iPad

[braumeister]

Maybe if iPad3 adds the Retina display, I'll consider upgrading.

I agree completely; if I had an iPad, I wouldn't consider upgrading just for the iPad2 capabilities. I also think retina display on the iPad3 is a pretty safe bet.

I also agree with Rustic23 that the tablet wars are just beginning, and we'll be seeing some [-]great toys[/-] wonderful, magical, and practically indispensable appliances in the next few years.

 

[kyounge1956]

(snip)Maybe if iPad3 adds the Retina display, I'll consider upgrading.

What is the Retina display?

 

[braumeister]

Apple - iPhone 4 - Learn about the high-resolution Retina display

the Retina display’s pixel density is so high, your eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels.

 

[M Paquette]

What is the Retina display?

It's an Apple marketing buzzword for very high resolution displays, with 300 pixels per inch or or more. This puts the display resolution past the threshold where most people can see the graininess of individual pixels.

The threshold around the 300 elements per inch level has been used for a long time. The early laser printers all aimed for 300 dots per inch, to get that crisp 'typeset' appearance that set them far above the various matrix and early ink jet printers.

 

[W2R]

It's an Apple marketing buzzword for very high resolution displays, with 300 pixels per inch or or more. This puts the display resolution past the threshold where most people can see the graininess of individual pixels.

At last, an advantage to growing older! Some of us have found that after a certain age, we no longer are bothered by that pesky problem of being able to see the graininess of individual pixels.

 

[Mulligan]

I'm pretty much an Apple guy, and have been for decades. Nevertheless, I passed on the original iPad, because I just didn't see how it would fit into my life between my iPhone and my MacBook.

After watching yesterday's demo of the iPad 2, I'm sold, and will definitely be getting one. It will replace the MacBook when I travel, and also serve nicely as an e-book reader around home (I have the original Kindle, and have never really liked it).

I'll be going for the top of the line, 64GB/3G model, because I can see it lasting for a number of years and it took a surprising short time to fill up my 32GB iPhone. I probably won't use the 3G data plan very much, but it will be nice to have it available if needed.

Going to buy, but need a little help. Dont want to buy more than what I need but dont want to regret. Can I get by on the 16GB, if I get some apps, and maybe a few movies saved for a trip? Plan on mostly surfing, emailing, a few game apps, and an app to watch ML Baseball on internet. Wont probably have much music on it, and no business data work. One other question please. Would the data plan and 3 g support netflix if I wanted to watch a movie on it somewhere?

 

[M Paquette]

Going to buy, but need a little help. Dont want to buy more than what I need but dont want to regret. Can I get by on the 16GB, if I get some apps, and maybe a few movies saved for a trip? Plan on mostly surfing, emailing, a few game apps, and an app to watch ML Baseball on internet. Wont probably have much music on it, and no business data work. One other question please. Would the data plan and 3 g support netflix if I wanted to watch a movie on it somewhere?

Apps tend to be pretty small, anywhere from 1 Mb to perhaps 100 Mb for the largest most folks will use. My largest apps are Distant Suns (Lite) at 27.4 Mb, mostly the star chart images, and the Apple Remote at 15.3 Mb.

Movies tend to run around 0.9 Gb per hour as purchased commercially. The recent Star Trek digital copy is 1.83 Gb, for example. If you are a user of HandBrake or some similar utility, making your own digital copies from DVD, your movies can be perhaps half that size with no obvious loss of quality.

Figure on a 16 Gb iPad carrying a bunch of apps, many hours of audio, and perhaps 10-12 movies if you copy from DVD.

Netflix will work over that 3G connection in many places, but you can go through that 2 Gb for $25/month allowance from AT&T in maybe 3 hours. Figure on another $10 for each 40 minutes of movie watching from the $10/Gb overage fee. (Go ahead... ask me how I know...)

 

[Mulligan]

Apps tend to be pretty small, anywhere from 1 Mb to perhaps 100 Mb for the largest most folks will use. My largest apps are Distant Suns (Lite) at 27.4 Mb, mostly the star chart images, and the Apple Remote at 15.3 Mb.

Movies tend to run around 0.9 Gb per hour as purchased commercially. The recent Star Trek digital copy is 1.83 Gb, for example. If you are a user of HandBrake or some similar utility, making your own digital copies from DVD, your movies can be perhaps half that size with no obvious loss of quality.

Figure on a 16 Gb iPad carrying a bunch of apps, many hours of audio, and perhaps 10-12 movies if you copy from DVD.

Netflix will work over that 3G connection in many places, but you can go through that 2 Gb for $25/month allowance from AT&T in maybe 3 hours. Figure on another $10 for each 40 minutes of movie watching from the $10/Gb overage fee. (Go ahead... ask me how I know...)

Thanks! So my game plan will be the 16 gb, and only use the network monthly plan when traveling (just surfing), and do the netflix only at home on wi fi!

 

[M Paquette]

Thanks! So my game plan will be the 16 gb, and only use the network monthly plan when traveling (just surfing), and do the netflix only at home on wi fi!

One other coming goody for at-home use. As of iOS 4.3, coming out shortly, the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch should be able to use shared iTunes Libraries on a local network. In my case, that means the file server and DVR machine here, set to share it's iTunes Library, should be able to stream all it's content to our various gadgets around the house.

This should be interesting.

 

[braumeister]

Based on what you said, I think M Paquette had good advice, and the small RAM should be OK for you.

The reason I want the big one is because I like to download TV shows to watch when I'm traveling. I already have most of my music on the 32GB iPhone, along with a bunch of TV shows and lots of podcasts, which is why it's nearly filled up. I can see wanting the same thing on the iPad, and if I've learned one thing about my usage over time, it's that I can never have too much RAM.

 

[Mulligan]

Based on what you said, I think M Paquette had good advice, and the small RAM should be OK for you.

The reason I want the big one is because I like to download TV shows to watch when I'm traveling. I already have most of my music on the 32GB iPhone, along with a bunch of TV shows and lots of podcasts, which is why it's nearly filled up. I can see wanting the same thing on the iPad, and if I've learned one thing about my usage over time, it's that I can never have too much RAM.

Is it pretty easy to download tv shows to your Ipad? Do you do it through your computer first?

 

[Rustic23]

The IPad has not external memory. For me that would cause me to look at more memory. In the PC/MAC world one thing that has been true is that data grows to fit the available memory. You might not ever need it, but if you do, you can only get it by replacing the entire tablet as there is no upgrade that I am aware of.

 

[explanade]

One other coming goody for at-home use. As of iOS 4.3, coming out shortly, the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch should be able to use shared iTunes Libraries on a local network. In my case, that means the file server and DVR machine here, set to share it's iTunes Library, should be able to stream all it's content to our various gadgets around the house.

This should be interesting.

You have DVR recordings in iTunes? Which DVR?

 

[explanade]

The IPad has not external memory. For me that would cause me to look at more memory. In the PC/MAC world one thing that has been true is that data grows to fit the available memory. You might not ever need it, but if you do, you can only get it by replacing the entire tablet as there is no upgrade that I am aware of.

Obviously they're in the business of getting you to buy every year or at least every other year, which a lot of people would be unlikely to do if they can just add memory cards.

Now if they make enough attractive changes, over a couple of years of those changes, buying a new model instead of upgrading an old model might be more compelling.

 

[M Paquette]

Is it pretty easy to download tv shows to your Ipad? Do you do it through your computer first?

You can download purchased or rented movies or TV shows directly onto the device via the built-in iTunes Store. (I just checked - "127 Hours" sells for $14.99, rents for $3.99; buying an episode of "The Daily Show" is $1.99, and Glee is $2.99)

You can also download onto a computer via the iTunes app, through the iTunes Store, and when you connect the iPad purchased items are transferred to the iPad. There are some simple settings to let you transfer everything, or just selected items, and can even set up 'smart lists' that load only the most recent item of each show, or just unwatched shows, etc.

I don't buy very much this way, though, beyond the 'free digital copy' things that come with many DVD and Blu-Ray disks these days. You just enter a code from the box into the appropriate web site, specified on the box, and it magically starts a free copy downloading from the iTunes Store.

You have DVR recordings in iTunes? Which DVR?

I have a little gadget called an "eyeTV Hybrid" I bought several years ago. It's hooked to the computer and a 'master antenna system' that our TV antenna and other gadgets feed into. There's a program guide that I can pick TV shows on, and the device is set to record the shows, convert them to the right format, and add them to the iTunes Library.

The programs can be watched live, or from the raw recordings without conversion on the computer with the eyeTV software, or from other devices through the shared iTunes Library.

I also take DVDs that I've bought and use the HandBrake software to convert them to files compatible with the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. The software does the conversion painlessly compared to other tools I've tried, and produces a very good copy. You can specify the desired target size or quality, or use 'presets' for various devices. You can just drag the resulting file onto iTunes and it will copy it into the library.

 

[braumeister]

If anyone is interested, I notice that they have dropped the prices on the first iPad generation.

iPad Clearance

 

[DallasGuy]

For the price of the IPAD, it still amazes me that it doesn't include a flash memory card slot/reader. I've bought cheap $20 MP3 players that include this option, so it's not a cost issue. It would be nice to be able to use different flash cards for music, books, etc. instead of having to re-load them onto the IPAD.

 

[M Paquette]

For the price of the IPAD, it still amazes me that it doesn't include a flash memory card slot/reader. I've bought cheap $20 MP3 players that include this option, so it's not a cost issue. It would be nice to be able to use different flash cards for music, books, etc. instead of having to re-load them onto the IPAD.

This seems to be something that a small percentage of the iPad users really need. In designing these gadgets, there are always tradeoffs between weight, size, case strength, and features like this.

The good news is that the Dock connector on the device carries all the signals needed, and with an app on the device to assist, it is possible to move stuff between the device and external storage. The bad news is that the currently available stuff is clunky and a bit flaky but can be made to work.

I'd really like to see a 'cloud-connected' version of the product, something that I think could be done with current hardware and a (big) software upgrade. This would produce an iPad that doesn't need a computer for activation, backup, or software updating, but instead could be used out of the box as a standalone device. The device could 'publish' a wireless drop box, which would look like a network storage device to other gadgets like digital cameras with a WiFi or BlueTooth 'memory card' installed. The drop box would appear to contain any documents or files that the iPad user decided to share, and would automatically associate any new documents added to the drop box with the proper app.

Heh. The Springboard team is probably preparing a voodoo doll of me that they'll be spiking shortly.

 

[explanade]

Obviously Apple is in the business of getting you to buy their products, every year if they can.

An iPad would expandable storage might encourage people to keep using, rather than upgrade.

They also go for thinner designs so the thing is packed with battery to deliver the 10-hour battery life.

There is a rumor though that they'd make MobileMe free and give everyone a certain amount of online storage for free.

 

[Rustic23]

Sorry, but I would throw the BS flag at this point. Apple has based their pricing policy on 3g and memory. The only difference in the models. As my son pointed out, if they included the SD slot why would anyone buy a 32 or 64 gig model. Just buy a bigger SD card. So, IMHO, it has nothing to do with how many IPad users need it, it is 'Will it make or cost us money' and they voted against their customers.

 

[Dimsumkid]

How come no one mentions what they do when the battery on Apple products? I looked it up, it'll cost you $106 to swap out your ipad w/a failing battery with a similiar one? Are people happy giving up the content on their ipad for a replacment swap? I've never liked the policy that you can't just buy a replacement battery and change it yourself. I guess I've always resisted buying Apple products, although I own a few that I've gotten thru promos or won in contests.

I think you have to keep in mind how big of an egomaniac Jobs is. He decides what is best for customers, like you can't think for yourself or have an opinion. You should look up some of the complaints about how he replies to cutomers that complain. I saw one article where he replied back via email "Please stop bothering us".

 

[explanade]

He's an abrasive personality. But he's not making you do anything. If you don't like the value proposition of Apple products, buy another brand, like millions of other people do.

And pestering him by email, can you imagine how many emails he gets and then some people keep asking over and over again? If they're actual customers, there are regular tech support lines and they'd have warranty coverage. You don't email the CEO to make complaints.

 

[Dimsumkid]

He's an abrasive personality. But he's not making you do anything. If you don't like the value proposition of Apple products, buy another brand, like millions of other people do.

And pestering him by email, can you imagine how many emails he gets and then some people keep asking over and over again? If they're actual customers, there are regular tech support lines and they'd have warranty coverage. You don't email the CEO to make complaints.

That's the point, they didn't email him, apparently, he has a habit of answering customer service complaints personally!

 

[explanade]

Yeah, sure that happened.

 

[flyfishnevada]

I did a little research and the GPS feature is only available on the 3G iPad. I don't beleive you need to sign up for a data plan to use it, you just need the 3G antenna. I have a mobile hotspot, so I was looking at the WIFI version, but the GPS feature has a lot of usefulness.

As far as the memory, like I tell my kids, who have 8 GB iPods, Don't dump every app and every song on your iPod. Store all the stuff on your computer and place them on the iPod as needed/wanted.