http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/Feb 6th 2010 12:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/
1000x agree but, it does have some features that need to be added like the camera and flash (however bad it may be).]]>Feb 6th 2010 12:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/Feb 6th 2010 12:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/
its a perfect form-factor but people are up in arms about it because it fails to deliver the features that many people came to want and expect out of such a product. apple has always been known as an 'innovator' so most of us expected them to innovate. i was seriously excited about the idea of the iPad but i was seriously let down after hearing that it would be running the iPhone OS rather than a stripped down, touch-friendly OS X. i think that's where it failed and that's what it needs to be to 'fill the gap' and i think a lot of people would agree with me. it honestly has nothing to do with apple as a company. they simply failed to deliver the goods this time.]]>Feb 6th 2010 12:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/
I agree. I did want this, but between the fact that it doesn't have the flash support I would need for some classroom applications and the fact that its not even out yet and its driven e-books up makes me rethink my position.]]>Feb 6th 2010 12:25PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/it's the right price point, but it doesn't have nearly the functionality it needs. it's ipod touch but more awkward. it offers nothing on the ipod touch.]]>Feb 6th 2010 12:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/Feb 6th 2010 1:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/
Microsoft and others never succeeded in the tablet realm because they just invented the device with no added value behind it, no app store, no publishers backing them...Steve Jobs did a great job and he may salvage the print industry for some publishers.]]>Feb 6th 2010 12:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/
"Steve Jobs did a great job and he may salvage the print industry for some publishers"

Yep, and now you've got a lot of pissed off kindle users out there. Not the best way to try to win them over to the iPad.]]>Feb 6th 2010 12:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/
I'm not a hater; I am currently using a Windows 7 laptop, but my last machine was a G4 12" powerbook (which still works if you don't need more than five minutes of battery life). I know what Apple wants this machine to be, but I don't need what they want it to be. Well, technically I don't NEED what I want it to be, either, but I'd be much more likely to buy that.]]>Feb 6th 2010 12:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/
"I love this device. I think it's initially getting a bad rap because: 1. It's an Apple product, people ALWAYS tend to bash them right out of the gate, and 2. A lot of people are trying to make this something it's not. Great product, good price."

To say that is to just stick your fingers in your ears and not take peoples conclusions of this product seriously.

This device lacks so many "duh" things, that it boggles the mind as to what gap its supposed to fill.

Can I print from it wirelessly? No.

Can I install what I want? No.

Can I type on it effectively from any posture? No.

Barring that, does it have handwriting recognition? No.

Nor does it have a simple USB port.

Apple hasnt really even defined this device as doing anything that people might actually need. Yes, it's an Apple-branded device, and that draws in a core group of users sight-unseen. But it's folly to assume that it carries a magical ability to convince people that it can do what they need.

With the iPhone and iPod, they were able to convince you that those products brought a tangible enhancement to your daily routine. iPod = 10000 songs in your pocket, iPhone = Swiss army knife in your pocket.

iPad? Too big for your pocket, and more expensive, but you can read books and magazines. You can also do that "normal" computing stuff with hundreds of dollars of proprietary accessories.


Simply put, there is no "hook".]]>Feb 6th 2010 12:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/"I agree with you as many do as well. Clearly apple envision the future as people holding application consoles rather than computers to do very specific tasks, depending on an application store. This product will be very successful, and it's genius that there's already all the iphone applications to be run in it. That will give them enough leverage."

Again here is the question. Do you want a computer with unlimited possibilities or an "internet appliance" tied to a company store?

"Microsoft and others never succeeded in the tablet realm because they just invented the device with no added value behind it, no app store, no publishers backing them"

Tablet PC dont need an app store. You can install whatever you want.

As far as publishers backing them? What would be the point? Tablet PC aren't closed-boxes. They are full computers not containers from digital content purchases.

If you can buy an e-book off of Amazon and read it on your desktop/laptop, then you can easily read it on a tablet PC. Microsoft never needed "content providers". We can already get content anywhere.

".Steve Jobs did a great job and he may salvage the print industry for some publishers."

Not when you can get the same thing off of the internet in the form of web pages.]]>Feb 6th 2010 12:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/Feb 6th 2010 12:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/
did previous tablets ever do any of this? or are they just dead devices, like a computer with a blank hard drive?]]>Feb 6th 2010 12:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/
Everyone seems to forget the iPhone OS _IS THE_ stripped-down, touch-friendly version of the Mac OS. It is designed and optimized for touch-screen devices. What exactly did you think a touch version of Mac OS would look like?

Are you saying you wanted something that would install full Mac OS third-party apps? This would cause a tablet to run painfully slow, similar to Windows netbooks, due to lack of RAM and processor power. Love it or hate it, the AppStore (or Cydia) offers most programs you would want that are designed for the specific hardware.

Universal app file access? AppleInsider did a good write-up about how they are going to allow iPad to be open for different programs to access its necessary files and how those can be transferred to a desktop computer. (http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/01/29/apple_reinventing_file_access_wireless_sharing_for_ipad.html)

Multitasking? Well, this does seem silly to not have it included, not gonna lie... I bet it will be added to the iPad and iPhone when they release 4.0 this summer. Here's hoping.

Flash plugin? Please. For those of you who don't know, Flash on the full Mac OS is awful (ironically, it about as bad of a resource hog and crash-prone as iTunes for Windows is). If it can be cleaned-up and stabilized, I'd be all for it... Not until.]]>Feb 6th 2010 12:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/Feb 6th 2010 1:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/
Your kidding right? Calling OSX an "open operating system" is just plain insane. ]]>Feb 6th 2010 1:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/Feb 6th 2010 1:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/Feb 6th 2010 1:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/Feb 6th 2010 1:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/
I can control my Bluray players, I can control the DVR, search the DTV guide and set it to record programs....

Its the right form factor despite it limitations. I doubt I'll be an early adopter, but as the iPhones improved with age and the price point fell, I can see myself owning one probably around the second year of its existence.

]]>Feb 6th 2010 1:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/Feb 6th 2010 1:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/The point that Apple really missed that I think there is not an excuse for is multitasking. You have got to be kidding me you know they have the power in this new chip but come on. People will need this capability if this is going to be successful.]]>Feb 6th 2010 2:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/Feb 6th 2010 2:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/
Want to run Illustrator or Photoshop? Not going to happen.

Just because it is built on a stripped down BSD kernal doesn't mean it is OSX.

If it can't run OSX applications, it is NOT OSX. It runs iphone/pod apps. It's an oversized ipod running the same gimmick OS designed for a 3" screen.]]>Feb 6th 2010 2:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/Feb 6th 2010 2:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/
I believe, this year won't be an iPad year. But believe me, after 3 years.. I think we will look back and remember this day, why we disdain iPad so much, because it turns out on that day.
iPad is a part of your home already. Details: http://bit.ly/apple-ipad-scrutinized-details
]]>Feb 6th 2010 2:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/Feb 6th 2010 2:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/
Apple did innovate. Instead of making a full OS-X tablet that is just a Macbook and would be of no value to anyone they instead built a new class of device that already has an installed application base from which to grow.

You can be sure, Apple's 1-2 product refreshes a year will continue to tweak the device but for a consumer the iPad is a far superior product than a tablet PC.]]>Feb 6th 2010 2:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/If it were a scaled down version of OSX then it would eat into their laptop sales, which it what they are trying to avoid. It also would not run the iphone Apps. It would be dedicated to the nerds that want to load their own programs and the rest of the buying public which is the other 99% wouldnt have a use for it.
Staying with the iphone OS gives a familiarity and the ability to run Apps from store.
For those that keep saying they want OSX on it, why? What is the point when you can do the same thing on a laptop with a real keyboard and mouse. The only way for this to be profitable was to do it the way they did.]]>Feb 6th 2010 3:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/"Apple did innovate."

Umm... no. Apple didn't innovate. Table PCs and eBook readers existed long before the iPad. The only innovative thing that Apple has done is use marketing to create a mass public recognition of a niche that existed already. The ironic thing is this same marketing is now helping people to look to PC based tablets that have been lingering in the backgound. People are now looking around at alternatives that aren't locked down content consumption devices: tablets like the HP TM2 or the Dell XT2; slatePCs like the HP SlatePC or the Pegatron Slate; or hybrid devices like the Lenovo U1.

"Instead of making a full OS-X tablet that is just a Macbook and would be of no value to anyone they instead built a new class of device that already has an installed application base from which to grow."

I'm not sure what you mean by this. If the iPad had been released with OSX, it too would have an installed application base from which to grow. If anything, the iPhoneOS installed application base is far smaller than the installed OSX installed application base. How is that an advantage?]]>Feb 6th 2010 4:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/Feb 6th 2010 4:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/Feb 6th 2010 5:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/Feb 6th 2010 10:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/
Battery life and performance of the iPad is going to be a couple of it's biggest selling points that no netbook in the world will be able to touch running multitasking desktop OSes for anywhere near the iPad's price point. For any device to be a serious eBook reader, it's got to be free of distractions and single purpose when acting as a book reader. Getting Twitter updates, having security software start a scheduled scan or getting a popup notification of OS updates are a distraction people trying to curl up with a good book or game can do without thank you very much.]]>Feb 7th 2010 12:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/Everyday I am blown away by comments that say things like "this is just a large Touch" or "I can do everything on my iPhone this can do".

Really? Can you run the new iWork apps on your iPhone? Can you run the newly optimized core apps?

The biggest flaw in this kind of thinking is that people assume that all the current apps available are all there ever will be. That developers won't make anything new that will be optimized for the larger iPad and it's better hardware.

Just wait until the developers get their hands on this thing and produce some impressive apps. Then you'll start to really see the differentiation. The iWork and optimized core apps are just the tip of the iceberg of what can be done. That is where the iPad (as well as other tablets) will shine and differentiate from the netbook and smartphone.

Just because you can't imagine it doesn't mean it can't be done.]]>Feb 7th 2010 10:46AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/Feb 7th 2010 1:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/That's the main goal... I can perfectly imagine my parents sitting on the couch and reading an electronic journal instead of a its paper-version but never in front of a PC or on a smartphone.
The iPad has all the ingredient to be on one side extremely simple for those person not familiar with technology and moderately complicated for those who are familiar with technology.
I guess that everybody knows that the mass market can be described with a gaussian function and now Apple is trying to fill the gap between the two tails of the gaussian... There there are a lot of people/money... Just trusting on the name of the brand that Apple built in the recent years with iPod and iPhone, I expect the iPad to be a revolutionary object. Clearly, I don't mean necessarily revolutionary from the point of view of technical specs but from the point of view regarding the impact in the market.

I believe that many neglected these aspects when judging the iPad the day of the presentation. You look at the specs, at Apple they look at money. It's better buying some Apple shares...

Apple it's not necessarily giving the best devices but surely it puts down cornerstones that will be followed by other industries in the market. Like it or not, that's reality...]]>Feb 7th 2010 1:38PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/Feb 6th 2010 12:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/Feb 6th 2010 1:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/Feb 6th 2010 3:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/
Was there ever actually a gap?]]>Feb 7th 2010 8:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/laptop
?
profit]]>Feb 7th 2010 5:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/
There "was" definitely a gap. But it has long sinced narrowed (and for some even closed completely) in the past 5-7 years. Many smartphones are just as capable if not more capable than the current gen iPad, while every single laptop, netbook or other tablet is more powerful than the iPad. I know the iPad will sell well, but that's only because loyalists and bandwagoners will buy it. Its the truth; IT folks at my job simply do not see a need for this device in the business sector, so it will be a casual device that is supposedly competing with the Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, Amazon Kindle and many other niche devices.

I would rather have a DS and a Kindle than one device that does neither of those tasks particularly well.]]>Feb 8th 2010 3:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/Feb 6th 2010 12:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/
until it does flash, has a dongle-less usb, has a dongle-less display port, has stylus input (+handwriting recognition/digitizer), runs one-note, and can multitask... I won't be getting one.

O wait, windows based tablets already do all that. Nvm, I'll just get one of those.]]>Feb 6th 2010 12:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/
no, not until flash fixes their crappy software. i for one am glad apple doesn't use it.]]>Feb 6th 2010 12:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/Feb 6th 2010 12:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/Feb 6th 2010 12:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/06/switched-on-mined-the-gap/
I don't make purchases based on the success of the device. I make purchases based on what is best for what I need it to do. And what I need it to do I already listed. Anyone remotely computer savvy can avoid viruses.

I do give Apple credit for one thing. They definitely made me realize that I want a tablet pc, just not an iPad. The functionality gap is just to great.]]>Feb 6th 2010 12:52PM