Roundup of iPad Commentary & Knee-Jerk Reviews
Here are links to a few articles related to Apple's launch of the iPad, along with the bits I found particularly interesting.
On the iPad - Alex Payne
Apple gives every other reader reason to be nervous with iPad - Andy Ihnatko, Sun-Times Columnist
But Apple has the annoying habit of producing products that make perfect sense once you get your hands on them. It struck me that Apple was making a clear statement with the iPad: “We were right about the iPhone.” They had a clear and ambitious concept about an entirely new computing platform and an entirely new way that humans would interact with hardware. They were so right about it that when the time came to build a tablet device, changing the UI seemed vulgar at best.
The iPad Big Picture - John Gruber, Daring Fireball
Apple now owns and controls their own mobile CPUs. There aren’t many companies in the world that can say that. And from what I saw today, Apple doesn’t just own and control a mobile CPU, they own and control the hands-down best mobile CPU in the world. Software aside (which is a huge thing to put aside), it may well be that no other company could make a device today matching the price, size, and performance of the iPad. They’re not getting into the CPU business for kicks, they’re getting into it to kick ass.
On the iPad - Alex Payne
That the iPad is a closed system is harder to forgive. One of the foremost complaints about the iPhone has been Apple’s iron fist when it comes to applications and the development direction of the platform. The iPad demonstrates that if Apple is listening to these complaints, they simply don’t care. This is why I say that the iPad is a cynical thing: Apple can’t – or won’t – conceive of a future for personal computing that is both elegant and open, usable and free.
Some stuff about the iPad, Jason Kottke, kottke.org
Ooh, keyboard dock. If they could outfit that with a hinge and some sort of latching device, I wonder what that kind of thing would look like? [...]
The iPad makes the Kindle look like it's from the 1980s. [...]
If the iPhone is any indication, this thing is going to be great for kids. Ollie likes playing games and looking at videos on the iPhone but the larger screen size of the iPad allows for more collaborative play...one kid + one adult or two kids using it together. The iPhone is for solitary use; the iPad can be collaborative (or at least collective).
The Anti-Hype: Why Apple’s iPad Disappoints - Samuel Axon, Mashable
What We Learned About Apple Yesterday - Stan Schroeder, Mashable
The Problem with the Apple iPad - Adam Pash, Lifehacker
Other Articles:The iPad Is Like Holding The Future. But Only Because I Graduated From iPhone School - TechCrunch Apple iPad: A Comprehensive Guide - MashableWhat’s Missing from the Apple iPad? - Mashable Top 10 Reasons The Apple iPad Will Put Amazon’s Kindle Out of Business - TechCrunch Video: Mossberg Talks Apple's iPad and First Impressions - The Wall Street Journal
This isn’t the middle device folks have been waiting for because — and I’m using Steve Jobs’s own criteria here — it’s not better at anything than any other device on the market. It’s a step in that direction, but the day hasn’t come yet. Here are just a few of the ways the iPad isn’t as magical as Apple claims.
What We Learned About Apple Yesterday - Stan Schroeder, Mashable
The way I see it, the iPad is not about creating; it’s all about consuming content. It shouldn’t be sold in Apple stores, it should be sold on newsstands (together with a 24-month subscription to some newspaper), in video clubs, in libraries. I honestly expected a lot of subsidized options for the device if you agree to buy some content with it, but Apple hasn’t really delivered that — yet. If I’m right, and if Apple starts doing that, most of iPad’s shortcomings won’t matter.
The Problem with the Apple iPad - Adam Pash, Lifehacker
Apple's saying to consumers: "Trade in choice for a guarantee that this will work exactly as we designed it to, and you'll never be upset with a computer again." Unfortunately there's no reason to believe the trade is necessary. At the very best, it seems like Apple's extreme and obsessive control over what you're allowed to run on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch is maybe delaying the point at which your software demands outpace the hardware, but even that is debatable. With the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, you're trading choice and control in exchange for unsubstantiated promises.
Other Articles:The iPad Is Like Holding The Future. But Only Because I Graduated From iPhone School - TechCrunch Apple iPad: A Comprehensive Guide - MashableWhat’s Missing from the Apple iPad? - Mashable Top 10 Reasons The Apple iPad Will Put Amazon’s Kindle Out of Business - TechCrunch Video: Mossberg Talks Apple's iPad and First Impressions - The Wall Street Journal
