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The problem with computers, for many people, is that they do too much, not too little. Ask your mom.

Feb 08, 10 - 06:27 pm Comment from: HMCIV

"...but that the computer through iPad might be saved."

Wait, the iPad will double as a Time Capsule??? WOW!!!

Feb 08, 10 - 06:31 pm Comment from: Tiger

Not a Time Capsule, HMCIV, a Time Tablet! Specifically, a New York Times Tablet!!

Feb 08, 10 - 06:34 pm Comment from: Superior Being

Ah, John 3:17.

I feel as though it was just yesterday that I inspired that one.

John 3:17. An oldie, but a goodie!

Leave my mom out of this combosation or we will have words later. hahahahha!!

What annoys me is the people who bitch that it needs to be more like a computer, then after two weeks or reading they brainwash themselves into thinking that it is great because of what it doesn't have or do.

Stupid.

Nice use of a Bible quote. How about Matt. 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the computer or the operating system; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.

"I tell you one thing that really drives me nuts, is people who think that Jethro Tull is just a person in a band."
-Oscar, Armageddon

BIBLE

The Bible is something I haven't seen discussed on the iPad. Full page Bible Apps that feature search, bookmarks, concordances etc would be the most useful Bible ever created.

My Mom teaches Bible Studies and she's going to absolutely love this.

A computer? Maybe, with OS 10. As it is NOW, it can't replace a laptop, or i-mac.

Feb 08, 10 - 07:00 pm Comment from: Mr. Reeee

Or a couple of Nietzsche's golden quotes:

That which does not kill you, makes you stronger.

God is dead.

In fact, I want an OS 10 ipad.So, I'll buy the OS 10 2ghz 15 inch ipad. (laugh..) Or the 4 ghz ipad. It will keep me WARM in the winter, before it explodes.

Feb 08, 10 - 07:12 pm Comment from: Logan

@XE1

Great point!

I liked it so much that I blogged it.

Nice take, MDN. Although, its bordering on sacrilege and idolatry (for all things Apple). But it's all in good fun.

Feb 08, 10 - 07:16 pm Comment from: RicMac

The vision in 1984 was a computer that was in fact an appliance. By that they meant that we would no more think about the appliance than we do the toaster. It's all about the toast, not the innards of the toaster.
Which means all our obsession on our computers and devices is a bit strange given the original goal.
Perhaps the iPad brings us closer.

Feb 08, 10 - 07:30 pm Comment from: Mac Daddy

Love the quotes from the New King Nerd version!

You raised a proper issue but got the message confused. Importantly, to use an iPad, a computer is necessary as as prerequisite. The IPad saves to the computer, I think. Am I wrong about this? Is it possible to use an iPad without first having a computer to sync to?

The iPad and the computer will be one.
I no longer feel the need of owning a Macbook.

@ Mac+
"I no longer feel the need of owning a Macbook."

Neither do I.

@ @banditsbill
what are you talking about?
He's the guy who plays the flute?

Feb 08, 10 - 07:52 pm Comment from: Jubei

Great article and a keeper to provide to people who are getting a lot of misdirection and FUD from the typical knee jerk reacting tech bloggers.

The day of, or perhaps after, the announcement, I heard a Bible publisher discussing the possibilities of the iPad.

I'm not certain that an iPad absolutely needs a computer for syncing, but it's certainly more useful with one. I still think Apple should release "iHub", an AppleTV-like appliance for iPhone OS device management. iTunes and Time Machine.

@ @Bandit Bill....by the way which one's Pink?

Feb 08, 10 - 08:24 pm Comment from: simple

@Deadlyserious "Is it possible to use an iPad without first having a computer to sync to?"

Don't know if Apple will let you just turn it on or if you need to synch with iTunes before you get to the apps.

If you can just turn it on and go, no problem.

If you need to synch to iTunes, find a trusted Mac/PC friend, maybe the Apple Store, to do the initial sync.

Then turn it on, surf the web, download apps, music, videos, books, and more using wifi or kick in for the 3G. Type in your contacts, set up your calendar, download photos from your digital camera using the Camera Connection kit. Have your buds send files via email to view and copy.

Want to get your other digital stuff onto the iPad? You probably already own a computer, no?

Want to update your iPhoneOS, visit an Apple Store or get with your trusted Mac/PC friend.

Back it up? Yes, you're out of luck for now if you don't have a trusted Mac/PC friend. Maybe Apple will let you back it up to their new data center when it goes operational.

Feb 08, 10 - 08:49 pm Comment from: Big Als MBP

@ Deadlyserious,

Right now you can purchase music, movies and Apps directly through the iTunes Store (The Cloud). I think it will be quite possible to sync with MobileMe (The Cloud), maybe not right away but as early as this fall.

It will be a stand alone device before too long.

Feb 08, 10 - 08:51 pm Comment from: Jim - TIV

Mr Reese - God isn't dead. He's just ignoring you specifically. He listens to everybody else. Especially me & C1!

Feb 08, 10 - 08:54 pm Comment from: Ampar

75i: Elliot Gould / Anne Murray

Shimmer

Wife.....Gilda Radner
Husband.....Dan Aykroyd
Spokesman.....Chevy Chase


[ open on suburban kitchen, Wife and Husband arguing ]

Wife: New Shimmer is a floor wax!

Husband: No, new Shimmer is a dessert topping!

Wife: It's a floor wax!

Husband: It's a dessert topping!

Wife: It's a floor wax, I'm telling you!

Husband: It's a dessert topping, you cow!

Spokesman: [ enters quickly ] Hey, hey, hey, calm down, you two. New Shimmer is both a floor wax and a dessert topping! Here, I'll spray some on your mop.. [ sprays Shimmer onto mop ] ..and some on your butterscotch pudding. [ sprays Shimmer onto pudding ]

[ Husband eats while Wife mops ]

Husband: Mmmmm, tastes terrific!

Wife: And just look at that shine! But will it last?

Spokesman: Hey, outlasts every other leading floor wax, 2 to 1. It's durable, and it's scuff-resistant.

Husband: And it's delicious!

Spokesman: Sure is! Perks up anything from an ice cream sundae to a pumpkin pie!

Wife: Made from an exclusive non-yellowing formula.

Husband: I haven't even touched my pudding and I'm ready for more!

Wife: But what about black heel marks?

Spokesman: Dirt, grime, even black heel marks, wipe clean with a damp mop.

[ Husband accidentally sprays Shimmer onto the floor ]

Husband: Oh, sorry, honey, I'll clean that up!

Wife: Oh, no problem, sweetheart, not with new Shimmer!

[ Spokesman laughs continuously as he approaches the camera ]

Spokesman: New Shimmer, for the greatest shine you ever tasted!

[ fade ]

Feb 08, 10 - 09:28 pm Comment from: ken1w

Haven't read the complete article, but this fellow sounds like he understands the iPad better than most. For so many of the "techy" people out there, solving Windows issues and tweaking their PCs (and helping others to do the same) provides a sense of accomplishment. This is even true for a lot of Mac users out there. The iPad is therefore a threat. Their knowledge and expertise will become less valuable.

This is not entirely true, of course (at least not right away). You can't even use an iPad unless you have a computer that runs iTunes. But "fear" is mostly a subconscious thing.

For most people who need to do mostly basic "computing tasks," the iPad will be a revelation.

Does this guy know you can't listen to Pandora at the same time as surfing the Web on this thing? He wouldn't be that excited then.

Feb 08, 10 - 10:02 pm Comment from: aka Christian

@Mr. Reee:

"I refuse to prove that I exist," says God, "for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing."
"But," say Man, "the Babel fish is a dead giveaway, isn't it? It could not have evolved by chance. It proves you exist, and so therefore, by your own arguments, you don't. QED."
"Oh dear," says God, "I hadn't though of that" and promptly vanishes in a puff of logic.

-Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Feb 08, 10 - 10:16 pm Comment from: Derek Currie

iPad: Consumer Appliance.
Rinse.
Repeat.

Feb 08, 10 - 10:20 pm Comment from: ditchdoc68

@ Mr. Reeee

"God is dead." Nietzsche
"Nietzsche is dead." God

Feb 08, 10 - 10:36 pm Comment from: Ampar

"Nietzsche is dead." God "

"Avoid cliches like the plague."
- Ampar

Feb 08, 10 - 10:41 pm Comment from: ChrissyOne

God and I have both agreed to do just our own things, man.

"That which doesn't make you stronger, kills you." -A wiseguy

"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep." -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I don't have a problem with God. It's YOU I have a problem with

Feb 08, 10 - 11:02 pm Comment from: ChrissyOne

Testing... Testing MDN iPhone app...

I have an iMac, a MacBook Pro, an iPhone, and will buy the iPad. Awesome article!!
The iPad will NOT replace my laptop or iMac. I want it to read in bed, watch movies in airplane, take it to work, etc.
I was going to buy a Kindle device, now I have a much better device with movies, iPod, email, and so on.

Yes EXACTLY!! Its a mobile digital-media consumption appliance, which is NOT intended to be an all-purpose digital-media creation device (i.e. computer). The technocrati who are completely freaking out over the device are ALL people who make their incomes using computers to create digital media; they look at this device, and go "I can't make my living using this, therefore its a disastrous piece of junk that threatens my livelihood". Also they already have a laptop and a smartphone, and can't figure out why they'd need a 3rd mobile device. Fine, ask the tens of millions who currently don't have a laptop and a smartphone, just a dumb phone and a desktop computer, and who'd love to have a mobile device with a decent-sized screen. That isn't plagued with viruses.

Rise of the Couch Potato II

What if iPad is the revolutionary device MDN insists that it is and the great majority of the unwashed masses of ordinary computer users are all just too stupid to understand what it will do for them?

You want links? Here's one:

http://www.9to5mac.com/retrevo_reflects_3458888

I would guess that its initial concentration on video, books and games would be deliberately aimed at precisely not confusing the great unwashed. Whether it overcomes their intrinsic negativity will be the significant question.

People complain about what the purpose of the tablet is yet if it had tried to mimic the laptop as this article agrees it would actually have been considerably more confusing a device as well as being like every other tablet in failing at this stage in doing that job well enough. To do that last job well would require a paradigm shift in software design which Apple is encouraging through iWork, a change in attitude of the mass public and at least a couple more years of technological development and hardware design.

When that is explained to people the more sensible ones tend to understand it rather well and what a logical approach Apple are taking with the concept and how the existing concept of the Tablet (pre iPad) was intrinsically flawed. That a step in some respects backwards is required to move forwards. The less sensible ones of course or those with an agenda will just see the move backwards however and without vision blabber about it endlessly.

Feb 09, 10 - 06:07 am Comment from: Mr. Reeee

MobileMe is so deadly slow, I can't imagine using it to sync the entire content of an iANYthing!

I suppose at this stage living computer-free isn't entirely an option. A Mac mini seems a reasonable (and reasonably cheap) option.

Heh heh. Xtians sure are easy to bait.

Feb 09, 10 - 07:17 am Comment from: flappo

finally , this really IS

the computer for the rest of us

and will be a MASSIVE hit !

Feb 09, 10 - 08:11 am Comment from: Derek in Milan

If we use the iPad we are alienating ourselves from the means of production

Karl Marx

the ipad takes away our ability to make things - we become mere observers in our world.

Albert Einstein

if we use the ipad we forget how to use the seed drill and we will starve.

Jethro Tull

Feb 09, 10 - 10:28 am Comment from: hardmanb

We boomers with our aging eyes and computer illiteracy alone will adopt the iPod in numbers sufficient to make it a successful new product.