The Reader

My thoughts pretty much exactly. It's like I'm waiting for the punch line. "OK just kidding here's what it really is.

On 28 Jan 2010, at 05:20 PM, "Charles" <charlesf@epix.net> wrote:

I'm assuming the relative quiet of this list is due to the stunned reaction to Apple's revelation of the new Apple iPad yesterday. :-)

I too am not sure if I am disappointed or excited. I think it's a little of both.

I have been waiting for something non-laptop, but with laptop capabilities, to replace my PC with. I really wanted to like this iPad. Ok, I DO like it. I wanted to LOVE it, and I am not sure I can. It seems almost like a very large iPod Touch - some additional capabilities, but nothing really spectacular, other than a larger viewing screen......

I gave away my old laptop as a charitable donation, as we have 2 desktops at home (we need both - 5 kids, 3 adults in the home - one of the children has her own laptop, but still uses the PCs from time-to-time), and the iPhone had given me the capability to websurf and check email while away from the PC via Wi-Fi. The problem is that getting PC time is tough at times, for syncing the iPhone, and also, the portability of the PCs is non-existent. This is where the iPad would have been great, if I could replace the PC with it. But, it seems as if it too would need to be synced with a computer of some sort, just like an iPhone or iPod Touch.

Here are what I see as pros:
-Large display compared to iPhone; comparable to a small laptop or netbooks.
-Ease of use / Familiar to those of us with iPhones and iPod Touchs.
-Ability to run the same apps that the iPhones and iPod Touchs run.
-Great *ADVERTISED* Battery life (wonder if it will be as good as they say?).
-Better price than expected.
-Does much more than the Kindle, at a starting price that is not much more, and it's COLOR.

But, the cons:
-Not a true laptop - no ability to run regular MAC or PC programs.
-Not a device that I can replace my PC with (i.e. run all the programs that I cannot with the iPhone, that I need a computer for).
-Not able to sync my iPhone to iTunes with the iPad - still need a computer.
-No built-in camera (ok, NOT a big con for me, but it should have one, IMO).
-Extra fee for 3G usage - and why get it without 3G if you can take it with you. This would not be an issue if I didn't already have an iPhone, but I do, and I wouldn't be using both at once anyway. Add to that, the lack of 3G in my area, and it is basically on EDGE outside the home, or Wi-Fi in the home.
-No stereo speakers, just mono sound. Most laptops have stereo; who wants to watch a fantastic movie like Star Trek (the one Apple uses in their advertisement) in mono?.
-Only 64GB memory. I guess this isn't that bad, since it is not a fully capable machine, although the next iPhone is likely to have that same capacity, and the iPod Touch does now.......
-STILL no "Flash". A true web surfing experience is still not available; you'd think that with a larger screen, and the intended use as a websurfing machine, that would be here for the iPad, even if not available for the iPhone or iPod Touch. I expect it will come someday, but I don't know that I'd buy it until it arrives.
-No way to hook up an external hard drive (which is moot since it doesn't have many of the capabilities that you need the drive for anyway).
-No way to hook up a CD drive (to import CDs into your iTunes).
-An external USB would be useful for the above items, as well as adding photos/music/etc. via a thumbdrive.

These pro/con lists are not all inclusive, and what is a pro/con to me may not be important to you.

I love my iPhone; I am really wanting to go completely Mac, and I would like a device that I could replace a PC with completely. I would like iPad to iPhone syncing, among other capabilities. I would like to run MS WORD, or a MAC equivalent of WORD, that I could export to my work PC (they are all WORD, and they're not going to change for me, and we use forms and reports formatted for WORD).

Basically, I am thinking that if I had an iPad, I wouldn't need an iPhone (blasphemy) or iPod touch; just a regular cellphone for phone use, the iPad for surfing and email, and a PC/Mac computer for syncing.....

Add to all of this, we yet don't know what the new iPhone will be capable of.......

Thoughts?
Chuck F.
NE PA
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