Apple iPad and related items

[beesonthewhatnow]

"DJ Comfy"

 

[editor]

Check out this absolutely stunning weather app - probably the most purdy weather app ever:

http://www.wirefresh.com/weather-hd-for-the-ipad-lush-gorgeous-stunning-but-a-bit-pointless/

Elsewhere, another developer fell foul of Apple's increasingly daft rules and had his simple clock app refused:

http://www.macworld.co.uk/mac/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=3221374

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

I imagine someone like Tiesto has got 10 on order

Or maybe not.

It seems there's a limit to the number of iPads you're allowed to buy

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/04/25/ipad_lifetime_limit/

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Check out this absolutely stunning weather app - probably the most purdy weather app ever:

http://www.wirefresh.com/weather-hd-for-the-ipad-lush-gorgeous-stunning-but-a-bit-pointless/

Elsewhere, another developer fell foul of Apple's increasingly daft rules and had his simple clock app refused:

http://www.macworld.co.uk/mac/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=3221374

Sure is nice but not sure it's worth bothering with, I've never managed to use anything other than the standard weather app on my iPhone. In terms of weather it really does the job for me...

 

[editor]

Oh dear. More DRM nonsense!

Apple iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter not accomplishing the simplest of tasks

Look, there's no arguing that Apple charges a boatload for its first-party adapters, and this isn't the first time that one of those overpriced dongles has caused an uproar (Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter, anyone?). But when the company trots out an iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter and promises to enable users to "see their videos and slideshows on the big screen," it should probably make a few clarifications.

Instead, more than a handful of consumers are revolting over on Apple's own webstore, noting that any video laced in any type of DRM (iTunes flicks and Netflix streams included) won't output at all. Contrary to popular belief, this adapter doesn't actually mirror the iPad's display, which is fairly absurd in our eyes -- teachers are even stating that Apple's own Pages and Keynote apps won't output via the dongle, making this effectively worthless for blowing up presentations for all to see. We (sort of) get the DRM thing, but not including support in your own presentation app? Unacceptable.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/26/apple-ipad-dock-connector-to-vga-adapter-not-accomplishing-the-s/

There's problems with the SD card reader, with some high capacity cards not working. And you can forget all about lobbing in portable HD drives into that USB slot, apparently.

 

[cybertect]

Engadget got it completely wrong about Keynote.

That will output the presentation to a second display.

What it doesn't do with Keynote is mirror what's on the external display to the internal one, but present a control console and a filmstrip of the slides in the presentation on the internal display.

http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/09/real-life-ipad-presenting-with-an-ipad-keynote-and-vga-connec/

 

[editor]

Engadget got it completely wrong about Keynote.

That will output the presentation to a second display.

What it doesn't do with Keynote is mirror what's on the external display to the internal one, but present a control console and a filmstrip of the slides in the presentation on the internal display.

http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/09/real-life-ipad-presenting-with-an-ipad-keynote-and-vga-connec/

You can't use the iPad to project Safari on the screen either which would rule it out for me (I've given lectures with laptops/netbooks in the past and absolutely need a browser).

 

[ooo]

I find typing on the onscreen keyboard a little difficult, too much travelling distance for my fingers between letters.
It's huge, it's full size, but I'm holding the ipad in one hand and typing with the other, and it isn't the most practical.

 

[stupid dogbot]

And ANOTHER thing... iPad may not be conducive to getting a good night's sleep....

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/04/27/ipad_insomnia/

Well, there's a shock!

 

[grit]

I find typing on the onscreen keyboard a little difficult, too much travelling distance for my fingers between letters.
It's huge, it's full size, but I'm holding the ipad in one hand and typing with the other, and it isn't the most practical.

When the device was first announced, this was the thing that always bugged me. I still cant see a physical stance that would be comfortable using it long term.

 

[pboi]

Balls. There are hundreds or thousands of games, and quite a lot of web widgets that could probably be adjusted for mobile devies without much effort (if the mobile flash plugin actually performs well) but hundreds of thousands of apps is just not true.

dude I didnt post that did I?

 

[elbows]

dude I didnt post that did I?

Post 1960, you posted an article that said that.

 

[pboi]

ah right, phew. Thought I was losing my mind then! thanks

 

[hendo]

Here are Steve Jobs's thoughts about Flash

(This is where we discuss this isn't it?)

 

[gabi]

Here are Steve Jobs's thoughts about Flash

(This is where we discuss this isn't it?)

Bit of chat about that on the iphone thread..

This site really needs an Apple sub-forum. Ed?

 

[Crispy]

The mods have discussed it before and came to the conclusion that there isn't enough traffic to warrant sub-forums for different platforms

 

[editor]

Apart from an Amiga one, of course.

 

[gabi]

The mods have discussed it before and came to the conclusion that there isn't enough traffic to warrant sub-forums for different platforms

How long ago was this discussed? Apple threads are waaaaay heavy.

At a guess I think the tech posts probably make up a higher proportion of total posts than in times past. It would make more sense to divide this forum up than say, the sports one..

 

[tarannau]

Gawd that's be flamebait territory for a forum. No need really - threads hang around here happily enough.

 

[gabi]

Yeh, well the only problem is that it's very easy to miss things on the Apple threads as they move fast across a fairly wide range of sub-topics.. Which is usually when you'd make it a forum...

Anyway. I won't dig further

 

[tarannau]

Things move fast on Apple threads because there's usually an endless series of distractions and gripes at Apple with marginal relevance to the ongoing thread, with all the lively debate that ensues as a result. Generally enjoyable really.

Expanding it to its own forum wouldn't help imo, more likely the opposite. Apple tends to attract plenty of comment all across the web. And can you imagine the Windows and especially the Linux forum in the main? No thanks.

 

[editor]

How long ago was this discussed? Apple threads are waaaaay heavy.

At a guess I think the tech posts probably make up a higher proportion of total posts than in times past. It would make more sense to divide this forum up than say, the sports one..

If we had an separate Apple forum, then we'd have to have a separate Microsoft one. And then an Android one. And maybe ones for Linux, Nokia, HTC, netbooks, laptops, Sony, Dell etc etc.

It's not a practical idea and besides, there's not that many active Apple threads going on.

 

[gabi]

Why not an Apple forum and a 'general gadgets' one?

I realise there's not many Apple threads but the point is they're so bloated they should really be divided up.

 

[paolo]

Apple has announced that they've passed the million units mark. I didn't expect it to do so well out of the gate. About half the time that it took the iPhone to do the same number.

 

[GarfieldLeChat]

I had a play with one of these last week the place i'm contracting in atm has had a load shipped in which arrvied a bit late due to the volcano.

First impressions it's very usable and tactile and a lot lighter than you'd expect for it's size, second thought I have literally no idea what I'd use it for or when. No good for web dev no good for presentations quite good as an electronic clip board to wander round making notes but as it's crippled once again by the Jobsian lunacy of we don't support some stuff cos I'm mental (tm - apple) then again I'm at a loss as to understand where exactly this product will fit in...

We've already gone back to using mac book pros when demoing stuff to clients and the ipads aren't being used at all.

So a lovely idea crippled by a moronic stance on what it will and won't support natively that the bigger machines will...

Oi jobs sort it out. I really want to like this product in the wild but it's like a shit fat ipod touch with no possible use other than as a paper weight...

 

[elbows]

If your company arent using them then Id happily take one off your hands Wonder what the UK retail price will be, gotta wait about a week to find out.

 

[GarfieldLeChat]

If your company arent using them then Id happily take one off your hands Wonder what the UK retail price will be, gotta wait about a week to find out.

I'm guesing close to the £350 mark... tho tbh the pie fone was £600 when it came out but I'm thinking this will have to compete with the netbook market (although it won't in functionality alone).

It's a very very tactile thing though but the screen doesn't half get smudgy quickly and again the size of the on board storage basically cripples it, along with not supporting flash (even despite adobes changes to running code from CS5 which apple have now kiboshed (thanks Jobs) meaning that the iphone app build in cs5 is now against the TOS of usage for OS4 cos it's not native compiled code and it access the ARM directly...
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/04/09/apple_iphone_4_sdk_change/

Which pretty much ends the apple flash war there and then apples recent announcement has in effect said we're no longer supporting adobe in any capacity, I'll await to see if they make the same lunacy take over the updates for snow leopard soon to drop but i suspect that this is coming...

particlarlly after his bullshit lettle about flash recently which basically says it'll affect how much money apple can make fuck you

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/04/30/jobs_flash_letter_deconstructed/

but as with all of this then the other side of it is that the us law courts are looking into it under the auspices of anti trust and so it might just be that the jobsian nightmareish future is kicked to touch.... but some how I doubt it...

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/05/03/doj_and_ftc_exploring_apple_antitrust_inquiry/

worst case senario they'll allow it on os3 and then 'break' it on os4 update at some point apologising but saying they really can't fix it...

more likely though the result of the anti-trust were it to go ahead would fall in apples favour with them making some basically sound but of course easily circumvented claims that allowing access to the ARM processor directly could detestablise the hardware/make it vulnerable and so on or in traditional apple fashion they'd simple withdraw support and cease selling them, releasing a new product with similar feature sets but 'different' arch a few months later.

so I very much doubt there's any good reason to have one other than out and out fashionista kudos for the foreseeable, not that of course it'll stop mac heads and technophiles buying them in the truckload like crack sweets when they finally do drop.

The only thing which might slow this down is the current two issues with the units, 1 it doesn't conform to uk/euro wifi regs it's signal is too strong on output which means it's already been banned in Israel for fear of it interfering with their military hardware (unlikely tbh and you could always have the thing attenuated or put a condenser in their which lowered the output) the other is that they physically cannot make enough units and like the Wii a few years ago apple might have just hit pay dirt on this (indeed it might even be a clever marketing/sales ploy) the scarcity of the item will inevitably put up the price of the units as retailers make hay while the sunshines meaning that being an early adopter of the ipad will almost certainly leave you with a system which is limited in hdd size and capabilities with in the os until things like app support are sorted (and the other jobsian lunacy)

 

[elbows]

To be honest Im fine with all the limitations because all I want it for at this stage is to surf the web in bed and do some experimental development of multitouch HTML5-based apps.

 

[editor]

....second thought I have literally no idea what I'd use it for or when. No good for web dev no good for presentations quite good as an electronic clip board to wander round making notes but as it's crippled once again by the Jobsian lunacy of we don't support some stuff cos I'm mental (tm - apple) then again I'm at a loss as to understand where exactly this product will fit in...

That's where I'm at with the iPad too.

I've just got back from a week away with my netbook and I'd forgotten how ruddy useful they were. I was storing images off my camera on them (via the SD card slot), browsing the web, sending emails, streaming web music, writing work stuff, uploading FTP files, downloading files and editing images, all with a ton of things merrily multi tasking away - and with a 7hour battery life.

The only real criticism is the size of the keyboard (it's an Eee901), but my friend's Samsung netbook had a near full-size one that was a joy to type on. If I was to upgrade, that's what I get instead of an iPad.

Mind you, if I wanted an expensive gadget for around the house, the iPad would be great.

 

[Zabo]

iPad

When you've spent all your money on the useless ipad you may want to make your own interactive stylus. Here's how:

http://www.ipodtouchfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=284534