"No Thank You!" 10 Things That Suck About the Apple iPad

[plasmid303]

I started the Apple iPad thread (then known as the tablet) the other day. I will follow up with this. I don't fall on either side though.

Adam Frucci came up with a list of 8 things that were underwhelming about the new iPad. And I will follow up with 2 more things.

My god, am I underwhelmed by the iPad. This is as inessential a product as I've ever seen, but beyond that, it has some absolutely backbreaking failures that will make me judge anyone who buys one.

Big, Ugly Bezel
Have you seen the bezel on this thing?! It's huge! I know you don't want to accidentally input a command when your thumb is holding it, but come on.

No Multitasking
This is a backbreaker. If this is supposed to be a replacement for netbooks, how can it possibly not have multitasking? Are you saying I can't listen to Pandora while writing a document? I can't have my Twitter app open at the same time as my browser? I can't have AIM open at the same time as my email? Are you kidding me? This alone guarantees that I will not buy this product.

No Cameras
No front facing camera is one thing. But no back facing camera either? Why the hell not? I can't imagine what the downside was for including at least one camera. Could this thing not handle video iChat?

Touch Keyboard
So much for Apple revolutionizing tablet inputs; this is the same big, ugly touchscreen keyboard we've seen on other tablets, and unless you're lying on the couch with your knees propping it up, it'll be awkward to use.

No HDMI/HD Video Out
Want to watch those nice HD videos you downloaded from iTunes on your TV? Too damned bad! If you were truly loyal, you'd just buy an AppleTV already.

The Name iPad
Get ready for Maxi pad jokes, and lots of 'em!

No Flash
No Flash is annoying but not a dealbreaker on the iPhone and iPod Touch. On something that's supposed to be closer to a netbook or laptop? It will leave huge, gaping holes in websites. I hope you don't care about streaming video! God knows not many casual internet users do. Oh wait, nevermind, they all do.

Adapters, Adapters, Adapters
So much for those smooth lines. If you want to plug anything into this, such as a digital camera, you need all sorts of ugly adapters. You need an adapter for USB for god's sake.

My adds:

No new proprietary UI. No MAC OSX.

No dedicated graphics chip means slightly better graphics and gaming performance compared to iPhone.

Intrinsic nature of electronic hardware means in one year there will be a unit twice as powerful, twice as functional than this.

 

[FLOSI]

Yeah, seems to be quite a 'meh' product.... fun, but in no way shape or form essential.

 

[darthviper107]

But it's going to be too late--considering that there are other companies releasing new tablet PC's that will run Windows, and so they will have infinitely more uses than this.

Honestly the only thing good about it is the price and the price of unlimited 3G plan.

 

[wofford29]

As sexy as it looks and sounds on the surface. After researching all afternoon about what it lacks and seeing how Apple has handled their other products. I think it's an easy pass and wait until they get it right piece. But hey they gotta start somewhere and I like the direction. Just not their yet.

 

[plasmid303]

Apple knows what it's doing. There's no way that the iPad will fail. And I'm not expecting it to. There are just a lot of things that I see missing from it that pretty much exempts it from being considered "revolutionary" or even special.

 

[Darth Cruel]

Gateway has had tablet PC in the past and they didn't go over very well then. This IS apple, though, so maybe this one will take off. It is a slightly different market.

 

[The Ween]

I would get the HP Slate or this https://www.shopping.hp.com/series/category/notebooks/tm2t_series/3/computer_store

before I would get that iPad.

 

[hairlesswookiee]

Apple knows what it's doing. There's no way that the iPad will fail. And I'm not expecting it to. There are just a lot of things that I see missing from it that pretty much exempts it from being considered "revolutionary" or even special.

This is true, but there's one thing that Apple has mastered---taking things that other companies' fail at doing, and making it a success.
Remember when people said that the iPod would never work??? Give the iPad time, software updates, future hardware updates and this thing will rock.

~~~I say give this thing Word and Powerpoint with the possibility of textbooks on it---instant success at local universities.

 

[Kabukiman]

Remember when people said that the iPod would never work???

I was one of those people. I was hoping for a Newton 2!

 

[darthviper107]

This is true, but there's one thing that Apple has mastered---taking things that other companies' fail at doing, and making it a success.
Remember when people said that the iPod would never work??? Give the iPad time, software updates, future hardware updates and this thing will rock.

~~~I say give this thing Word and Powerpoint with the possibility of textbooks on it---instant success at local universities.

Both the Ipod and the Iphone did things better than what was there before, this doesn't, it offers nothing new and doesn't fullfil a need.

But--if it truly has all the textbooks that college students need, it would actually be cheaper than buying all the books, you'll spend more than $500 through college so this would actually work really well for that. But for everyone else it's a waste--especially if you already have an Iphone or one of the other smartphones.

 

[tomandshell]

 

[hairlesswookiee]

^^^I think Apple will have a software update to fix this.

 

[tomandshell]

I don't know why they can't get their act together and give me Flash support on my iPhone. I see that stupid blue question brick WAY too often...

 

[The Mike]

We've been saying that they'll flash support an iPhone/iPod for a long time with nothing. The iPhone OS 4.0 is supposed to give UI enhancements and multitasking but it didn't surface today as it was rumored to.

Despite all it was supposed to have like facial recognition or TV Subscriptions as rumored I want one. Why? Its a fancy kindle which are already expensive and this isn't too much higher than that not to mention its in color and if it'll support .jpeg files then I read my comics on it and I can still read books, etc. Everything else is icing on the cake. You can't listen to Pandora but you can stream your iPod while doing other tasks like you can on your iPhone which is fine for me.

Bring. It. On.

 

[hairlesswookiee]

Both the Ipod and the Iphone did things better than what was there before, this doesn't, it offers nothing new and doesn't fullfil a need..

I can't really argue that point right now, but thats only because I don't know what Apple really plans on doing with it. The iPhone has been cracked and my friend does all kinds of crap on it, and since this shares the OS I suspect it won't be long before this gets hacked.

This device has great potential to do so many things, and that's why I think its great. You basically have an all-in-one device....so small and pretty.

 

[Darth Vader]

to me the ipad is just a larger ipod touch nothing special or different about it.

 

[Darklord Dave]

It's rumored that Flash is more political than technological with apple not wanting to support an adobe product. But if that's true it seems that it's cutting off their nose to spite their face.

 

[kentox]

I always wait for the 3rd gen of any new tech. My ipod and iphone are both 3rd gen and very glad I waited.

 

[crows]

Morning.

 

[Luis138]

morning