My iPad is usually beside me in the car.
(Credit: Brooke Crothers)
Posted on 12/31/2010 4:34:28 PM PST by Swordmaker
I'll avoid the dicey proposition of naming what I think is the best product of the year. But I can say with certainty that Apple's iPad was the most disruptive.
Beyond the iPad's well-chronicled popularity, impressive shipment numbers, and reported theft of Netbook market share, the disruption for me was very personal: it played havoc with my own computing habits and with people around me who bought the iPad.
As I've written before, initially, I could do little more than paw at the screen in a vain effort to figure out how I was actually going to use the device. But that changed fairly quickly. Within a few weeks, I found myself taking it everywhere (I have the 3G version) and using it instead of my laptop at airports, on planes, and in the car. Not to mention using it at home when relaxing on the sofa.
So, here's why it's disruptive: I always thought that my MacBook Air was the ultimate portable computer and I would never need anything else. Wrong. It turns out that a laptop--because of its relative weight and keyboard-centric clamshell design--is not always the ultimate machine when traveling or when there is a need to some quick home computing. The iPad showed me that there is a better form factor and interface (touch) for a surprising number of tasks.
And that seemingly trivial feature known as instant-on (and almost-instant 3G connections) combined with its 1.5-pound weight makes all the difference in the world.
In short, when I go from using my laptop most of the time to only about half of the time, that's disruptive. Moreover, I think, it's safe to say that I'm not alone.
Finally, I'm anticipating the next iPad (thinner, lighter, dual-core processor?) like I would previously anticipate a new laptop. And can't wait to see what first-tier companies like Motorola and RIM have to offer.
May 2011 be the year of the tablet.
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
making the laptop obsolete.
better make ‘em really good.
I bought my daughter an Ipad for Christmas. It’s wonderful for a quick jog onto the internet. I can see where laptops will become a smaller market. However, once Droid pads come out, Ipad is toast. We had to buy a separate application just to be able to print from Ipad to a wireless printer. That should be a standard feature.
I refuse to buy an ipad, iphone, android phone, kindle, nook, etc.
There is so much hype around these devices but people are overlooking a fundamental shift, which is that these devices evict you from having administrative control, unless you want to have to ‘hack’ or ‘jailbreak’ it. This is a fundamental shift in the balance of power.
Amazon can (and has) remotely deleted peoples e-books: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Kindle#Remote_content_removal.
Would you buy a PC where you were not allowed to set the administrator password, were not allowed to install the OS of your choosing, and where the manufacturer had complete control over what content you could transfer in and out of the device?
This is a trap and people should stay away. They want to lock you into their proprietary system and nickle and dime you to death. What’s next, pay for each time you print a document?
Anyone who has been burned by proprietary lock-in in the past should be seeing massive red flags.
Dr. Edward Felten’s verdict, which I agree with. Ipad is a toy.
http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/blog/felten/ipad-disneyland-computers
AirPrint is standard in the latest software release.
I finally broke down and got an Android phone. I had been looking for a little/cheap camera for when I don't want to lug my big, bulky professional camera with me. The Android has a fairly decent 8MP camera (and video too).
I no longer need to carry a GPS, as the Android's mapping is just fine (faster than my old GPS too).
I no longer need to carry a laptop, as the Android is fine for checking email, web surfing, etc. while on vacation.
All these things combined make it worth it for me... it's nice having all these features in a little device that fits in my shirt pocket.
But that's the whole point. An iPad is not a PC. An iPad is a highly portable consumer electronics device with minimal system administration required. It just works out of the box.
iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch all have AirPrint as a standard part of iOS, but it only works with some of the newest HP printers.
I didn't know that you could print with a downloaded app. I will check this out since I bought my printer before AirPrint came out. Thanks for the information.
Locked down tight, almost nothing to learn, no way to screw it up or wind up pwned by malware.
The real question is, why are so many creative, roll-your-own geeks also possessed by this gadget?
An app? What'd it cost ya, a buck or maybe 3?
I know this is going to be hard to accept, but *de*centralization is what put a desktop, then a laptop, then a smartphone, etc into every living room, car, and pocket in the civilized world. The day of a catalogue of "standard features" is passing. We're in the era of robust platform / distributed development. This is the essence of media technology -- and it is as compliant with free-market ideals as such a thing can be.
Hope ive been able say that sensibly.
You make good points but the train hasect the station. Better buy a soldering iron.
I'd like one for the simple reason that I wouldn't have to be tethered to a computer and keyboard when I surf the web, or Freep. I like to multi-task when I watch TV. Lying on the couch and ipadding at the same time sounds great to me. You can't do that comfortably with a laptop.
Has left the station, that is.
You have asked the right question. I met an old-time grizzled C++ programmer who loves his iPad. And then I see 5 year-old kids using apps on it. It appeals to a lot of different people.
“Made in China”.
This is American innovation?
We are so screwed.
Thanks for posting. I an addicted to my iPhone and am dithering about the iPad
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