-
Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
-
Congrats to the winners of the 2023 Smog Awards!
Apple Launches The Highly Anticipated iPad.
- Thread starter symphonyx64
- Start date
"lossless"? What codec is that?
Apple's "lossless" codec isn't actually lossless, so if you're comparing Apple Lossless to Sony with AIFFs you're not really getting a good comparison.
If you're an audiophile, you shouldn't be bothered by having to change "basic settings" to have music ripped at comfortable levels.
I know its not completly loseless but better then the standard format.
What i mean is what i presume would be the general settings for a good majority of people or the mainstream(mp3 format,standard headphones etc) is relatively poor for such a popular machine. With pretty much the same settings there are better alternatives that don't sell anywhere near as good.
What i mean is what i presume would be the general settings for a good majority of people or the mainstream(mp3 format,standard headphones etc) is relatively poor for such a popular machine. With pretty much the same settings there are better alternatives that don't sell anywhere near as good.
I have an iPhone. Therefore I really don't see the need to own the iPad until it sets itself apart from it's smaller counterpart in a BIG way. On top of that, there's a lot of things I would do with $500 before I run out and grab an iPad. Shit, this phone is my first iPod, I'm not one to run out and grab something just because it's the new cool shit.
I think the reason none of you like the ipad at all is because it is really not aimed at the 13-25 male demographic at all, which is statistically probably one of the groups most likely to already own an iphone or laptop.
The ipad is aimed at people like my mom, who only really use computers for browsing the internet, watching videos, and who have or want a kindle. By presenting something like a kindle, but more stylish and with more features, they can snag new customers and make them loyal to Apple. For somebody who only uses their computer for internet and media, an ipad actually becomes a bargain.
Apple is smart - they don't want to cannibalize their laptop or iphone market by releasing a competitor for their own product. The ipad is meant to get that in between market that distinctly is not interested in owning a laptop. The ipad has all of the features that somebody like that is interested in, enough so to justify its higher price than the kindle.
Or at least that's how I understand it :p
The ipad is aimed at people like my mom, who only really use computers for browsing the internet, watching videos, and who have or want a kindle. By presenting something like a kindle, but more stylish and with more features, they can snag new customers and make them loyal to Apple. For somebody who only uses their computer for internet and media, an ipad actually becomes a bargain.
Apple is smart - they don't want to cannibalize their laptop or iphone market by releasing a competitor for their own product. The ipad is meant to get that in between market that distinctly is not interested in owning a laptop. The ipad has all of the features that somebody like that is interested in, enough so to justify its higher price than the kindle.
Or at least that's how I understand it :p
It was either that or the N95 when I got it in August 08. $250 for iPhone 3G vs $400 or $500 for N95. Couldn't justify the price difference. I didn't know that it would become a sluggish pile of crap that is a chore to use. I believe the 3GS is better but I'm just looking at the Windows 7 phones coming out this fall.
Um, no it didn't, Apple invented that. iCarly is a pretty specific reference to Apple's creation of that fad.
I'm really quite aware of this, but I have to wonder how well it works out that way. Because the netbook market was created for exactly the same purpose, and has substantial inroads into that group already.Danyul said:
It's essentially a Kindle for those who care about appearances and brand, that is, they care that people know they have Apple products. That's all.
Every other piece of functionality it has is essentially irrelevant; it's a terrible replacement for a laptop because you can't actually sit and use it with the screen at a good angle, since the keyboard is internal (try opening out a laptop so it's complete flat, and try using it to type and such; it's just not doable).
It's worse than every other product doing everything else it could do with the one exception of Kindle, and even then it will come down to what publishers Apple can get onside.
"If you already have an iPhone, the iPad should be very familiar with you. Same touch-screen technology, same interface, and like the iPhone, you can't make calls with it!"
-Stephen Colbert
-Stephen Colbert
Pretty useless. As for as gaming, using old apps for iphones/pod touch will result in low resolution scaled crap, you'll have to wait a good 3 months for there to be enough games for it to even get considered for having a game library (Pitiful at best, critics and people alike completely trash ipod games.) I suppose the utilities are ok, but are only at best useful for when it's 11 0' clock, you don't have a laptop, and your ipad is sitting next to you.
That's going to be the peak of its usefulness.
I suppose ebooks are nice, but honestly who reads anymore? Book nerds, face it, books are not considerably popular in these days.
As for the internet browsing, it's as bad as the game library.
It can't run flash, 80% of the internet uses flash. Honestly it's annoying.
The characteristic for this thing? Jack of all trades, not even close to master of one.
That's going to be the peak of its usefulness.
I suppose ebooks are nice, but honestly who reads anymore? Book nerds, face it, books are not considerably popular in these days.
As for the internet browsing, it's as bad as the game library.
It can't run flash, 80% of the internet uses flash. Honestly it's annoying.
The characteristic for this thing? Jack of all trades, not even close to master of one.
Are you kidding? Kindle is Amazon's fastest selling product ever. Hell, if this thing catches on with textbooks, every student in the world is going to go and buy one.
As for books themselves, they are still extremely popular. Just because you and your friends at school don't read anymore doesn't mean others don't.
Hell, Marvel's Comic Book Viewer is being called the iPad's killer app!
Already has. Kind of. Right now I'd still rather get printed textbooks (if I actually bought textbooks, which I haven't since I was a college freshman) because they're regularly $150+ and you can resell them afterward if they're the printed kind.Firestorm said:
But friends of mine who aren't scientists or engineers and don't get those expensive textbooks definitely love it for that.
There have been piles of articles/studies/etc. on the rapid decline of books and reading. Piles, and piles, and piles.
Reading isn't trendy anymore, what isn't trendy isn't popular, what isn't popular......isn't popular.....
It's not just "me and a group of friends" (teribbly uneeded inference of a person btw....), it's been proven. Here are references.
http://arts.gov/news/news04/ReadingAtRisk.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/08/national/main628194.shtml
Just because you read doesn't mean everyone else does.
The iPad's ebooks won't do a whole lot. Considering "Kindle" is the fastest selling thing Amazon has ever had according to you, then that takes a big chunk of people leftover to buy an iPad for the ebooks.
And textbooks getting in on this will make it huge? That's pretty funny. Actual textbooks make that idea obselete already, and I doubt schools will ever make the jump to not issue textbooks. The only reason to use the iPad over a real textbook is if you lost it, in which case I don't think you'll ever pay money to get it on your silly piece of suck.
I meant it was probably a draw between iPad and Kindle, rather than iPad superior, but that's because I thought they had the electronic ink technology too, but I must have been mistaken.
In that case, it fails to match up to ANY of the functionality of equivalent devices. It's just a techwank.
EDIT: I've been informed, however, that the lack of Flash may not be a problem. We're on the verge of the release of HTML5, apparently, and that covers most of the stuff that Flash has as an e-standard, and the iPad is HTML5 compatible (or so my friend tells me).
Doesn't make it any more useful.
That's great and all, but it isn't what you said. What you said was "I suppose ebooks are nice, but honestly who reads anymore? Book nerds, face it, books are not considerably popular in these days."Arch said:
That is not in any way equivalent, or even implied, by the cited links and had you just stuck to the facts I would have taken no issue.
That's nice and all, but ebooks are what again?
Books.
There are statistics in the cited things, good job.
BOOKS = EBOOKS
What is on the decline? Books.
What is considered popularity? Something that is widespread and common.
So, would that mean it's becoming less common?
Thank you, and try again.
That is not what you said. I will post it again, for you to read, and because I'm such a nice guy I will spell out exactly why you were wrong.
You did not say "books are on the decline", which would have been correct. What you said was "honestly who reads anymore" (the majority of the population, according to the cited links) and "books are not considerably popular in these days" which is also factually incorrect by the link you yourself cited.Arch said:
It's not clear from the cited links, but I wonder if it's because as the population is growing, the growth rate of nonreaders (by which I mean people who choose not to read, not those who can't) is higher than the readers.
So it's not that people are giving up reading (i.e. number of readers is decreasing), or that each person who dies is being replaced by a nonreader so eventually we'll have no readers. Each year still gives us more readers than are dying, but we're also getting a lot more nonreaders in addition, so the percentage drops even as the numbers increase.
Ok now you are trying to be ignorant....
"Honestly who reads anymore"
If that doesn't imply books aren't popular, then you HAVE to be trying to be ignorant.
Read the cited links again, less than half of america. That's not a majority.
Fine, I will give you what I said on the "books aren't considerably popular." But they aren't as popular anymore.
But at least try to acknowledge the post before turning the topic into a "no I'm right" fest.
The ebook in the iPad will not help it that much, that is my claim. Make your post relevant to the topic too.
Yes my previous post was not on topic, trying to fix that before you address it.
Now do you understand why "declining popularity" is not the same as "widespread and common"? According to your link, 47% of Americans read. Consider that you brought up gaming as a relevant point. Fewer than 47% of Americans play video games.
Alright I will give you that, but the main point of this is, is that the ebooks on the iPad will not do that much for it. Now this is, continuing, to turn into an argument over people who read.
Oh look Surgo 47%.
According to what people have been implying, the iPad is aimed toward older people. A majority of adults do not read, thus, the ebooks will not be a dominating force for the iPad.
Hey Surgo get on topic!
The number who read poems, plays, and narrative fiction is 47%. The number who have read any book at all is 57%. You brought up books, not poems, plays, and narrative fiction which are only a strict subset of books.Arch said:
But hey, maybe you should invest in a tractor with all that goalpost-moving you're doing.