With some fanfare the iPad was announced today. And if I am reading it right, it’s like an iPhone but big and fat.
I don’t get it.
It’s an iPhone without the phone. It does not multitask. So while you are using it as a ebook reader, you can’t keep any instant messenger sessions in the background. You can probably play music, but no streaming music via the wifi. You can probably still cut and paste, but no switching ssh sessions ’cause that will make the ssh app to exit.
What’s the appeal again? Seriously, who will step up with a really useful little tablet? I’m hoping ASUS or MSI will deliver something that I actually want. I already have an iPhone.
It’s probably about as useful as an iPod touch out of the box, but if someone decides they’re worth jailbreaking, it could be amazingly functional.
All the drawbacks you mention are the same drawbacks of the iPhone. All fixed by jailbreaking. I stream internet radio in the background while talking on the phone and swtching back and forth between apps, and I’m extremely satisfied.
Still, probably won’t be getting one any time soon. The difference between my first gen iPhone and my new 32G 3Gs is pretty substantial, and it doesn’t sound like the iPad offers much more functionality than my iPhone, in a less convenient package.
That’s also what I don’t get. There almost certainly will be people jail breaking the iPad. But why is that necessary? Apple had a chance to make the iPad more like a Mac and let people run what they want.
Instead they made an iPhone with a bigger display. Bizarre.
I was totally disappointed by the iPad announcement. It basically is a large sized iTouch. If they allowed more things to run on it, I may consider getting it. Otherwise, I’ll get the cheaper iTouch.
Heck, Apple better wake up. Amazon opened their Kindle to outside developers, maybe even a web browser.