Apple Ipad getting officially released here in 4 hrs...

[oxygenial]

Hi,

just wanted to mention that the Apple Ipad getting officially released here in Sweden in about 4 hrs...

...FOR A WHOPPING $711USD for the entrylevel 16GB WiFi only version!

What is up with that? Pricing is seriously ridiculous, more than twice the price than in the US!

[garyb]

buy it anyway. you need three of them.

[kensuguro]

wow.. I got mine from my company for research.

Not that big deal, all I do is watch Netflix on it. Actually, even more particularly, saturday night live on Netflix. I find it useless for anything else.

DEFINITELY not worth $700. It's a status toy for affluent geeks I think.

[siriusbliss]

Using one for some offline development, and for jamming around with some pretty cool music apps.
At work it's also used for streaming Pandora, reading emails, etc.

Latest iOS has more MIDI and multi-tasking functionality built in, and it's all working OK.

Does seem a bit high priced, but then the value of the dollar is not as it used to be...

Greg

[astroman]

similiar situation here - not a toy at all...
got several thousand pages of documentation and remote access to the company server in a convenient package.
Recently aquired an offline mapping app with data in 1:25000 scale.
In traditional print an area covered by 270 maps costs 5 Euro per map - 70 Euro on the iPad for the whole area.
You can download sections on demand in a much finer grid than the paper version.
No need for an MPC like controller anymore, the iPad does it very good.
There's a lot of cool music stuff, the format is great for watching video while travelling, iPod included etc.
For me it's a bargain

cheers, Tom

[oxygenial]

I'd get one if it was more like $350-400 USD, specially now that the dollar is really cheap, but $700USD, c'mon... Sure we have high taxes, but not THAT high!
The Macbooks and Imacs are pretty much the same here as in the US, as well as Ipods.

[astroman]

VAT and custom fees add about 25% in Germany.
Btw before you can use the iPad in any way at all you have to connect it to iTunes on an internet PC...
I wouldn't hold my breath that an imported device will start up in a 'foreign' region

cheers, Tom

[Cochise]

Looks like it costs something little less here
...if I've made my sums right.

Sorry, not that I like to always talk like the "poor guy" of the company but... actually I'm not into the particulars of the thing, so... which are the advantages in comparison with an Atom N450 netbook (which costs almost 1/3 of the amount) ?

[astroman]

as the name implies: it's an iPad - not a kind of notebook...
there may be a couple of funtions covered by both types of devices (checking email for example), but typically in a different way of user interaction.
I hardly find them comparable at all.
A netbook is just a tiny notebook, an inconvenience of an already inconvenient item - we know it's scheme of operation since years.

The iPad tries a different approach to 'mobile' computing (or whatever you want to call that...)
Not quite there in every domain yet, but highly promising. In fact it IS just a BEGINNING.
But there's more to come than you will ever see under any version of Windoze - that for sure (imo)

The most stunning experience for me was that you actually CAN type on the touchscreen.
I swear I haven't used the Bluetooth keyboard but one time for setup and try it out.
With a small amount of acoustic feedback one can type really(!) fast.
Compared to a netbook the keyboard is undestructable... and customizable in any way.

You hardly get a glimpse of what's usually called an operating system.
Big advantage in usability, but then there isn't much you can do about it if anything goes wrong.
Officially your options are reset and (if it didn't help) restore. No fiddling around.

This kind of 'limited access' is probably what people critizise most...
well people, who tend to see it as 'their' potential next PC, but then... the iPad isn't a PC and never was meant to be

There are for sure (much) more potential users that don't give a damn on any OS aspect, than nerds ready to switch.
I for one don't miss anything from my Windoze box.
No heavy problems on the iPad yet.... but I can crash it easily (and reliably) with Reactable when I load huge samples...

no biggie, reboot in under 2 seconds

Some charting applications make heavy use of the touch interface (drag, rotate, pinch, zoom etc)
Imagine working on a Powerpoint presentation on train...
did you ever try on a notebook ?

On a virtual Korg MS20 I can plug in the patch cables by fingertips
The user interface part of the iPad is really impressive, in particular it's precision and responsiveness.
Ok, and you have an iPod included and a great video player.
I don't think there a netbooks with an equally good display (but I din't search deeply).

cheers, Tom

[siriusbliss]

Looks like it costs something little less here
...if I've made my sums right.

Sorry, not that I like to always talk like the "poor guy" of the company but... actually I'm not into the particulars of the thing, so... which are the advantages in comparison with an Atom N450 netbook (which costs almost 1/3 of the amount) ?

Immediate boot-up, applications are very lightweight, and now it multitasks, and plugs into just about anything as an adjunct device.
More and more ipad versions of Korg synths, etc. for less than $20. Touch screen is sexy with fast response.

I like it a lot more than my Dell netbook.

The only thing I can't get into is typing on the flatscreen (like I am now). Much prefer a regular keyboard for typing.

Greg

[Cochise]

Actractive.
But... is it comfortable enough having the screen in orizontal position?

What about power consumption? ...I can't go longer than three hours (even less) of medium/heavy work with a 23 Wh battery using my netbook...

[siriusbliss]

Actractive.
But... is it comfortable enough having the screen in orizontal position?

What about power consumption? ...I can't go longer than three hours (even less) of medium/heavy work with a 23 Wh battery using my netbook...

When 'asleep', I've forgotten that I had Ieft it on sitting in a pocket in my backpack - for almost a week.
Under full heavy usage, such as running apps, or streaming, or surfing, or doing emails, I've had it going for around 5 hours.
It also may be my imagination, but the latest iOS4.2 seems to have improved battery usage.

I have my iPad in a case that I bought for $5 that's like a book cover, which enables me to prop it up on my lap, or on top of my guitar rig.

Greg

[Cochise]

I have my iPad in a case that I bought for $5 that's like a book cover, which enables me to prop it up on my lap, or on top of my guitar rig.

Greg

...it's in my wishlist now.

...I can't go longer than three hours (even less) of medium/heavy work with a 23 Wh battery using my netbook...

Just had a long session on Skype: cam, audio, wlan and video working both togheter; actually the (3 cell) battery has been down in less than 2 hours.

[siriusbliss]

No Skype on iPad - yet

Again - iPad is NOT (really) a computer.

Nevertheless you can probably find the older 16Gb wireless-only versions for pretty cheap now.
These units still run all the apps, and even do things like replace your TV remote (like Comcast), and run Netflix, etc.

My old Dell netbook has been relegated to being a librarian interface for my guitar and effects boxes, and for running the occasional MIDI-OX debugging session.

Greg

[valis]

I would dig something like SpectraFoo on an iPad with support for both the built in mic and some of the newer interfaces that can take instrument/line level. I would probably just hang it off an extra set of outputs on my mixing board in parallel with the studio/master bus but I can imagine if I had a portable analyzer when I was learning guitar or synthesis in general, or just to walk around and 'analyze' various things in the environment with something in my hand....

Also there are some 7 & 8" 'HD" lcd's that are intended to provide follow focus for portable/run & gun shooting by allowing not only wireless control over focus but also wireless video for HD camcorders & even RED/DSLR use. There were musings on various forums about what it would take to get the iPad or an android tablet to perform a similar function. Though it would probably with a bit more latency and obviously lower resolution it would still be enough to say hand the producers or director something to view at the same time, especially if it worked in conjuction with the follow focus system (or somehow scaled up with the tech in the future to replace it.)

[astroman]

looks like the iPad lacks the line in connector that's present on at least some iPhones (up to 3GS).
I've once bought a connector extension cable to build a line-in myself ... only to find out the respective traces were cut off from the plug
Studio Six announced a USB connector some time ago.
Possibly Faberacoustical will release an iPad version of their App once that's an interface is available.

cheers, Tom

[valis]

For Audio input here's what I've seen:

Using the iPad Camera Connection Kit as a usb port for usb audio

Technical info on using the USB iPad Camera Kit for audio input

Frequency response of the internal mic & external voice mic input (ie, field recording/checking audio from a source in realtime in my RTA example above, etc)

& of course for MIDI you have the Line6 Midi Mobilizer for the iPad/iPhone.