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HP's competition for the iPad!

Data Holmes said:
That's just a mock up at this point...
Click to expand...

The technology is already there, particularly if you've seen the latest HP desktop touch. Give it a few months at max, and it will be on store shelves, and HP will sell it for significantly less than the iPad, and it will be far superior in terms of flexibility.
 
What is old is new again. :lol: I guess I'll feel vindicated if the iPad actually makes slate computing less of a joke than it's always been.
 
Axiom said:
Data Holmes said:
That's just a mock up at this point...
Click to expand...

The technology is already there, particularly if you've seen the latest HP desktop touch. Give it a few months at max, and it will be on store shelves, and HP will sell it for significantly less than the iPad, and it will be far superior in terms of flexibility.
Click to expand...

By that point in time, iP os 4.X will be out which is supposed to offer multitasking, Flash isn't as important an issue as apple is winning that war with many sites going html5 because of the iPad, I don't see any functional benefit to having USB ports on a PADD type device, as it's primary method of data transfer will be wireless via bluetooth or wifi. So the only thing this thing will really have as a built in over the iPad is the SD card reader capability.

By the way, if USB or SD card ability is that big a deal, the Apple iPad Camera kit http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC531ZM/A gives you both abilities for $29.
 
Data Holmes said:
By the way, if USB or SD card ability is that big a deal, the Apple iPad Camera kit http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC531ZM/A gives you both abilities for $29.
Click to expand...
Come on... you know damn well how incredibly pathetic it is to exclude a USB port or card reader from a device like this. It's just plain sad... and an artificial limitation because Apple has a stupid tiered pricing scheme for internal memory. An SDXC slot of the iPad would destroy their ridiculous pricing for 16gb/32gb/etc models.

A USB port on a tablet would make it easy for people to interact with actual FILES on the device and make it a useful tool for photographers in the field... or just about anyone else that might want to transfer music, video, documents, whatever. If I want to move something from a computer it's pretty darn easy to drag and drop rather than establish a BT connection.
 
Yeah, flash drives offer convenience and ability to transfer things to everyone regardless of technology or skill level. Not having one almost seems like an oversight.

That being said, I'm pissed off at HP right now, so I probably won't be getting their competition.
 
Mr. B said:
Data Holmes said:
By the way, if USB or SD card ability is that big a deal, the Apple iPad Camera kit http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC531ZM/A gives you both abilities for $29.
Click to expand...
Come on... you know damn well how incredibly pathetic it is to exclude a USB port or card reader from a device like this. It's just plain sad... and an artificial limitation because Apple has a stupid tiered pricing scheme for internal memory. An SDXC slot of the iPad would destroy their ridiculous pricing for 16gb/32gb/etc models.

A USB port on a tablet would make it easy for people to interact with actual FILES on the device and make it a useful tool for photographers in the field... or just about anyone else that might want to transfer music, video, documents, whatever. If I want to move something from a computer it's pretty darn easy to drag and drop rather than establish a BT connection.
Click to expand...

You fail to see the future, my friend. Devices such as this are not storage devices... Much like the ahead of it's time concept from TNG, the iPad is a Personal Access Display Device.

What does this mean, that you don't need super amounts of storage built in. Why, because the vast majority will all be stored, and protected, off device. In the home, it will access your media server, a computer with 4 or 5 tb of storage. Music, pics, movies, tv, all streamed over wireless to your device. Not home, you have the "cloud" to access such things, streaming iTunes is mere months away at this point, Hulu, Netflix, Youtube, ect... everything media content wise is accessible over the "web". Apple is starting to take this further with MobileMe, which adds even more "networked" abilities to the device.

The key with PADD like devices right now, is to resist the urge to think of them as "tablet PC's" or "netbook replacements" because these things are not computers and shouldn't be thought of as such. It's an access point, a Window if you will, to content, to the internet, ect.

On board storage is really, if you look at it in these terms, for downloaded apps, and limited downloaded content for use "off network".


Apple really has it's head in trek as far as this is going.

iPhone and iPod Touch = Communicator/tricorder
iPad = PADD's

Hell, the entire apple family of products could be equated to the various levels of trek computers, Even iPhone OS has been equated as a real world LCARS, which is fitting really as it stood for Library Computer Access/Retrieval System A UI designed for simplicity to access information from a central library computer storage database...

Why does that sound familiar again? Because that is exactly what apple's CE devices do.

Look at trek, and you will see where apple is headed.
 
Data Holmes said:
Flash isn't as important an issue as apple is winning that war with many sites going html5 because of the iPad
Click to expand...
Apple will never win the HTML5 v flash war. No company will. As it stands HTML5 video will not come with any DRM restrictions (something flash does have), so if you are watching a video on YouTube all you need to do is right-click and download it. That's fine for most of the user-made videos on the site, but official videos from media providers will not allow a system where their content can be downloaded by even the dumbest of internet users. For this reason YouTube's HTML5 beta does not play videos with ads, for that it goes back to flash. Official music videos will probably have the same limitation if they don't have it already. A website like Hulu will probably never make the move to HTML5 video.

Flash isn't going anywhere any time soon, and Apple's probably not going to add flash to the iPad/iPhone any time soon.
 
Flavius said:
All the better if the iPad is getting some serious competition.
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Agreed, competition drives down prices, and drives up innovation.


And I agree about the iPad = PADD analogy above. Though, certainly, greater storage capacity is welcomed, and with that competition again helps. No specs yet on the HP Slate, we'll see what they opt to do there.
 
Mr. B said:
Come on... you know damn well how incredibly pathetic it is to exclude a USB port or card reader from a device like this.
Click to expand...

Perhaps. It may be too early to tell, really. Remember when everyone said the same thing about Apple's decision not to include a floppy drive on the iMac?
 
Apple has a vision, you have got to give them that - they are trying to turn those devices into appliances and at the same time care about design.
 
TheGodBen said:
Data Holmes said:
Flash isn't as important an issue as apple is winning that war with many sites going html5 because of the iPad
Click to expand...
Apple will never win the HTML5 v flash war. No company will. As it stands HTML5 video will not come with any DRM restrictions (something flash does have), so if you are watching a video on YouTube all you need to do is right-click and download it. That's fine for most of the user-made videos on the site, but official videos from media providers will not allow a system where their content can be downloaded by even the dumbest of internet users. For this reason YouTube's HTML5 beta does not play videos with ads, for that it goes back to flash. Official music videos will probably have the same limitation if they don't have it already. A website like Hulu will probably never make the move to HTML5 video.
Click to expand...

That is where paid for apps, subscription services, and iTunes streaming services come into play. Hulu is already working on an app, ABC has one up now, Netflix has an app up, but the quality doesn't seem to be there yet. Youtube has an app as well.
 
Flavius said:
Apple has a vision, you have got to give them that - they are trying to turn those devices into appliances and at the same time care about design.
Click to expand...

Indeed.

The more I look at apple's lineup of tech, the more I think they are trying their damnedest to make star trek a reality. I mean, look:

Real world - trek equivalent.

iPhone/iPod Touch - these devices really hold the spot of two trek devices in one, the communicator and tricorder.
iPad - Obviously the PADDS and electronic clipboards of trek.

iPhone Operating system - The real world equivalent of the LCARS operating system, a streamlined OS who's primary function is ease of use for small devices and accessing library "server" computers.

Mackbooks - these are the "terminal computers", like the ones seen on table tops like in Picard's office. More capable than the smaller access devices and able of independent function but also connected to the overall network.
iMacs - these are the wall mounted computer terminals. Again, capable of independent operation but also connected to the network.
Macpros - these are the "main computers" for residential homes and "mobile" use in trek time.
Xserves - the components of the "main computer core" of the ships and stations.


Envision this. A star trek home now. You have a Macpro as the main server computer or core computer, connected to a 100mbs down cable internet line. All TV's smaller than 27" are replaced with iMacs, all larger are hooked up to mac minis or a possible refreshed appleTV line based around the iPhone OS and the new apple A4 chip. All home systems such as heat/ac, Lights, alarms, are all wired to a home automation system controlled by the main server computer. No exposed manual switches, each room has a single iPod touch mounted as the "light plate" to control everything for that room. All doors are now remote controlled automated pocket doors, exterior mounted touchs act as manual door open panels. All touch's both room controllers and door openers also act as an intercom thanks to a "ip walkie talkie" app through the home network, as well as a phone thanks to VOIP phone service. Lastly add the iPhone as a personal communicator in your pocket at all times, with the theorized addition of RFID read/transmit that the 4g is supposed to get, your home network can now track you as you go from room to room automatically turning on the lights to your luminosity levels, adjust the thermostat to your settings, and even open doors for you as you approach, unless locked from the other side... throw in the iPad to fill in all the gaps, reader, remote, games, personal entertainment in the room, video conferencing (pending future updates with built in camera), ect.

I ask humbly, Is this not a star trek house?
 
Data Holmes said:
The more I look at apple's lineup of tech, the more I think they are trying their damnedest to make star trek a reality.
Click to expand...
They wouldn't be the first to claim having been inspired by Star Trek. However, Apple and the prime movers at 1 Infinite Loop, I believe, are more driven by what they feel about modern industrial design and questions like - can it be beautiful and practical and make money?

Who else does that today. Nobody.
 
Flavius said:
Data Holmes said:
The more I look at apple's lineup of tech, the more I think they are trying their damnedest to make star trek a reality.
Click to expand...
They wouldn't be the first to claim having been inspired by Star Trek. However, Apple and the prime movers at 1 Infinite Loop, I believe, are more driven by what they feel about modern industrial design and questions like - can it be beautiful and practical and make money?

Who else does that today. Nobody.
Click to expand...

Good point.
 
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