[Edo]

So Apple announced the iPad today. I tried to play the introduction video, but it would not stream. Is that good PR?

It looks like a very large iPod Touch. For shooters, it will make a nice portable slideshow device, something I use my iPhone for now. I wonder if this newest gizmo is going to supply answers to problems we didn't know we had.

Edo

This post has been edited by Edo: 27 January 2010 - 07:04 PM

[charlespolidano]

I'm trying to imagine myself typing on it, or editing photos ... no way.

My feeling is it's over-hyped and will fall between two stools. It's not as versatile as a proper laptop or even a netbook but not as portable as one of them little iPod thingies. But who knows? Maybe in ten years time I'll be looking at the latest invention and saying "It's not as versatile as an iPad ..."

[geoffpix]

My nephew has one of those thin hand-held tablet PCs and showed it to me at Xmas, I asked what it was for and he mentioned you can read books on it etc, I said why not read a book (the real sort), "oh but you can put 100s or 1000s of books on it"...I said go to a library.....he seemed to have witnessed the generation gap in operation.

Am I the only one that just doesn't 'get it'?

[Riccardo]

I always liked the idea of a Tablet...
what did apple invent? the 'pad? Ever thought why IBM's ThinkPads are called such? The first one was really a tablet!


But when working and entering text, I find keyboards still the best.

As a mobile "news" reading device and slideshow device it is possibly very good. But I don't have that need.

Books? Thanks, I prefer the smell of paper. Oh, but wait, I prefer Baryta paper. I see a trend


Riccardo

[Edo]

Yes the iPad is a tablet, Riccardo. "Pad" is a synonym for "tablet."

The introduction video is up and running today, so take a look: http://www.apple.com/ipad/

After watching the video, I still say this is mostly a large iPod Touch . . . or you might think of it as a large iPhone--but without the phone. It's easier to use, but it won't fit in your pocket. I'm not what they used to call "an early user," that is someone who loves new tech stuff for itself. The iPad looks like a fun toy. It has some good things and some bad. It has the possibility of using over 1,000 apps, but forget about doing serious photography post processing on it. People will be able to deal with personal snapshots in a number of ways, however.

I own a Kindle, Geoff, which is what your nephew has, I'm guessing. It can hold 10,000 books. It is a primitive device compared to the iPad. But there are no monthly fees with the Kindle--there will be with the iPad, because you can connect to the Internet with the iPad.

I bought the Kindle to try and solve a particular and peculiar problem I had. At the end of the '90s, I got a part-time job as a copy editor at Time Warner's magazine division. This was not a natural skill for me. I'm right-brained, and this is a 100% left-brain job. I found that I could no longer read fiction for pleasure; I could not read fiction without correcting the author's punctuation and grammar. I thought I might be able to read fiction on this tablet gizmo, the Kindle. I have no idea how, but it worked! I began by re-reading the classics: Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Melville, Conrad. Last week I managed to read The Road by Cormac McCarthy, a most annoying writer from a copy editor's point of view. Another point: Books on Kindle cost $10 or less.

Personally, I will be surprised if Apple has another huge success with the iPad.

Edo

[geoffpix]

Edo,

I'm pretty sure it was a Sony ebook touch edition, http://www.mobiletec...ion-PRS-600.htm

There's a video in the link, I don't know the Kindle so cannot compare.

[huntress]

Our generation may not "get it" as quickly as the younger generation (I, too, still prefer holding an actual book), but my friends who have e-readers are very hooked on them already. I can't afford one yet, nor can I even afford an I-Phone until my current Verizon contract is up and until I-phones are "unlocked" (an announcement of which was rumored to be made along with the IPad announcement).

However, I think these new e-readers can possibly be a good thing for photographers down the road (see link to PDN article below), so I plan on embracing them with open arms (if not an open wallet yet). There is speculation that more and more newspapers and magazines may be revived by selling subscriptions over these devices...which means more editorial and commercial ads and photography will be needed...hopefully even more so on these bigger readers which will allow viewers to more easily see our photos (than on I-phones).

Now, besides Amazon's "Kindle", Sony's "Reader e-touch", Barnes & Noble's "Nook', there is the Apple "IPad" and many to follow. I think the name of the money game with these devices is selling subscription services. The IBook store for IPad probably will be as successful as ITunes was for IPod. So now we'll have devices that allow music, book, newspaper, magazine subscriptions, not to mention endless types of "Apps" and who knows what else that be can be "subscriptionized" (just made that word up). Come to think of it, the whole concept of monthly phone, cable, data services have gotten us used to the idea of paying for "subscriptionized" services for years already.

Let's all brainstorm on ways we can get more photos sold on these "new-fangled gizmos", even though we all hate change.


http://www.pdngeargu...4618c091b70400d

Karen S

[Ei Katsumata]

The iPad is meant to be more of a data consumption device, and less of a data input device. Therefore, the lack of keyboard isn't a big deal for the iPad's target market.

People won't be using these things to draft long documents. They'll use it just like they use their iphones (without the phone) -- basically to check emails, update their facebook status, watch videos, and catch up on the news. It'll also replace the need for dedicated e-readers, and to some extent, printed publications.

If this thing had a more powerful processor and a full OS, then I might consider one for travel. It's too slow for photo-related work, aside from using it to work to prospective clients. I'll stick to my laptop for now.

[Rosemary]

I have a netbook which cost me about $283 at B and H, and it has Windows XP, can play any browser or kind of file, can back up my images (I installed Lightroom on it), plus it can play Itunes Video, Netflix streaming video, Hulu desktop, you name it. The IPad won't play sites with flash, apparently because Apple doesn't want to play ball with Adobe. The fact that the product seems rather limited for a relatively high price compared to a netbook (which is very light and easily carried) seems questionable to me.

This post has been edited by Rosemary: 28 January 2010 - 11:12 PM

[Edo]

"The iPad is meant to be more of a data consumption device, and less of a data input device. Therefore, the lack of keyboard isn't a big deal for the iPad's target market." -- Ei

I agree. Almost everything the iPad does deals with entertainment, not work. Maryann's netbook is a useful tool. Netbooks now have about 160GB of storage and 2 GB of memory. That and a passport HD would be great for a shooter who travels. I have a 12" iBook for travel, which seems heavy by today's standards. And frankly I don't see myself doing much traveling in the future.

I love the way Apple phrases the $500 price as "incredibly low." What do you bet they drop the price to about $300 if it doesn't jump off the shelves? And what will the monthly Wi-Fi connection fee be? The only app in the iPad that could be useful to pro photographers is its slide show.

Edo

[Kendal Larson]

...I think I heard $30 a month from AT&T for internet connectivity Edo.

I think.

I'm not sold on it per se - but - I see it appealing to the 20-30something crowd - maybe, if its name (iPad) doesn't cause women to run the other way.

http://www.msnbc.msn...ch_and_gadgets/

(a little humor here)

KL

[Edo]

"Ultimately, the iPad is a large iPod touch." -- The Telegraph (UK)

Hey, I said it first!

Kendal, do you really think twenty-somethings are going to be lugging this thing around? I don't see it. They're already carrying their cell phone and a bottle of water, now this? They'll need a small wagon to roll this stuff around in . . . maybe the iWagon?

Edo

[Ei Katsumata]

Quote

And what will the monthly Wi-Fi connection fee be?

The wi-fi connection is free, as long as you have access via wireless router or wi-fi hot spot. The more expensive model will allow 3G internet @ $30/month (unlimited). This monthly fee is without a contract, so you can actually sign up month-to-month.

Amazon Kindle sales have been picking up. No doubt the iPad will take a chunk of the growing e-reader market. Or it could be as successful as Apple TV.

[Edo]

"I'll gladly pay for the 64GB and 3G ($130 not $30 as in the article) to get full connectivity." -- from a poster on MacFixIt

I've come across several posts in various places mentioning the $130 figure, so I don't know which price is right.

Comments on my radio just now:

"It looks like an iPhone for the elderly."

"It's great for work, because it's the perfect size to rest your laptop on."

Edo

This post has been edited by Edo: 30 January 2010 - 11:18 AM

[Kendal Larson]

Edo, on 29 January 2010 - 10:20 PM, said:

"Ultimately, the iPad is a large iPod touch." -- The Telegraph (UK)

Hey, I said it first!

Kendal, do you really think twenty-somethings are going to be lugging this thing around? I don't see it. They're already carrying their cell phone and a bottle of water, now this? They'll need a small wagon to roll this stuff around in . . . maybe the iWagon?

Edo

Well - possibly my man - and I'm basing that on discussions I've had with folks in the print media business.

You see, there's a whole generation that's much more comfortable getting their 'news' solely from electronic sources, and the iPad will provide that avenue.

Then there's the status symbol crowd - you *know* there are literally tens of thousands of people who will buy this just because they want to be part of the iCrowd.

So, yeah, I think it has a pretty good shot at being successful.

Saw a great piece on the potential new paradigm for electronic magazines - this is worth a watch (did I see it here first? I forget)....

http://vimeo.com/8217311

I actually find the interface really appealing - and would consider an iPad just to get all my magazines if they were treated like this.

Kendal


p.s. - it'll be called an iPack Edo

This post has been edited by Kendal Larson: 31 January 2010 - 12:57 PM