STEPHEN FRY

He's still recovering though isn't he? I really can't wait for the iPad. It does nothing that I want it to. It has no Flash, no USB slot, no camera, it's too small to do work on but too big to slip in my pocket... and yet, I just want one. I can't explain why, or even what I'd do with it if I had one. I just know that I want to have one, right now.

"It's an iPhone for people who can't be arsed holding an iPhone up to their face." ~ Charlie Brooker

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/feb/0.....why-idunno

Now why is it that so many critics unwittingly say, "It's just a less portable version of an iPhone!" then why, pray tell, aren't the current tablets criticized as "less portable blackberries." It's the same concept as an iPhone because it's familiar to most customer and the portability isn't a problem either because;
A. if you're a college student, you've probably downloaded all those heavy textbooks and don't need a bunch of paper because you'll be typing notes to it as well,
B. if you're a business man/woman who needs statistics and forms there's the database and a larger scaled bejeweled in your hands on which no one can see,
or C. if you're a journalist iPhoto has faces, places and events to help organize and a simple tap on maps can show you the closest coffee place.
The camera issue, I think, is because of a dichotomy of placing on front or back, on the front you can have photo booth and video chat but you loose the chance of taking good pictures and the potential of scanning documents.

Nitro said:
Given that 'multi-tasking' is not a new concept but rather a reality that's been around for quite a while and also given that Apple, via OS X, made that experience open to a larger audience - why would they turn around and NOT include it in the debut of the iPad?

Could it be because that what's 'under the hood' on the iPad just isn't up to the task? iPhone vs iPhone 3G?

The good thing about the iPad, I think, is in fact its size. Given all the people going blind looking at very tiny fonts on cellphones, they'll need something bigger and easier to read in the very-near-Future LOL

The simple answer for multitasking is because it speeds the entire system up if you don't have to multitask. Running one application at a time lets more resources work on that one app, rather than having to worry about anything else. A perfect example where this isn't the case is Google's Nexus One. It's specs are tremendous, with its 1GHz Snapdragon chip, RAM, etc, yet it lags behind the iPhone 3GS in real world speed when you use multiple apps at once on the N1. (I really do actually love the Nexus One, but for its hardware specs, it doesn't perform as one expects).

Multiple people have already talked about the blazing speed of the iPad, Stephen Fry included. The lack of multitasking is a very big reason for it.

Use a Nexus One for a while. You will notice the lack of speed. It's quick, but definitely not one would expect from a 1GHz processor. Only time will tell how well they solve the software issues to make sure it's up to the speeds that His Jobness wants to call "finished" if/when multitask DOES come out for Apple devices.

I'm not saying they won't do it (I hope they do in a form that preserves absolute seamless speed), but it does make a difference. And it is noticeable. Especially if you're playing a game, or anything that requires big processes. You notice those 'few seconds.' You really do. Do the screen flick test (scroll quickly up/down the page) between a 3GS and a Nexus One, with or without multiple apps running on the N1, and you will definitely see the screen catch. It feels unpolished (if oh-so-sexy!)

I agree, it is better to wait for a future generation, but would not want to extrapolate that indefinitely. What it is designed to do, it looks like it is very, very good at it. OSX in and of itself is capable of multitasking like no other, but on something of a phone's hardware? Macbooks and iMacs can get away with it because it has multiple GBs of RAM and multi-GHz, multi-core processors (Yes, I know, 3GS has a dual-core, but it only clocks at... 600MHz?). Also, the iPad is not meant to be a full computer replacement. It is not a netbook.

I'm only explaining why they've kept multitask out of their products up to this point. Not why they should/shouldn't. They have a reason.

ipad?.
i am still lost with the ipod i used to understand all these little twizzily things and really i am just lost now my ipod hates me because i do not understand why i cant get youtube to work.
so i will stick to my laptop as soon as i find out why it turns itself off : )

Oh the memories. Apple has been here before.

How many Newton programmers does it take to change a light bulb?
Answer: Foux. There to eat lemons, axe gravy soup.