52 replies to this topic

[ross549]

http://www.apple.com/ipad/

Apple came out and showed off the new iPad.....

Key features are the Retina display, 5 megapixel rear camera, Dual core A5X chip with quad-core graphics, and "4G" LTE cellular data on both AT&T and Verizon Wireless.

What do you think?

DO you plan on getting one?

Adam

[crp]

http://www.apple.com/ipad/
Apple came out and showed off the new iPad.....
Key features are the Retina display, 5 megapixel rear camera, Dual core A5X chip with quad-core graphics, and "4G" LTE cellular data on both AT&T and Verizon Wireless.
What do you think?
DO you plan on getting one?
Adam

It does nothing to change my mind about the notepad form factor and lack of being an application pc, i'll stick to my netbooks thank you.
Except, Acer's response had me intrigued.

though i will quibble with the CEO , i didn't think their netbooks were junky at all

[ross549]

I think the iPad was never meant to replace the PC, but to augment it.

Have you ever used one?

Adam

[LilBambi]

iPad is a great way to augment a PC or even a laptop. Something much easier to carry around, thinner and lighter than a laptop and makes email, surfing, reading books, playing games, keeping up with calendars or even business contacts or friends and family so easy.

Sure definitely not meant to replace a PC, but very convenient, like other tablets but with an amazing array of apps to choose from and a choice of wifi only or 3g/4g now too for those who would actually need that kind of connectivity all the time.

If I could afford one, I would have one in a heartbeat; iPad 2 or iPad (3rd gen).

[securitybreach]

http://www.apple.com/ipad/

Apple came out and showed off the new iPad.....

Key features are the Retina display, 5 megapixel rear camera, Dual core A5X chip with quad-core graphics, and "4G" LTE cellular data on both AT&T and Verizon Wireless.

What do you think?

DO you plan on getting one?

Adam

Do I plan on getting an Ipad? Probably not. I do not think I would ever buy one myself.  The hardware is decent but I would not support Apple by buying one. I prefer Android tablets and if I had lots of money to blow, I would get a Transformer Prime as the processor is actually quad core instead of just the GPU. Granted the camera is better on the Ipad but I never understood why someone would want to take pictures with a tablet anyway?  
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/311104/2...ormer-prime.htm

Sorry for the rant but you asked


That said, I do plan on buying another tablet soon but that is only because the price is so low ($109) and it has a ton of ports:

Android 4.0 Tablet PC 7 inch CORTEX A9 (Dual Core) 1GHz C71 Tablet
1*USB 2.0 Host port
1*USB 2.0 OTG port
1*HDMI output
1*TF card slot

http://www.zenithink-zepad.com/zenithink-c...pc-4gb-red.html

[LilBambi]

Nice one too Josh!

Love tablets! They are all great!

[securitybreach]

Nice one too Josh!

Love tablets! They are all great!

Actually that is the same tablet as the KDE Spark that is supposed to be coming out. The KDE one is just a rebranded version of this tablet with KDE preinstalled. They have the image available to install it yourself and you will save $100 by doing so:

Seigo says the extra money in the Spark price pays for a few things. Some of it goes to shipping and distribution fees. Some goes to the group’s retail partners. But some of the money will also go back into the KDE Plasma Active and Mer Linux communities to spur further software development and possibly to pave the way for additional hardware devices.

http://www.thepowerbase.com/2012/03/get-a-...blet-right-now/

Sorry to get off topic Adam

[ross549]

Sorry to get off topic Adam

No worries.

I have an iPad 2 (use it all the time) and I do not plan to get the new iPad. I do not use cellular data on the iPad 2 (it stays at home), and I don't play graphics intensive games.

Frankly, the only upgrade of note for me is the display, and I do not see that as being worth the ~200 I would have to pay to upgrade (could still sell the 64 GB iPad 2 for ~500).

I was really hoping for something really really cool. I am sure the folks who are in an LTE area will really love it.



Adam

[Urmas]

I am sure the folks who are in an LTE area will really love it.

Doubtful. Theoretical max [downlink] speeds are:

• 4G LTE 100 Mbit/s
• 4G DC 42 Mbit/s
• HSPA+ 21,1 Mbit/s
• HSDPA 14,4 Mbit/s
• HSUPA 5.6Mbit/s

And, according to Apple's specs, "you’ll see downlink speeds up to 42 Mbps with DC-HSDPA and up to 21.1 Mbps with HSPA+." Theoretical uplink speeds are 50 Mbit/s (LTE) vs. 11 Mbit/s (4G DC aka HSPA+ Dual Carrier -- which is the best the iPad's built-in modem can do). Built-in 3/4G modems tend to "lag behind", so users with a 100 Mbit/s deal will probably use external modems like Huawei E392.

[ross549]

I am on AT&T and in an HSPA+ area as far as I can tell. When I have a strong signal and the congestion is low (off peak), I get some pretty decent speeds......

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphoto...692571092_n.jpg

Is this the fastest HSPA+ can deliver? Certainly not! I don't expect LTE to bring 100mbit service to *any*device*, at least not here in the US.

Frankly, our airwaves are jammed, and the cellular carriers are simply not going to give us the top speed that the tech is capable of. Frankly, I am pleased with 5mbit on a good day. it is sufficient for what I use the phone for. i do not expect speeds in excess of what I get on my home internet service.

Adam

[Urmas]

Is this the fastest HSPA+ can deliver? Certainly not!

Here is what I am getting now (@6PM):



HSPA+, a Huawei E367 dongle.

I don't expect LTE to bring 100mbit service to *any*device*, at least not here in the US.

I can't comment about the U.S. situation, obviously, but 70-80 Mbit/s is already happening here.

[securitybreach]

Yeah, fast speeds really do not matter when they cap your mobile (and sometimes wired)bandwidth.

[ross549]

I can't comment about the U.S. situation, obviously, but 70-80 Mbit/s is already happening here.

I wonder if Europe has more available bands of spectrum to use for cellular data......

Adam

[Urmas]

Case Finland:

•CDMA/Flash OFDM 450 MHz
•WiMAX 3500 MHz
•4G 800/1800/2600Mhz
•HSPA+ Dual Carrier 2100Mhz
•HSPA+/HSDPA/HSUPA UMTS 900/2100 MHz
•EDGE/GPRS/GSM 900/1800 MHz

The frequencies used by and reserved for public mobile communication networks total 826 MHz.

[lewmur]

http://www.apple.com/ipad/

Apple came out and showed off the new iPad.....

Key features are the Retina display, 5 megapixel rear camera, Dual core A5X chip with quad-core graphics, and "4G" LTE cellular data on both AT&T and Verizon Wireless.

What do you think?

DO you plan on getting one?

Adam

I just read this article on 16 reasons not to buy the "new iPad".  Of course there was no way that I, personally, was going to spend that much money on a pad anyway, but the case was made for people who would spend that much, to hang on to their current iPads.

To me the most telling point is that with all that great "retinal display" resolution, the aspect ratio is still 4x3.  How can you watch HD quality content on a 4x3 screen when its native ratio is 16x9?  And who needs all those pixels on a 9" screen anyway?  Are you going to looking at the screen through a microscope?

Edited by lewmur, 15 March 2012 - 11:23 AM.

[crp]

I just read this article on 16 reasons not to buy the "new iPad".  Of course there was no way that I, personally, was going to spend that much money on a pad anyway, but the case was made for people who would spend that much, to hang on to their current iPads.

To me the most telling point is that with all that great "retinal display" resolution, the aspect ratio is still 4x3.  How can you watch HD quality content on a 4x3 screen when its native ratio is 16x9?  And who needs all those pixels on a 9" screen anyway?  Are you going to looking at the screen through a microscope?

The lack of USB port and external storage is Apple being stubborn
The 4x3 resolution for something that is supposed to be the ultimate in portable viewing of media is odd.

but i wonder about his point #6 - isn't that media main selling point fantasy? would one really want to see all  the imperfections that people really have?
so i don't think they would do "retinal resolution" do begin with.

[lewmur]

The lack of USB port and external storage is Apple being stubborn
The 4x3 resolution for something that is supposed to be the ultimate in portable viewing of media is odd.

but i wonder about his point #6 - isn't that media main selling point fantasy? would one really want to see all  the imperfections that people really have?
so i don't think they would do "retinal resolution" do begin with.

Writers have to get cute when trying to make a point.  I think the real point he was trying to make in #6, is that if you object to having your viewing censored, don't buy an iPad.  If, like me, you are a "dirty old man", who has few enjoyments left in life, you won't be able to use an iPad to go online and look at pretty girls.  Bummer!!

Edited by lewmur, 15 March 2012 - 02:46 PM.

[crp]

Just thought of an accessory for the new iPad : a cover that is also a magnify glass so you can see all the little pixels

[ross549]

So, I will read on the article and comment on each point individually.

1. I do already have an iPad. I am not going to upgrade for reasons mentioned above.

2. The Retina display is a vast improvement over the traditional display. I had an iPhone 3GS, and upgraded to the iPhone 4S with the Retina display. the difference is amazing. i doubt the writer has looked at a Retina display from his comments. Making a display that is that dense is not easy, which is probably why no other company has really attempted to do so. And, yes the display is nine inches. So what? If you want a bigger display, get a different tablet- no one is forcing you to buy an iPad! (I promise this will be the last time I say it)

3. High resolution apps will eat more space, but much of the content these days resides online. I don't even keep music on my iPad any more. The iPad goes all the way up to 64GB for those that would need the space.

4. *All* cellular data is expensive. That's why it also has wifi. Are you streaming 1080p in your car on your commute? I hope not! Also, 4G data does not cost more per GB than 3G.

5. 4G may not work everywhere, but you still have 3G (if you have an iPad that even has it in the first place), or in the worst case, 2G service.

6. Porn is a contentious issue with Apple's products. However, that is only with apps. You can still browse to an adult site if you want, and a friend of mine told me that many are converting from flash based video to mobile-friendly MP4/h.264 video, like Youtube. Thank Apple for this positive change, because flash is a hog, and we all hate it, right?

7. People would like APple to make a 7-inch iPad, but I am willing to bet that it would have horrible battery life compared to the 9" model. Then the same people would complain about the bad battery life. I've heard some of these complainers cannot be satisfied in any situation.

8. The only accessories that will potentially not work are those that assume a certain thickness. Cases are a major concern. Some music equipment, like ipad based mixers, may also not work. So far, this is the most valid argument I have read so far.

9. This argument assumes the only thing done with the ipad would be watching movies. Imagine flipping a 16x9 ipad into portrait orientation and trying to read a book or magazine. Yikes!

10. Correct. What would you use a USB port on a tablet for anyway? I can think of a couple things, but they are not enough of a reason to have one, in my opinion. In any case, there is the camera connection kit available, so you can interface the iPad to an SD card to get your pictures and movies into the ipad, or us the USB adapter to transfer the pictures from a camera.

11. I don't use itunes at all with my ipad, especially after iOS 5.0 came out. the only time I even plug the ipad into the computer is when I am at my desk and I want to charge it while using it for something else.

12. This is by far the biggest complaint I have heard. Correct me if I am wrong, but I know of zero Android tablets out there with more than 32GB of internal storage, and the SDHC protocol only allows for a 32GB card. The ipad matches that, without sacrificing space inside for an unnecessary card reader.

13. The kindle may be cheaper, but it is also built cheaper too. The iPad is built very well, and you can tell when holding one. I've handled a couple tablets made by other manufacturers, and I was not impressed with the quality of the build.

14. Not true. You can jailbreak the iPad if you want. Then you can run any software you like. You just need to take the steps to do so. At least Apple is not depending on the user to do the right thing to secure the ipad from the start! (Windows, anyone?)

15. This argument is rapidly becoming less and less relevant. if you want a full desktop experience, you can buy other tablets out there, root them, and install a linux distro. Some tablets are coming with windows 8 on them as well! The iPad was never designed to be a general purpose computer, but simply to augment your normal computer. In the same line of thinking, I would not buy a $5000.00 gaming computer merely to put it on my desk and only use the calculator program.

16. This argument is also not a good one, because that capability is a major security risk. There is virtually zero concerns on a non-jailbroken iPad for malware. It just does not happen.

DISCLAIMER: I have owned two iPads and three iPhones. I have jailbroken my iPad 2, but subsequently restored it to the default configuration. I call myself an Apple fan, but not for the software. I find the hardware to be absolutely amazing. Apple accomplishes what no other company seems to be able to do: build a simple, functional design, and build it with a significant focus on attention to the small details. No one else even comes close. Am I an Apple fanboy? No. I don't like some of the things they do, especially in the iOS world. However, the overall design and attention to detail is second to none.

Adam

[ross549]

To me the most telling point is that with all that great "retinal display" resolution, the aspect ratio is still 4x3.  How can you watch HD quality content on a 4x3 screen when its native ratio is 16x9?  And who needs all those pixels on a 9" screen anyway?  Are you going to looking at the screen through a microscope?

Have you seen a Retina display device before? I think Apple is pushing the boundaries here, and the rest of the industry will follow.

Do you want to see individual pixels? It seems that some laptop manufacturers are sticking with lower resolution displays for some reason.

For what it is worth, all the content scales up. The Retina display is a higher resolution, but that does not mean that display elements are 1/4 the size they were before.

[ross549]

The 4x3 resolution for something that is supposed to be the ultimate in portable viewing of media is odd.

Widescreen movies are not the only media the ipad is designed for- it is also websites, magazines, and books. hence the 4x3 display.

[Urmas]

4. *All* cellular data is expensive.

True in some markets [the United States comes to mind], perhaps, but not everywhere. Here are 3/4G prices of two Finnish operators. (Kinda similar, non?   ) Prices are per month. No data caps.





(And yes, operators manage to make hefty profits with this kind of pricing.)

[crp]

Widescreen movies are not the only media the ipad is designed for- it is also websites, magazines, and books. hence the 4x3 display.

My portable media device (Coby MP977) has this option to let me switch between 4*3 and 16*9 whenever I want. The complaint is that the new iPad does not support 16*9 at all. Is the complaint correct?

[ross549]

My portable media device (Coby MP977) has this option to let me switch between 4*3 and 16*9 whenever I want. The complaint is that the new iPad does not support 16*9 at all. Is the complaint correct?

I don't understand what you mean by your device switching.....

On the iPad (or any iOS device, for that matter), a wide screen movie will play in widescreen. There will be black bars on the top and botom of the screen, since the devices are not 16:9. If you double tap on the video, it zooms in by cropping the left and right of the video. The top and bottom bars on the top and bottom will then disappear.

Adam

[crp]

I don't understand what you mean by your device switching.....

On the iPad (or any iOS device, for that matter), a wide screen movie will play in widescreen. There will be black bars on the top and botom of the screen, since the devices are not 16:9. If you double tap on the video, it zooms in by cropping the left and right of the video. The top and bottom bars on the top and bottom will then disappear.

Adam

Doesn't your desktop/laptop/monitor/display adapter allow you to change aspect ratios, especially when outputting video to a tv?
same thing on the MP977 except the options are much more limited.