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iPad's Identity Crisis and Apple's A4 CPU Showstopper ( What is this A4???)
Hot Hardware ^ | Thursday, January 28, 2010 | Shawn Oliver in Mobile

Posted on 01/28/2010 8:18:07 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach

As you've no doubt heard by now, Apple launched a new mobile computing device and it's within a product category that is all-new territory for the traditionally tight-lipped company. It's a bit of an odd choice for a company that revels in innovation, and after today's announcement, we're left with more questions than answers on whether or not it can truly deliver in the way that Apple CEO, Steve Jobs thinks it can. The iPad simply isn't as revolutionary as the iPhone and iPod, and that alone is at least initially limiting the general perception of the product. For better or worse, Apple has worked itself into a corner where people simply expect each and every new product release to change that product category for the better; to revolutionize things in a way that no other company has done so far.

On almost every front, the iPad doesn't do that. It doesn't revolutionize, and it doesn't change the way we personally feel about mobile computing. Apple's approach was to find a device that could be reasonably retrofitted into a lifestyle as a "third device" between the smartphone (preferably the iPhone, if you're Apple) and the notebook (preferably a MacBook or MacBook Pro, if you're Apple). There are a few problems with that approach. First, Jobs himself thinks that netbooks "aren't good at anything." He said as much in his January 27th keynote for the world to hear. Netbooks are arguably that "third device" between someone's phone and someone's main computer, and when you really look critically at the situation, netbooks are actually far more capable than the iPad in its existing form.

(Excerpt) Read more at hothardware.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet; Music/Entertainment; TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: apple; hitech; ilovebillgates; ipad; iwanthim; iwanthimbad; microsoftfanboys
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Be sure and get past the NEGATIVE STUFF and read about the processor....or what it could do...
1 posted on 01/28/2010 8:18:08 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: ShadowAce; Swordmaker

fyi


2 posted on 01/28/2010 8:20:24 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach ( Support Geert Wilders)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

I love my Kindle.


3 posted on 01/28/2010 8:22:37 PM PST by Ciexyz
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

That ipad is too danged big and it looks fragile. I don’t see how you could use it for serious computing. It is basically a browsing device. My Sony Vaio P totally changed the way I do mobile computing. It fits inside my coat pocket, yet it is a fully functional laptop computer and a mobile communications device.


4 posted on 01/28/2010 8:27:46 PM PST by Kirkwood
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To: Kirkwood

Fragile...yep. I’m afraid if I had one and used it the way I’d want to as an overgrown PDA/reader - it’d be a matter of months before I sat on it!


5 posted on 01/28/2010 8:33:53 PM PST by bigbob
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

I was hoping that the iPad would cooperate with your desktop, the way the MacAir will use your desktop CD Burner and share files wirelessly. And, of course, there is no USB and no SD.

It seems like Apple is trying really hard to control content on their device, by making it difficult to upload or download anything, except through the Apple Store and iTunes.

I guess what I want is a blown up Palm device, not a blown up iPhone.


6 posted on 01/28/2010 8:33:57 PM PST by Haiku Guy ("I don't give them Hell / I tell the truth about them / And they think it's Hell" -- Harry Truman)
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To: Kirkwood

“That ipad is too danged big and it looks fragile.”

I think it looks just about the right size for serious reading, movie playback, and portable gaming. It’s the first mass-market bookreader with color, which seems a big deal to me. Plus, it’s far more versatile than the other eBook readers.

As to “looking fragile”, we’ll see how that plays out from the initial adopters. I suspect it’s pretty robust.


7 posted on 01/28/2010 8:34:52 PM PST by PreciousLiberty (In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they're not.)
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To: Swordmaker

iPad's Identity Crisis and Apple's A4 CPU Showstopper ( What is this A4???)


8 posted on 01/28/2010 8:48:17 PM PST by Star Traveler (Remember to keep the Messiah of Israel in the One-World Government that we look forward to coming)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

I am using an ASUS 900Ha netbook to reply to this thread. Much lighter than my laptop at 6.4 pounds. The crimped keyboard is augmented by a small rubber foldable keyboard that makes typing much easier. All in all it’s better than my old pocket PC and does well when I don’t want to carry the extra load of my laptop. This is my second netbook. The first one got stolen six months ago and picked this one up on Ebay for $200. Software is all open source to do practically anything.For portability you can check out portableapps.com for all kinds of stuff you can carry on a USB thumbdrive and run on any machine. But what the heck, in about three years all this stuff including the IPad released today will be obsolete. And, if Borgbama gets us into WW III during the three years he has left all of this discussion will be mute and irrelevant.


9 posted on 01/28/2010 8:51:31 PM PST by Cacique (quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat ( Islamia Delenda Est ))
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To: Cacique

To clarify, the 900 ha weighs in at about 2 pounds. With the 7 hour battery it goes up to about 2.5 pounds..


10 posted on 01/28/2010 8:54:02 PM PST by Cacique (quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat ( Islamia Delenda Est ))
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To: Cacique
Mentioned in the article:

Tegra

11 posted on 01/28/2010 8:59:02 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach ( Support Geert Wilders)
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To: All
What Tegra is:

Nvidia Tegra

NVIDIA Tegra is a system-on-a-chip series developed by NVIDIA for mobile devices ZUNE HD uses it....

12 posted on 01/28/2010 9:04:49 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach ( Support Geert Wilders)
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To: Haiku Guy
I predict this is a bust.

No built in USB, but you can "accessorize" with an adapter for SD and USB. No multi-tasking either. If used as an eReader the UI will be harder on the eyes than a kindle.

13 posted on 01/28/2010 9:07:43 PM PST by stainlessbanner
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To: stainlessbanner
I'll keep my ipod for music, my laptop for web browsing and this for reading.


14 posted on 01/28/2010 9:17:46 PM PST by Centurion2000 (Something is seriously wrong when the .gov plans to treat citizens worse than they treat terrorists)
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To: Kirkwood
That ipad is too danged big and it looks fragile. I don’t see how you could use it for serious computing. It is basically a browsing device. My Sony Vaio P totally changed the way I do mobile computing. It fits inside my coat pocket, yet it is a fully functional laptop computer and a mobile communications device.

They said that the iPhone looked fragile, too...

15 posted on 01/28/2010 9:36:30 PM PST by Swordmaker (Remember, the proper pronunciation of IE isAAAAIIIIIEEEEEEE!)
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To: ~Kim4VRWC's~; 1234; 50mm; Abundy; Action-America; acoulterfan; AFreeBird; Airwinger; Aliska; ...
Negative review of the iPad from someone who hasn't had his hands on one yet.. which is pretty much everyone reviewing it... PING!


iPad Ping!

If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.

16 posted on 01/28/2010 9:57:56 PM PST by Swordmaker (Remember, the proper pronunciation of IE isAAAAIIIIIEEEEEEE!)
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To: Swordmaker

I don’t think I would bet against Steve and the Apple crew....they seem to do their homework.


17 posted on 01/28/2010 10:38:00 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach ( Support Geert Wilders)
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To: Centurion2000

Wow, what is that?


18 posted on 01/28/2010 11:09:30 PM PST by DietCoke
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
The biggest issue here is that the iPad is too large to fit in a cargo pocket (like a smartphone or portable media player), but it's not capable enough to warrant lugging around like a notebook. If we're going to carry around something that requires a separate bag, we want it to have a real desktop and real multitasking capabilities.

That's pretty much where I am on this. I really like the concept behind the iPad, but it seems to just not really... fit.

Granted, if you're going to be lugging around a hardback to read, then it's actually smaller than that so I don't know if my perception is skewed by the fact that I'd prefer something that could multitask. For instance, I often listen to music while reading. That doesn't seem to be possible.

19 posted on 01/29/2010 6:52:23 AM PST by zeugma (Proofread a page a day: http://www.pgdp.net/)
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To: Kirkwood
That ipad is too danged big and it looks fragile.

Apple uses hardened glass for the front and single-piece machined aluminum for the back. Given the strength and stiffness of the aluminum construction in the MacBook Pro, I'd say this thing is quite strong.

20 posted on 01/29/2010 6:54:26 AM PST by antiRepublicrat
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