iPad

There is NO usb port on the ipad

You are right, but there is an accessory that is a USB port on one end and the Apple 30 pin connector on the other end. Its not yet clear why Apple made such an attachment or if it will let app writers access it for syncing or accessing content on external drives.

Amigos,

As an Apple fan / dedicated Mac person (iMac, iPhone and a couple of iPods) I think there will be geat possibilities for this device once things get going as Jeff (Loftus) points out.

I gave up traveling with a laptop years ago and DID input photos from my digital SLR to an ancient 30GB iPod with the camera connector. I shot Fine / Large JPEG and if you did RAW then it was cringingly slow....But it did work!

Only thing was you couldn't immediately look at them (or project them hooked to a TV, projector, etc.) until you synched with your iTunes software on your computer and THEN put them back on as files in folders But it sure was smaller and easier than hauling a laptop, Epson or other storage device, etc.

For the limited presentations I've done the last couple years I create them on iWork's Keynote. Then I can pop a disk into almost any laptop (I save a version as PowerPoint too.) I've also played these from a buddy's <$200 crappy old G4 iBook Not elegant but it works perfectly.....

So now I'm betting I could synch my Keynote presentations to the iPad and also have a nice screen for showing off images like I do from my iPhone. Plus read books and other content in full color (it is coming folks) and email, listen to music or watch a movie, etc. Traveling with a device easier to use than my iPhone keypad but smaller and lighter than a laptop.

I'm sure Steve Jobs has more tricks and ideas than most here can imagine.....

We'll just have to wait and see

YMMV

dhaas

Apple are not going to let this device be just a large iPod I'm sure. They may lock in their own software for transferring images at least initially, but I think the demand ill be great with this device to allow external storage functionality.

Yup, Apple locks thngs down initially and then lets it grow, as seen with the iPhone/Touch. The fact that they had the keyboard connection and the camera/SD card reader available from the get go shows they are thinking more than just an iPhone on PEDs, or so it will seem. The fact that Numbers, Keynote and Pages are already made for the iPad shows they are looking at this more than a iPhone. I also like the fact that you can get a 3G model and not be tied to a contract. It has alot of practical aspects for many things - the size/weight for meetings, appointments, presentations, quick on/off. If it wasn't for the fact that I am OCD and always think there would be some "emergency" where I need an actual computer (which of course never happens unless I do not have my computer ) I would probably carry this on trips to review photos quickly and worry about it all when I get home.

Amigos,

Read this for more thought provocations!

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/tablet.shtml

dhaas

You are right, but there is an accessory that is a USB port on one end and the Apple 30 pin connector on the other end. Its not yet clear why Apple made such an attachment or if it will let app writers access it for syncing or accessing content on external drives.

Huh ? isn't that to sync it to your itunes on your computer as with EVERY single other ipod and iphone and itouch etc ???

Huh ? isn't that to sync it to your itunes on your computer as with EVERY single other ipod and iphone and itouch etc ???

no. not the same. what i mean is USB female. also sd card reader. from apple's website:

iPad Camera Connection Kit

The Camera Connection Kit gives you two ways to import photos and videos from a digital camera. The Camera Connector lets you import your photos and videos to iPad using the camera's USB cable. Or you can use the SD Card Reader to import photos and videos directly from the camera's SD card.

Huh ? isn't that to sync it to your itunes on your computer as with EVERY single other ipod and iphone and itouch etc ???

No, it clearly states on that page that you can attach it to your camera's USB cable - so it is a 30pin to USB convertor. Either way, all the devices plug into the USB port for synching etc as you mention, so they are effectively USB capable devices. It's really just a matter of Apple allowing two way transfer to a USB device. No reason why apple could not allow an external drive to show up on the desktop as it does on their computers and allow copying back and forth between the drive and the iPad, or a CF card, or any other memory device.

Amigos,

 

As an Apple fan / dedicated Mac person (iMac, iPhone and a couple of iPods) I think there will be geat possibilities for this device once things get going as Jeff (Loftus) points out.

 

I gave up traveling with a laptop years ago and DID input photos from my digital SLR to an ancient 30GB iPod with the camera connector. I shot Fine / Large JPEG and if you did RAW then it was cringingly slow....But it did work!

 

Only thing was you couldn't immediately look at them (or project them hooked to a TV, projector, etc.) until you synched with your iTunes software on your computer and THEN put them back on as files in folders But it sure was smaller and easier than hauling a laptop, Epson or other storage device, etc.

 

For the limited presentations I've done the last couple years I create them on iWork's Keynote. Then I can pop a disk into almost any laptop (I save a version as PowerPoint too.) I've also played these from a buddy's <$200 crappy old G4 iBook Not elegant but it works perfectly.....

 

So now I'm betting I could synch my Keynote presentations to the iPad and also have a nice screen for showing off images like I do from my iPhone. Plus read books and other content in full color (it is coming folks) and email, listen to music or watch a movie, etc. Traveling with a device easier to use than my iPhone keypad but smaller and lighter than a laptop.

 

I'm sure Steve Jobs has more tricks and ideas than most here can imagine.....

 

We'll just have to wait and see

 

YMMV

 

dhaas

David, so what is the advantage of this over a 13 inch Macbook? Seems you can do all you want on the ipad on a small laptop? (not really sure..) Can't you read the books etc on the laptop? (Don't know, never tried..)

But for a trip it sure sounds like a 13 inch Macbook or a Mac Air would be preferable to the ipad if you were just going to take one.

About the same size no?

I can't understand why you would not want to travel with a laptop but would want to travel with the ipad where they are about the same size from what i can tell and you would have so many more benefits from the small laptop?

David, so what is the advantage of this over a 13 inch Macbook? Seems you can do all you want on the ipad on a small laptop?

 

I can't understand why you would not want to travel with a laptop but would want to travel with the ipad where they are about the same size from what i can tell and you would have so many more benefits from the small laptop?

Waiting to see what the screen looks like to see how the "books" read myself, but I am not a big fan of reading on my computer or laptop. Just never got into it. So the iPad may be a better "reader", otherwise I am of the same general headset, which is why I look at the MacBook Air and the 13" from time to time. Part of it is weight, the iPad is 1.5-1.6 pounds, while the Air is 3.0 pounds and the 13" MacBook Pro is 4.5 pounds. Both are thin, but the overall form factor of the iPad is smaller. With all the restrictions on weight and carry-on it can be of help. A small laptop does have more benefits, but it depends on what you are doing and the type of trip. If you are out for awhile (I think about some of the trips people mention where it is weeks or sometimes months) and need to get work done (processing photos or video to get to someone, programming, maintaining databases, etc, where you need real "computing") than the laptop makes sense to me. If downloading photos with no real processing, watching movies, reading books, sending email, browsing the web, playing some games and whatnot, the smaller form factor is real appealing....

I would like to see a side by side photo of the ipad and an Air or 13 Macbook. Is it really so significantly smaller that it actually means something? Its not like it would fit in your pocket like an ipod or iphone. If you need to carry something that size, why not carry a laptop?

Really, the 3 pound difference in a piece of carry-on means nothing when i can carry on a 35 pound Phenom with camera PLUS a backpack..

According to the info on the bottom of the page mentioned by Drew, http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/ there IS connectivity to your camera allowing you to use your camera's USB cable. So the potential is clearly there to connect any device, it's just a matter of Apple allowing the functionality to happen so that Apps can take advantage of it. People were sceptical about the iPhone, I think it is early days yet. Apple are not going to let this device be just a large iPod I'm sure. They may lock in their own software for transferring images at least initially, but I think the demand ill be great with this device to allow external storage functionality.

One of the big important changes Apple made with the iPhone v.3 OS software was under the hood: They allowed the OS to communicate with hardware devices over the connector port. If you watched the launch keynote at the time, they demonstrated a blood pressure cuff that connected to software on the phone for logging and transmitting to the doctor, etc. The USB photo transfer device (discussed above) is another example. I've also seen a few universal remote control dongles that are starting to use the new hardware access, as well.

There aren't a huge number of devices that take advantage of this capability yet (I think it takes some time to bring integrated hardware/software solutions to market) but they're starting to trickle out, and I think the enhanced platform offered by the iPad will accelerate the pace.

Really, the 3 pound difference in a piece of carry-on means nothing when i can carry on a 35 pound Phenom with camera PLUS a backpack..

It is always the slippery slope on that one Mike. I carry photo and video rigs. Then add one lens that I may or may not use, do I need an external drive or two, cables, etc. Granted it is really overall minimal, and I do carry my 15" Laptop right now because when I get done carrying all the things and land where I am going I do like having the laptop (and consider the 17" for long trips), but if there is a place to drop weight along the way, it is always something to look at. You see people discussing the weight of backpacks alone recently in some threads, and even kick around the idea of getting Rebels to drop weight on the camera bodies now and again.

And besides, not all of us are as big and tough as you are

David, so what is the advantage of this over a 13 inch Macbook? Seems you can do all you want on the ipad on a small laptop? (not really sure..) Can't you read the books etc on the laptop? (Don't know, never tried..)

 

But for a trip it sure sounds like a 13 inch Macbook or a Mac Air would be preferable to the ipad if you were just going to take one.

About the same size no?

 

I can't understand why you would not want to travel with a laptop but would want to travel with the ipad where they are about the same size from what i can tell and you would have so many more benefits from the small laptop?

There are times when a full size (and weight) MacBook is just more than you want to bring along. And there are times when you absolutely want to bring the full laptop.

Do you NEED the full laptop for casual surfing in the living room, while watching TV? Do you NEED the full laptop on a short weekend trip to visit friends and relatives?

Personally, I would probably want the full laptop on a dive vacation, but there are definitely those who don't. There are times when I absolutely want my full laptop with me, but there are also times I really don't need everything, but it would still be nicer to surf (and show photos) on something bigger than my iPhone screen.

And then there's the price. A MacBook starts at $1k. These start at $500. A MacBook Air starts a LOT higher ($1500), and it's easy to get that higher. You could buy several, or at least two, of the iPads for the price of one MacBook Air. (And let's not even bother getting into the price and weight added when you step up to the 15" macbook pro levels) And you still wouldn't have the touch display. And you still wouldn't have the 3G connection available, either. (Which is a big deal we haven't really gone over much in this thread.)

I would like to see a side by side photo of the ipad and an Air or 13 Macbook. Is it really so significantly smaller that it actually means something? Its not like it would fit in your pocket like an ipod or iphone. If you need to carry something that size, why not carry a laptop?

 

Really, the 3 pound difference in a piece of carry-on means nothing when i can carry on a 35 pound Phenom with camera PLUS a backpack..

They don't have photo side-by-side comparisons to show scale, that I see, but:

Height: 9.56 inches (242.8 mm)

Width: 7.47 inches (189.7 mm)

Weight: 1.5 pounds (0.68 kg) Wi-Fi model;

1.6 pounds (0.73 kg) Wi-Fi + 3G model

Width: 12.8 inches (32.5 cm)

Depth: 8.94 inches (22.7 cm)

Weight: 3.0 pounds (1.36 kg)

Perhaps once the things are actually shipping people will take some photos of them stacked so we can see better.

Of course, you can buy two iPads (or 3, depending on configuration) for the cost of one MacBook Air.

And personally, I can't stand the limitations of the MacBook Air (from a connectivity standpoint, among other reasons). If I want a laptop computer, the 13" MacBook Pro is as small as I can see going, because that's the size you still have reasonable connectivity options, IMO. Unless funds were unlimited and I could have one of everything, of course. It's a lot easier to justify adding an iPad to my existing collection (iPhone and several laptops) than the MacBook Air.

And again, can you get 3G internet connections with the MBA? Also, what about battery life? What's the battery life on the MBA, 5 hours, best case, vs. 10 hours of VIDEO playback on the iPad?

And you still wouldn't have the 3G connection available, either. (Which is a big deal we haven't really gone over much in this thread.)

+1. As mentioned 3G and no tie in to a contract is appealing. I have not gotten around to getting an iPhone and my phone is really just to make calls. Have an inexpensive plan that is fine. But there are many times where I have a laptop (meetings whatnot) where all I would need is the functionality of the iPad but cannot get WiFi Access...that is tempting me the most out of this. Of course maybe they can throw the 3G into the laptops. Would be great

I think if companies like Adobe or Apple create some 'lite' integrated versions of their Lightroom and Aperture software to allow some limited editing like crops, color balance, contrast control etc, and if I could hook up a USB backup device, I would have no reason to ever take my laptop a trip. I do all my serios editing at home on my desktop with a large monitor anyway.

Some more information about VoIP

LA Times Article

Skype is pending.

Like this part myself, imagine holding the iPad to your ear like a phone

Apple announced Wednesday that iPad owners will be able to purchase monthly 3G plans for the device, which is quite a bit larger than a normal cellular phone, but could easily be used to make and receive calls.

 

Now that Apple and AT&T have green-lighted 3G data calls, iPad owners will not necessarily need an additional voice plan (not that the option for one was announced, but plenty of people were wondering).

I think if companies like Adobe or Apple create some 'lite' integrated versions of their Lightroom and Aperture software to allow some limited editing like crops, color balance, contrast control etc, and if I could hook up a USB backup device, I would have no reason to ever take my laptop a trip. I do all my serios editing at home on my desktop with a large monitor anyway.

I don't think Adobe is going to be working that hard to do anything for Apple right now .. they seem pissed about the Flash stuff.

Also . I know we have seen a add on device to plug in your camera or sd card .. I still have not read anywhere that this will allow any sort of file sync or viewing from a external drive.

I don't think Adobe is going to be working that hard to do anything for Apple right now .. they seem pissed about the Flash stuff.

They'll get over it. They got pretty pissed when Apple released Final Cut and stopped making Premiere for the Mac, but it is back. AFAIK they are/were working on getting it onto the devices, or they were the last time I looked. Haven't checked it out in awhile and some people have installed it. Maybe related to security issues? YouTube plays....

Also . I know we have seen a add on device to plug in your camera or sd card .. I still have not read anywhere that this will allow any sort of file sync or viewing from a external drive.

Probably a matter of time before it happens if Apple allows it. Transfer is there to some degree (from Card or Camera to iPad and synch iWork etc via computer), so it is really when it happens I would guess...

This article is interesting Wireless File Sharing

Someone will probaby figure out some sort of hack when these are finally released.....

Here are some interesting things I read re. adobe / apple ipad etc.

It looks like Apple is continuing to impose restrictions on their devices that limit both content publishers and consumers. Unlike many other ebook readers using the ePub file format, consumers will not be able to access ePub content with Apple’s DRM technology on devices made by other manufacturers. And without Flash support, iPad users will not be able to access the full range of web content, including over 70% of games and 75% of video on the web.

from: http://blogs.adobe.com/flashplatform/2010/...roken_link.html

from: http://theflashblog.com/

I find that to be a really good point against the ipad being the better web browsing option. I also believe the glare of the screen will be bad for reading books on.

Don't get me wrong I can't wait to see one but this rendition of the ipad is so not interesting to me yet. But If they make a device that can truly take over from a netbook then I will be interested for sure. It's going to be a fun year watching the next generation of ultra portable devices coming out.