Can NetBooks & Tablets Co-Exist? 291
bsk_cw writes "According to Computerworld's Serdar Yegulalp, there has been a lot of talk about whether the iPad will take the place of the netbook — or, in fact, whether it will eat into the market share for more mainstream desktop and laptop computers. But, he continues, the iPad has a long way to go before it becomes a netbook killer — if only because it has created a space all its own."
Well... (Score:5, Insightful)
How about Laptop and Desktop computers?
This is just silly.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
This is just silly.
Yes, but I needed an article like this to cheer me up in the morning. Makes me glad I'm not a /. editor who has to try and filter this kind of stuff.
Re: (Score:3)
Yes, but I needed an article like this to cheer me up in the morning. Makes me glad I'm not a /. editor who has to try and filter this kind of stuff.
The editors don't seem to try too hard.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Agreed. They serve different purposes with overlap in abilities.
I like tablets, but I use a netbook on service calls. I can get a lot more freeware apps for troubleshooting networks for my netbook than I can for the tablet (think iPad). I'm also have a lot more freedom to tweak the netbook than I do the iPad and can run pretty much anything I want on the netbook.
The iPad is really nice to sit down with and just have it be a nice interface without worrying about much.
Think bottle of beer versus glass of w
Re: (Score:2)
It's not a problem of the machine, it's a problem of DRM. n900 is much smaller than iPad, yet it works almost perfectly for sysadmin tasks. It's "almost" because of a 3-row keyboard that makes you press Fn for digits.
Re:Well... (Score:5, Funny)
NO. THEY CANNOT EXIST TOGETHER!
We need to take this to Thunderdome! Two computing devices enter, one computing device leaves!
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Besides: Hardly anyone but Mac fans buy iPads [electronista.com]. That's how much impact they're going to have on the netbook market. None whatsoever.
You mean Apple fans, not Mac fans - iPod (Score:3, Interesting)
The difference is, people from all over have iPods. That's an Apple device. So Apple's plan is working, make devices people really like and they will buy more. Who'd have thought?
Many iPod users are also PC users BTW....
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Only 2% of those who don't own an Apple product are tempted to buy an iPad, and iPod sales have been slowing since 2008: it's a redundant device now that any new phone can play music (even through streaming services like Spotify). In addition, plenty of people are turned off from Apple's remarkably shitty products, e.g. iTunes, which is, after all, the hub of the iOS platform and experience.
Apple is rapidly going the way of Sony: just like Sony responded to the mp3 craze by updating its iconic Walkman line
Re:Well... (Score:5, Interesting)
What about laptops and netbooks? Is the war over yet?
Re:Well... (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes. (Score:4, Informative)
They occupy different niches (even though there's some overlap) and can coexist. Next question!
Re:Yes. (Score:4, Interesting)
A proper open tablet could pretty much wipe out netbooks.
However, the Tablet du jour is no such thing. It is artificially limited by it's creator.
Therefore until more capable Tablets gain some visibility in the market, netbooks aren't
going anywhere.
People will still need to do things that Apple won't allow.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
A proper open tablet could pretty much wipe out netbooks.
Yeah, I'm calling bullshit.
I know this isn't a popular opinion here on Slashdot, but guess what? *Most people don't give a shit about "open" or "closed" hardware*. Hell, they probably don't even realize the iPlatform is a closed ecosystem, as that's only evident if you try to develop for the thing.
No, this idiotic meme that "if only they'd open the hardware, they'd destroy everyone!", no matter what "they" is (PS3, NDS, iPlatform, etc), needs to sto
Re:Yes. (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm going to agree and disagree with your statement. Openness by itself won't do anything. However, openness leads to two things that will help tablets.
First, it opens up the market to competition. While this may not help a company like Apple, Google's Android platform allows new companies to enter the market without having to write the entire software stack. This in turn should drive prices down.
Secondly, an "open" platform allows more things to be done with it. Say some company is willing to sell me a netbook with a detachable keyboard (or a tablet with a clip-on keyboard that swivels), I would be more inclined to purchase that over a traditional netbook. Maybe not everyone, especially if it commands a hefty premium.
The one advantage that netbooks currently have is that they can run Windows and hence all the software that is developed for Windows. Until someone makes a good office suite for Android, I don't see people flocking to tablets over netbooks any time soon.
Re:Yes. (Score:5, Insightful)
The open-ness of a PC or a netbook is what makes it so useful.
It can do anything that a normal desktop PC can do INCLUDING RUNNING THAT STUPID TETHERING APP for the iPad.
How funny is that? That $300 dirtcheap ultraportable netbook from Walmart can be the thing that I use to "manage" my iPad/iPod/iPhone/iWhatever.
This isn't about running Free Software. This is about doing anything you damn well please with your own property and having thousands of hardware and software vendors waiting to cater to you.
Re:Yes. (Score:4, Interesting)
If you don't believe me, talk to product owners.
Honest ones will tell you it can be a pretty annoying device.
A friend told me about doing some internet banking on one the other day... halfway through a transaction set up he needed to use a calculator... but opening the calculator app would terminate the internet banking app and he had to re-login and select the accounts, and start the transaction every time he switched between them. For a web banking app its appropriate that it discard its session when you suspend it for obvious reasons...but it was effectively impossible to do any calculations at the same time as a result.
What he really wanted was the two apps in their own window, so he could go back and forth, and have both on the screen at the same time - you know so he could see the source for the numbers rather than remembering them in his head.
Ended up having to get a separate calculator.
He also thought it was stupid that he couldn't easily use it to view other peoples pictures. (e.g. they'd visit, and have a CD/DVD or memory card of vacation or baby pictures, and there was no efficient way of viewing it on the ipad. Importing the photos to iphoto and then syncing them to the ipad was simply idiotic. It was too much work, and he didn't want to import the pictures into his computer.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I think you have to get a little more specific. Most people don't understand that there's such a thing as "Windows software" that doesn't work on other platforms. They want to be able to open their Office files and work with them, which you can do on an iPad.
If you want to get all technical, you can download an RDC or VNC client for iPad that lets you bring up a desktop to work with. "Most people" really don't care ab
Re: (Score:2)
My doctor happens to own an old (pre-iPad) HP tablet, that has a detachable keyboard that can alternatively swivel and lock into place under the main device for when using it as a tablet. That sort of thing was common in pure tablets. Then you also had the pseudo-tablets, which were laptops (all the main electronics under the keyboard) but with screens that could pivot around and fold against the keyboard.
Those older tablets always used digitizer technology (like a wacom pad) for the screen,requiring the us
Re: (Score:2)
What, like this one? http://www.alwaysinnovating.com/touchbook/ [alwaysinnovating.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Hell, they probably don't even realize the iPlatform is a closed ecosystem, as that's only evident if you try to develop for the thing.
I'd say it is unfair to 'call bullshit' in a scenario which only works when you ignore what you're calling bullshit against.
Parent stated that such a platform doesn't exist.
You're (correctly) pointing out that comparisons between the non-existent platform and the 'i' model are coming out in Apple's favor.
I challenge you to demonstrate the capabilities of your crystal ball: would the comparison come out the same way if the alternative existed?
That's the realm of 'opinion' which gets really sticky, and yet yo
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I challenge you to demonstrate the capabilities of your crystal ball: would the comparison come out the same way if the alternative existed?
If the iPad still offered the better user experience? Absolutely.
See, you seem to be *completely* missing my point.
Given two devices, one open and one closed, guess which one would win? The one that provides a better *user experience*. "Open" and "closed" don't even factor into the equation. Which is my entire fucking point. Your average consume doesn't give a shit
Re: (Score:2)
All they care about is that the thing provides a silky smooth, easy-to-use experience, that it allows them to consume content they're interested in , and that it works reliably and well.
Is it possible they would be interested in Flash content?
You seem to believe that 'open' in this case means only Linux, which is retarded. 'Open', in comparison to Apple's walled garden, means MICROSOFT as well. Or does MS need to vet all software before you can install it now, too? We're comparing the Netbook (a weak PC) to the iPad (a beefy mp3 player), in terms of 'openness', not iOS to Linux.
Re: (Score:2)
Is it possible they would be interested in Flash content?
Evidentally not, given people are buying iDevices despite its absence. Furthermore, it's hardly the linchpin that'll lead to the tablet sweeping away all competition and taking over the world.
Or does MS need to vet all software before you can install it now, too?
My point is, for the average user, *it doesn't matter*. From their perspective, the iPlatform and Windows are no different. Well, except it's actually easier to install an iPlatform app, as
Re: (Score:2)
A proper open tablet could pretty much wipe out netbooks.
Yeah, I'm calling bullshit.
I know this isn't a popular opinion here on Slashdot, but guess what? *Most people don't give a shit about "open" or "closed" hardware*. Hell, they probably don't even realize the iPlatform is a closed ecosystem, as that's only evident if you try to develop for the thing.
No, this idiotic meme that "if only they'd open the hardware, they'd destroy everyone!", no matter what "they" is (PS3, NDS, iPlatform, etc), needs to stop. It's so hilariously naive it just makes you look stupid.
You're right nobody cares about openness.
People care about whether it will do what they want it to do. I need something with will do e-books and run Anathema for my Exalted games, since the iPad doesn't do Java, that's a deal breaker.
Re:Yes. (Score:4, Insightful)
> I know this isn't a popular opinion here on Slashdot, but guess what? *Most people don't give a shit about "open" or "closed" hardware*
Being "open" simply means that the hardware can do ANYTHING that any other PC can.
Read the data you want.
Access your data freely.
Do trivial things that you're used to doing on a normal PC like PRINTING.
A REAL COMPUTER does anything that anyone can imagine. A glorified iPod does only what Apple allows.
It's amazing that anyone actually defends this nonsense.
Re: (Score:2)
A REAL COMPUTER does anything that anyone can imagine. A glorified iPod does only what Apple allows.
It's amazing that anyone actually defends this nonsense.
It's hilariously delusional of you to think that anyone but a geek actually gives a shit about this distinction.
For most people, an iDevice does exactly what they need. They can access the data they care about, run apps that do what they want, and in short, it fills a need they have. They don't give a crap about some idealistic vision about open hardwa
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
No, no, and no. Did I mention no?
A proper open tablet might draw more of an audience, but I'm not even convinced of that. If I got a tablet, it would be for specific purposes. I might not mind a walled garden nearly as much for that purpose. It's not that a tablet would ever replace a main computer for me.
I love netbooks, they are light and portable and great for carry-around computing until my cell phone can slide a paper-thin full-sized keyboard out of the side and project a 10-12" screen on any surfa
Re: (Score:2)
Very interesting idea! The ipad does sound like it could wok well for that sort of thing. Have an app that displays charts, and optionally plots your location (acording to GPS) on one. Then you could tap a radio-navigation beacon on the map to open up a page giving the details in nice big print, Tap on an airport to get a similar information screen, but this one letting you pick a runway to get a screen with runway specific information.
Wow. That does sound nice. Combined with a directory style look-up mech
Re: (Score:2)
You mean like the TabletPCs did? The ones that a figure with the visibility of Bill Gates used to keep promoting as the Next Big Thing in computers?
No. Keyboardless tablets have a niche. A much bigger one now that someone's doing the hardware and software right for it (i.e. touch interface, with touch-designed OS), but still a specific niche. Netbooks have another niche. So do 17" laptops. And desktops with 24-inch screens and 101-keyboards. An
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I still need to access my data and my devices freely without any bullshit or stupid hacks or hoops from Apple.
The "easy Apple approach" is actually much more of a bother.
My data. Websites of my choosing. The occasional desire to print.
Where is the evidence (Score:2)
Next time, please provide some [credible] numbers when talking about issues like this because from my vantage point, all folks I know that bought these iPads use them for about 30 minutes a day. Compare that to about 6 hours a day for their netbooks.
Seems all the hype around the iPad has waned! I personally will not use the gadget until it becomes more functional and even then, I will likely use a competing platform than Apple's.
Re: (Score:2)
A tablet can be a very good semi-mobile browser. This is a use case for which netbooks also fit.
However, tablets (and the iPad in particular) has some distinct disadvantages even in terms of
fairly passive web browsing. Whether or not you will run afoul of this is all dependent on your
use of the device.
The iPad is like the Wii: it represents a cool new shift in technology that needs to be quickly
assimilated and copied by the rest of the industry. The "package" isn't the cool thing, the new
bit of technology i
Re:Where is the evidence (Score:5, Informative)
Very true. I bought an iPad not fully aware of all the little limitations it has. I was aware there is no flash and no third party apps, but after using the thing for 4 months I've built a long list of shortcomings they just don't tell you about.
At the top of the list is one so frustratingly counterintuitive. I'm studying for a Ph.D., and part of that job includes reading paper after paper. Reading the papers is just great on the iPad, but you can't actually download and save papers from the iPad itself.
To get a paper on my iPad for offline viewing, I actually have to open up my netbook and e-mail the pdf to myself, then save it to iBooks from the mail app. E-mailing is actually the easiest file transfer method between iPad and computer, the alternative being digging out a cable, launching iTunes (kill me now) and syncing (and just sync the PDF if you want to get on with things, instead of waiting for EVERYTHING to sync). There is no wireless file transfer option.
Of course there are other options and apps out there which can hack together this functionality, but the main point is there are hundreds of examples of things like this, where you expect the functionality and it isn't there, necessitating a netbook or other companion PC.
The net effect is, I'm constantly switching between my iPad and netbook, and I'm increasingly wondering why I have an iPad at all. If it weren't for how great it is to read on, I'd probably sell it.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
From what you're saying this is probably an iOS 4 feature (and so will probably appear on the iPad in the next couple of months), but on my iPhone when I open a PDF in the web browser, an 'Open in iBooks' button appears at the top. Hopefully this means that your biggest issue with the iPad will be fixed soon.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Hahaha, that's funny, reminds me of when I used to use a Treo 180.
My last two PDAs have been used as standalone computers for the most part. I'd occasionally sync my Treo 650 to perform a remote backup or move lots of memos, but I probably didn't sync it for about 3 years...before I retired it. My N900 has never been synced with anything. It's a standalone PC, just like a netbook. I can freely move files over USB mass storage, Bluetooth OBEX, FTP, SCP, Samba, you name it. If I want to download anything I ca
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
***I don't see that there's any niche for a netbook.. unless you really really want a proper laptop and you can't afford one.. because netbooks are just cheap laptops.***
You might want to talk to my wife. She uses her computers for four things -- playing FreeCell, reading e-books, eMail, and web surfing. Her netbook does all those things well. She loves it.
Until we get tablets with real keyboards with tactile feedback, I'm pretty sure that they are not going to replace her netbook.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I don't see that there's any niche for a netbook.. unless you really really want a proper laptop and you can't afford one.. because netbooks are just cheap laptops.
Not quite. They're also often small/light laptops. Often their smaller screens and lower power also mean more battery life.
My laptop is a high performance machine as laptops go, because its primary use (or most important use, if not always the one that's most common depending on what's going on with work) was to be a portable development machin
Re:Yes. (Score:4, Interesting)
I don't see that there's any niche for a netbook.. unless you really really want a proper laptop and you can't afford one.. because netbooks are just cheap laptops.
I just came back from a one month vacation in Australia. I had my netbook with me and I used it mainly to check mail (thunderbird with local folders backed up almost daily on a usb pen drive with rsync) and to upload pictures and notes of my travel to my website. However I also did some work for a couple of customers of mine who sent me mail about some bugs to fix. I wrote the code, tested it and pushed it into a git repository. I wouldn't be able to do that with an iPad and taking my notebook with me (I got one, I'm that wealthy) would have been very inconvenient as it's twice as large as the netbook and almost three times as heavy. I never ever considered to put it into my backpack.
With this experience in mind I do believe that there is a niche for netbooks. Probably it's going to be a very small one because of what most people's computing needs are, but I'm happy we have cheap netbooks that are powerful enough to work on them (but I concede that I'm more productive with the notebook).
Re: (Score:2)
Uh, what are those niches, exactly?
When the netbook came out, I heard that people wanted one for:
1) Web browsing.
2) Checking email.
Basically, as a lightweight alternative to dragging around a full sized laptop when you didn't really care if the keyboard was easy to use.
But wait! That sounds an awful lot like what I hear people use tablets like the iPad for.
So, what *exactly* are these two, somewhat overlapping niches you are referring to?
Re:Yes. (Score:4, Interesting)
So, what *exactly* are these two, somewhat overlapping niches you are referring to?
To me there are four big differences between the netbook and the Apple i-things:
1. Netbook has a keyboard you can type on, even if adapting to it takes some time.
2. Netbook will run Windows and random Windows software.
3. Netbook generally has better performance and is capable of running a lot of older Windows games (video is different as I believe i-things have hardware H.264 support and the netbook probably doesn't?).
4. The netbook costs half as much.
To me it's more a question of whether you want a small but real keyboard and the ability to run arbitrary software than anything else. If, say, you really want to run Windows for some reason then the i-things are a total non-starter.
So I don't see how anyone can claim that they're interchangeable. Price, lack of keyboard and inability to run my applications mean I wouldn't even consider an i-thingy.
Re: (Score:2)
Well...
netbook = smaller laptop
tablet = larger smartphone
I already have a smartphone that's always with me. So really all I need is something to do the things that I can't do efficiently on my phone.
Just bought a touchscreen kit for my eeePC901, which was maybe the only additional convenience a tablet might have added.
Re: (Score:2)
Pretty much everything you want a keyboard for automatically goes to the netbook. For some people a touchscreen is good enough for e-mail (for example), but for a lot of people it isn't.
Anything on a budget goes to the netbook, at least for the foreseeable future.
Re: (Score:2)
Back before web browsing on a phone became a relatively painless experience, I would have loved to have a desktop/netbook combo - the desktop for when I was at home, and I wanted something expandable relatively powerful with good ergonomics, and a netbook for taking to uni or visiting my parents, when I wanted web, email and music with me.
My biggest issue with this setup was that there was no easy way to sync data from the desktop to the netbook and back again. I've never seen any netbook that was designed
Re: (Score:2)
If I wanted something to
Re: (Score:2)
The strange thing is the netbook is somewhere between a laptop and a tablet. That's why I've never understood the appeal of a netbook. Need portability? Get a tablet. Need raw power, use a laptop.
I have to admit that when I see a netbook in public, I think it looks incredibly irrelevant next to iPad guy.
Re: (Score:2)
African or European?
Re: (Score:2)
What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
African or European?
Apple didn't just invent the tablet (Score:2, Insightful)
Gah. These summaries are getting worse and worse. Tablets have been around for awhile. Apple didn't invent the market with the iPad. They didn't invent the portable MP3 player with the ipod, nor did they invent the smart phone with the iphone. Those markets were established, and Apple developed a highly polished version that did well in that market. Tablets have been around, and they serve a slightly different niche from the netbook. They existed side by side before the iPad, and will continue to do so.
Summary does not claim invention (Score:4, Interesting)
Gah. These summaries are getting worse and worse. Tablets have been around for awhile. Apple didn't invent the market with the iPad.
No, they didn't invent the market.
They just figured out how to make a product that would sell into the market.
Tablets simply never sold before the way the iPad is selling.
Apple developed a highly polished version that did well in that market.
Normally I would agree, as that is what Apple does with most things.
But there was nothing in the market to polish. There was nothing in the tablet space like the iPad. It was all PC/Stylus based, kind of the opposite to what the iPad is and why it works.
Was there even a single touch-capible system in there? I don't remember any.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
> Tablets simply never sold before the way the iPad is selling. ...that's because all of the old tablets are real PCs and this new thing is an overgrown iPod.
That is why id can be so cheap. You also have to gravely restrict what can be done with the device in order to cover up the fact that it's running hardware that's about 10 years old in PC terms.
It's an Apple so you know the margins are very much in their favor. So they managed to take something cheap it up while still keeping it dressed up.
It's a di
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Your numbers are based on iSupply numbers, which are often wildly inaccurate. And in the link you posted, there is this:
"The fact remains that this well placed tablet computer, that seems to be the perfect crossover gadget between smartphones like iPhones and laptops, is priced way below what the market expectations of the costing was."
If Apple's margin were really so huge we'd see competitors with the same hardware at a much lower price. Where are they?
The fact is that no company can realistically have 1
Definitive answer (Score:4, Funny)
No.
I mistakenly left my Acer netbook on my bedside table and my old Fujitsu stylistic on my bed when I left for work yesterday. When I got home, all I found on my bed was some half-melted plastic and blown capacitors.
There can be only one...
Re: (Score:2)
There can be only one...
"There can be only none, Debbie."
Netbooks kill themselves (Score:3, Interesting)
Last summer I bought an EeePC because I was sick of lugging my full-size laptop to and from work to give myself additional screen space to watch Nagios in addition to other work I had going on. That was possibly one of the worst purchases I ever made. The keyboard was too small to type on, and the screen was barely big enough for passive activities, let alone if I required anything "real" to happen on it. I ended up just giving it away to a female friend who's only around 5ft tall (where as I'm 6'4") and thus better proportioned to using such a device.
They only thing they really have going for them is that they're cheap, and it shows in the construction of the things. I haven't yet handled an iPad, but don't expect it to suffer from a feeling of flimsiness, like the scene in Jurassic Park where the lawyer tells the kid if the goggles are heavy, then that means they're expensive and so to put them down. But I think I could find more situations where I would benefit from having a pair of night vision goggles than an iPad. But maybe I'm not really in the target market for either of these things.
Re: (Score:2)
i've handled the iPad in the Apple Store and it feels better made than a $1500 HP laptop i used to have that is now in a junk pile after less than 3 years of use
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
They only thing they really have going for them is that they're cheap, and it shows in the construction of the things.
Weird. My $300 EeePc feels far more solid than my $1000 Toshiba laptop.
I agree about the size, but they're not intended for typing eight hours a day... and neither is a 'pad'. A netbook is great for doing basic stuff on the road and cheap enough that if it's stolen I don't have to worry too much about buying another one; it's also probably less likely to be stolen than something with the magic Apple logo on the back.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
The EeePc seems to vary in sturdiness based on the model. My 1000HE is rock-rolid and all-in-all it's the best-built laptop I've ever owned. My parents have the 1101HA and it's much flimsier.. the hinge for the screen is loose and the keyboard is spongy. Also, the graphics are noticeably slow, probably because of the extra pixels in the larger screen. Just have to pick the right one.
Re: (Score:2)
Well, about the time I gave away the EeePC, I also sold my Toshiba, and you're right, the Toshiba laptop felt a lot crappier than the EeePC. I consolidated on a MacBook Pro 13", which gave me more screen real estate than the EeePC and more power than the Toshiba. I have FreeBSD, Linux and Windows VMWare images available to me to to everything I need/want to do. That seemed to make the most sense for me in my situation, but I really just can't figure a reason why I'd want an iPad at all.
Re: (Score:2)
I have a Samsung netbook. The keyboard is very comfortable to use. The battery lasts for eight hours. The construction is solid. The screen is big enough for programming, web browsing, and even flash games. Best of all: it is extremely portable - being small is a virtue.
It sounds like you elected to buy a low-quality device with a small keyboard. That's a problem with you, not a problem with netbooks in general.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm five foot nine, and although I'd rather have a bigger keyboard, I haven't lugged the old IBM laptop around once since I bought my Acer Aspire. If I really need a keyboard, lugging around the Acer and a USB keyboard would be less hassle than the IBM, which has a better keyboard but still isn't in the league with a real keyboard.
I have no trouble reading the screen, maybe you need new glasses? Its monitor is almost as big as the IBM-XT I used to have, and bigger than the Compaq Luggable the office had bac
Re: (Score:2)
Heh, I kinda had the opposite experience... my wife always wanted a very small laptop that would fit in her purse, so I bought her an eeepc901. Worked for her, since she was a hunt'n'peck typist, but it was too slow running OpenOffice. But she'd leave it next to the bed and eventually stepped on it and broke the screen. So a few months later for about the same price, I bought her a huge refurbished 17" Toshiba laptop. I have to carry it to the car every once in a while, but she's very happy with it.
Sinc
Not Only Coexist, But../ (Score:3, Insightful)
iPads (& similar) can be THE computer for the rest of society who didn't want a laptop or other computer.
Why?
Because it doesn't have to be treated and coddled like a "computer", at least if it is an iPad.
I've seen both the very young and very old become adept in doing things they like in minutes.
Re: (Score:2, Troll)
...except you can't save anything, print anything, access any random website, or access any random bit of data.
It's not really a computer in the usual sense.
It's not even comparable to an Apple computer.
It's all dependent on this idea that a computer, even an Apple computer is "too much for the masses to deal with".
Although that's contrary to the old Apple propaganda. The Mac used to be the proposed solution to all of normal consumer's PC difficulties.
It's still no less valid. It's just less under Steve's t
You can do all that (Score:4, Insightful)
..except you can't save anything
All applications save. And all offer some means to transfer content off the iPad.
print anything
You can print from some apps now and it's a system supported feature in November.
access any random website
Now you really lost me since I can reach any website from the iPad, there are zero browsing restrictions.
or access any random bit of data.
99.9999999% is enough, it turns out.
It's all dependent on this idea that a computer, even an Apple computer is "too much for the masses to deal with".
Critical refinement of your statement - normal computers are too much for most people to MAINTAIN. Come on, having helped friends and family with computers, you honestly have any doubt that is the case?
The Mac used to be the proposed solution to all of normal consumer's PC difficulties.
The Mac was the hardest computer to use - except for all the others. I guess it makes sense they figured out something even less hard, since they were always at the forefront of computers that were easier to maintain and use.
There's no market inertia or vendor lock associated with it that Apple can exploit.
100% correct which is what makes the dominance they enjoy purely a result of building a good product people enjoy and not market control.
The iPad doesn't need to be castrated despite the protestations of fanboys.
The iPad is not that constrained despite the assertions of the Haters.
You got your first four facts totally wrong, I guess it follows you wouldn't understand platform constraints either.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Question: Can you actually use the iPad without having a computer which runs iTunes? If the answer to that is "Yes, you can", then you're right. Otherwise, the iPad is just an accessory to your real computer.
Re:Not Only Coexist, But../ (Score:4, Insightful)
You can actually have your iPad activated at the Apple store, and never connect it to a computer again. Generally, I connect mine once a month or so to back up the apps, books, and documents, but that's it really. It's definitely an area where some improvement is due (and iOS 4.2 in November adds some of this, like wireless printing) though.
This entire premise is flawed. If you need a physical keyboard for lots of data input, an iPad (or any tablet with a touchscreen) isn't ever going to fit the bill. It doesn't matter what you do. Similarly, if you are primarily interested in media consumption (web, video, etc), then the tiny screen on a netbook isn't going to cut it.
Re: (Score:2)
no
all updates from the jailbreakme hotfix to a major OS upgrade come as a new version of the OS and are installed via iTunes
Some yes, some no (Score:2)
It all depends on the consumer, the netbook and the tablet you're talking about. The iPad can definitely take the place of a netbook for ME. Other people might want a full featured office client and a mouse in which case NO Tablet would be a suitable replacement. We've also not yet seen a real foray into the market of a competitive Android tablet.
Use what works for you, and whoever "wins" will be left standing at the end. And maybe they'll all win.
When can I program on it? (Score:2)
I play around making random C, Perl, and even BASIC programs on my Netbook
I'm pretty sure Apple is NEVER going to allow a Turing-complete programming language on the iPad.
Re: (Score:2)
And thus you label yourself as being part of the 0.1% of the consumer population who gives a shit about "making random ... programs".
You are not the target market. You are not the yardstick by which to measure the success or failure of these devices.
Re: (Score:2)
I suspect you're right.
Nevertheless, you can have an ssh terminal, vnc client and an X windows server.
Re:When can I program on it? (Score:4, Funny)
Yeah... BASIC: I have SIMH running an HP2000F emulation and guess what? You programmed those machines in BASIC sonny.
I also program occasionally in COBOL...wanna make fun of me some more?
I also program in BrainFuck...can I be cool now?
REPLs are b& from the App Store (Score:3, Informative)
BASIC?
Perhaps you should get an iPad...
Nope. The iOS developer agreement explicitly bans interpreters into which the user can load a program. Anything with a REPL [wikipedia.org] is right out. In fact, Apple pulled a C64 game from the App Store precisely because the player could touch some keys and reset the emulated C64 into the REPL of its ROM BASIC.
Re: (Score:2)
Javascript is Turning-complete.
Yeah, I thought of that about a minute after I hit "Submit"
oh well
Stupid question (Score:2)
Obviously not. If you leave them in the same room they'll throw all the fucking furniture at each other.
...from my cold dead hands! (Score:2, Interesting)
If someone took my netbook and gave me an iPad to replace it, I would use the iPad to beat them until they agreed to give my netbook back.
I bought my netbook before the iPad's release, but I bought it because I needed a *Computer*, not an appliance. I use it for work, and I'm essentially on-call tech support 24-7. I needed a laptop that was small enough I can take it anywhere, and cheap enough that I don't mind taking it everywhere. I need to be able to run the software I need to run. I need to be able
Netvertible (Score:2)
They even invented a word to tell when both coexist not just in the same market, but in the same device.
Funny Story (Score:2)
Asking this... on Slashdot? (Score:3, Informative)
Maybe it's just me - but the Slashdot crowd seems like entirely the wrong demographic for this question. Or, at least, for you to get an answer that'd translate to the world at large. Anyway...
Given the size and weight (my daughter has an iPad, and I have borrowed it several times) - I'd take neither. The netbook makes too many compromises, and the iPad is too heavy for what it is. I know it's a pound and a half lighter than my MacBook Air, but (due to the ways they're held and used) I couldn't possibly use an iPad for a long period of time while the weight of the Air is generally unnoticeable. I think for the iPad to truly own the "small and light" market, it needs to shed more weight - get down reasonably close to the Kindle.
Of course my daughter is probably much closer to the target demographic than I am, and she loves the iPad to death. So my opinion should be taken with an appropriately-sized grain of salt.
I think tablets will end up niche products (Score:3, Insightful)
The thing about a tablet is you have to hold the thing. You can't just set it on your lap, or on a table unless you prop it up somehow. A netbook has a built in kickstand that doubles as a keyboard and screen protector. Add a touch screen and you've pretty much eliminated any advantage a tablet has.
Re: (Score:2)
Here's [flickr.com] the best iPad stand.
And yeah, iPad combines the worst properties of a netbook and a handheld, _plus_ lacking a keyboard. Me not wants.
What is with the tablet vs netbook "war"? (Score:3, Insightful)
Can tablets and netbooks coexist? Can science and religion coexist? Can dogs and cats coexist?
Tablets and netbooks are different products for different purposes. How are they even competing? And no, the iPad won't kill netbooks. It costs thee times as much as a netbook.
Netbooks and Tablets (Score:2)
There can be only one! No, wait...that's something else...
Sure. Can Apples and Oranges co-exist?
Is this Digg or something? (Score:2, Insightful)
"Can NetBooks & Tablets Co-Exist?" /.
Really? Really? We're going to have a heading like that on
What has this become, the tablet hype needs to stop ASAP, as some of us have NO interest.
Of course they can bloody well co-exist.
Won't replace anything... (Score:3, Informative)
The iPad won't replace anything while you need to attach it to a real computer running iTunes before you can even use the bloody thing, and to do updates.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
You obviously don't ride public transport then. A HUGE advantage of tablets over netbooks for people that do is that you can actually use the tablet standing up
Sounds perfect for pickpockets. "Hey, I'm paying attention to my electronic gizmo and both of my hands are occupied, so one isn't resting on my wallet pocket!"
Don't do that. You'll get robbed.
Re: (Score:2)
Sounds perfect for pickpockets. "Hey, I'm paying attention to my electronic gizmo and both of my hands are occupied, so one isn't resting on my wallet pocket!"
Don't do that. You'll get robbed.
I'm fat, my wallet is hard enough for ME to get out of my pants.
And here you thought the truffle shuffle was just a trendy dance move.
Re: (Score:2)
This is a classic case of a dwarf calling a midget shorty.
You obviously don't ride public transport either.
Futzing with a large tablet in a standing room only train? You must be joking. That's not going to endear you any better than trying to mess with a notebook. ...ok, mebbe you really do ride public transport and you're just a big fat inconsiderate jerk.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2, Redundant)
I'm surprised there isn't a gadet like a tray that hangs round your neck. Sort of like ther ones icecream sellers in cinemas used to have.
Re: (Score:2)
You obviously don't ride public transport then. A HUGE advantage of tablets over netbooks for people that do is that you can actually use the tablet standing up. You aren't going to be typing a novel on it, but it is in fact usable. Just try to use a netbook while standing up, my guess is that you won't be making very many friends.
I ride the metro (DC) and typically you can get a seat within one or two stops on the busiest of days, and if I'm going a shorter distance than that, I can survive for the 2 minut
Re: (Score:2)
As for netbooks, people buy them for one reason - they don't cost a lot of money.
Not true. I bought mine because I was visiting my relatives in England and it's half the size of my laptop so it was much easier to carry around.
Certainly cost is part of the reason for buying them, but not the only reason... you can buy a low-end laptop for not much more than the cost of a mid-range netbook.
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
WTF? Do you spend any time outside of slashdot? People definitely do not hate Microsoft. Heck, I've had people complaining to me upon giving them an XP laptop that it didn't have (back then) Vista on it. (Yes, this really happened) Try selling Linux to one of those so called people that "carry hatred towards Windows". You'll see how quickly they'll flee back to their "hated" operating system. You and I know that 95% of normal users needs are covered by Linux.
I ho
Re: (Score:2)
THe thing about netbooks is that they offer a limited subset of functionality - which is why people aren't willing to drop a lot of money on them. "I can't really use it for much" so it isn't worth much. It (like a tablet) is just too small. The difference between a tablet (iPad) buyer and a netbook buyer is that one buys for trendiness and the other does not.
(I'm not sure what the iPad users justify their purchases with. What functionality do they offer which you'd usually perform with a netbook? Watching