iPAD!!!!!  OMG!!!

I presume that 'airplane mode' is switched on/off by software ?

I can only accept a hardware kill switch that removes all power from the wireless circuitry.

Maybe, just maybe, the sort of people who visit this site are not the target audience for this (or maybe any other) Apple device.

I used to deride Apple products as triumphs of style and marketing over substance. My first mp3 player was an iRiver H320 hard disk based thing. At the time I thought it was a smart buy, and I agreed with the conclusion in this review (iRiver H300 review: iRiver H300 - CNET ):

The bottom line: As did the phased-out H120, the H320 will attract those who value features as well as superior audio playback and recording quality over style.

I learned the workarounds for not being able to create playlists on the device, I chortled at people who had to bother with all that song metadata malarkey when obviously just putting your songs in hard disk folders was easier and better. I occasionally tried to train my wife in the bizarre button pushing you had to do to achieve some functions...

Then I needed a higher capacity player and I decided to try out one of these new-fangled iPods people had been talking about. What a revelation, it was like our TiVo but for music! Sometimes when you just want something to work first time, every time and be extremely easy to use for its main function then less really is more, even for a gadget nerd like me.

The only thing that turns me off about the iPad is lack of Flash capability in Safari, but maybe by the time I can afford one they'll have fixed that or it'll be irrelevant.

Andrew

No Flash!?? Really?! My IPhone doesn't support flash for the simple reason that the battery would die out too quickly (and, from what I heard, Adobe doesn't want to buy into Apple's marketing). But this is ridiculous - a huge touchscreen without flash is like getting basic cable instead of the full package.

No the iPhone doesn't support flash because Apple likes to dictate what we want in our devices.

I think the iPad is going to be Appl'ss first big flop in a long time. This thing should have come with a couple of USB ports, an SD card slot, GPS, flash support, and a camera.

As it is they have introduced an over sized, over priced iTouch. Its really nothing more then a fancy ebook reader. I just can't see how this is going to compete with all the other tablet/slate offerings coming out this year.

Apple usually has some nice innovations that place there version of a product above and beyond there competitors. They just totaly missed the mark on this one.

Well, why I need a bigger Iphone?

Presbyopia: it's no coincidence that, now that Jobs and all the original Mac buyers are on the AARP mailing list, he's releasing an iPhone with BFF* capabilties.

Plus, the larger size means a bigger GPS antenna, and the improved resolution makes it suitable for navigating scooters and walkers around the nursing home.

  • "BFF" = Big &%^$ing Fonts

But the iPad doesn't have GPS. Its just an oversized iThouch not an oversized iPhone. If you get the more expensive one then it will have AT&T 3G in it but it still won't have a camera or GPS.

It looks like almost everything I ever wanted an eBook to be. Except <$250. Still, pretty comparable to other eBooks of similar size, with better features (?)
It'll be interesting to see if the world wants a programmable eBook, rather than a tablet computer. It's a good question; Apple seems to be doing pretty well with their programmable music player...
Keep in mind that "issues of choice" (flash, app licensing scheme) can be changed pretty quick. I always find the ads touting "open app policy" (ie on droid?) to be ... amusing. All it takes is for Apple to decide that it's important, and a snap of the fingers, and a whole marketing ploy becomes useless...

IF apple was going to change their stance on open software they missed the boat a loooooong time ago

they haven't allowed much open programing starting with the original Macintosh (ever hear of a programing switch)

I think the iPad is going to be Appl'ss first big flop in a long time.

We can only hope ;D!

It's been too long..

Hey i love my iTouch but updates don't come fast enough and the platform isn't as open as it should be. I should be able to do allot more with interfacing it with other things without the need to jailbreak it.

The 3G iPads will have GPS according to the specs at apple.com

Andrew

for darn near a grand it better

The 3G iPads will have GPS according to the specs at apple.com

Still no camera though!

can you imagine trying to take a photo with that huge rectangle? It's like trying to hold up a picture frame to take a photo... irony...

The camera would be used more for AR purposes. Imagine coupling facial recognition with the system. The iPhone doesn't have enough hardware to support something like that but the iPad might. You take the iPad, with GPS, and camera and you can have the actual street view with the GPS map overlaid on it as you drive down the road.

see if it had USB they could make an addon webcam ... call it the iBall

iLike the sound of an iBall.

What if you wanted two of them? Perhaps iBalls

ahh, good 'ol immaturity.

well there is an add on connector to give USB for plugging a camera into but that is for 'transfering images'. Dunno if you could make a webcam work...

Mowcius

dunno, for the camera / sd reader dongle it has to have some form of usb host in there

still doesn't that break the uber sleekness of it, good ole apple and their dongles