Be honest, your wallet is $499 lighter

http://codesketch.com/2010/03/be-honest-your-wallet-is-499-lighter/

by techsaucebaby • 16 years ago

31 36 16 years ago

g0atbutt2• 16 years ago

The iPad doesn't really feel like it's developed for me as a tech savvy person (no multitasking, no side-loading, etc.), but I think that's the point.

However, the developer side of me is pumped to be able to leverage the unique hardware and create an experience that would have been impossible otherwise.

tptacek• 16 years ago

Would a portable device geared towards the tech-savvy really move the dials for you? I'm, uh, pretty tech savvy, and the prospect of more connector ports and a more powerful text editor doesn't open my wallet. Etude does.

jrockway3• 16 years ago

Etude does.

Really? Etude is a cool app, and is certainly nice looking, but it's nothing new; I remember doing the exact same thing (even "professionally engraved" notation, via lilypond) 6 years ago on my Linux box. The difference is that on your real computer, you can actually connect your MIDI keyboard, and you can see two entire pages of music at once. And you already have it, so it's free.

So while nice, I don't think the iPad or iPhone is the best device for this application. The iPad is certainly nice for reading HN while waiting for the train, I would imagine.

tzs• 16 years ago

The iPad feels it was developed just for me as a tech savvy person.

I have online access to a large number of books (Safari Library subscription) and a large number of journal articles and conference proceedings (ACM Digital Library subscription). I currently only use these resources for short references. I rarely sit down and read something all the way through, because I just don't like reading sitting at my computer.

When my iPad arrives, there will shortly after be a big boost in my productivity, as I will be able to comfortably read the above materials, and much more, on my couch or in bed. (I said "comfortably", which rules out laptops and netbooks).

If all I ever use it for is accessing Safari Library, the ACM Digital Library, and technical documentation on the web, it will be well worth the cost.

But I expect it to end up useful for more as application developers come up to speed. I'm looking forward to seeing what the Omni Group comes up, with for instance. With Omni Outliner and Omni Focus on it, the iPad could become the organizational center of my life.

My prediction is that the app market for the iPad is going to be reminiscent of the app market for the iPhone--full of creative apps that do amazing things that most of us would not have come anywhere close to predicting.

kalid• 16 years ago

Exactly. I got a kindle not for its intrinsic merits, but because of the behavior change. $200 is a very cheap way for me to read more books. Anecdotally, I'm reading about 3x as many books; I've cut down on my random surfing time and instead reach for more substantive stuff.

That's worth a lot more than $200 to me, and if the iPad encourages me to read even better stuff, all the better.

jsz0• 16 years ago

Even tech savvy people sometimes want to step away from the computer and just read a book or play a game without too much complexity or required hoop jumping to get there.

plinkplonk• 16 years ago

good point. but that is an argument for a tablet, not necessarily the IPad. I suspect the launch of the IPad will get a lot of manufactures to focus on tablets of various form factors and as soon as I can get one i can put Linux on, with plenty of ports, at an affordable price, I'll buy one.

(I'll never pay any money to Apple or develop on their ecosystem. They act too sucm bag-gy for my liking - just a personal preference)

pguerin4• 16 years ago

Yep, that's why I am buying an Exo PC Slate! http://www.exopc.com/en/exopc-slate.php

It works on Windows 7 with 3 USB ports. It's the same price as the ipad, but it's more geared as an netbook killer than a bigger iPod touch. They waited untile the iPad launch to commercialize the device. I think they already are using the device in some coffee shops in Rimouski, Québec.

g0atbutt2• 16 years ago

While the hardware is incredibly important, the software is what's going to shoot this form factor to the top. I'm sure there will be many imitators that get close to the form factor with lackluster software that brings the overall UX down.

On a hardware note, I bet Apple is extremely happy not to have to support x86 legacy cruft.

jacquesm• 16 years ago

I wonder how long it will take before someone manages to slap linux on it.

X seems to be pretty dependent on its pointer though, there would be quite a bit of work in there to make a platform that you can develop applications for.

sjs2• 16 years ago

You say it runs Windows 7 like that's a good thing. (I'm no Windows fan, but if it ran a regular desktop Linux distro I would feel the same way)

The UI and methods of interaction are what make the iPad different from almost every other tablet released to date. Without an OS tailored for it, a tablet is just a watered down notebook.

paulgb• 16 years ago

I wonder why they decided to go with Windows 7 rather than Android.

pguerin4• 16 years ago

Well, one of the things I don't like about the iPad is that you are limited to the iPad OS, and that it's not a replacement for netbooks (no usb or flash). It's the platform of Apple and nothing else. But, I do agree with you that it's really different from a desktop PC and the iPad is really nice for end users. Like they say, it's the best experience for the stuff the iPad is made for.

However, Windows has multitouch with the newer versions of .NET. You can also run Flash / Flex. I think a Windows alternative would fit enterprises that mostly run on Windows software for paticular uses (which is what I intend to build apps for). However, I got no idea if it work on the exo pc tough.

stcredzero2• 16 years ago

You say it runs Windows 7 like that's a good thing.

There's actually a lot of very good, very useful Windows software out there. Here's what I have on my tc1100 slate PC:

    - Skype
    - Chrome
    - Firefox
    - Kindle for PC
    - FBReader
    - VLC
    - Picasa
    - KeePass
    - Widcomm Bluetooth 
    - Dropbox
    - Google Earth
    - Pencil
    - Evernote
    - Squeak

Most of what I do, I do through Google Chrome and various web apps but I very much like the ability to install whatever Windows program I want.

I own a new Macbook and just sold a 24" iMac. Still have a PowerPC 15" Aluminum Powerbook. Mac vs. PC is what Noam Chomsky calls "irrational jingoism." It's a marketing manipulation ploy. If you are for Linux because of FOSS philosophy, then good for you. If you are part of marketdroid-created jingoism, then I think that's a waste of time.

Me, I just run useful software on good hardware.

Without an OS tailored for it, a tablet is just a watered down notebook.

Not true at all. Have you actually owned and really used a good slate PC? I can use this thing in situations I can't use a laptop or even a netbook. Just this afternoon I was talking with a coworker on Skype while lounging around and surfing on the couch and we were showing each other our projects with the webcam. The form factor is key, and Windows XP Tablet is brilliantly executed, even if it is designed for propeller-heads and not ordinary mortals. (Styluses are for propeller-heads like me.) It's not an OS tailored for a tablet so much as Windows XP with tablet support features bolted on. It still works well if you are savvy.

I can do everything that the iPad is supposed to be able to do now, with hardware and software from 3 or 4 years ago. Granted, the tc1100's industrial design is phenomenal, which is why this machine has basically attained cult status. But I can also see the cracks in the execution that would have alienated it from the general public. Also, the ecosystem has to be there for the platform to really work.

In the end, I'm bullish on the iPad, which I've preordered.

DannoHung• 16 years ago

Where's the software?

pguerin4• 16 years ago

Good point, I didn't tough of that! Thanks. I emailed them 2 days ago regarding their UI library / SDK (they only name it)... I wonder when I'll get an answer.

theBobMcCormick• 16 years ago

That does look cool.

I gotta say, I'm mighty disappointed that the iPad is just an overgrown iPhone. If it had been a MacPad and ran OSX I would have been all over it. :-(

psawaya2• 16 years ago

As far as iPad alternatives go, I feel that the Notion Ink Adam deserves more attention than it's getting. 3G and Wifi, camera, and innovative back side trackpad in addition to a touchscreen. And it runs Android. Nothing on a price yet, but in my opinion, it's definitely worth keeping an eye on. http://www.notionink.in/adamoverview.php

kevbin• 16 years ago

Can it run ColecoVision games?

dangrover• 16 years ago

What a cool app. I bet the guy who made that is a really swell fellow. (just kidding)

Man, I need to block hacker news so I can finish the damn ipad version already.

jbellis• 16 years ago

I don't get it. Reading music is the easy part, and it's best learned with a real instrument.

Groxx• 16 years ago

You argue this based on what information? The lack of other means available until recently? And how do you explain how quickly people learn things when taught interactively, like the music games out now do?

freetard• 16 years ago

I'll be honest, I'm not spending $499 or more on an iPad.

techsaucebaby• 16 years ago

Your name says it all...

Be honest, your wallet is $499 lighter

Related Stories