Apple's January 27, 2010 Media Event Discussion Thread (2 Viewers)

[Nelson Au]

I believe in Steve Job's keynote, he said you're not tied to AT&T. So you can use Verizon. It's data only, not voice.

 

[KeithAP]

Here is an article on assisted GPS in anyone is interested:
http://www.wmexperts.com/articles/gps_vs_agps_a_quick_tutorial.html

I have not fully read it myself but I thought it would be useful for those curious to what it is. Credit goes to a user over on macintouch.com for providing the link.

-Keith

 

[Walter Kittel]

Marco on the iPad...

http://www.marco.org/358002061- Walter.

 

[mattCR]

TVByTheNumbers with their breakdown:

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/01/28/apples-ipad-no-hulu-or-cbs-com-streaming-video-for-you/40403

 

[Ted Todorov]

Originally Posted by Nelson Au

I believe in Steve Job's keynote, he said you're not tied to AT&T. So you can use Verizon. It's data only, not voice.

Not unless Verizon suddenly builds a GSM based 3G network. Verizon currently is CDMA only. The iPad is unlocked, meaning it will work on any GSM provider's network. In The U.S. that's AT&T & T-Mobile (presumably only EDGE on T-Mobile). It most other countries it is all of their mobile network providers.

 

[Ted Todorov]

Originally Posted by mattCR

TVByTheNumbers with their breakdown:

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/01/28/apples-ipad-no-hulu-or-cbs-com-streaming-video-for-you/40403

The article is pure B.S. Apple's unwillingness to support Flash has everything to do with their promotion of the open web standards (HTML5 and h.264) instead of Adobe's proprietary Flash and Flash's pathetic performance under OS X. They are more then happy to have Hulu et al. and indeed Hulu has officially said they are working on an iPhone app. Read Gruber's article linked earlier in this thread if you really care.

As for wanting people to buy stuff from iTunes vs. streaming for free -- sure Apple wants people to buy stuff through iTunes, but there is a fundamental difference between the two -- iTunes content will work on subways and planes and doesn't have commercials. But what Apple mostly wants is to sell devices. Look for Hulu to appear on the iPad, and Flash to disappear from the web. That's my prediction, anyway.

 

[Nelson Au]

Ted, you know the technical details far better then I do.

i recall Jobs saying you're not tied to AT&T, so it could T-Mobile.

 

[Sam Posten]

Summer at earliest Shane. Hang in there.

Anyway, I will repeat my tweets from this AM arguing with a few of those who disagree with my assessment:

I don't think I'm caught in hype - I genuinely think it's the first mobile computing device non geeks will flock to

Think moms and grandmoms and students who would NEVER use a laptop but want the web in their mobile hands

If you are looking at this will the glasses of a lifetime of computer experience you aren't seeing the real market for the iPad

It's iPod all over again: "no wireless, less space than a nomad. Lame". WRONG, The things that matter to geeks don't matter to "real" people

Sam

PS, wanna see some early trouble? Try pronouncing iPad with a boston accent!

 

[Ken Chan]

Originally Posted by mattCR

Assisted GPS is called a traingulation GPS. The unit does not have an actual GPS device, however, using cell (3G) service, it can come to a fairly accurate reading on where you are, to within a few hundred meters.

That's one version. Supposedly, the iPhone has "actual" GPS, which is "assisted" by cell towers to get a quicker fix (which can take dozens of seconds with "actual" GPS) and potentially use less power. The iPad hasn't shipped, so no one can say for certain.



i recall Jobs saying you're not tied to AT&T, so it could T-Mobile.
It's unlocked, and it uses the newer micro-SIM card. That probably gives you more choices in Europe, but in the U.S. the difficulty is the actual radio technology and frequencies in use, which boil down to AT&T. Although again, this might change (slightly) before ship.

 

[Nelson Au]

Thanks Ken, that was what I could not recall, the micro-sim card. He probably did say that in reference to Europe too.

 

[Sam Posten]

The micro sim dealy seems to me to be a ploy to not get people like me to rip out our SIM cards, put it into an iPad, continue to overpay AT&T for our voice (which we wouldnt use) and Data (which we will consume by the gallon) and add a cheap voice line at Verizon until our crappy AT&T contracts are up =)

 

[DaveF]

My crude tea-leaf reading:

AT&T gave Apple the unprecedented 3G service options for the iPad on condition that Apple continue with AT&T as exclusive iPhone provider.

 

[Nelson Au]

I wish they had that AT&T 3G service option for the iPhone, a lower cost $15 option or the option of not having 3G at all.

 

[Ted Todorov]

Nelson, I'm with you on as much freedom as possible on our iPhone contracts, but you do realize that the tradeoff is eliminating (or greatly reducing) AT&T's iPhone subsidy. Now I would probably pay full price for a officially unlocked iPhone, but I'm not sure how many other people would. The going rate IIRC in places where Apple sells contract free, unlocked iPhones is ~$800.

 

[Nelson Au]

Ted, I actually don't have an iPhone! And I really want one. The main thing I can't quite justify is the data plan cost. I run a business as a freelance designer, so I'm in my studio most of the time, in my house. I have internet here and a cell phone. So I don't really need the iPhone functions too often. So the iPad makes more sense in some regards with the wi-fi. And I'm really excited I can use it to draw on and to show clients my work on it as a portfolio. And if I don't use the 3G, I can get email via the wi-fi if I am at a place with wi-fi. The iPhone would be great, but duplicates the functionality, if I had both. So I am torn about the iPhone. That's why if it had a month to month, I could have the 3G if I wanted it.

Sure, the cost of an unlocked one is high. Not sure I want to go that route. But if it works and less money, maybe.

 

[DaveF]

Originally Posted by Nelson Au /forum/thread/297218/apple-s-january-27-2010-media-event-discussion-thread/180#post_3655179

 

[Nelson Au]

Dave,

That's true, I send clients PDF's and JPEG images and Powerpoint presentations when I make presentations of the first phase of the design concepts in person. I do industrial design, so I use a mix of photoshop, illustrator, sketchbook pro, Vellum Graphite/Cobalt on the Mac and SolidWorks CAD and Hypershot on a PC or Bootcamp on the Macbook Pro. So I show a lot of images in presentations.

Often I print out stuff for presentations. it's easier for a group to pass around and look at. So in practice, I may not use the iPad to show work. But it sounds like a cool possibility, and I can see if I were in a situation where I bump into someone who could be a client or wants to see what I do, I could use the iPad to show my work. The iPhone could do that too.

The main thing I'm really curious to do is sketch on it. Use it as an electronic napkin to sketch ideas and doodles on. An app called Sketchbook Mobile and the Pogo stylus and I'm set! I could use that on the couch, in bed or on the road. I use a Wacon Cintiq tablet that I actually sketch on in my studio with Sketchbook Pro. It's big and not portable. And I do Photoshop too for renderings on it. So that's my finer sketch work. I'm curious if the iPad could sketch looser stuff that can be opened on the full version on the big tablet and work the sketches up to finer renders there.

That's my flimsy excuse!

 

[Ken Chan]

Originally Posted by DaveF

She just emails them a PDF and they've already seen it on their computer. What does a tablet do that the client's computer doesn't do?

If you've ever tried to scroll around and view a large/multi-page PDF with a mouse, you can imagine how a multi-touch interface might be better.

 

[Ted Todorov]

In case some of you missed -- Skype officially said they have a 3G version coming (and supposedly Fring's implementation is already out?) They specifically stated that it will work on the iPad.

This means, that if you wish to use an iPad for that purpose, you can have unlimited calling without having to pay for a voice plan: for $30 you get unlimited data AND voice (or for $15 you get a reasonable amount if you spend a good deal of your time in WiFi covered areas). (Note of course that you may have to pay for the Skype service itself, which is free Skype to Skype and 2 cents per minute international to landline calls -- they also have plans, but I haven't looked at them as I spend minute amounts -- like $1 - $1.50 per month for all my international calling?