Comments for Up and to the Right

Comment on iPad Analysis: History Repeats Itself by Peter Spicer-Wensley

Peter Spicer-Wensley — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 12:40:38 +0000

I agree with Antony Watts,
or to paraphrase “It’s the cloud – stupid!”
Antony said:
“One small point. For me the only interface the iPad needs, it already has, its WIFi. This way it can scan, print and communicate. Its just that every other peripheral has to catch up.”
It also has Bluetooth and will no doubt be able to sync with all sorts of devices over that as TouchMouse leverages WiFi to control a computer using an iphone or ipod touch. Bluetooth keyboards are great and cheap. 3rd party vendors will make 100s of add-ons.
Aunty won’t be given a DVD she’ll be mailed a flickr URL or get a facebook update or tweet.
DropBox, Carbonite, MobileBloodyMe and other cloud based services are as natural fit for an iPad as they are for the iPhone.
I’ll be buying at least two. PeterSW

Comment on iPad Analysis: History Repeats Itself by Tom Loverro

Tom Loverro — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:07:22 +0000

Thanks for the feedback Chrissy!

Comment on iPad Analysis: History Repeats Itself by ChrissyOne

ChrissyOne — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:40:40 +0000

Great post! I respectfully think you are totally right and Mohan is totally wrong, and you hit the nut of it by comparing the iPad’s present state to the state of iPods and laptops when they first appeared. They were not the powerful pieces of gear they are today, and this will be the same with the iPad.
As capacities and speeds and apps catch up, the iPad will be *the* interface for consuming media, and it will also offer a serious alternative to the laptop for writers, photographers, and other content creators that value the interface over the Computing Power™ that we think we need so badly.
I see laptops as the primary casualty in this equation, at least for me. I have a desktop iMac with a second big monitor for working on photos, web design, and general computer geekery. With the iPad coming, I suddenly find no use at all for a laptop. If there is an elegant solution for viewing and doing modest edits on Raw files straight from the camera, I’d much rather do it on a multi-touch screen than a clunky laptop. I can imagine no sexier way to show off my portfolio than on the iPad. And unlike a laptop, the iPad will easily fit in my camera bag.
Also, as a blogger and satirist, the iPad strikes me as a dream for writers. More compact and useable than a laptop, especially with a real keyboard attached. Always-on 3G connectability totally seals that deal – this is potentially a photo-journalist’s dream come true.
The totaly lack of vision and imagination in the Tech Press™ ragarding the iPad is astounding, but not really anything new. They said the same thing about the iPod, the iMac, and the iPhone. And they were wrong every time.
This time, they are *extra* wrong.

-c

Comment on iPad Analysis: History Repeats Itself by Jay Craig

Jay Craig — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:19:14 +0000

I go back more than 50 years to my first “desktop” consisting of notepads, coding pads, and trays of punched cards. And my book bag. At first it was a backpack (actually, I went through dozens of them.) I never have reliably generated ideas at the place where I am supposed to, so I have always felt the need for a portable “office” that was available wherever I found myself when the ideas came. I’ve been through all the usual iterations and am now at a place where my 17″ MacBook Pro is my only computer (well, except for its predecessor, and the G5 under the desk—you know) but my book bag (now much smaller) is still with me wherever I go. With the iPad, it will get smaller still. I’ll replace the notepad and reference books, the pens and 6″ ruler with apps! The Mac will stay home all the time and do what it does very well indeed. But the iPad will be with me to grab bits of ideas when they come to me, in code snippets, notes, sketches, posts and whatever. And I’ll be connected to the social and information worlds that matter to me wherever I go. So, the iPad hits exactly at the center of one of my needs: my portable office

Comment on iPad Analysis: History Repeats Itself by jr

jr — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:59:40 +0000

Finally a positive post about the iPad! What’s with all the bashers? I know people are hesitant to say they think the iPad will be a success but I think its a foregone conclusion. The iPod Touch has shipped millions of units, the iPad is essentially an oversized Touch. So even if a fraction of the Touch users upgrade to the iPad, its a blockbuster. I’m a case in point. Having the 2nd generation Touch, its nice to be able to put in my pocket… sometimes. But I’m tethered to Wi-Fi so I’m at work or home using it 99% of the time anyway. The only thing I could want more with this Wi-Fi restraint is a larger screen.

Comment on iPad Analysis: History Repeats Itself by Tom Loverro

Tom Loverro — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:29:51 +0000

Anthony,
I think that’s a great point.

Comment on Startups Have Too Many Engineers by Antony Watts

Antony Watts — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:39:32 +0000

Capiche is spelt wrong, it is Italian from the verb capire, and should be capisce, “ce” in italian is pronounced “shay”

Comment on iPad Analysis: History Repeats Itself by Antony Watts

Antony Watts — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:35:42 +0000

One small point. For me the only interface the iPad needs, it already has, its WIFi. This way it can scan, print and communicate. Its just that every other peripheral has to catch up.

Comment on iPad Analysis: History Repeats Itself by Tom Loverro

Tom Loverro — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 04:52:58 +0000

Jeff,
Thanks for the thoughts. While I agree USB ports, etc would be nice I think its often surprising how freeing it is in product design to make those hard choices and leave features out. You often add value by not including such features. However, I bet a camera will be included in the iPad either by the time of release or in V2. These days, most other peripherals can attach via wireless (bluetooth or wifi) or of course folks can create iPod Dock connector accessories. But remember, this is not supposed to replace your laptop or desktop and hence you probably shouldn’t be attaching many devices to it in the first place.

I also agree with you when you say that the iPad will NOT replace the laptop for most people as their productivity device. the iPad is not a device for content creation. It’s really just for content consumption, but most people are consumers most of the time (like my girlfriend for instance).

Comment on iPad Analysis: History Repeats Itself by Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 04:35:08 +0000

Good article, but I take issue with your “feature list” argument. No, many people don’t need “10x USB and 4x FireWire 800 ports” and “a 15x dual-layer burnable Dual-Scribe DVD Writer.” But, the iPad doesn’t need 10 USB ports or 4 Firewire Ports or a DVD drive. Netbooks make due with 2 USB ports and I would argue that they are essential in connecting devices like cameras.

I agree that the iPad will open computing to a lot of people, but for the rest of the population ie. those under the age of 50, the iPad simply will not cut it. No matter how Apple tries to market this thing as a productivity device, students and professionals will go for MacBooks or PCs with real 3rd party support and a full hardware keyboard and not a giant iPod touch with an App Store.