Does the iPad ring in the death of exciting new Apple hardware?

[Pliablemoose]

They could focus on the one thing they haven't been doing- increase the market share of their PC business. Personally I see all these side ventures as mainly a way for them to gain revenue and beat around the bush until they can actually compete in the PC market. The nice thing about these little devices is the profit I'm sure they make. That won't fly in the mainstream PC market which is why, along with avoiding serious competition with Microsoft, I think they haven't worked too hard to expand their PC market share lately, and who would with so much cash coming in from iPhone, iTunes, and app stores? I mean I see it as they have two choices really once they saturate this small device market, either go into even more random crap like iToasters and drop their PC line altogether, or refocus and use all the revenue from their other lines to better their PC business.

http://www.appleinsider.com/article...us_pc_market_slips_to_8_at_hands_of_acer.html

My problem with that is that netbooks are used to calculate market share, they have a razor thin profit margin and were they taken out of the picture, the numbers would be significantly different. Apple didn't even compete in the segment, the closest thing they had was a $1,000 notebook.

As to Kaido's original post, yep, it's a problem, I don't know what Apple can do to change it. They're a big dog, and sooner or later, the smaller dogs nipping at it's heels bring it down. I think they'll have a good run for a few years though.

 

[umrigar]

the iPad is a game-changer, like the ipod. most don't realize it yet. give it some time.

the ipod was not the first portable digital music player. it was $400 when it came out - 5GB with a Firewire interface, which wasn't on most PCs. critics moaned about that, and what happened? Apple's continued product innovation proved them wrong.

yes, there have been stupid limitations and frustrations with each revision. failures of 40GB 1.8" drives, peripeherals that don't work with newer gens because Apple changed pins & specs, etc. i have felt and dealt with that nonsense. i'm sure companies who manufacture add-ons feel it even more - R&D, licensing, production & distribution costs... wow.

and yet, which product is most often copied? are there tons of zune or razr knock-offs on craigslist and ebay? no. Apple is the brand to ape. Funny how they're the one to bitch about, too.

"the mac is a toy" and "there are hardly any games for the mac" in the same breath - how's that for a lack of logic? group people who realize the advantages of Apple products as "fanbois" or "mactards" and you're back in 8th grade. somehow the "cult" of Apple (less than 10% market share) is mentioned instead of the "cult" of Windows, whose users adamantly declare their platform to be superior, even when they've never even used a Mac.

again - i've pointed out Apple's limitations and bad (in my opinion) decisions to punish their loyal customers over the years. every time a hardware line is refreshed or redesigned, i scratch my head at the cost-cutting measures on so-called "premium" machines. removal of Firewire from some Macs; removing discrete GPUs from lower-end/cheaper configs - it pisses me off. luckily, i don't buy new machines - i'm always behind the tech curve because i can't afford new Macs.

yet, i'm happy to buy what i can afford (currenly typing this on a Core Duo Macbook Pro) from late 2006. i'd rather use a 3 year old Apple laptop than a brand-new Windows laptop - far less hassles and a far more enjoyable user experience, not to mention easier troubleshooting.

let's revisit this iPad in a year & see what's up.

as for next product - who knows what they're already working on?

 

[0roo0roo]

I think the iPad needs just 6 things to be better:

SD + USB + HDMI + Webcam
Flash + Multi-tasking

SD is so ubiquitous now; it shouldn't be an accessory you have to carry around with you. I'd love to be able to pop my point & shoot's camera into iPad iPhoto or iPad iMovie and do some on-the-go organizing & editing. Same with USB - that'd be so handy for data transfer - pop in your USB stick and load up your friend's PowerPoint to play back in Keynote over HDMI. Or plug in HDMI via iTunes to watch a 720p HD video from the iTunes store on your flat-screen TV or projector.

The webcam is also a necessity - it's a tablet, for crying out loud! Heck, it should have one front AND back :biggrin: Flash is also a requirement for modern web use. And multi-tasking would just be the icing on the cake - instant messaging, Pandora, etc. Multi-tasking would be killer in your car - GPS plus Pandora plus OBD-II via a hardware accessory; who needs a traditional GPS & stereo receiver anymore?

I'll probably end up buying a first-gen as a PDF reader though - that'd be so much nicer than reading on a computer screen.

webcams not a necessity. anyone doing heavy webcam work does it on a laptop/desktop they already own. anyways a camera either staring at your boogers or making your arm tired from holding it out is not practical. anyways the last thing we need at the coffee shop are more idiots yacking into their devices.

speed is the key, and convenience. multitasking is for heavier usage patterns that do not fit tablet use at all. thats trying to cram the old pc tablet with full windows os idea back into relevance when its already been tried and failed for good reason. if you need tons of windows and heavy multitasking a tablet isn't for you regardless. whipping a gadget/appliance out to do specific tasks at a whim is what a tablet is about if it is to fill a gap. a do everything device has been tried and failed.

how many zune owners really plug their zunes up to their hdtvs😛
face it, if you need that kind of capability you can do way better using other methods/devices and probably already have. its a pointless feature that weighs down the majority that don't require such things.