Hahahah, what? The people who don't know or care what multitasking is are the exact demographic the iPad seems to be appealing to the most. Anyone who does care about these things can just buy a Joojoo and live happily ever after in 16x9 bliss.
Would you say that the "demographic the iPad seems to be appealing to the most" ought to influence the way that computer-literate consumers evaluate total functionality? After all, this thread is effectively asking whether to wait for a future iPad rev, not whether to skip Apple altogether. And just because your parents may not understand the concepts of ram or multitasking doesn't mean that they wouldn't indirectly benefit from having more of both - now or in the near future. There is genuine functional value in ram, consciously realized or not, provided that it is managed correctly. So far my biggest complaint with the 2nd gen itouch has been its poor memory management, which makes me cynical towards highly aspiring, low-ram devices running that OS.
13 glaring iPad shortcomings MSNBC ran an article on the shortcomings of the iPad which I think are fair. While some may disagree, I do find that the inability to multitask is a significant ding on the iPad. If the iPad is ever to be considered a computing device, multitasking or the ability to have several apps open needs to be included. It's really inexcusable not to have it whether you're a techie or average non-tech consumer. The other shortcomings are all valid points as well, and if you can live with them, then buy an iPad. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36179255/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/
The thing with multitasking is that the way a whole lot of people use their computers is very similar to the faux multitasking included in the iPhone OS. When I'm using my laptop and don't have the massive screen space of my iMac, I'm almost always using things full screen. In fact, I'm typing this right now on a nearly maximized Safari window in its own Spaces virtual desktop. If I fruit+tab over to Mail.app, that's also full screen in its own virtual desktop. On the iPad, I use Safari, and then I need to load up my Mail, I tap the home button, tap the Mail icon, and do whatever I need to do. I then tap the home button again, tap Safai again, and I'm right back to where I was. Any well designed app that saves its state on exit works the same way. I'm not saying true multitasking wouldn't be useful, because it would be cool to be able to listen to Pandora while I'm doing all this. My point is, for most people, state saving and quick switching between apps is just as good as multitasking because to the user the experience is very similar to just swapping back and forth between programs like they'd do on their computer.
Let us not forget that the rumors about the 4th Gen iPhone (iPhone HD), that it will have the capability of third party multitasking and possibly utilize the iPad's chip set. So yes to the OP, I say at least wait until June or July when apple introduces the next iPhone. Because if it does have the new processor and the ability for third party multitasking then come next April the new 2nd Gen iPad will put the 1st to shame!
I'd say it's pretty portable. I mean definitely not as portable as an iPod but I did see a guy with one on the metro today.
It looks cool, but nothing about it pops out, and information about it and its capabilities are sparse.
someone else's opinion http://www.boingboing.net/2010/04/02/why-i-wont-buy-an-ipad-and-think-you-shouldnt-either.html
I don't know Soup...there's a lot of big words in this article. I hope the TA crowd isn't bored to sleep.
The following excerpt from that article gave me a chuckle: QUOTED from boingboing: "But with the iPad, it seems like Apple's model customer is that same stupid stereotype of a technophobic, timid, scatterbrained mother as appears in a billion renditions of "that's too complicated for my mom" (listen to the pundits extol the virtues of the iPad and time how long it takes for them to explain that here, finally, is something that isn't too complicated for their poor old mothers). END QUOTE
Hahaha... thats some rage right there. I sometimes agree with that He has a very valid point in many cases. However, many will be turned off by the name calling.
i like apples, some people like oranges. thing is, the ipad is trying to make a new demographic. people who have always used windows desktops can't see the reason to own one. well, it's not for you! if you can't convince yourself that you'd use and enjoy one, then you're probably right, and nothing anyone else can say should budge you. i want one because i can see myself practically using one (as soon as sketchpad hd gets released.) thing is, every time apple brings out something new, people slate it from every possible angle, and it still sells like hotcakes making people the world over happy.
I admire Cory Doctorow in many ways, but in that article he came across as an ignorant freetard. Seriously, iApps?
Ya calling people names is never a good strat for getting your point across. It turns people off and they will only see you as ignorant. Ipad is not for me but its not trash.
I don't admire him at all (very heavy-handed writer with little imagination; would have never heard of him if not for the iPad article; excerpts from his fiction reek of unbridled mediocrity; according to his "bio," he named one of his children "Poesy Emmeline Fibonacci Nautilus Taylor Doctorow" - she'll have to live with that her whole life), but his article had several valid points. Apple does seem to pander to whatever demographic takes to their products, instead of providing enough value in the base models of their product line to allow the user demographic become shaped by all the possibilities. In defense of an earlier comment I made in this thread regarding the iPad's low amount of ram (to which Hodapp replied that ram is a spec with no relevance to user satisfaction, since everything on the app store works), it's worth mentioning one very recent example of free ram affecting app performance. When acknowledging a crashing bug in the app store product description, the developer of a fairly primitive-looking game called "Solomon's Keep" named insufficient free ram as a culprit, stating that his app was "very memory intensive." If a game as technologically simple as that is having free ram issues, then imagine all the iPad rebooting (or memory management app usage) that will accompany every attempt to use the iPad into a console-like gaming rig. To the extent that available RAM matters, the iPad stinks.
Here's an interesting article that just popped up about iPad problems in particular with the wifi. http://techcrunch.com/2010/04/05/trouble-in-paradise-ipad-users-complain-of-wifi-issues/ Not sure if this is user error, but if the iPad uses wifi components like the iPod Touch, then the wifi range is likely limited. If this is a problem with the iPad, a software update won't be able to fix it as it is a hardware issue. Personally, I noticed that the iPad wifi cuts out just like my iPod Touch when I walk to the other side of my house while other wifi products work fine.
Here's another article regarding the wifi problem: to me, it seems the workarounds are simply ridiculous. You shouldn't have to completely redo your router settings to get one product to work as it's supposed to. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2362319,00.asp
