The penetration percentage for Flash on PCs around the world is something like 98 -- that's almost everyone -- and many, many sites employ the standard on their pages. When we say many, we mean most if not all of the pages you typically visit use Flash to display some of their content. The iPad browser doesn't support Flash, and won't support Flash, perhaps ever. Apple has not only turned away from what is the industry standard for rich media in webpages, but it instead is pushing a newer standard called HTML5. Apple has been very successful thus far in moving its agenda forward and bringing websites into the fold of HTML5, but we're talking maybe, say, one percent of websites on the internet. Probably way less.
So how much of a stumbling block is the lack of multitasking? The honest truth is that a large number of users won't notice or care, which is why it's easy for Apple to ignore the problem (or claim that their OS supports the functionality because they allow a handful of their native apps to run in the background). For the rest of us, this is starting to feel just like copy and paste -- a problem so obvious and so easy to fix that it's just perplexing Apple doesn't come up with a solution and end the conversation. The iPad may do many things better than a netbook, but multitasking is not one of them.
You will get work done with it, play with it, consume content with it, but the underlying framework of the real operating system is almost completely invisible. For instance, in applications like Numbers or Keynote, you don't have "files," rather a long, Cover Flow-style list of work to scroll through. Have 200 documents you've "saved"? Tough -- you just have to scroll through them all to get to the last one. To say that sometimes it feels like a computer for beginners might be overkill. But it's close.
For many consumers, it will be easy enough to accomplish much of what you would with a netbook or laptop on the iPad, and yet other experiences will extend far beyond what you would do on a typical computer. It's not a laptop replacement, and this OS can't do everything a laptop can do -- but maybe it doesn't have to.
The buyer of an iPad is one of two people, the first is someone who sees not just the present, but the potential of a product like the iPad... and believes in and is excited about that potential. This is also a person who can afford what amounts to a luxury item. The second is an individual who simply doesn't need to get that much work done, and would prefer their computing experience to be easier, faster, and simpler.
windigo wrote:Anyhow - it's very interesting how Apple is in a way dictating where the industry is going in this regard. They basically give the finger to Adobe and Google and they are still gaining steam. And will probably continue until they have some competition in the mobile market. So far it's not even close. Apple owns the mobile internet.
windigo wrote:Google already has more features than Apple when it comes to their smart phones.
windigo wrote:And look at the iPad - it's got less features than a 250$ netbook. Apple's ahead of the game here because they found out people don't care and are focusing on features people use.
windigo wrote:Where is Google teaming with MS?
windigo wrote:I agree with you that eventually the open systems will win but I think we've got too long a way to go here. For a desktop there's no question because you don't really care who makes what for parts. There's lots of mixing and matching and customization. We're not there for phones and laptops or "pads". In this arena it's too important to have the hardware and software tightly coupled.
windigo wrote:If the PC world can't figure out beating Apple at laptops yet (which have been around for a long time now) - how are they going to figure out beating them at smart phones?
windigo wrote:I don't see Apple making the same mistake like it did in the personal computing days. That fact is they lost that battle because Windows was better and allowed you to do more. Now days the "insiders and educated people" tend to like OS X (maybe because it's built on unix which is more open and all that). Things aren't the same as the 80's now.
windigo wrote:If you look at iPhone + iPod touch + iPad though - Apple is crushing them. Mobile internet doesn't necessarily mean using a cell network anymore.
windigo wrote:I also don't think it will be long before the iPhone takes over Blackberry in numbers. Once Apple breaks away from AT&T they just opened another flood gate.
windigo wrote: They just want to sell the most expensive devices and those devices will use whatever they feel like using whether its convenient and logical or not.
windigo wrote:RE: laptops
I'm talking about market share. I'm talking about the best laptop. It's a 15'' MacBook Pro. Why is Apple STILL ahead in laptop design??? Their touch pad setup beats everything out there - it's not even close. And it integrates perfectly with the OS.
windigo wrote:Android is up because its new. Apple is stuck with AT&T and they need a bigger pool.
windigo wrote:Agreed, the iPad won't be as successful as the iPhone/iPod. But it's just another area where they will assert themselves as the top tier product. The Kindle or the Barnes & Noble reader (for the name) or Sony's project, etc are all better e-book readers. Yet they are all toast now since the iPad is perceived to be superior.
windigo wrote:Also, you can't really compare Apple's laptop numbers with everyone that easily. They don't sell netbooks and those numbers are inflating HP/Dell a lot. It's amazing Apple is where it is on that list given the price premium. It would be interesting to see the market share based on price tiers.
Myth wrote:Hey guys. I'm shopping for a netbook, because I'm tired of dragging my behemoth desktop-replacement laptop everywhere. I was just going to get an Eee, as I am becoming a devoted follower of Asus, but any suggestions before I do so? Anybody have any experience with must-haves and have-nots?
Cassiel wrote:Haha, speaking of Apple's self-destructive closed culture.
windigo wrote:Yep, everyone sell the Apple stock, they are finished.
Cassiel wrote:Myth wrote:Hey guys. I'm shopping for a netbook, because I'm tired of dragging my behemoth desktop-replacement laptop everywhere. I was just going to get an Eee, as I am becoming a devoted follower of Asus, but any suggestions before I do so? Anybody have any experience with must-haves and have-nots?
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