iPad Is A Good Idea But Doesn’t Deliver

In the late 2007/early 2008 era I was telling people that in the future the notebook style portable computer would be replaced by a one-piece slab.

Well, we have it. It’s called iPad.

And in no way at this stage of the game will it replace the notebook format.

Here’s a short list of things the iPad doesn’t do:

No Flash support

This is just like the iPhone – but on the iPhone it’s acceptable. On the big-screened iPad you’ll wish you had it when trying to watch a video online.

No camera

It would have been really cool to video chat with the iPad. You can’t.

No multi-tasking

Huge, huge drawback. Big downer.

No handwriting recognition

This is one of the most obvious things you’d think it would have had. It would have been perfect for it.

No USB or HDMI ports

This is beyond understanding why they did not include a single one of these. If it did have a USB port, at least a webcam could have been attached. Or a thumb drive. Or a digital camera. Or any other of the thousands and thousands of USB devices we use in our computers.

At the end of it all, this is not what we expected. The only thing that really made a splash about this product was its starting price of $499.

The iPad is in fact a good idea – but not exactly what we wanted. What we did want was something that did everything the iPhone could and have the functionality of a laptop and post-paid wireless carrier connectivity of our choice.

We didn’t get that. Instead what we have is a big iPod Touch with some added in goodies and a bigger screen.

A notebook/netbook/iPhone replacement this is definitely not.

In addition, most people hate the name of the product as well. Personally I don’t think it’s a bad name, but others say it’s awful.

Here’s a quote from the iPad web page:

"The best way to experience the web, email, photos and video. Hands down."

Yeah, hands down. Cheap pun.

The finger-operated browser does have easy operation as does the on-screen touch keyboard.

Email is easy to use with it.

Photos are not. Remember, you can’t even attach a digital camera to it. No ports.

The lack of Flash support makes watching online video a joke.

iPad is iBad.

What do you think?

Post a comment or two. I personally think iPad is a great idea, but utterly useless because of what it doesn’t have that it should (is a USB port really that much to ask for?)

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ALane
Disclaimer: I’ve always been a bit biased towards the notion of, “Apple is ripping you people off,” so take this with a grain of salt.
Anyway… I expected much more from this. No way to connect external peripherals is either an unforgivable oversight or a blatant attempt at locking their products down even more. I see no reason at all to get this over an iPod Touch. This feels like they simply encased a Touch in a bigger screen and are trying to pass it off as a new, innovative product. Shame on you people that fall for it.
David Kennedy
I’m not so impressed myself, either. It seems it provides a Mac alternative to a netbook. But not necessarily a good one. Maybe it becomes a portable gaming machine, when the price comes down.
So far, the only people I’ve talked to who are excited about ti are Apple fanboys. And you know how that is…
Brian
Why would anyone buy this over an Asus 1201N? Bigger HD screen, vastly superior dual core processor, more long term storage, GPU, real keyboard, USB ports, HDMI port (that can do 1080p), bluetooth, and full blown operating system all in a similarly sized package.
And while the app store has a lot of apps, it is wee little thing compared to the Windows software available.
So the ONLY things the iPad is better: touch screen and battery life (10 hours vs 5 hours).
DravenX
I’ve never been a fan of Apple so I never had any big hopes for this ipad thing which just sounds like a feminine product.
Sioh Wito
It’s just a shame Apple did not do there homework on the patent side of technology, let alone the workbench. Check out the Fujitsu iPad released in 2002: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/technology/companies/29name.html?hp

korie dread
Or the Archos 9 ? http://www.archos.com...

David M
Don’t you get it?
Apples first versions of new products always have major short comings. Apple knows the Macheads will buy every version that comes out because it is way better than the last version…besides, Steve is God and paying high prices to God will get you in Mac Heaven when you die. It’s really that simple for people who would never know what to do with a second button on their mouse.
So is there any point in Apple putting out a first generation excellent product.? Gotta save the real improvements for the third and fourth iterations.
I can wait.
http://www.youtube.com/thisisadamb Adam
Rich, you’re guilty of what a lot of people are this past week. Criticizing this new device before it’s even released, before you’ve had a chance to hold one in your hands or even read a real review. And before you’ve read all the real, true facts about the item as they exist today.
A correction for you: You will be able to import photos using the iPad Camera Connection Kit. You’d have seen that if you looked at the Tech Specs page. Yes, it’s an additional expense, but hey, a lot of printers don’t come with a USB cable and most TVs need you to buy an HDMI cable these days. There’s two versions of the kit, one with an SD card slot and one with a USB(!) port that will no doubt find other uses further down the road.
Listen, I acknowledge that I am an Apple fan (I’m wearing a shirt with the logo on it right now – I’m at work.), but I’m looking at the facts as presented to me before I get all squishy about the product. What you see here: http://www.apple.com/ipad/ (and the linked pages) are the facts as presented right now. Everything else is opinion and speculation. My opinion? I like the concept, but I’m friggin’ broke right now, so no new toys for now. But if I find a few hundred bucks lying in the street, I’d consider getting on line for one. (I’m from New York so it’s “on line” not “in line”. Fuggedaboutit.)
Re what people say is “missing”. Nothing is missing. Apple puts into it exactly what they think they have to. There’s what people “out there” say they want, but some of them are ridiculous and they complain just to hear themselves talk. (COUGH. Stylus. COUGH. Dvorak.) Flash? Flash is awful, especially on OS X. RAM hog. CPU hog. We can do without. HTML5 and H.264 players can and should displace it. Nine out of ten slow-downs, lock-ups and crashes on my Macs are caused by Flash.
And anyway, it’s a first generation product. They only have had some market research and their internal development people guiding the thing until now. Once it’s in the hands of real users, then they’ll have real world info to help guide the future of the thing and it’s descendants.
Also: speaking of speculation – Apple might even make some people’s “complaints” go away by adding another feature or two before the iPad finally ships. They did that for the iPhone. (They added a YouTube app to the built-in list between intro and ship dates.) The unit Steve Jobs displayed last month seemed to have a camera (or at least a place for one) above the screen. (Your Jetsons videophone is here! And it’s wireless!) They might add a more powerful photo editor or some other improved program. It’s all in the future and it hasn’t happened yet. So until iSee it on the shelves at the Apple Store, iDon’t know the full story and neither does anyone else. (You’re not the only one who can make the lame iJoke, dude.)

http://www.menga.net Rich Menga
As far as the cam thing, I’m crossing fingers it actually does come with one. That kit that plugs in the bottom costs extra just to provide connectivity to something that should be free. That proprietary port is wrong, wrong, wrong. Everybody hates proprietary nonsense.
Yes, Flash crashes OS X. But the way Jobs handles talking to Adobe (if you could call it that) is mudslinging nonsense. As that linked article states, it’s as much a technical issue as it is a business issue between those two. There’s a lot more going on there than either one of us realize.

Anthony
Here is an other pad that delivers more than Apple’s Pad.
http://www.archos.com/products/nb/archos_9/index.html?country=us&lang=en
Maybe the big downside is battery life.
korie
I’m a telecom engineer and been around a few electronic devices. I just wondered if anyone ever considered comparing this pad to Archos 9 ? http://www.archos.com...
released Oct 2009.
I really dont see the pad bringing anymore to the table than an other existing or soon to release products. Well, to each his own.
poser
I am dissappointed in the lack of ports (I simply can’t jive with proprietary cables for universal ports) as well as the restrictions of the OS (no multi is a no-go). But before I bash the device, I need to use one.
silent ppl
i think its great to see them thinking outside the box although it could be a bit more with there processor. they could at least put 2.0 GHz chip in. i think they should create a USB port where you can charge the iPad it self but all in all a great way to improve on future prouducts.
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http://www.xby.ch bestes handy
The Ipad looks like fun to play with, but I doubt if you can really work with it? But many people will buy it because of it look.