iPad

[jnmoore]

I think this is a game changer but it will take a few years to get traction.

One thing I've always wanted was to sit down and watch my hockey game and at the same time use Lightroom to view and rate a shoot etc. But all my photos are on a Drobo attached to my iMac.

I think its likely that there will be an app (or operating system upgrade) that will allow me to easily work remotely with Lightroom on my base machine (at least for some things) using the iPad. This may be very useful for photographers because you can review, rate and do minor editing on the iPad from anywhere in your home/studio. Or organize a slide show or client viewbox in the comfort of your lazyboy. Part of the issue here, of course, is that Lightroom has to be controlled remotely with a finger and not a mouse!

I thought this might be there on release but still think it is likely to happen. Time will tell ...

[Marlyn]

Biggest annoyance for me for either the IPhone (which I love), or the new iPad  is no support for external keyboard.  (even the apple bluetooth one).
For me, typing on the little screen, or on screen KB just dosn't cut it.  If it could take a real KB,  I could do my day Job from lots of new places.

Regarding photography tools, it dosn't quite fit what I need over the netbook, and that is the ability to run camera remote control software, which can act as a digital ground glass, plus control camera functions automatically such as Focus.   I'd love something I can program that could control several camera settings for automated shooting, that fits in the pocket or the bag (iPad could do).
Not just shutter, but focus, shutter speed, apeture, etc.

As for non-photographer operations,  I think it could be handy, but time will tell.

Will be a wait-and-see I think for this one for me.  I like the look of it,  and if someone solves the issue above with software / cable, i'd get one on a flash.

Regards

Mark

[DiaAzul]

Question>>

1, does it allow for a att or verizon mobile card plug in?   Given I have a black berry that i hate for phone, mobile internet, mobile email, and a att mobile usb card for moblie connections for real internet usage on my macbook, how many more devices do we need for mobile connections that range for 35 -75 a month.  Heck its getting to cheaper to get health insurance than to stay online

Apple website says that they will be bringing out a 3G version in April. You should be able to stick your SIM in the iPAD, dependent upon whether there is a bundled deal or not. At a couple of hundred big ones for the iPAD itself there may be some bundling which reduces the upfront cost of the device in return for committing to a contract for mobile usage.

You raise a fair point about multiple subscriptions. The market is pushing quickly to the point where mobile plans will become available with pooled data limits across mulitple SIMS to cater for the multiple device user. SIM for the phone, the laptop, the iPAD, you washing machine, the cat, the dog, and the monkey's uncle. It is in the mobile industry's interests to push as many SIMS into as many devices as possible and there is a finite limit on peoples budget, expect change in billing plans over the next 18 months or so.

Biggest gap on the iPAD is what appears to be no support for SMS, MMS, Instant Messaging, Chat, Presence, Address Book and all the other collaborative tools which we are increasingly dependent upon. There is a movement starting towards HD (720P) video conferencing and Apple just missed the opportunity to make this a real ground breaking device. Perhaps the next couple of days will bring more news, but for  the money it seems to be the iNewton rather than the iChanger.

More kerching for Apple

[thewanderer]

I would really like to see that simm card exhcange thing,,or bundle thing,,

maybe photomechanic will come up with a quick browser for quick editing,, if the unit wont be cs or lightroom capable, at least we can can the culls

[dwood]

I'm pretty excited about the iPad as a delivery system for newspapers, magazines, books and video. I'll be anxious to see what content will be available at release time. A couple of the concerns would be that it appears as though the iPad doesn't support flash and that there's no multitasking. I'm hopeful that both of these will be addressed going forward.

[pschefz]

Biggest annoyance for me for either the IPhone (which I love), or the new iPad  is no support for external keyboard.  (even the apple bluetooth one).
For me, typing on the little screen, or on screen KB just dosn't cut it.  If it could take a real KB,  I could do my day Job from lots of new places.

Regarding photography tools, it dosn't quite fit what I need over the netbook, and that is the ability to run camera remote control software, which can act as a digital ground glass, plus control camera functions automatically such as Focus.   I'd love something I can program that could control several camera settings for automated shooting, that fits in the pocket or the bag (iPad could do).
Not just shutter, but focus, shutter speed, apeture, etc.

As for non-photographer operations,  I think it could be handy, but time will tell.

Will be a wait-and-see I think for this one for me.  I like the look of it,  and if someone solves the issue above with software / cable, i'd get one on a flash.

Regards

Mark

apple showed a dock and a BT keyboard...the ipad works with the apple keyboard....which might be a good setup for at home, but if you are thinking of taking the keyboard and ipad on the road, you are missing the point....might as well get an macbook....

depending on which camera you have, canon and nikon can be controlled with iphone (or ipad)...several options....

this would be a chance for DMF guys to come up with something....but i am pretty sure they won't....again...

[BernardLanguillier]

so you bought a book reader for 500$...without any chance of that thing doing anything else...ever...but the ipad won't sell? there is nothing i saw that apple won't get the same agreement with publishers (a share of the ebook price covers the 3g charges worldwide) especially since the ipad uses a non propriatory ebook file system.....AND you can actually read all your kindle downloads on it as well....already....

but of course some people prefer to carry a kindle, a mp3 player, a video player and their smartphone.....

As a Mac and iPod touch owner, I personnally feel that the iPad is a poor device to read books:

- its battery life is way too short, people just want to keep an ebook reader in their bag litteraly for ever and not to have to think about recharding the batteries every 10 hours. It only makes sense if it used for other things also and therefore recharged frequently,
- it is too heavy,
- it appears to be too thick.

In a world where many of use already have an iPod Touch/iPhone and a laptop, I don't see myself adding an iPad. If I were to add something it would be a dedicated eBook reader that is lighter, thinner and with much longer autonomy.

I feel that the best part of the iPad annoucement is that Apple has just allowed me to save 800 US$ to buy something else...

Cheers,
Bernard

[BernardLanguillier]

Put me squarely in the camp of 'I just dont get it' as a tool for photographers. As a photographic tool I personally can see little to no use for this product.

For me the disappointment is it wont run lightroom or Photoshop - makes it pretty useless for anything except showing a portfolio of images - which I can do perfectly well on my macbook pro without any issues (as well as running my image editing software).

Indeed... the closest existing device might be... an electronic photo frame.

Cheers,
Bernard

[dwood]

As a Mac and iPod touch owner, I personnally feel that the iPad is a poor device to read books:

- its battery life is way too short, people just want to keep an ebook reader in their bag litteraly for ever and not to have to think about recharding the batteries every 10 hours. It only makes sense if it used for other things also and therefore recharged frequently,
- it is too heavy,
- it appears to be too thick.

In a world where many of use already have an iPod Touch/iPhone and a laptop, I don't see myself adding an iPad. If I were to add something it would be a dedicated eBook reader that is lighter, thinner and with much longer autonomy.

I feel that the best part of the iPad annoucement is that Apple has just allowed me to save 800 US$ to buy something else...

Cheers,
Bernard

My sense is that the iPad will potentially be an excellent device to read books...and magazines...and newspapers. Unlike units like the Kindle, Nook, and the Sony e-reader, the iPad is not only not a "can only do one thing" type of appliance, it's also not an e-ink based product. Publishers are going to be able to develop app's that will be far more interactive and rich, (embedded color graphics and video, for instance) and I believe, will provide users with a far more engaging user experience. Time will tell, of course, but I think Apple may sell a few of these things.

[Josh-H]

but I think Apple may sell a few of these things.

Of that there is no doubt  

[pschefz]

As a Mac and iPod touch owner, I personnally feel that the iPad is a poor device to read books:

- its battery life is way too short, people just want to keep an ebook reader in their bag litteraly for ever and not to have to think about recharding the batteries every 10 hours. It only makes sense if it used for other things also and therefore recharged frequently,
- it is too heavy,
- it appears to be too thick.

In a world where many of use already have an iPod Touch/iPhone and a laptop, I don't see myself adding an iPad. If I were to add something it would be a dedicated eBook reader that is lighter, thinner and with much longer autonomy.

I feel that the best part of the iPad annoucement is that Apple has just allowed me to save 800 US$ to buy something else...

Cheers,
Bernard

standby...one month....
weighs about the same as a comparable (size/thickness) magazine.....less then 1/2 inch thick...

i use my iphone permanently...and almost never as a phone....or mp3 player....so for me the idea of an iphone/itouch with a larger screen....running twice as fast and better apps is really nice....does nobody here use bento? iwork for the ipad looks amazing....i don't care too much about the photo functions...

i think you guys should check out the app store and see what these things can do...

i always thought the itouch was useless...no email, no browsing other then at a hotspot (when i am at home or at a cafe, i might as well bring a laptop....or now the ipad) and not even close to enough space for all my music....and no camera?

i still hate the fact that there is no front facing camera on the ipad.....flash will probably happen...this processor should be fast enough....or html5 will wipe flash out....either way, no big deal...

[Marlyn]

For photography purposes, I think the new Lenovo S10-3t netbook looks far more exciting than the iPad. (and note, I'm an avid iPhone user).

I have high hopes that a tablet style netbook will give  me a practical,  compact field shooting tether for camera control, plus all the other things I like about my Netbook now when travelling.

We will see !

Regards

Mark

[pschefz]

For photography purposes, I think the new Lenovo S10-3t netbook looks far more exciting than the iPad. (and note, I'm an avid iPhone user).

I have high hopes that a tablet style netbook will give  me a practical,  compact field shooting tether for camera control, plus all the other things I like about my Netbook now when travelling.

We will see !

Regards

Mark

that thing runs windows? so it would compare to a macbook...if anything....the ipad is not meant to be that.....at all....can't compare....

[Craig Arnold]

Photography is one of the very last domains for workstations.

No-one so far has mentioned the cloud. The computing model of the future is essentially limitless computing power in the cloud combined with smaller and lighter mobile devices for accessing that power.

We still don't quite have all the wireless bandwidth we need, but at some point there will be an iPad app that gives you finger-based access to all the editing functions you need whilst doing the heavy lifting in the cloud and just pushing the display to the Pad. All the computation-intensive work will be running in a datacenter, possibly one owned by Adobe, and you will get a monthly bill depending on your usage.

Already there are many remote desktop access applications for the iPhone, most of which will probably be ported to the iPad within a few weeks.

Only 64Gb on board? Who cares when I can have access to all the Terabytes I want on S3 and just download what I need at the time.

The device already does 100% of what 90% of computer users need, and with the eReader function too!

An approaching hurricane is presaged by a light breeze and a few drops of rain. This is the first look at the way all personal computers will be in the future.

[bcooter]

We still don't quite have all the wireless bandwidth we need,

If this device was unleashed upon a world that had waiting content specifically designed for it, if there was a true virtual multi meda newstand where subscriptions were ready and waiting, if the battery would last longer, if it was a real computer or maybe even the world's biggest phone and if it didn't rely on just one network in the U.S. AT+T whose 3-g  makes an aol phoneline connection seem fast, I think it might have a chance.

Problem is none of that exists today and maybe never.

Maybe I'm wrong but I get the feeling that this is an answer to a question nobody is asking, or better put a partial answer to a lot of questions everyone is asking.

Now bottom line is will I buy one?   Maybe, but only as a virtual portfolio which is probably more novelty than substance.

Will I use it for all my e-mail, computer chores, even working the web . . . probably not, unless someone writes apps to tether a Canon or Nikon and it works fast.

Even then, it seems more toy that tool.

IMO

 BC

[chex]

Unless viewed as a PMP this is utterly pointless imo.

Jobs compared it to the kindle but an e-ink screen is infinitely superior for reading books, he compared it to a netbook but netbooks have infinitely better functoinality, it has a stupid proprietary sim card etc etc

I'd rather have a kindle to read books or an old 12" thinkpad tablet to do anything that this thing is meant to do and much, much more.

[Kevin Gallagher]

As much as I've loved being an early adopter on many things, I'm going to wait a bit on this. The idea of the e reader to me is great but I just feel that there are too many incompatible variants out there right now. My understanding is that the Kindle and others such as the Sony each have their own sources of reading materials. I'm also the guy who picked 8 track AND Beta

[Josh-H]

I'm also the guy who picked 8 track AND Beta

I also picked Laser Disc and HD DVD.....

[giorgiogu]

Uhm.... On the paper, if i will buy a tablet, probably i will consider more the HP Slate.
Looks like a real operating system will be in it so probably as photographer i will have all the tools i need that i actually have on my laptop.
But there is still quite a long time to go before both of this tablets will be on the market so will be interesting all the future development.

[BJL]

Wally asks why get an iPad in addition to his iPod Touch and Kindle.

Maybe with both those tools he has no need ... but for many the iPad might replace both those tools for about the same total cost. For me an iPad would eliminate the need for a Kindle, and maybe a laptop (a non-mobile computer + iPad could be enough for how I work), but I would keep my iTouch.


But in case you missed it Wally (and anyone else who sees little advantage over an iTouch or a smart phone):

1) the iPad will be far better for a lot visual media viewing than an iTouch: web browsing; photo and video viewing and basic photo manipulation; reading books, magazines and newspapers in electronic versions, etc. I suspect that magazines and newspapers like the New York Times wish to transition from free web-sites to primarily offering electronic subscriptions via Kindle, iPad and such devices: the magazine and newspaper desperately needs a new revenue source!

2) compared to book readers like Kindle, one obvious advantage is color and a far fuller web browser experience. Another is some limited content creation ability: email, iWork for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations, and whatever other iPad Apps come along. But Amazon has opened up software development opportunities for Kindle, so maybe this is where future Kindle models are headed too.

3) compared to laptops and flip-screen tablets, it is far more hand-holdable for reading books, websites and such, and "away from a desk" usage.


One obvious criticism is that the iPad is no substitute for a laptop (even the shrunken netbook variety) as far as offering a full computing environment; it is primarily a "hand-holdable media reader and communication tool". For now that does not matter much, as the iPad serves a different, more portable, hand-holdable "desk-free" niche, but I wonder what other similar one-piece "slate devices" we will see this year, probably running "Window 7 Mobile" with the option of Linux. How the race will go between iPad Apps and Windows 7 Mobile apps? How important will multi-tasking be, (absent from iPad for now), and will it be added to future iPad OS versions? The iPad's processor is not the same ARM processor as in the iTouch, so could easily have been designed with multi-tasking in mind.