iPad Hysteria

[Coligny]

Hey, tell us how that strange Softbank wifi contract works out. Softbank's WiFi is priced kind of high but SEEMS to have good coverage and speed in downtown locations.

Not sure Toyohashi will be a good benchmark... But at least we got indoor plumbing everywhere... maybe...

[Yokohammer]

Wandered by the Apple Store in Sendai today, and as expected it was *packed*! But although this was at around 1:00, just after lunch, they still seemed to have iPads for sale. On the news at around 5:00 PM they were saying that "they expected to sell out today," which I assume means they still had some at 5:00 PM.

Didn't buy one though. I'll wait and see how the initial lot fares in the field.

[Cyka UchuuJin]

Wandered by the Apple Store in Sendai today, and as expected it was *packed*! But although this was at around 1:00, just after lunch, they still seemed to have iPads for sale. On the news at around 5:00 PM they were saying that "they expected to sell out today," which I assume means they still had some at 5:00 PM.

Didn't buy one though. I'll wait and see how the initial lot fares in the field.

i got one in nyc two weeks ago and i'm disgusted with myself for how much i am growing to love it. i didn't like it in the adverts and bought it for a trade show we were doing in vegas so i wouldn't have to drag my macbook out all the time. then i got the imockup and adobe ideas and a few other apps

i hate to say it, but dammit, steve jobs really does know what we want before we know it ourselves. i'm hooked.

[Yokohammer]

i got one in nyc two weeks ago and i'm disgusted with myself for how much i am growing to love it. i didn't like it in the adverts and bought it for a trade show we were doing in vegas so i wouldn't have to drag my macbook out all the time. then i got the imockup and adobe ideas and a few other apps

i hate to say it, but dammit, steve jobs really does know what we want before we know it ourselves. i'm hooked.

Growing to love it after two weeks, as opposed to getting frustrated with its limitations? Uh-oh, sounds like I might have to get one sooner than later.

That "so I wouldn't have to drag out my Macbook all the time" part is precisely the point. I schlepp a 15" Macbook Pro around on business trips, and it usually turns out to be more computer than I need, but I was afraid the iPad wouldn't quite be enough. Maybe I need to take a closer look.

[Coligny]

Growing to love it after two weeks, as opposed to getting frustrated with its limitations? Uh-oh, sounds like I might have to get one sooner than later.

Can't stress how frustrating is it for me not even 24h after...

IPhone: keitai that can do so much more that however badly it is done it's a godsend and 500% better than other keitais. I don't have one... but damn now I want one...

IPad: computer that don't do much... and the best part is there is no trial version of most apps... so you have to buy, buy and buy to filter out the crap. Then there is the drug dealer scam, good part of the few remaining apps supposed to be free are not and you have to pay for a working version.

There is not even a frackin version of VLC, no SMB clients, no filesystem. I'm the first one to be sick and tired of the desktop metaphore... but replacing it by a policy were you are not allowed to interact at all with your files is a bit excessive... And for some reason Adobe ideas is not available, brainmapping software cost an arm and a leg... and I discovered that Handbase (my buddy of the PalmIII days) is still alive and kicking...

A Macbookair with a touch screen would have been a better fit...

[FG Lurker]

Can't stress how frustrating is it for me not even 24h after...

IPhone: keitai that can do so much more that however badly it is done it's a godsend and 500% better than other keitais. I don't have one... but damn now I want one...

The iPad is somehow appealing but mostly useless. I was interested at first but the more I thought about it the less useful it seemed. It's too big to carry around all day like my iPhone, but can only do a tiny fraction of the things I can do on my Dell Mini 10v netbook that runs XP. If I need to take a small computer with me I can just tether the iPhone and netbook together and I have a combination that is far, faaaaaaar more useful for getting actual work done.

IPad: computer that don't do much... and the best part is there is no trial version of most apps... so you have to buy, buy and buy to filter out the crap. Then there is the drug dealer scam, good part of the few remaining apps supposed to be free are not and you have to pay for a working version.

There is not even a frackin version of VLC, no SMB clients, no filesystem. I'm the first one to be sick and tired of the desktop metaphore... but replacing it by a policy were you are not allowed to interact at all with your files is a bit excessive... And for some reason Adobe ideas is not available, brainmapping software cost an arm and a leg... and I discovered that Handbase (my buddy of the PalmIII days) is still alive and kicking...

You need to jailbreak your iPad so you can get access to the file system, get a full *nix shell (along with just about any *nix command line tool you may wish to use), and install a lot of applications that Apple has control-freaked out of the App Store.

[Coligny]

You need to jailbreak your iPad so you can get access to the file system, get a full *nix shell (along with just about any *nix command line tool you may wish to use), and install a lot of applications that Apple has control-freaked out of the App Store.

That's unfortunate...

There is not even a fracking PING or NSLOOKUP available... so I spend 30 minutes trying to troubleshoot a connection probleme that was in fact a missing "." in the DNS address...

[FG Lurker]

That's unfortunate...

There is not even a fracking PING or NSLOOKUP available... so I spend 30 minutes trying to troubleshoot a connection probleme that was in fact a missing "." in the DNS address...

You need to jailbreak your iPad. It takes only a few minutes and you'll have all the utilities and tools that you now lack.

[FG Lurker]

Not everyone is thrilled with their jesus pad:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/05/28/ipad_love_affair_goes_sour/

[Cyka UchuuJin]

Growing to love it after two weeks, as opposed to getting frustrated with its limitations? Uh-oh, sounds like I might have to get one sooner than later.

That "so I wouldn't have to drag out my Macbook all the time" part is precisely the point. I schlepp a 15" Macbook Pro around on business trips, and it usually turns out to be more computer than I need, but I was afraid the iPad wouldn't quite be enough. Maybe I need to take a closer look.

yep, i have. i really did not like it at first, especially as it doesn't have a danish keyboard yet. but it fits into my handbag, i can pull up all my pdf files and zoom in on images to show clients, imockup is a bloody genius app, taking notes during client visits is easier now (and i don't lose half of them like i do when i do it by hand in a notebook) and it's been great on the flights where they take away the headphones and switch off the entertainment really early.

i would like to have waited until the 2gen comes out, i am not generally an early adopter, but i needed something for this expo really quick. my only complaint really would be that there isn't a good dock to hold it on it's side, and it can be a little awkward holding it in your hands for a long time. in general though, i'm liking it more and more every day.

[Takechanpoo]

It's wholeheartedly disappointing to see that Russian are delighted to buy and use American stuffs. When do Russian discover Russian i-pad? Or already gave up it?

[Mike Oxlong]

When I think of Russian design, I think:

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[Cyka UchuuJin]

It's wholeheartedly disappointing to see that Russian are delighted to buy and use American stuffs.

of course we are open to buying into the stuffs of america. that is because we are secure enough in our own culture to embrace america, rather than look like idiots trying to BE america.

remember that.

[Coligny]

Hemmm... people... For the Russian car picshure... there is a huge difference...

The 1978 one is Russian, the 2009 is French... Renault (sort of) bought AutoVaz Lada 2 years ago...

This (somewhat) explains that (on Petrov's car):

[FG Lurker]

Hemmm... people... For the Russian car picshure... there is a huge difference...

The 1978 one is Russian, the 2009 is French... Renault (sort of) bought AutoVaz Lada 2 years ago...

Russian cars... French cars... All much the same really!

[McTojo]

I'm not certain whether this is something I'd like. I don't use a Mac, iPod, iTouch or iPhone which probably doesn't make me an obvious consumer but I can see some merit in the idea and it might suit my parents to have one around the house. That price looks very rich right now. As it currently stands, it doesn't make me want to swap my laptop and having both would be unwieldy for travelling. Even Apple fans among my friends have been cautious about buying first generation products from the firm these days so I'd probably wait for it to bed in anyway. That's a big screen to keep clean and intact.

I went over to the softbank store yesterday to check this ipad out and almost bought it right there on the spot. I have no practical use for it, other than maybe loitering around at a coffee shop or watching a movie in bed or reading. I could probably use it to teach my private students, or something like that. I loved how it felt in my hand. With softank, if you already have an iphone, they'll throw in a few discounts if you buy it, plus the monthly service charge. With my current data pack I pay about 8000 yen a month, plus if I add this ipad it'll run me like 2500 yen more a month, and that's for unlimited data..... Difficult call.

[Tsuru]

I love how the screen looks after just a few minutes of using it... But it is very fast though, even the cheapest model...

One surprise disappointment for me was the resolution of the screen... only 1024x768. My N900 geek-phone has nearly as much on a screen less than a quarter the size

[Coligny]

I love how the screen looks after just a few minutes of using it... But it is very fast though, even the cheapest model...

One surprise disappointment for me was the resolution of the screen... only 1024x768. My N900 geek-phone has nearly as much on a screen less than a quarter the size

And it's nothing compared to what it looks like after being used while eating french fries and lotteria's tower cheeze burger... don't even get me started on the smell...

For the resolution... ease of a little... Mom in law struggle with 720p resolution on a 46 inch TV (you can tell by the cute nose prints on the TV when she try to look too close)... And i'm not exactly confortable with a 14' resolution on a 10' screen... So... it's not because you can tell if a schoolgirl is not wearing panties from a flight at cruise altitude over shibuya that the rest of manking can do the same, not everybody got bitten by a radioactive spider as a kid you know...

[Taro Toporific]

[IkemenTommy]

OK, how many of you Apple goons went out and bought this thing already?

[Cyka UchuuJin]

[American Oyaji]

i like the quote about feeling america is way ahead. japan has never been a nation of innovators, they just take other ideas and make them more complicated. and in some cases, more perverted.

Well said Cykachka!

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Cyka UchuuJin again.

[Takechanpoo]

But it is also a truth that just sounds nothing but whining whatever Rusikies insist about technology.

[Coligny]

But it is also a truth that just sounds nothing but whining whatever Rusikies insist about technology.

I don't know why you rant against Russian tech... But as far as I can see, whatever they do, they go to the basic, remove subtelty and replace it with repairability. Maybe their stuff is not always the most reliable but nearly all their weapon system can be repaired with tools contained in a medium sized luggage, in a field, by a guy who can't even read.

[Midwinter]

I don't know why you rant against Russian tech... But as far as I can see, whatever they do, they go to the basic, remove subtelty and replace it with repairability. Maybe their stuff is not always the most reliable but nearly all their weapon system can be repaired with tools contained in a medium sized luggage, in a field, by a guy who can't even read.

And they can teach the American's a thing or two about bigger ALWAYS being better as well

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Back on topic, when's the new Iphone being officially announced and how soon after do you think we can expect it in the Land of the Setting Sun?

[FG Lurker]

Back on topic, when's the new Iphone being officially announced and how soon after do you think we can expect it in the Land of the Setting Sun?

Announcement is expected on Monday (7th). Availability in Japan will probably be sometime in July.

[Coligny]

Announcement is expected on Monday (7th). Availability in Japan will probably be sometime in July.

That's fast... will have to be really cute again to get me one... Hope they do something correct with the camera this time...

back off topic: any clue aboot the date for the new Mac Pros ? I really can't take anymore of my old G4 AGP. Mac OS rumors buying guide states: Days Since Update 459 (Avg = 236). They are clearly late for an update... like REALLY late...

[GomiGirl]

back off topic: any clue aboot the date for the new Mac Pros ? I really can't take anymore of my old G4 AGP. Mac OS rumors buying guide states: Days Since Update 459 (Avg = 236). They are clearly late for an update... like REALLY late...

WWDC starts on Monday in SFO. Expect some announcements during the keynote.

[BigInJapan]

[Midwinter]

Announcement is expected on Monday (7th). Availability in Japan will probably be sometime in July.

Thanks for the heads up FGL.