read them for very long.

The future may actually be one of the recent e-readers that was announced / came out that opens up and the left side is e-ink for text and the right is a more typical active display for web browsing, etc. That might work. But the vast majority of text books would do just fine on a Kindle DX that has e-ink and the larger screen. And many textbooks are already available.

As e-ink comes down with the improved tech to merge the display / controller into one, you'll see more DX-sized devices that will be awesome for textbooks.

I agree current textbooks would work on Kindle and I don't know much about the IPad, but my dreams are much bigger. I want the full functionality of the web accessible within the textbook format. I want text with embedded links to previous material so students can better connect from chapter to chapter. I want performance pictures, but more importantly performance video available within the text. I want design texts that incorporate CAD demonstrations into the text itself. I want live updates of regional performances that connect with the current chapter. I want editable texts so I can create the text book that best suits my class.

I want the textbook to come into the 21st century. I don't care as much about the reader as I do the content.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

No, in this case it came from people combing through patent filings and using vague references from 'people in the know'.

Do you really think analysts within investment banks/hedge funds/money managers - whose sole job it is to cover a very narrow field - get their information like that?

[Cringer]

I still laugh at the name of this thing. The funny thing is there is of course a fight over the name now with Fujitsu who have used it since 2002.

Apple and Fujitsu inevitably caught up in iPad trademark dispute -- Engadget

[stevew]

Originally Posted by brassmonkey32

this is literally 20 posts up in the same exact thread.

[ISiddiqui]

8 Things That Suck About the iPad - apple ipad - Gizmodo

A lot of people at Gizmodo are psyched about the iPad. Not me! My god, am I underwhelmed by it. It has some absolutely backbreaking failures that will make buying one the last thing I would want to do. Updated
Big, Ugly Bezel
Have you seen the bezel on this thing?! It's huge! I know you don't want to accidentally input a command when your thumb is holding it, but come on.
No Multitasking
This is a backbreaker. If this is supposed to be a replacement for netbooks, how can it possibly not have multitasking? Are you saying I can't listen to Pandora while writing a document? I can't have my Twitter app open at the same time as my browser? I can't have AIM open at the same time as my email? Are you kidding me? This alone guarantees that I will not buy this product.
No Cameras
No front facing camera is one thing. But no back facing camera either? Why the hell not? I can't imagine what the downside was for including at least one camera. Could this thing not handle video iChat?
Touch Keyboard
So much for Apple revolutionizing tablet inputs; this is the same big, ugly touchscreen keyboard we've seen on other tablets, and unless you're lying on the couch with your knees propping it up, it'll be awkward to use.
No HDMI Out
Want to watch those nice HD videos you downloaded from iTunes on your TV? Too damned bad! If you were truly loyal, you'd just buy an AppleTV already.
The Name iPad
Get ready for Maxi pad jokes, and lots of 'em!
No Flash
No Flash is annoying but not a dealbreaker on the iPhone and iPod Touch. On something that's supposed to be closer to a netbook or laptop? It will leave huge, gaping holes in websites. I hope you don't care about streaming video! God knows not many casual internet users do. Oh wait, nevermind, they all do.
Adapters, Adapters, Adapters
So much for those smooth lines. If you want to plug anything into this, such as a digital camera, you need all sorts of ugly adapters. You need an adapter for USB for god's sake.
Update: Why stop at 8? Here are more things we are discovering that suck about the iPad.
It's Not Widescreen
Widescreen movies look lousy on this thing thanks to its 4:3 screen, according to Blam, who checked out some of Star Trek on one. It's like owning a 4:3 TV all over again!
Doesn't Support T-Mobile 3G
Sure, it's "unlocked." But it won't work on T-Mobile, and it uses microSIMs that literally no one else uses.
A Closed App Ecosystem
The iPad only runs apps from the App Store. The same App Store that is notorious for banning apps for no real reason, such as Google Voice. Sure, netbooks might not have touchscreens, but you can install whatever software you'd like on them. Want to run a different browser on your iPad? Too bad!

It's not widescreen? Seriously?! In this age? I knew about the rest (well, aside for the no HDMI out and needing an adapter for USB, which are both WTF), but really...

[DaddyTorgo]

wtf - this device just looks stupider and stupider

[Passacaglia]

Didn't Jobs say at the beginning of the conference that netbooks are just cheap low-quality laptops? That seems ironic, given the rest of the conference.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

Didn't Jobs say at the beginning of the conference that netbooks are just cheap low-quality laptops? That seems ironic, given the rest of the conference.

given that he's trying to introduce an overly-expensive, lower-quality "netbook-esque" device...yep

[Subby]

I am really encouraged by it. There is no way I would buy one, but it is absolutely a step in the right direction. Two years from now I would expect it to be extremely useful and at that point I would probably seriously consider getting one, particularly once they fix the eight things that suck about it. If they fix them, it will be an incredible device.

[Drake]

I just sent you a fax. Did you get it?

[RainMaker]

So I'm going to guess the 2nd generation will be out by Christmas and will have a lot of those features that everyone wants. So they grab all the sales from the fanboys who buy every Apple product ever and then grab the whole market around the holidays (as well as the fanboys who need to upgrade).

Might not be a bad move.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Logan

Do you really think analysts within investment banks/hedge funds/money managers - whose sole job it is to cover a very narrow field - get their information like that?

So you're saying that all the hype built up amidst consumers was driven by money managers? That's an interesting claim, and one that I can't understand.

The hype as I, a general consumer understand it, has come from articles on tech sites and blogs and twitter and facebook and word of mouth, etc. I've read many articles or posts about how people suspected the tablet would have feature X because some dude filed a patent or there was an order for 3 million super-duper-resister chips at a Chinese factory and they could really only have one imagined use. I don't remember many articles that said the Apple tablet would be capable of Feature Y because Joe Bigbucks at BigBucks & Bartleby said so.

But lets say you're right: Joe BigBucks has the inside scoop and that's where all the rumors fed from. If that's the case, why was Joe so wrong? Why is this such a disappointment? If his whole Job is to nail this shit, why are we all amazed that this thing doesn't live up to the rampant speculation?

[Glengoyne]

I'm skeptical, but as an iPod Touch owner and fan. I can see where this thing would take off. We may not be the target audience.

[MJ4H]

What is the target audience, 14 foot tall ipod touch fans?

[stevew]

I wish RIM would make a tablet. Or something with an android OS. The shortfalls of this thing make it useless to me

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

What is the target audience, 14 foot tall ipod touch fans?

i'm freely stealing from this thread when i talk about this thing and i'm totally using this

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

So I'm going to guess the 2nd generation will be out by Christmas and will have a lot of those features that everyone wants. So they grab all the sales from the fanboys who buy every Apple product ever and then grab the whole market around the holidays (as well as the fanboys who need to upgrade).

Might not be a bad move.

Well, I was debating on updating my kindle to next gen or wait for apple's tablet. These features have me so underwhelmed, I'm looking at ordering the kindle upgrade sometime next week. by the time they get the features out, I'll be locked into a new technology.

[Cringer]

Jailbreakers...hackers, whatever you want to call them, have already ported the iPad's iPhoneOS 3.2 over to a Touch, so now you don't even need to buy an iPad. Hehe.

[JimboJ]

If I can buy a 16 Gb SD card for $40, why does the 32 gb iPad cost $100 more than the 16 Gb version? Are you getting anything other than more memory? If not, this is nothing more than price gouging. They know most people will not want the 16 Gb version, and will be forced to pay a ridiculous amount just for more memory.

Why not make it expandable with SD cards?

[Comey]

Hmmm...I dunno. Pee-Wee seems to like his. Really helps at parties.

Pee-wee Gets An iPad! from Pee-wee Herman

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by JimboJ

Why not make it expandable with SD cards?

Cause its Apple.

[MJ4H]

[stevew]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

What is the target audience, 14 foot tall ipod touch fans?

Obviously designed for the native people of Pandora.

[Glengoyne]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

This one is my favorite.

What I meant by target audience is this.

My wife and kids liked my iPod Touch so much I bought one for my wife. We are both constantly utilizing the devices. Rather than whiling away time watching TV, we while away time with the touches. There are games and utilities galore as well as the music and audio books I utilize it for.

Give the app developers time, and the new format will take off even farther as this thing could absolutely fit the bill as the PC my wife wants in the kitchen, as a utility for teachers in the class room, or as a big ass organizer that will replace some people's planners. There are lots of legitimate uses for the existing touch. Deploying it in a larger format should expand those possibilities. So while I'm skeptical and cynical regarding this release, I can still see that this device has a lot of potential.

Ground Breaking; The device isn't. The format... and what the app developers will do with it. I think that might be enough to make it HUGE. Not just bigger than it already is...I mean a huge commercial success.

[MJ4H]

I think the point is this: we understand why a device as small as the ipod touch has limitations. We do not understand why a device as large as the ipad has nearly the same limitations. It makes no sense. I mean most of these things it seems would be trivial to add or even a pain to actually not have.

Yes the device has some potential. But it is just foolishness that keeps it from having incredible potential.

[Klinglerware]

The convertible laptop/touchscreen tablet has been around for years. If there was incredible potential in the form factor, everyone would already be toting one around.

As it is, tablets are a niche segment, with a size and form in between a mobile phone and laptop. In the past, the criticism was that tablets were in a weird no-man's land: not as portable as a smartphone yet not as powerful as a laptop. And, the ones that came the closest to getting the functionality/size equation right were not of interest to most consumers because of the high price tag.

Now, if the tablet can be done cheaply (like what was done with the netbook) with the functionality of both a phone and a full-fledged PC, then more people would adopt it.

[Big Fo]

Originally Posted by stevew

Obviously designed for the native people of Pandora.

No ponytail plugs ftl