Posted by unregistered user at 3/22/2010 5:26 p.m.

What, nobody will actually work on the iPad? Like with Keynote to project presentations instead of having to haul their laptops with them? I'll be picking up the iPad on April 3 and have already downloaded various science apps from the App Store (statistics, math, biology, chemistry) and can't wait for the iBookstore.

Posted by libertine at 3/22/2010 5:37 p.m.

I'm pretty sure the Ipad won't be able to play most action, strategy, role playing, and first person shooter games. Most of them use the DirectX video platform, with very few using the Apple friendly OpenGL.

Posted by Will in Seattle at 3/22/2010 5:59 p.m.

Dude, it's a consumer product. Did you do "work" on your iPod?

Sure, some students use them to listen to lectures, but most of us just consumer music on them.

I'll be using it for work, but most people won't. Can't say I blame them. A netbook is cheaper and more useful for work anyway.

Posted by unregistered user at 3/23/2010 2:54 a.m.

What the data should have, and where everyone, I believe, except Apple, have missed, is the fact that books should be separated from textbooks, as Apples largest market will eventually be students in post-secondary school using the iPad for E-textbooks.

It's my belief that 50% of all college students will have one in the next 5 years. That will be good for close to 2.5 million sales per year in the U.S. Alone.

Posted by unregistered user at 3/23/2010 10:05 a.m.

I am actually an apple fan and quite disappointed with this product. It is not a kindle replacement since you cannot read outdoors and the screen technology used is a killer for your eyes. It is not a good companion for content since it doesn't support flash. It is not a godd travel accessory since it doesn't even have a single port to connect a camera and damp photos on it.
Very badly conceived, specially coming from apple.

Posted by rptizzle at 3/23/2010 5:26 p.m.

I am actually NOT an Apple fan, and am quite happy with "this product". It's a departure from the usual box that we've been in with desktop PCs, laptops and netbooks.

The iPad is a consumer product. As someone here pointed out, it's not designed to do work. It is designed for people who wish to consume content daily, that is the vast majority of PC users.

Much like you don't need a 4x4 6,000 pound truck to haul a few bags of groceries home, people don't need a laptop or desktop computer to do the most common and basic tasks: doing email, music and movie playing, and web browsing. Sure, once in a blue moon you may need to haul a big tree stump to the dump, in which case only a big truck would do. But using that big truck at any other time is wasteful. The iPod will capitalize on that. Not to mention that the input device is a large touch screen rather than a mouse and keyboard (and the iPhone has proven that touch screens are the future - the mouse and keyboard are becoming a thing of the past).

I commend Apple for taking some risks and pursuing innovation. I have reserved 2 iPads and am looking forward to being one of the first ones to play with it (I'll be writing some reviews on my site).

Posted by unregistered user at 3/24/2010 7:02 a.m.

For work on the road (or in the park) I will use my HP Elite, Nvidia Quadro FX powered laptop "workstation" PC; or, if I feel like free-handing concepts, I'll use my Wacom Cintiq 21UX, which may or may not require perfecting later on with the Elite or my big workstation.

I do not see how the iPad can compete with the Kindle DX for reading books or other media. If I want to watch a movie, I want HD (i.e., 1080p) resolution and decent sound, which I have with my HP Elite, including Blu-ray. Tunes? Well I also have iTunes loaded on my HP Elite, along with several GB of wav files, or if I am not working, my iPod. Texting or e-mail? I have MS Outlook or IM to cover that.

For basic communication, I have my cellphone. For me, the iPad does not offer enough power to do real work; as far as entertainment, I do not like watching miniature screens.

Yes, I might have to carry around larger devices, but what is the point of watching a HD widescreen movie if you do not have the requisite resolution capability on your device (e.g., iPad) and need a magnifying glass to tell the cowboys from the Indians?

Posted by unkanny at 4/3/2010 11:03 a.m.

I'm pretty sure the Ipad won't be able to play most action

And the poll shows people who play those games won't be buying an iPad.

Unity3D does support iPad (along with Xbox, Windows) so the iPad won't totally be without such games. From Unity's site: "Unity has rock-solid support for almost all hardware/software combinations, in both DirectX and OpenGL"

A touch only interface will probably be more of a stumbling block. From the gamer perspective, there is a loss of tactile feedback from not having keys that physically click. That won't matter in card games.

I will use my HP Elite, Nvidia Quadro FX ... Wacom Cintiq 21UX ... Kindle DX ... iPod ... cellphone

Currently my Mom's options are: a plain vanilla cellphone and a really really old iMac. There are many people who don't have full range of computing devices. An iPad may be a good fit for them.