Posted on 12/27/2010 10:24:19 AM PST by greatdefender
Replace paper? Not a chance. I don’t know anybody that can type on a fake keyboard with anything near the speed that they can scribble notes on a notepad.
Now it is the same with the iPad. All the old cranks yapping about the superiority of the soon-to-be-extinct netbooks and laptops. Hell, why not just go all the way and bring back the typewriters and carbon paper while we are at it!
Fact is, while many are dismissing the iPad as a simple toy, the iPad is poised to become the most revolutionary product of the century.
Simple words cannot define the power that is the iPad. Only to own one is to truly know what a magnificent product it is. All others must invent reasons not to own one until they too, eventually succumb.
Apple is on their way to selling over one BILLION iPads over the next few years and that does not include the hundreds of millions of iPad-like devices that other companies will soon sell such as Samsung and HP.
When all is said and done, iPad will be recognized as not only the greatest consumer product in the history of human civilization but the greatest business tool ever invented as well.
As for me, I am waiting for the second generation (only weeks away) and until then, I am drooling with envy.
And made an argument for paper until they come up with a way of certifying electronic documents properly. We use public key encryption for email at my company, and it is half-baked.
Good news - we know who sent what.
Bad news - we can’t read the email, and that makes discovery difficult (both a good and a bad thing I suppose).
Cutting back on use of paper by four or five individuals, in my mind does not justify spending of tax dollars for exotic new technology. Unless they seek to end printing of the same documents beyond the city council meetings. There are millions of paper documents printed. "Saving" paper is an excuse to spend taxpayer dollars.
You get no argument from me about the iPad. I’m using one now. But you still need a full functioning computer running iTunes to sync it to. The iPad isn’t the end-all-be-all for every purpose and person. Not yet, anyway. It’s also a novelty, expensive choice if the primary req for the council is to read documents.
Actually, I think this has been a tame, respectful exchange of comments, especially considering one of the products is Apple.
"Not Yet" being the operative term, of course. For a first generation product, the iPad has surpassed all expectations. Based on Apple's history, it stands to reason that future generations of the product will quickly address the shortcomings of the previous ones. Being that the iPad is now considered Apple's flagship product of the future, you can bet that an immense amount of R&D resources are being thrown at it given the potential revenue of selling a billion plus units. With other companies like Samsung and HP jumping into the fray, Apple is feeling the pressure to keep their product ahead of the curve.
It’s also a novelty, expensive choice if the primary req for the council is to read documents.
True, if reading documents was the primary purpose for it. However, the versatility of the product quickly lends itself to other previously unimagined purposes once the end user has had a chance to grapple with it. Almost everybody who has obtained an iPad report being stunned at all the other things they discovered they could do with it.
Actually, I think this has been a tame, respectful exchange of comments, especially considering one of the products is Apple.
As it should be for any topic.
Android tablets are cheaper and would do exactly the same thing. Netting even greater savings over time.
Uh, let's see...
7" Samsung Galaxy Tab 32GB suggested retail price: $599.99
10" Apple iPad 32GB suggested retail price: $599.00
Hmmmm? 55% larger screen, lots more iPad dedicated and designed apps v. android phone apps? Which is the better buy? Critics say the Samsung is "not ready for prime time!" you tell me.
Sword, I got one for Christmas but, this tees me off, I can’t use it until I upgrade my Mac operating system. I’m running OSX 10.4.11 and have to upgrade to 10.5 or better. I’m waiting for Snow Leopard to arrive but I was hoping to use the iPad out of the box. Oh, well.
As soon as you’ve put a hard disk into any device, you’ve created an IT situation that will make the ‘savings’ look pretty pathetic in three years.
The strength of these pad computers is the lack of disk, external media, external devices, etc. They’re going to have a much lower ongoing cost to maintain.
According to the article, "Officials say the paper alone costs $1,100 a year. The five iPads could cost around $3,250."
As it is, it will take three years to recoup the costs of the iPads after "savings" on printing paper. And they will require a support group for roll-out, training, pushing the documents to the iPads, and maintenance. And the council members will probably still want the printed documents after the meetings for mark-up, highlighting and reference.
As a taxpayer, I don't see the justification in these budget-crisis times. I worked in government and saw millions of dollars wasted for the sake of supplanting what worked, with the latest gizmos for the delight of managers. (I love iPads, but I hate waste.)
Archos 101 (10.1 inch screen)
8GB - $300
16GB $350
WiFi, but no 3G.
There's nothing that can't be built cheap and junky: The Apple iPad has 1024 x 768 Resolution ISP 178° angle of view LCD screen. The Archos 101 screen has a 1024 x 600 Resolution with a VERY limited angle of view!
I received my 101 today and thought I'd give a heads up. The screen is a dealbreaker for me. It's almost usable in landscape although you can tell that the vertical viewing angle is VERY narrow. It might be as little as 30-40 degrees. This problem really shows itself when you switch to portrait. Because of the tiny viewing angle, it appears that each eye is really seeing a different image in a way. To my eyes, this gives things an unstable, almost "3D" look. Reminds me of those old lenticular baseball cards where the image changes if you move it a little. It started to give me a headache in just a short while.The screen is apparently a VERY low end LCD Net book piece of junk screen.Perhaps this wouldn't bother someone else as I'm picky about my screens, but this was seriously one of the worst, if not the worst, screens I've ever seen.
It's going back sadly. —Android Central user review of the Archos 101, one among many complaints of the poor screen viewing angle.
That's not the only criticism from the reviewers of the Archos 101. Note that the Archos has to be "jail broken" to allow it to have access to the open Android store in addition to the limited Archos app store which Archos limits its buyers to. It's definitely a poor substitute for an iPad.
In our play with the Archos 101, the firmware clearly wasn't up to scratch as it crashed on us left, right, and centre - although if it's anything like the Archos 70 it will be fine.—TechRadar ReviewThe 16GB WIFI only iPad is only $499... Less from the Apple refurb store.
Have you forgotten what it’s supposed to be used for, as stated in the article? This’d be used to replace all the government paperwork. So what’s all the fuss about the Android app store? Same for angle of view.
Remember what it’s supposed to be used for.
I work at a facility that has invested millions of dollars to go paperless over the last 10 years.
We are now creating 3 times as much paper and spending more time dealing with the computer than doing our jobs.
Unintended consequences are rampant with new technology.
As far as confidential stuff it seems a bad idea to let it be downloaded to a device that will be taken off-site and almost certainly used for private matters of some type.
Yep those net books are flying off the shelves, the iPad is doomed. I say bring back mimeograph and indelible pencils.
dittos used to rock
I loved the alky smell
Did you not read that it gave the guy who had it a headache when trying to use it for reading... it's unusable for the purpose they want it for: to replace the hundreds of pages of papers the City Council needs to review for meetings. You need the Android App store to get the apps for the paperwork handling necessary. Angle of view is important if you want to SEE what is on the screen with any usability. The Athos 101 is useless without those abilities.
Athos has been making their tablets for years... and they have sold very few because they are junk... they've made Windows tablets too... more junk. If they are SO good, why have they not sold before? Other complaints are they are slow to respond to finger movements... not one to one motion... etc. Yes, they are a capacitance screen now, where before Athos made Resistance touch screens... but when you still have to hold your finger on the screen for a whole second before you can get a second finger touch to recognize for multi-touch in pinch to resize a web-page (according to one reviewer) that is simply NOT responsive.
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