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[MercuryLS]

You nailed it right there. Windows Mobile was far more full featured too.

Exactly. I owned a netbook years ago that I wanted to use as a portable PC when I was out, it sucked so bad. Sure it had better specs on paper than the iPad (minus the dreadful screen), but my god did the experience suck. Everything on screen was minuscule, the keyboard was terrible and small, the build quality was garbage, etc. I could go on and on.

iPad doesn't do everything that a laptop/netbook does, it doesn't have to. It just needs to be the best within it's class of product (which it is). Netbooks weren't the best in their class, they were just cheap garbage laptops that were depressing to use.

 

[soldat7]

I have a question: It seems that the netbook category of small, relatively weak 10" Windows notebooks is essentially dead and the attention of both consumers and tech companies has drastically moved to tablets.

But why?

As much as I love the iPad (I don't own one but I know many people that do and it is a very enjoyable product), it doesn't have nearly as much functionality as even a relatively old netbook.

The cheapest iPad costs $500, and that's for a really subpar 16GB of storage without the option of expanding.
On the other hand, Windows netbook that cost $300 come with 250GB of storage. You can download stuff like music and movies directly to them without relying on a PC. You can create and edit Office documents and use it as an actual work tool. You can use millions of PC programs. You can use USB devices and peripherals. You can connect them to a TV or monitor without additional accessories. I would say it has a keyboard, but netbook keyboards are so terrible that typing on the screen isn't necessarily worse.

Sure it isn't as enjoyable user experience as the iPad, but it's fully featured. So how did this category suddenly go extinct?

Because for media consumption, nothing can beat a good tablet. Remember, your average consumer doesn't buy something based on features, they buy something based on the experience and the problems they are looking to solve.

 

[Gowans]

http://itstreaming.apple.com/podcasts/apple_keynotes_hd/4_march_2012_atv.m4v

Cheers bud!

Fingers crossed tonight I put the Hp touchpad up for sale and order the new iPad.

 

[zychi]

so no more shipping by 16th on the apple site apparently? boo. wont let me preorder at my local one either. i had to wait til my check came today to preorder, now i have to wait til the 26th to get one, which i wont be home for.

boo

 

[Cromat]

You nailed it right there. Windows Mobile was far more full featured too.

But as much as the iPad is more user friendly than Windows 7 is, people are still familiar with Windows because it's all around them.

I wonder what this means for Windows 8 tablets.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

I have a question: It seems that the netbook category of small, relatively weak 10" Windows notebooks is essentially dead and the attention of both consumers and tech companies has drastically moved to tablets.

But why?

As much as I love the iPad (I don't own one but I know many people that do and it is a very enjoyable product), it doesn't have nearly as much functionality as even a relatively old netbook.

The cheapest iPad costs $500, and that's for a really subpar 16GB of storage without the option of expanding.
On the other hand, Windows netbook that cost $300 come with 250GB of storage. You can download stuff like music and movies directly to them without relying on a PC. You can create and edit Office documents and use it as an actual work tool. You can use millions of PC programs. You can use USB devices and peripherals. You can connect them to a TV or monitor without additional accessories. I would say it has a keyboard, but netbook keyboards are so terrible that typing on the screen isn't necessarily worse.

Sure it isn't as enjoyable user experience as the iPad, but it's fully featured. So how did this category suddenly go extinct?

It turns out people don't really like the piss-poor screens that come on most netbooks. They don't necessarily like the often cramped, compromised keyboards. Until recently, they came with extremely slow PATA hard drives making every application drag and boot times lasting quite awhile. Battery like was also a real problem for most.

Then you have something like an iPad which never really needs to be turned off. Applications launch more or less instantly and provide a smooth, rich experience. The screen is excellent. The apps typically intuitive, easy to find, and meet the needs of many of its target audience. It doesn't feel like a cheap version of a bigger product; it feels like a top version of its class. That matters to consumers. Then there is the ownership experience, where Apple leads in Customer Satisfaction. Compare to your average netbook forum rage posts.

Just quick thoughts. From the golf course. lol

 

[giga]

But as much as the iPad is more user friendly than Windows 7 is, people are still familiar with Windows because it's all around them.

I wonder what this means for Windows 8 tablets.

While I think familiarity is an important factor, consumers (less so in enterprise) can adapt. We didn't have iOS or Android 6 years ago, after all, and now many use it on their phones.

 

[MercuryLS]

But as much as the iPad is more user friendly than Windows 7 is, people are still familiar with Windows because it's all around them.

I wonder what this means for Windows 8 tablets.

People are familiar with Windows, but do people actually love Windows? The people I know with iPhones and iPad's love their machines.

Windows 8 and its Metro interface is a wildcard. People might take to it, people might not.

 

[SolidPain]

Got an SMS from Apple store, telling me my item has shipped and it will be delivered on or before the 16. I hope it will be here before the 16 although I doubt it.

 

[kaskade]

Got an SMS from Apple store, telling me my item has shipped and it will be delivered on or before the 16. I hope it will be here before the 16 although I doubt it.

I think they gave FedEx directions to save the deliveries until the 16th. I wonder about the deal they cut with fedex for the shipping.

 

[Felix Lighter]

I just checked the tracking and it says my ipad is actually in Middletown PA right now! I guess they're having Fed Ex hold it until release. If somehow they could just screw up and ship it out early. That would be awesome, but probably not gonna happen though.

Mine is sitting in the same facility. Hopefully no FedEx employee gets tempted by the pile of iPads.

 

[soldat7]

Didn't think it was worth it's own thread, but new pics of Apple's future HQ. Worth checking out. Pretty fucking crazy. Crazy as in awesome.

http://www.appleinsider.com/article...ils_renders_for_cupertino_campus_project.html

Mother of Mary they're building a particle accelerator.

 

[Cromat]

People are familiar with Windows, but do people actually love Windows? The people I know with iPhones and iPad's love their machines.

Windows 8 and its Metro interface is a wildcard. People might take to it, people might not.

It's really incredible how much the tech industry has changed. I remember around 2007-2008 netbooks were incredibly popular and now the entire category has evaporated and replaced by mostly a single, well-executed product.

As much as I crave the new iPad, I really can't justify purchasing it. I much rather save the money and upgrade my iPhone. I hope additional competition in the tablet space will drive down prices.

 

[SolidPain]

I think they gave FedEx directions to save the deliveries until the 16th. I wonder about the deal they cut with fedex for the shipping.

Mine will be delivered by UPS. I'm not able to track it though. I'm using the track number I got on UPS site but It tells me it can't locate shipment details. Maybe I'm doing something wrong..

 

[planar1280]

OMG!!

My iPad has moved from Processing to Processing for Shipment!

 

[Wubby]

Mine is sitting in the same facility. Hopefully no FedEx employee gets tempted by the pile of iPads.

Personally I've never had trouble with Fedex. I also have a relative that works there on the corporate side so I may be biased. DHL on the other hand... I dread packages coming via DHL.

 

[VPhys]

I have a question: It seems that the netbook category of small, relatively weak 10" Windows notebooks is essentially dead and the attention of both consumers and tech companies has drastically moved to tablets.

But why?

As much as I love the iPad (I don't own one but I know many people that do and it is a very enjoyable product), it doesn't have nearly as much functionality as even a relatively old netbook.

The cheapest iPad costs $500,

Ipad 2 is $399 new.

 

[soldat7]

Still interested in hearing from people with an iPad, iPhone, and laptop.

Is the iPad really additive?

I want to believe, but my wallet is hurting...

Hard to justify the cost if you don't have the disposable income, but I've been using the iPad for about a year now, and my laptop and iPod Touch stay in my backpack unless I'm at work.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Hard to justify the cost if you don't have the disposable income, but I've been using the iPad for about a year now, and my laptop and iPod Touch stay in my backpack unless I'm at work.

+1 to this.

 

[Felix Lighter]

I have a desktop, laptop and an iPad. Since, I bought my iPad last year, I have not used my laptop at all. The desktop is used for any heavy lifting or gaming. iPad for everything else. It's my most used device, not counting my phone. It easy for me to justify the cost, especially since most of that cost is being covered by selling my old iPad.

 

[sfedai0]

So I have never used screen protectors and wont be starting now. Having said that, does this iPad use the new gorilla glass?

 

[Einbroch]

My iPad was shipping through USPS, not FedEx, and it's already at my post office.

 

[KtSlime]

Total noob here, to any apple product, with a couple of questions.

My daughter (who lives with her mum) has an iPod, she reckons she can't connect it to my laptop and that only her one at home can? Something to do with iTunes.

If i make a sub to iMatch can I link her iPod to my iMatch for her to also have access to my songs when she's here and at home without any fallout of some kind?

Cheers guys

That's true it can't sync from multiple machines. However, if you are just wanting to listen to music - while connected to the same network as your computer, you could turn on iTunes Home Sharing, and she'd have access to play your library.

Mother of Mary they're building a particle accelerator.

Bit small for that unfortunately. LOL. Anyone notice that Apple Campus 2 in the shape of a binary 2 if rotated to the right? 1 0.

 

[Yaboosh]

http://itstreaming.apple.com/podcasts/apple_keynotes_hd/4_march_2012_atv.m4v

Ugh, that video at the beginning about the Grand Central Station Apple Store opening almost made me throw up.

 

[Diablohead]

Don't you think a keyboard, particularly a versatile bluetooth keyboard, is worth it just for typing on the iPad? I'm sure a lot more people will want to type on the iPad given it's the best display by a huge margin available on any mobile device right now—at least until Apple releases the retina display macbooks in the summer...

I agree with you about using the keyboard with multiple different things; I wouldn't recommend anybody get one of the dedicated iPad keyboard cases. Get an Apple Bluetooth keyboard and a WINGStand ($15) instead:

Slightly offtopic:
What do you think about the TouchFire?

I like the look of that but I bought myself a keyboard case for ipad 2 the other week, it was £15 and it works alright, has trouble paring up to my mac sometimes but it works perfectly with my current ipod touch.

 

[richiek]

The thing is my school is just a couple of blocks away from the Best Buy location, and I wanted to go before my class begins on Friday.
How far away is an Apple store from Baruch College?

I would try the Grand Central Location. It's a lot less crowded than the Fifth Ave store.

 

[The_Inquisitor]

OMG!!

My iPad has moved from Processing to Processing for Shipment!

Psh you're late.

 

[e_i]

Mine is still in "Shipping Soon." It's been there since Thursday night. *sigh*

 

[Yaboosh]

Mine is "Processing", but that is the only step before "Ready for Pickup", so I have nothing to sweat, hah.

 

[The_Inquisitor]

Mine is still in "Shipping Soon." It's been there since Thursday night. *sigh*

It's okay. My apple tv with cancelled iPad 16gb from announcement day is still processing.

 

[mrklaw]

Steve Jobs nailed it. The only thing netbooks did better was that they were cheap.

The screens sucked and were tiny. The trackpads were tiny. They were slow. They had trouble streaming HD video until the later ones.

I could live with the screens. I couldn't live with the awful trackpads, and the keyboards were too much of a compromise

 

[JustProgress]

Waaaat. My iPad 3 is in Nashville.

 

[Slurpy2k20]

I have a question: It seems that the netbook category of small, relatively weak 10" Windows notebooks is essentially dead and the attention of both consumers and tech companies has drastically moved to tablets.

But why?

As much as I love the iPad (I don't own one but I know many people that do and it is a very enjoyable product), it doesn't have nearly as much functionality as even a relatively old netbook.

The cheapest iPad costs $500, and that's for a really subpar 16GB of storage without the option of expanding.
On the other hand, Windows netbook that cost $300 come with 250GB of storage. You can download stuff like music and movies directly to them without relying on a PC. You can create and edit Office documents and use it as an actual work tool. You can use millions of PC programs. You can use USB devices and peripherals. You can connect them to a TV or monitor without additional accessories. I would say it has a keyboard, but netbook keyboards are so terrible that typing on the screen isn't necessarily worse.

Sure it isn't as enjoyable user experience as the iPad, but it's fully featured. So how did this category suddenly go extinct?

Netbooks could have 10TB hard drives and it wouldn't matter. I've owned 3 netbooks. I kept wanting to give them more and more chances. In the end, it was always the same. Slow as molasses, screen that was too small to properly display a desktop OS comfortably, shit build quality, shit trackpads, frustrating experience that wasn't worth the tradeoffs compared to a full laptop. At the end of the day, people love using iPads. Thats honestly what it comes down to. It doesn't matter if something has all the 'functionality' in the world, if it's a shit user experience, which netbooks tend to be. Do they have their place? Sure, why not. But there's a reason Apple never got into the market. Which is that they're just a shit experience overall.

 

[The_Inquisitor]

Netbooks could have 10TB hard drives and it wouldn't matter. I've owned 3 netbooks. I kept wanting to give them more and more chances. In the end, it was always the same. Slow as molasses, screen that was too small to properly display a desktop OS comfortably, shit build quality, shit trackpads, frustrating experience that wasn't worth the tradeoffs compared to a full laptop. At the end of the day, people love using iPads. Thats honestly what it comes down to. It doesn't matter if something has all the 'functionality' in the world, if it's a shit user experience, which netbooks tend to be. Do they have their place? Sure, why not. But there's a reason Apple never got into the market. Which is that they're just a shit experience overall.

Netbooks always did everything much more poorly. As its been said, the upcoming ultra books are what Netbooks should have been in the first place.

 

[Mashing]

Same here.

Did you order a smart cover, too? Mine is in Memphis, TN right now. I'm just wondering if the iPad is sitting somewhere here in the US while the smart cover gets shipped to where it is before final delivery. I don't know.

I received my smart cover just a few minutes ago. The iPad has shipped, but FedEx does not have any tracking information in their database yet.

 

[Enco]

Steve Jobs nailed it. The only thing netbooks did better was that they were cheap.

The screens sucked and were tiny. The trackpads were tiny. They were slow. They had trouble streaming HD video until the later ones.

Netbooks are a complete fucking joke.

I always laugh when I see one. They're thick as fuck, the screen is horrific, the speed is insulting and like you said, they're horrible to use. They're ugly and awkward.

The Macbook Air is the only small laptop I cam stomach (and love). Netbooks can go fuck themselves.

 

[Cromat]

Netbooks are a complete fucking joke.

I always laugh when I see one. They're thick as fuck, the screen is horrific, the speed is insulting and like you said, they're horrible to use. They're ugly and awkward.

The Macbook Air is the only small laptop I cam stomach (and love). Netbooks can go fuck themselves.

Well they did give you a fully-featured portable PC for $300, and they're not quite as unusable as you say they are. But I guess they were filling a need that never really existed, as proved by their quick extinction by tablets (more like the iPad).

 

[Zeth]

Heh, mine is also "picked up" in Middletown, PA (I'm in Philadelphia). What happened to shipping from China? Maybe they already came in and are being distributed by FedEx? Or that doesn't make sense.

 

[Chanser]

Mine has just shipped, though I think they mean it's sitting in a warehouse til launch day.

 

[Slurpy2k20]

Netbooks always did everything much more poorly. As its been said, the upcoming ultra books are what Netbooks should have been in the first place.

Which are all based on the Macbook Air template.

 

[Enco]

Well they did give you a fully-featured portable PC for $300, and they're not quite as unusable as you say they are. But I guess they were filling a need that never really existed, as proved by their quick extinction by tablets (more like the iPad).

I suppose price was the thing they had going for them.

Still think they're a complete joke though. Thank god they're not that popular. The new ultrabooks coming out are looking good though.

 

[dojokun]

Just ordered mine, I get it March 16 =) It says "Preparing for shipment."

Awwww yeah.

 

[sfedai0]

So are they using Gorilla Glass 2 on this?

 

[thegreatchamp]

Should I be worried if mine still says Processing? I ordered it on March 8 after I canceled my first order on the 7th.

 

[Yaboosh]

So are they using Gorilla Glass 2 on this?

Seems like Corning claims the first retail products using it are coming out in April or May.

 

[AndTAR]

Speaking of glass - when people start receiving their iPads, someone's really got to check if the glass is laminated to the LCD. That issue is yet to be settled, lol (Should be clearly visible when comparing the screen and bezel surfaces - makes the image seem like it's sitting on, and not just below, the glass surface.)

I've tried to look through press photos from Wednesday's event, but couldn't find any depicting it clearly enough.

 

[reKon]

Those amd fusion net books were legit though. They were capable of running steam games at medium settings along with 1080p videos with no issues and they were much more faster than a typical net book. I don't know where they are now with net books as I haven't been paying too much attention to that market, but last time I checked, the amd fusion chip set was murdering everything.

 

[KtSlime]

Well they did give you a fully-featured portable PC for $300, and they're not quite as unusable as you say they are. But I guess they were filling a need that never really existed, as proved by their quick extinction by tablets (more like the iPad).

Think of it like this. They didn't really go extinct, they were a branch off of laptops, a very weak one designed to fill a niche, tablets became successful in that (mostly) same niche, so most of these smaller laptops receded back closer to their origin - now resembling something much more like their full featured laptop relatives, but retaining much of the portability of the netbook.

The introduction of the iPad was great, not only because it fixes the issues that plagued tablets, but because it also fixed this slow deformation of the laptop into a 200$ POS and instead pushed them back up around 900$ with superior construction and components.

Apple saved the netbook and tablet by creating the Air and iPad.

 

[Yaboosh]

I sold my Ipad 2 last night and am going through withdrawals. Especially not having Carcassonne (sorry anybody I currently am in games with!) sucks.

 

[richiek]

Should I be worried if mine still says Processing? I ordered it on March 8 after I canceled my first order on the 7th.

I ordered mine on the 7th and it still says it's Processing. It still says its going to be delivered on the 16th so that's good.