Well bless my soul and whiskers. This is the first time I’ve joined the congregation at the Church of Apple for a new product launch. I’ve watched all the past ones, downloaded the Quicktime movies and marvelled as Apple’s leader has stood before an ovating faithful and announced the switch to Intel, the birth of iPod, the miniMac, the iTunes Store, OS X, iPhoto, the swan’s neck iMac, the Shuffle, Apple retail stores, the iPhone, the titanium powerbook, Garageband, the App Store and so much more. But today I finally made it. I came to San Francisco for the launch of the iPad. Oh, happy man.
Today had special resonance. In front of his family, friends and close colleagues stood the man who founded Apple, was fired from Apple and came back to lead Apple to a greatness, reach and influence that no one on earth imagined. But a year ago, it is now clear, there was a very strong possibility that Steve Jobs would not live to see 2010 and the birth of his newest baby.
With revenues of 15.6 billion Apple is now the largest mobile device company in the world, Jobs told the subdued but excited six hundred packed into the Yerba Buena Cultural Center for the Arts Theatre this morning. A few more triumphant housekeeping notes followed and then we were into the meat of it. Well, the whole event is available to be watched online, you don’t need me to describe it. He picked up an iPad and walked us through. Afterwards I was allowed to play with one myself.
I know there will be many who have already taken one look and pronounced it to be nothing but a large iPhone and something of a disappointment. I have heard these voices before. In June 2007 when the iPhone was launched I collected a long list of “not impressed”, “meh”, “big deal”, “style over substance”, “it’s all hype”, “my HTC TyTN can do more”, “what a disappointment”, “majorly underwhelmed” and similar reactions. They can hug to themselves the excuse that the first release of iPhone was 2G, closed to developers and without GPS, cut and paste and many other features that have since been incorporated. Neither they, nor I, nor anyone, predicted the “game-changing” effect the phone would so rapidly have as it evolved into a 3G, third-party app rich, compass and GPS enabled market leader. Even if it had proved a commercial and business disaster instead of an astounding success, iPhone would remain the most significant release of its generation because of its effect on the smartphone habitat. Does anybody seriously believe that Android, Nokia, Samsung, Palm, BlackBerry and a dozen others would since have produced the product line they have without the 100,000 volt taser shot up the jacksie that the iPhone delivered to the entire market?
Nonetheless, even if they couldn’t see that THREE BILLION apps would be downloaded in 2 years (that’s half a million app downloads a day, give or take ) could they not see that this device was gorgeous, beautifully made, very powerful and capable of development into something extraordinary? I see those qualities in the iPad. Like the first iPhone, iPad 1.0 is a John the Baptist preparing the way of what is to come, but also like iPhone 1.0 (and Jokanaan himself too come to that) iPad 1.0 is still fantastic enough in its own right to be classed as a stunningly exciting object, one that you will want NOW and one that will not be matched this year by any company. In the future, when it has two cameras for fully featured video conferencing, GPS and who knows what else built in (1080 HD TV reception and recording and nano projection, for example) and when the iBook store has recorded its 100 millionth download and the thousands of accessories and peripherals that have invented uses for iPad that we simply can’t now imagine – when that has happened it will all have seemed so natural and inevitable that today’s nay-sayers and sceptics will have forgotten that they ever doubted its potential.
Mr Fry, You are known to be an enthusiastic sort and a total Apple fanboy to boot, but even with those two points in mind I can’t help but think your post is a little too adoring, a little too riddled with promotional zeal.
I smell a backhander, I may as well come out and say it. I wonder about the nature of your visit. Did you make a pilgrimage with all the other sweaty devotees, or were you perhaps shuttled there by smooth diplomats from brand central…
Like some other respondents, I am also wary of Apple’s “hands-on” tactics. At events like this, and in their stores, they emphasise the hands-on experience so that people are dazzled by the “surface gloss” and overlook the underlying limitations. Then again, it’s only a matter of time before it is “jailbroken” and allowed to reach its potential.
I have an iPod Touch 2G (a gift), and am quite happy with it for what it is, but the lack of multitasking is only one fundamental flaw that prevents it from being more useful. Another is that file storage is tied to its application: you can’t even download a text file in Safari and open it up in another app. This iPad, according to reports, doesn’t address any of those flaws, so I don’t care if the surface is shiny.
Hi Stephen,
It’s a very attractive product but I’m a bit disappointed because I was hoping for a larger screen so that I could read and play music from it. I’ll have to stick with my 12.5″ MusicPad and hope that Apple produce a larger version in the future!
Meh.
Stephen this is one of the finest takes on the iPad on these internets.
The Google Voice transcript is so poor because computer speech recognition doesn’t work the way the human speech recognition does. There are umpteen different schemes that computer speech recognition can work on, but they all typically follow the same basic process. People listen for meaning first and then devolve to phrases, words and then sounds and parts of sounds if they can’t make sense. Computers do it the other way, windowing an audio stream into arbitrary slices and then attempting to statistically match each slice to an acoustic pattern.
Clever mathematics let the computer give different likelyhoods to each slice being a particular sound. More, different, clever mathematics let the computer reassemble the slices and figure out whether the best guess at slice A could possibly come before the best guess at slice B. After the computer decides what the best/most likely combination of slice A and slice B is, it moves on to slice C and it tries to figure out whether the best guess at slice C could come after the AB slice. Then the computer might work with the BC slice and the D slice. And so on.
Until a new scheme is developed for computer speech recognition, recognition of natural speech (ie speech meant to be heard by another person, not speech meant to be recognised by a machine) will always be problematic and, to different degrees, errorful.
(Naturally, this is a hand waving explanation. I am Not a Speech Recognition Engineer, though I did work with some for a while.)
Oh I want one now! Naturally it will have its faults and limitations – being so new, that’s to be expected; but I want one. Maybe I’m just feeling left out – the iphone never did appeal to me. I come from the other side, the pc market. For the past few years I’ve used laptops – or notebook/notepads if you want to be posh, but although they’re more portable than the traditional tower system, I still find them cumbersome and heavy.
I can see that a little machine like this would be very convenient and it’s portability would save me hours in transcriptions. As a disabled student, I see extra uses and extra benefits in the lightweight, compact design – but I do wonder how user friendly it actually is.
Maybe I’ll do my usual and wait until most of the glitches have been ironed out. They will be – far more quickly if those who have problems get on to Apple on a regular basis and in numbers.
Did I mention, I want one? Preferably with a surface that isn’t a bit shiny.
I have just watched the replay of the presentation and spotted you!! Right after Steve Jobs was showing Google maps and the street view of the sushi restaurant, the camera pans to the audience and low and behold there you were!!
I have long been an Apple aficionado but over the years and numerous expensive lessons, I have learned to wait for the 2nd if not 3rd generation of a particular product.
As with many of Apples’ products that change (dare I use the term revolutionise) the way technology is applied to our needs, many fail to see the long term ramifications of these product. Ultimately they alter the way we go about our daily lives. The iPad (i’ll be interested to see how long it can keep the name as Fujitsu already has a patent for that name if I’m not mistaken) officially ushers the begining of the future. And as usual with technology, sure one doesn’t need an iPod or an iPhone or any piece of electrnonic equipment for that matter. But when you finally have one, you realise that life becomes that little bit more fun and enjoyable and perhaps, even a little easier.
Grazie mille,
Leonardo
@spiralthreads: buy a MacBook Air and wait until the hype has passed and the product has evolved. I don’t see the advantage of yet an additional device in an already oversized handbag. I too love the look and feel and userfriendliness of most of Apples products and am a fan from the beginning. But the latest products are too consumption driven, and not consumer driven for my taste. The products are -on purpose- just not that inclusive – so you are seduced to purchase additional devices. And what about all the waste, what about the excessive use of scarce materials? F.e. If they would make the MacBook Air with a double-sided screen – you wouldn’t need the Ipad at all. From a brand like Apple, I expect more. Not only to look good, but be good.
How could the iPad be any better? A voice navigation system from Peter “the Book” Jones and a big rubber cover with “Don’t Panic” in nice big letter on the front perhaps?
It looks pretty much exactly as I imagined it would. That’s no bad thing: it’s how I thought the computers of the future would be as a child. However, I can’t help but hear a niggling voice in the back of my mind. Really, what is it for? It’s halfway between a phone and a computer, and doesn’t have the respective advantages of either. The other problem is that I have serious doubts about its future-proofness. It would be great to read magazines and books on an iPad, but what happens when it dies away, as surely it must eventually? All those magazines and books your bought for it will turn out to have been a hefty waste of cash if they can’t be used on other devices. It would be best if the industry worked together on a universal file format for such things.
Having said that, it does look reeeeally cool.
I accidentally posted this in a different part of the site. Woops
I think people have miss heard apple.
Go onto Apple.com/uk
“iPad will be available in late March !!!!worldwide!!!! for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 32GB model, $699 (US) for the 64GB model. The Wi-Fi + 3G models of iPad will be available in April in the US and selected countries for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model.”
So its not June and July for us who want the Wifi version.
If I need 3G I will use my iPad mini
Horp says “smells a backhander”. Ridiculous. Stephen Fry is above reproach, he’s been more than moderately successful in acting, directing, writing, and presenting. I’m sure he has more than enough money to get by on, successful as he is, and if I may say so, attacking the man rather than the argument is a poor show.
I think it takes guts for anyone to make comments such as these and expose themselves to remarks and insults of the wild and woolly t’internets. And I believe that’s what Mr. Fry and Mr. Jobs have in common. It takes guts for a company to make hard decisions (such as enforcing an App store approval process or denying flash in the browser) and Apple is one of the few companies which has borne fruit from making the right hard decisions. The Steve Jobs “reality distortion field” not withstanding, I admit it’s easy to be guilty of some techno lust at an event such as this, when you’re the first to get your hands on a product which is still technically in pre-production and still works so well. But I will say that personally I have been hoping for a decent eReader, couch-proximity web browser, in-flight entertainment, etc. device from Apple, so I can see this sitting squarely in the niche for which it has been created, once again speaking for myself in this case. Whether the public at large feels the same remains to be seen.
@Horp the end of the article makes it clear that Stephen traveled on his own steam.
@bnt “Another is that file storage is tied to its application: you can’t even download a text file in Safari and open it up in another app. This iPad, according to reports, doesn’t address any of those flaws, so I don’t care if the surface is shiny.”
Not true on this device ( and I think the iPhone from OS 3.2 on, however it is hard to see how they decouple the two architectures)
From the actual developer documentation:
“sing the file-sharing support in iPhone OS 3.2. Here’s how it works:
An application indicates that it wants to share files by including the UIFileSharingEnabled key in its Info.plist file.
It puts whatever files it wants to share in its Documents/Shared directory.
When the device is plugged into the user’s computer, a mount point is added to the system and the contents of any shared directories appear on the user’s desktop.
Users can modify the contents of this directory freely by copying files out, deleting files, or dragging new files in.”
arguably every developer should write to that shared folder. Everything except preferences, and hidden data.
And when documents are visible they need to know who launches them. the developer notes go on to say
“An application can now register the file types it supports with the system and receive notifications when a file of the given type needs to be opened”
Same as a Mac , or PC basically.
The key thing that distinguishes this from any Windows tablet, is that it launches with a huge number of applications already designed for touch control – and we will rapidly see more, designed to use the available screen size.
Using existing desktop apps with a stylus on a tablet . . . well, it’s like running DOS programs under Windows – you’ve not really changed anything other than the skin.
The same will obviously hold true for any similar Android device – it’s a platform built around touch, and existing applications are designed that way, so that is the best hope for any rivals.
>It’s halfway between a phone and a computer, and doesn’t have the respective advantages of either.
Let’s turn the question on it’s head – is a laptop a good design for a digital media player / e-reader?
Answer : No. It cannot be held in one hand. It’s too heavy, and the screen has the wrong orientation for books.
Is a 3″ screen a good design for a video player / e-reader?
Answer : No
Thank you for your incredible enthusiasm and joy, like virtual Velcro it has gripped my mind! I am excited about the iPad, it has a magical quality about it, a piece of glass that can bring you the whole world while you curl up on the sofa. I look forward to the first Time Travel App so I can jump through the iPad into 2050. Much love to you. xxx
@ Davidius, who said “The other problem is that I have serious doubts about its future-proofness. It would be great to read magazines and books on an iPad, but what happens when it dies away, as surely it must eventually? All those magazines and books your bought for it will turn out to have been a hefty waste of cash if they can’t be used on other devices. It would be best if the industry worked together on a universal file format for such things.”
They have done, actually. ePub is a free and open ebook standard that most e-book readers can display natively (excluding the Kindle), and it’s the iBooks file format.
I must agree that this certainly sounds like more than simply joining the faithful at the Church of Apple. This blog is “iPad ready”? Goodness, it was only announced yesterday and already we are “iPad ready”? Fishy. I think entertainers should perhaps confine themselves to a “nice bit of juicy tongue in the back passage” and leave the fanboy stuff to the fanboys.
As Stephen Fry put it the iPad 1.0 is like the John the Baptist. It has a huge potential and paved the way for evolving to become a huge product. However, unless you’re die hard Apple fan or if you really need one (for exmaple a good replacment if you were thinking to buy the ipod touch) otherwise I don’t see of functionality and practicality. I have an iphone which makes my day of entertainment and communcation and have a hp laptop which satisfy my computer needs( games, videos etc, ms office..).I have read in many tech blogs that people are going to wait and see which that counts me too.
It’s great to read a passionate review with thoughtful views expressed. An interesting device with some interesting deals done with publishers … but will this really catch on as a reading device? The reading application looks lovely, however the screen may be a problem. Lovely as the screen appears, it is backlit and pixelated which can mean it becomes tiring on the eyes, unlike dedicated reflective e-readers. Time will tell how good a job Apple have done with the screen and if people do find it tiring when reading.
My other concern about the device is that it is basically a thin 9″ unprotected piece of glass – an iphone or netbook just get slung in my bag with my keys how with this device fare in real world use?
I learned with the iPhone never to judge Apple products until I’d had them in my sweaty paws. As a dyed-in-the-wool BlackBerry user, there was not way I was going to get an iPhone. Not a chance.
However, as a general nerd, I felt duty-bound to experience the interface – so I bought an iPod touch. Within two weeks, I’d bought an iPhone. Having used the interface on the touch, there was simply no way that I was going to not have that lovely interface on my phone. It made my perfectly-good BlackBerry feel like something from the 19th Century.
So, till I actually have one in my hands, I’ll refrain from too much comment. People who judge Apple products by looking at the spec sheets simply don’t get it.
Hey Steph,
you might be right with all of that—at least from a marketing point of view.
But what happend to your commitment to free software and—with it—to a free information society?
Are all of these things you said in this video
http://www.gnu.org/fry/
not true anymore? :/
I am asking this at this place, because the iPad, for sure, is one of the most proprietary devices out there:
http://defectivebydesign.org/ipad
Kind regards,
micu
The e-reading is what interests my kind and I have to admit to being disappointed when I read that the iPad has an LED screen (albeit stunning IPS standard). Perhaps when Apple have sorted out the power efficiency & component supply issues subsequent versions will be either dual-mode e-ink/LED or highly-evolved OLED screens with amazing pure contrasts that are as ergonomically comfortable as good paper for immersive reading? Here’s dreaming.
One major books issue that’s not clear: will there be territorial control over downloads (tracked perhaps to iBook account sign-in with rights restrictions embedded in ebook metadata)? If ‘no’ or if (or rather when) this is easily by-passed territoriality is over. Any reader anywhere will be able to get any book regardless of who owns which rights where. I know Amazon already do that but this is much more powerful.
Great comprehensive review Mr Fry! I’ll be getting my paws on one as soon as on sale in UK, the iPhone has revolutionised mobile comms for me, I only see the iPad as enhancing further! Get back to your book now!
“iPad ready” your beautiful blog proclaims on the header. Yet, unless I’m mistaken, your video section still uses Flash n’est-ce pas?
I am sceptical of the magnitude of success of the iPad for a basic reason: I’m not sure it’s really treading new ground.
Both the iPod and the iPhone arrived into separate markets that were full of devices without a common interface, and where in fact there was little attempt by manufacturers to make the device help the user complete his tasks (listening to music and calling/email/browsing).
Apple’s genius is indeed in design, not only sexy hardware, but even more user interfaces that are intuitive and transparent to the user.
As sure as I am the iPad will sell off the back of the brand, this device starts butting up against the PC devices out there (e.g. the Asus netbooks) at a similar pricepoint, and although it is perhaps a superior device, the question is “can it do all the things a netbook can”? It’s a market where the devices are not subsidised (as mobile phones are) and where price comparisons can overwhelm other considerations.
I am fully convinced Apple will conquer the still nascent ereader market first and foremost, if only because of its media distribution muscle…. but will it really kill the netbook market? I hazard there’ll be blood on the streets, and no easy win.
I’m afraid this report has little objective value other than to admire the colour of its prose.
If you want a truly professional analysis of the Apple iPad from full time technology journalists then I’d suggest our report (105 positive comments so far and going strong) should serve as a better guide:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/laptops/news/2010/01/27/Apple-Unveils-iPhone-based–iPad–Tablet/p1
Oh, Stephen, I adore it when you go gigglegushsqueeswoonbubblebounce.
Have you seen Mr. Serafinowicz’s take on the iPad? Simple and brilliant.
http://www.funnyordie.co.uk/videos/167d70800c/the-ipad
Stephen I am also an anti Apple person but have slowly succumbed to my iPhone – I tell everyone it is a crap phone BUT an amazing communications tool… and I WILL BE IN THE QUEUE to get an iPad – I KNOW it will change the way social media will be for ever…
I still wonder what the thing is FOR. Whatever it is, it will probably do it with style, but noone seems to be able to tell me (including some friends who work at Apple). It seems to me that perhaps it’s primary function at this stage will be Ebook reading, but is this enough? Isn’t the point of the Kindle that it has a clever screen that doesn’t sear your eyes but feels like reading paper?
I’ve always been an Apple skeptic, but I think Apple profits from us, so that’s okay. Really, Apple seems to profit most from it’s app developers and it’s skeptics. We who shout and ball at the obvious failings of products (no 3G in a phone, REALLY?!) force them to better themselves (and, therefore, the industry) so I shall keep nagging, I think. But the app developers are key here, as they turn these beautiful but rather pointless devices into something useful in ways noone imagined, even Apple.
I can’t decide whether that makes Apple manipulative or humble. Do they simply provide gorgeous blank canvasses for the world to make brilliant, or do they just produce lazy, half-thought through gizmos then let other people make them useful while they rake in the money? Not sure, but either way is a kind of genius.
Spot on, sir. Spot on.
I’m sure you are right that it is a lovely device. However, the interesting bit is hidden in the middle of your review…Apple gets total control…over the online retail outlets.
The iPad is a loss leader for Apple as The Register pointed out a while back. It is exactly parallel to the tactics of the printer companies who sell us printers for the price of a soiled handkerchief and then charge us an arm and several other limbs for a few drops of ink which we have to buy again and again and again.
Clever, clever Mr Steve will make his money from selling you iTunes and iBooks and iMags and iFilms and iAdverts. iWatering potential!
Thank you Stephen! Isn’t it wonderful to be delighted by something every now and again?
I know it doesn’t have flash, or a camera, blah, blah, blah. So what? Concentrate on what it has, and delight in the possibilities of might be. Enjoy the moment. Enjoy the anticipation. Enjoy the iPad for what it is.
Keep up the effusiveness. We love it.
Non serviam. That’s why I’ll never be an Apple person. No matter how brilliant the products are. No matter how good the commodities. Because I refuse to become like this. I refuse to suspend discretion. I refuse to suspend critical thought. I refuse to give myself over to a corporation and a commodity. I refuse to act like an apostle. I refuse to attach myself to a thing, or set of things, or brand of things, with such absurd zeal. No. My discretion is too valuable. My individuality is too valuable. My freedom from becoming mesmerized is too valuable. No. Non serviam. Non serviam.
I fail to see how you can release a “game changer” years after smaller companies have been putting out similar devices, just by adding 3g and restricting a users abilities. The sad thing is that this *will* be a success because apple have found a niche nobody wanted before and have convinced people that they want it. Even you, somebody who is informed about the ills of DRM, the value of openSource software and smart enough to see through most marketing and PR, sees this as a “groudbreaking”/”game changer” but if you take a look around there were many like it that nobody wanted:
http://www.archos.com/store/index.html?country=gb&lang=en
http://www.alwaysinnovating.com/touchbook/ (open hardware) [actually I wanted one it's the best of both worlds, small touchscreen and keyboard when needed, but then I realised I had no need for such a device]
TBH this is the thing that annoys me most about Apple products, people are free to give away their freedoms, use crippled software, pay over the top prices, etc, but the media fanfare that they bring always makes out that they are “game changers”. At most they are “market changers”, because if you take a look around you will see that before the iphone was released the nokia n8xx series were already out, openmoko had come and failed, windows mobile already had multitasking, the internet was already going mobile but it was doing it slowly because nobody outside of real geeks and offices needed it (or more precisely nobody wanted to pay through the nose for it). It’s the same here, everybody knew the internet was going to move onto tablet devices, hell if I had money to spare I would probably have a touchbook, but now apple announce an inferior device and *bamm* it’s a “game changer”
What next? They release iGlasses and suddenly Augmented reality, was their idea?
Ah, My Fry. I feel you may have ran away with yourself in the excitement. The iPad is nothing more than a piece of bling – something to show off to ones friends like a piece of art one doesn’t quite understand, but was told was very good.
Functionally the iPad is poor, Jobs has shorted changed the apple fanboys.
The 3G iPad HAS GPS!! It has a variant called Assisted GPS the same in 3G iPhones. This type of GPS is a standard satellite based GPS that also uses the cellphone towers to give your position even faster that only using the satellites.
I am a former Apple Developer. I worked on 68000 machines using Mac OS 7 thru MacOS 9. I then moved on to OSX and was there from the first release right up until the latest one. As a result I feel that I know Apple and its products rather intimately. So it may surprise you to know that I’m switching to Google Android. Why? Simply because Google and Google android are here to stay. Your description of the Google translation you experienced does in a way mirror the iPad itself. Both are emerging technologies and both will improve. (During my time as an Apple Developer, I had plenty of “aww bless” moments, trust me – I’m looking at you Jaguar.. uggh
). However, when I look to the future I see a future of devices powered by Google Android and not by an Apple OS. Android already has support for multiple devices and different screen sizes built in. Asus are currently developing commercially viable household robots that will be powered by Google Android. The applications for the Android platform are quite frankly, mind blowing. I would like to thank Apple though for always pushing the envelope. They are the company that invents the ball so that companies like Google and HTC can run with it 
Tablets are definitely the future of computing. However, I think the i-pad’s going to be seriously eclipsed by the google-based pads from Acer and the myriad of other far-eastern manufacturers coming out in the near-future. The reason? They won’t be locked systems, they’ll be at least ÂŁ100 cheaper than the cheapest i-pad, and they won’t come with i-tunes, either. Shame really, because I was really looking forward to buying my first ever apple product.
Taken from BBC News: “…some of us were jealous that Mr Fry was being chaperoned by Apple design guru Jonathan Ive”. Hmm, real neutral, Stephen.
Check out my blog post about the ipad http://danieltwoods.com/post/357977477/ipad it’s called “It’s out, now shut up!”
That translation was hysterical. Also: ‘I love our National Health Service and the National Theatre, but I also love Fortnum and Mason’s and Hollywood movies’ – me too. Am ever hopeful that the rise in social media will convince the traditional media that people are a heap of contradictions, and labels are a waste of time.
Maybe the same could be said of the iPad. I didn’t have the response to it that I had anticipated. After stupendous excitement, I was whelmed. It wasn’t an under-whelming thing as such but it was more of an ‘oh, okay. Ah!..Hmmm…That’s good…That’s bad…Interesting’ type experience. I am sure you’re right about needing to feel it. It looks stunning and I’d love to get my paws on one but I’m not quite sure where to fit it – what ‘label’ to put on it I suppose. Need to start taking my own advice, I think. The iPad is a heap of contradictions. I should stop analysing it and let it unfurl in its own way. Thanks for a great blog post.
Rebecca
http://twitter.com/rebeccawoodhead
I wholeheartedly agree with you on your comment about the Apple haters. I’ve never really understood why people have to hold PC’s so much higher than Macs purely because they don’t like the look of them, or they don’t like Mr.Jobs, or their PC can have LED’s inside them, etc. I’m a devoted Mac user and I don’t mind Windows, I’ll use it when I have to.
Just like the iPhone announcement I’m going to hold back all judgement until I get my hands on one of these little beauties myself.
I shall try and hide how hurt I am by Horp’s “I smell a backhander” – I paid for my own flight and for my own hotel. Ihave never taken a red cent from Apple and never will. I have, as I wrote, no Apple shares and no financial interest in Apple. I confess that they often send me gear early for appraisal, but I (and my bank manager) can assure you that I buy far far far more of their stuff than I am given! I actually am sent much more Blackberry, Nokia, Android and other things for beta, testing and review than I am Apple devices.
I bought my first Mac in January 1984, the second ever to be sold in Europe. If I can’t contain my enthusiasm I am, as I have already said, sorry and I know how pathetic some people think it. But the idea I would verbally prance and drool like this for money… well I’m so sad you could think that. I know that I do commercials and voice overs sometimes, but I think the line is clear there – it’s obvious I’m being paid for those. The money from them helps me splash out on as much Applement as I can get…
Oh well.
Sx
As for the Google Voice transcription being both utterly rubbish and funny I recommend that you try Vox Sciences. It’s run by friends of mine. Try Googling them. I’m completely happy with it and even pay for it myself, rather than trying to cop a freebie off of a mate, which is unusual
I agree that the iPad shows great promise. Like all other Apple gear, I’ll be waiting for a 2.0 version before dipping my toes in and opening my wallet. Hope for GPS, ‘web-cam’ for video chat, mini USB socket even? And, a wireless keyboard that can be used in either portrait or landscape mode possibly?
I think it’ll definitely appeal tremendously to iPod, iTouch & iPhone users: it’s bigger & better. It’s aspirational to them.
It will also appeal to some of the non iXXX crowd who currently don’t have such a convergence device and who consume media rather than create. It is priced very well for them.
It’s not really a workhorse yet though – it might be interesting to see what your someone like your friend mr Caradine makes of it (great series btw, enjoyed it very much).
That said, I bet it’ll improve tremendously and I can see exciting things in the next and next but one generation.
Oh, great for healthcare too. Mark my words they’ll sell like hotcakes to consultants doing the rounds in hospital.
Yes, quite, you DO do voice-overs and commercialsdon’t you, which is essentially the art of assuring people that a product or service is wonderful and will enhance the life of the individual… so how can you expect us to discern where the line is drawn. Don’t do commercials AND get huffy when I suspect you are selling Apple products on your blog.
So can you reassure us that all of your personal fund raising exploits are limited to the traditional ad break Stephen? I mean, can you? I’ll take your word for it if you say you can.
Sorry that you are hurt by the comment, I make it my mission in life to say what I think and as we aren’t talking about you but what you have said on your blog, I didn’t expect to cause hurt. You have the option of not posting my comment, or pulling it any time you wish. I’m a fan of almost everything you have done from way back to right now, but I’m not going to talc your arse if I don’t agree with what you’re saying on any particular issue.
I guess the real feeling I got from your piece was that one of two things may have occurred…
1. You recieved a backhander. Blatant and orchestrated and with your full knowledge.
2. You were shmoozed, as a celeb with a lot of followers. Given the full evangelical patter, treated to a great show of cosseting, sold the product through the soft part of your head and sent off home to preach the gospel. A subliminal backhander if you will. Slipped a Micky Finn.
The product looks like a pig in a poke to me, but I haven’t been treated to a hands-on demonstration as you have. Those around me who have though feel the same way… that for once Apple have failed to re-invent the wheel. Its easy to say “Poor Kindle” but lets be honest, the whole notion of the Kindle, and all of its ilk was a none starter from the get-go. You either need a book or you need a computer that can incorporate books, but making a crude virtual bookalike out of computer bits is not the answer. Its not enough to be ‘better’ than a Kindle. That’s like being more colourful than the dodo. It was always obvious to me that someone would simply incorporate the digital book into a more useful object, its hardly a stroke of genius that Apple have done so here.
Anyway, no offense you great big sensitive charlie.
Magical? It used to be called a reality distortion field and it’s got you, I can tell!
http://neocnus.wordpress.com/2010/01/27/i-dont-care/
cheers.
Aww, that’s just how the internet goes. Empathy isn’t really prized highly in general, much less in a venue where you’re interacting more with words than with people. Some people like to be nasty, and some just aren’t aware of how they come off.
But I can completely relate to the idea of the iPad being almost automatically compelling in the hands in a way that can’t be communicated without that experience, because that was my experience with the iPod Touch. I finally broke down and got an iPod last month when my Nomad was running dry after several years, and I was so pleasantly surprised by the attention they obviously paid to making it viscerally enjoyable to use that I’m typing on a MacBook Pro now. I never intended to become an Apple zealot, I only wanted a music player!