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Sunday, April 4, 2010

The iPad Arrives: The Wait is Over (And Wasn’t Bad)

ipadrelease112
NEW YORK — Apple rolled out the iPad Saturday to cheers from many early adopters (”To those who are asking, OMFG I LOVE THE iPAD” read one Tweet) and from Apple Store employees. The blue-shirted concierges were clapping in unison for and high-fiving customers who waited for hours to drop at least $500 for Apple’s “magical” tablet.

At the flagship 5th Avenue store in Manhattan — across the street from the storied Plaza Hotel and down the block from Tiffany’s and other high-end stores, who could only envy the business Apple was doing — hundreds of people were already in line at 8 am.

For more on Apple’s new tablet, check out Wired’s iPad full coverage page.
They were divided into two lines: not the haves and the have nots, but the have sooners and have laters. A reservation system — and the lack of any telco activation since the iPad being released today is Wi-Fi only — made for very smooth sailing. The doors opened at 9 sharp up and down the Atlantic coast and, in smaller markets like suburban Washington DC and San Francisco, the 50th person in line had his iPad in about 19 minutes.

When I returned to wait in the reservation line shortly after 10, it looked hopeless. But store employees checking customers’ reservations assured us at one point that “it would be only about 20 minutes.” That claim seemed impossible but turned out to be true.

And then, the years-long wait for an Apple tablet was over.

So, what is the iPad? It is at once less than a computer, and more. It’s familiar enough to help us accept it, and innovative enough to guide us into different ways of doing things. Indeed, it is perfectly-crafted to guide us into a new-media way of life that Apple hopes to sell us, and away from the old media ways which still work (and are definitely cheaper).

As a leading entry into the e-book 2.0 sweepstakes, the iPad will have to wean people off dedicated devices and entice paper-lovers with its wiles, which include carrying your reading library around with you like you do your music, and adding to it on an impulse.

As a newspaper replacement, it will have to borrow from the e-reader playbook to convince people that what they can already get in paper (or for free on the web) is worth paying a premium for in this new format.

As a magazine delivery system, it will have to be an actual magazine, and not some of the component parts thrown together with a different creative sense, in order to be worth paying what we pay for paper.

And if has to make you forget about the device entirely, so you can focus on the content it’s displaying. This, it seems to do.

First and foremost, the iPad is fast. Very fast. Browser pages open on command. Swipes transition exactly when they should. We are used to the iPhone/Touch metaphor now of a device which sleeps a lot but turns on and unlocks in a snap and presents us with icons that get us to our destination, and the iPad does this on a grander scale.


Setting it on a table seems natural, and tapping out on the keyboard when necessary seems just fine in a hunt-and-peck sense.

A quick survey of available “print” content is impressive. It isn’t just that web pages seem bountiful or that games seem to have no latency and fill your vision. I synced with my laptop, choosing only a subset of the apps I use on my iPhone. Entering the App store for the first time you are offered a free book (after agreeing to a 58-page TOS) and if there are iPad updates they are waiting for you to download. Migrating your life from the iPhone is seamless.

All that’s to be expected. But to be the future of media the iPad will have to be a friendly reading device, and it will take a while to get a feel for that. At least two books, I would say.

And the cost of the media itself will be a determining factor. We know what movies and TV shows and books music will cost. We don’t know what magazine and newspaper publishers will be assuming the market will bear. The Wall Street Journal will charge $18 a month, more than for the paper and for the current bundle of newspaper and digital offerings.

Time Magazine, one of the first periodicals on the iPad, is asking $5.00 — the same at the newsstand price — and not offering a subscription yet. It’s hard to imagine that is a sustainable model, since even booksellers realize that e-books should be cheaper than their print analogs.

Loading up Time presents a cover page filled with a black and white photo of bespectacled Steve Jobs. This is strangely jarring, as if part of the branding of the device itself. But the smiling visage of the Apple CEO on the cover of one of the first iPad magazines is also somehow fitting.

The second page of Time is an ad. An ad which will not swipe away for several seconds. Hmmm … in a paper magazine — I paper magazine I paid five bucks for — I could tear the damn thing out if I wanted.
And I could not tell if it is a quirk of the app or of the hardware, but a black ban covered the bottom of many pages when they loaded. Rotating made it go away. But it appeared persistently.

time_ipad
Switching gears entirely, Skype works like a charm. The app needs updating, but the quality of the call, on speaker even, was fantastic.

So, yes, Virginia, you can make calls in the iPad. Good ones.

First impressions can be important, but are not necessarily the final verdict. The Gadget Lab regulars will take it from here, and I’ll delve deeper into the media aspects of the new Apple Tablet back on Epicenter.
More pictures below:

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Pictures by Bryan Derballa, wired.com


Source: http://newscri.be/link/1062086



  • Posted by: djtoneb | 04/3/10 | 5:44 pm |
    Ok, I rarely ever comment here. I don’t get into the little fanboy fights over products. I’ll admit to you right now I don’t like the iPad but this is the first I say of it on wired. That aside, MadHatter’s comment is spot on.
    Over the last 10 days or so… every. SINGLE. DAY. there was at least 1 iPad story. Over the last 7 days, there have been at least 2 per day. Each of the last three stories today has been about the iPad.
    Every.Single.Article painting it in absolutely the most positive light possible for a new gadget.
    I really can’t take it anymore. We get it. Wired loves Apple. Now stop, for the love of god, PLEASE STOP. I have no desire to read this site anymore and I can assure you I will be removing the feed in favor of just slashdot and techdirt very soon at this rate.
    At least make ONE article critical of it? Just patronize legitimate journalism? show a different side of the story, or future competition?




  • Posted by: djtoneb | 04/3/10 | 5:50 pm |
    Let me clarify exactly how excessive we’re talking about here, so Apple fans don’t get all their panties really in a bunch and attack me.
    .
    In April 2010 alone. Between April 1 and April 3 (today) there have been: TWENTY NINE (29) stories about the iPad on Wired. A whole month’s worth. Please tell me I’m not too unreasonable to expect wired to tone it done a bit?




  • Posted by: expatincebu | 04/3/10 | 5:56 pm |
    The amount of vitriolic hate that the iPad generates by tech heads assures me that it will be a HUGE success among average consumers.




  • Posted by: expatincebu | 04/3/10 | 6:02 pm |
    djtoneb - the same was true about Windows 7 prior to its release. This is not about Apple, but about how “journalism” (for lack of a better term) is marketed hand in hand to create buzz for products that translates into sales of both media and the product.




  • Posted by: djtoneb | 04/3/10 | 6:04 pm |
    it used to be that being labeled tech head meant you knew your way through the command line really well, could program, and could fix a lot of networking and hardware issues.
    .
    Now all it means is that you like have a browser and a document writing application open at the same time (ya know, in case you’re writing incorporating any kind of web-based source in your paper?). Now all it means is that you like to have a keyboard when typing lengthy messages to people. Now all it means to be a tech head is that you like to spend less money on devices that do more but may not carry the same brand name or “shine factor”.
    .
    Now all it means to be a tech head is to be semi intelligent and not blindly buying extraneous gadgets to do things you used to be able to do with just 1 gadget.




  • Posted by: timjones17 | 04/3/10 | 6:33 pm |
    To the average consumer, the iPad does less but cost more compared to a netbook




  • Posted by: dreamtiger | 04/3/10 | 6:40 pm |
    Wondering why there have been so many iPad articles? Same reason there were so many Windows 7 articles when it was released. iPad is news. News. Get over it. The very vehemence of your hate betrays your envy and interest. You just can’t help yourselves.




  • Posted by: Cornuit | 04/3/10 | 6:58 pm |
    Somehow I got the feeling that all wining people in these comments don’t have the money to buy one!
    The IPaddy misses entries like USB because it’s ensink with the computer! Flash player, USB…it’s so 80’s!
    Revolutionary and forward in high speed with Apple…for all Windows users…have fun on your Zune….my god




  • Posted by: solid | 04/3/10 | 7:09 pm |
    Waaaaah! Another iPad article. Waaaaaah! Me hates the iPad. Waaaaah! Where’s my babba…..
    What? Childish comment? No more childish than the biggest crybabies on earth who post here.




  • Posted by: daren_gray | 04/3/10 | 7:24 pm |
    Walked into an indie SoCal reseller around noon. Walked out with one in 3 minutes. No line. No pre-order. Love it. Windows boys fapping extra hard to slow down the juggernaut, but all for naught.
    .
    Don’t like the iPad hype? Get used to it. That’s the world you live in now. It’s only going to get worse.
    .
    Have a nice day!




  • Posted by: daren_gray | 04/3/10 | 7:27 pm |
    The ambient melody of one million Windroids screaming out in childish rage and despair is only icing on the iPad cake!




  • Posted by: djtoneb | 04/3/10 | 7:36 pm |
    Wow, are you people really mature adults? I would think people on wired.com had some level of open-mindedness, logic, and intelligence enough to not sink to the level of, well, acting like fanboys.
    .
    And suggesting that I’m jealous because I can’t afford one? Really? That’s supposed to be an argument for the ipad? “it’s expensive but i can afford so i’ll buy it just to tell you you’re poor”? For what it’s worth, I own about 5 grand in dj equipment I paid for myself. I own several computers worth more than the ipad. My movement has been featured in a multi-page article and the events are all over the net. My name is searched frequently enough on google because of them, that it shows up as a frequently search suggestion halfway into typing it (and yes, it is unique).
    .
    Geez, if you wouldn’t act like the biggest fanboy douches in the world, maybe you could take the time to actually fairly address someone’s points/arguments. Instead it’s all “HOFFAW durk durk 29 articles in three days from one source is not enough you poor piece of crap durk durk get used to it”. And WE’RE the windows fanboys?
    .
    Fuck it. I’m done with wired. At least deadmau5, among many other mac-wielding individuals, agrees with me. PS: the average customer does a lot more on his/her computer than you think , fanboys. PPS: I don’t use windows.




  • Posted by: TiredofWired | 04/3/10 | 7:48 pm |
    re:”Fuck it. I’m done with wired. ”
    Then why the are you STILL HERE you fucking nerd?
    Don’t forget to tell your father to use the entire shaft of his cock on you tonight.




  • Posted by: daren_gray | 04/3/10 | 7:57 pm |
    >> I’m done with wired.
    .
    Nah. You’ll be back tomorrow and the next day to tell us how stupid we are, sheep, etc. Not too many things on this planet are certain, but I’m pretty sure I can set my watch by that.






  • Posted by: djtoneb | 04/3/10 | 5:44 pm |
    Ok, I rarely ever comment here. I don’t get into the little fanboy fights over products. I’ll admit to you right now I don’t like the iPad but this is the first I say of it on wired. That aside, MadHatter’s comment is spot on.
    Over the last 10 days or so… every. SINGLE. DAY. there was at least 1 iPad story. Over the last 7 days, there have been at least 2 per day. Each of the last three stories today has been about the iPad.
    Every.Single.Article painting it in absolutely the most positive light possible for a new gadget.
    I really can’t take it anymore. We get it. Wired loves Apple. Now stop, for the love of god, PLEASE STOP. I have no desire to read this site anymore and I can assure you I will be removing the feed in favor of just slashdot and techdirt very soon at this rate.
    At least make ONE article critical of it? Just patronize legitimate journalism? show a different side of the story, or future competition?




  • Posted by: djtoneb | 04/3/10 | 5:50 pm |
    Let me clarify exactly how excessive we’re talking about here, so Apple fans don’t get all their panties really in a bunch and attack me.
    .
    In April 2010 alone. Between April 1 and April 3 (today) there have been: TWENTY NINE (29) stories about the iPad on Wired. A whole month’s worth. Please tell me I’m not too unreasonable to expect wired to tone it done a bit?




  • Posted by: expatincebu | 04/3/10 | 5:56 pm |
    The amount of vitriolic hate that the iPad generates by tech heads assures me that it will be a HUGE success among average consumers.




  • Posted by: expatincebu | 04/3/10 | 6:02 pm |
    djtoneb - the same was true about Windows 7 prior to its release. This is not about Apple, but about how “journalism” (for lack of a better term) is marketed hand in hand to create buzz for products that translates into sales of both media and the product.




  • Posted by: djtoneb | 04/3/10 | 6:04 pm |
    it used to be that being labeled tech head meant you knew your way through the command line really well, could program, and could fix a lot of networking and hardware issues.
    .
    Now all it means is that you like have a browser and a document writing application open at the same time (ya know, in case you’re writing incorporating any kind of web-based source in your paper?). Now all it means is that you like to have a keyboard when typing lengthy messages to people. Now all it means to be a tech head is that you like to spend less money on devices that do more but may not carry the same brand name or “shine factor”.
    .
    Now all it means to be a tech head is to be semi intelligent and not blindly buying extraneous gadgets to do things you used to be able to do with just 1 gadget.




  • Posted by: timjones17 | 04/3/10 | 6:33 pm |
    To the average consumer, the iPad does less but cost more compared to a netbook




  • Posted by: dreamtiger | 04/3/10 | 6:40 pm |
    Wondering why there have been so many iPad articles? Same reason there were so many Windows 7 articles when it was released. iPad is news. News. Get over it. The very vehemence of your hate betrays your envy and interest. You just can’t help yourselves.




  • Posted by: Cornuit | 04/3/10 | 6:58 pm |
    Somehow I got the feeling that all wining people in these comments don’t have the money to buy one!
    The IPaddy misses entries like USB because it’s ensink with the computer! Flash player, USB…it’s so 80’s!
    Revolutionary and forward in high speed with Apple…for all Windows users…have fun on your Zune….my god




  • Posted by: solid | 04/3/10 | 7:09 pm |
    Waaaaah! Another iPad article. Waaaaaah! Me hates the iPad. Waaaaah! Where’s my babba…..
    What? Childish comment? No more childish than the biggest crybabies on earth who post here.




  • Posted by: daren_gray | 04/3/10 | 7:24 pm |
    Walked into an indie SoCal reseller around noon. Walked out with one in 3 minutes. No line. No pre-order. Love it. Windows boys fapping extra hard to slow down the juggernaut, but all for naught.
    .
    Don’t like the iPad hype? Get used to it. That’s the world you live in now. It’s only going to get worse.
    .
    Have a nice day!




  • Posted by: daren_gray | 04/3/10 | 7:27 pm |
    The ambient melody of one million Windroids screaming out in childish rage and despair is only icing on the iPad cake!




  • Posted by: djtoneb | 04/3/10 | 7:36 pm |
    Wow, are you people really mature adults? I would think people on wired.com had some level of open-mindedness, logic, and intelligence enough to not sink to the level of, well, acting like fanboys.
    .
    And suggesting that I’m jealous because I can’t afford one? Really? That’s supposed to be an argument for the ipad? “it’s expensive but i can afford so i’ll buy it just to tell you you’re poor”? For what it’s worth, I own about 5 grand in dj equipment I paid for myself. I own several computers worth more than the ipad. My movement has been featured in a multi-page article and the events are all over the net. My name is searched frequently enough on google because of them, that it shows up as a frequently search suggestion halfway into typing it (and yes, it is unique).
    .
    Geez, if you wouldn’t act like the biggest fanboy douches in the world, maybe you could take the time to actually fairly address someone’s points/arguments. Instead it’s all “HOFFAW durk durk 29 articles in three days from one source is not enough you poor piece of crap durk durk get used to it”. And WE’RE the windows fanboys?
    .
    Fuck it. I’m done with wired. At least deadmau5, among many other mac-wielding individuals, agrees with me. PS: the average customer does a lot more on his/her computer than you think , fanboys. PPS: I don’t use windows.




  • Posted by: TiredofWired | 04/3/10 | 7:48 pm |
    re:”Fuck it. I’m done with wired. ”
    Then why the are you STILL HERE you fucking nerd?
    Don’t forget to tell your father to use the entire shaft of his cock on you tonight.




  • Posted by: daren_gray | 04/3/10 | 7:57 pm |
    >> I’m done with wired.
    .
    Nah. You’ll be back tomorrow and the next day to tell us how stupid we are, sheep, etc. Not too many things on this planet are certain, but I’m pretty sure I can set my watch by that.



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