The Apple ipad - what do you think?

Can you watch movies in widescreen on the ipad?
Yes, but they will be letterboxed as the device itself is approximately a 4:3 aspect.

 

I don't see touch screens pads as an improvement over what we have today, because you're forced into obscuring your own view with your fingers as you interact with it. While new and interesting, it's less practical, and probably more tiring/frustrating to use.

I see the future using a similar physical arrangement to a laptop, but with dual display touch screens: one will be a virtual keyboard (relatively static image that is customized for the user, and for the applications in use), the other as a conventional screen. There is no obscured view this way.

Try to keep the input and output devices separate.

 

I felt this was fitting for the topic. The iPad parody by jacksfilms

[youtube]MI99t9k4aEE[/youtube]

 

You can, yes, but letterboxing on a 9.6 inch screen sounds...undesirable.

 

here's the difference: portable touchscreen devices already exist. they're called tablet PCs. the difference is that the iPad REMOVES functionality (multitasking!) compared to what already exists. that's the difference between a toy and a productivity device.

the mouse, on the other hand, wasn't a toy. sure, it didn't have a lot of support, but it INCREASED productivity over the keyboard when you had a GUI. the iPad doesn't increase productivity compared to anything that's already out there, and it decreases productivity compared to its closest competitors (netbooks and e-readers).

 

I could see its use if it allowed some form of multi-tasking. But personally I'd consider it to be a useless brick if I can't browse and chat at the same time.

And does anyone know the actual battery life? Someone said 10 hours, another 18. I heard today someone said it was 12. I'm confused.

I also heard someone say it had 64 GB capacity. I find that hard to believe...

 

Hi-YA!! GOOGLE-FU!!

Quick rundown. 16, 32, or 64g capacity. 10 hours of video, web surfing, or music. 1Ghz processor (which is kinda coolish since it's the first Apple branded chip).

Oh, but guess what? The SIMcard tray is a miniSIM. Guess how many companies use that? None

 

Fenix, I really love your picture you posted on the first page