Paul Thurrott has posted his “Hands-On First Impressions” of his 16GB Apple iPad Wi-Fi:
• “My iPad arrived a few hours ago, so I loaded it up with some apps and checked it out quickly. So far, it’s not all that impressive.”
• “I still disagree, and strongly, with some of the first generation limitations–like the lack of dual cameras and the non-widescreen display–but overall it’s a decent device.”
• “16 GB isn’t 16 GB with the iPad, it’s 14 GB. That’s a big difference when you’re talking about a small pool of storage.”
• “The device is far heavier than expected, and heavier than it looks. It is literally a big iPod touch. In fact, if anything it’s too big. Why isn’t this widescreen? It’s so obvious.”
MacDailyNews Take: While the rest of his blather falls into the usual joke category, Thurrott’s “widescreen” comment deserves comment: iPad’s total screen aspect ratio is not “widescreen,” but the device is perfectly capable of playing back “widescreen” video and does so with aplomb. Thurrott’s criticism of iPad for giving users extra screen real estate at the top and bottom for all those times when they’re not watching “widescreen” video is stupider than his “normal” biased anti-Apple idiocy.
• “I hate not having a case on this thing. It gets smudged just from the air, it seems.”
• “The default wallpaper is ugly; worse yet, the meteor shower it depicts looks like screen scratches, causing a momentary bit of panic.”
• “More later in the review, I guess. Is this thing even worth reviewing?”
And, Thurrott’s pièce de résistance:
• “Anyone who believes this thing is a game changer is a tool.”
“It feels great to have the iPad launched into the world—it’s going to be a game changer.” – Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, April 5, 2010
MacDailyNews Take: Who to believe, who to believe… the man who’s changed the world via multiple technological paradigm shifts or a sad sack who shills for perennial Apple follower Microsoft?
“Jeff
Paul, the “meteor shower”, is actually star trails caused by doing a time exposure.”
Yes, but I too was alarmed by what I thought were scratches while playing with the demo model at Best Buy. A group of us were waiting for the delivery Saturday morning, playing with the demo, thinking oh shit I ruined it! A close look revealed the truth, but it was disconcerting.
Weight is a factor. If it’s the aluminum and plasctic would have made a marked decrease in weight, Apple should have used it. I’m more worried about scratching the metal than I would be plastic because of the assumed value.
The camera is an issue as well ’cause everyone knows it will be on the next model, as will USB. Apple has a bad, galling habit of piecemeal releases across the line.
Galling? DISGUSTING!
I wouldn’t count this as a success just yet. This may be a success more in the business/education realm than the private sector in the end.
It’s already changed my game! I find myself not reaching for my iPhone or using my Mac as much as I used to.
And I no longer have plans to update my iPhone every year (maybe every two years now), nor will I update my Mac as often.
I can easily see my iPad becoming my primary computing tool, with my Mac being relegated to being my iPad’s docking station – only being used for ripping media into iTunes, storing documents and media, and updating software.
They only people that are not impressed by this device are those that do NOT wanted to be impressed by this device.
@Dirty Pierre: Knowing the dude, he’ll write off the purchase price on his taxes as a “business expense”, then sell the thing on eBay…
Ooooooooh it has more than 10 hours battery life.
Ooooooooh it weighs a pound and a half. It’s heavy.
None of you pussies connect the two and you’d expect that from people who can’t pick up something that weighs less than 0.7 kg.
I have never in my life seen a screen that was exactly proportionate to wide-screen video. “Widescreen” is not an option on anything, is it?
Basically, computing has come full circle.
In the Dark Ages, computers were restricted to the elite specialists who learned archaic languages in order to work with them.
The development of the desktop personal computer (and the laptop) opened that world to the general public.
Now with the iPad the computer is back in the hands of the specialists who need the power for audio/video editing, heavy number crunching and the like, while ordinary consumers have a device designed specifically for them.
I am friends with a guy that did 100% of the ipad setups at his store and he said 100% of the people thought their screen was damaged. You have to wonder if they did this on purpose, maybe to show how nice the screen was.
The next gen iPads will be interesting But, I do not see the Camera obsession that all the tech punters seem to have it makes little sense to me on why a camera is so important to so many of the Lame ass tech reviewers. Personally if I want to take pictures I use my professional DSL camera. I really detest portable devices with camera. Here is why: 1) I visit sites that are secure and restricted where Camera’s are not allowed. (I have to get special permission to bring my Mac Book Pro into these sites, it also requires security placing a Black Strip of tape over the camera) 2) With cameras on other portable devices people tend to use them in private locations being a female if you’ve never had a perv try to take a photo up your skirt you’re either very lucky or live a very sheltered life in a bunker some place. If Obama had wanted to pass a good law he should have dumped health care, and passed a law on personal privacy banning cameras from personal electronic devices and/or made it a serious crime to use one in locations or in any manner that is a breach of someone’s personal privacy 3) Portable devices take crappy pictures 4) People driving while talking on the phone is bad enough, people texting is even worse, now add a camera and these idiots that bitch about not having a camera (on the front) will be driving and video chatting. The question is not when any given device will or even should have a built-in camera (front or rear facing) but when will tech people figure out that personal electronic devices such as the iPad, iPod and iPhone do not need camera’s and should be sold without them. Camera on all personal electronic devices should be a modular add-on like to the Apple dock connector that way it could be removed when not needed, When you’re in a location were a Camera is not permitted or that a camera is well a violation of others personal and private space.
And as someone who routinely lugs around 20 lbs. of books, newspapers and the like, a 1.5 lb. device is a dream. Now if they’d just come up with a waterproof model for the bathtub…
@jg2000
Actually, I have 3 cameras, but none will allow me to do video conferencing on this thing.
DUH’s post was hard to read, but has some good points, especially the security issue. While a front facing camera would be handy for video chat, who the heck is going to want to hold up an iPad to take a picture when you can get a point & shoot camera for well less than $100 these days? Maybe when models with camera come out, they’ll be a additional model, just like the low-end 8GB iPhone 3G is still available for $99 as an option for those who don’t want to spend the $$$ on a 3GS model.
Okay, so who’s surprised that Paul the Tool went for the cheapest iPad available?
If you cant hold a pound and a half, you have other issues to deal with. Searching MDN articles for the last year, I see NO comment from you regarding netbooks as TOO heavy. The only “tool” here is in your mirror.
He shouldn’t bother reviewing it. He’s not worth it for the iPad to be the reviewer.
Thurrot’s well-documented anti-Apple perspective has effectively removed any credibility from him. Even Windows fans know better than to take him seriously. He’s really nothing more than a court jester in Castle Microsoft.
This poor guy is quite obviously clutching at straws.
He’s expected to come up with a convincing attack on the product, but this is all he can do.
Will his cheque arrive? Probably not, after his lords and masters read his latest rubbish.
As for cameras… I have never felt the need to use them in my phone, laptop or iMac. Not once. Prefer a real camera.
A Camera on the iPad isn’t useful unless Skype (or something similar) can be run in the background.
As for Thurrott, the 14GB thing raised my eyebrows. He’s in technology, right?
Other than that and the petty scratch thing, he’s a refreshing breath of fresh air from the Walt (lapdog) Mossberg’s of the world.
For perspective, I recommend listening to (as many minutes as you can stand of) PT on the Windows Weekly podcast. I find it oddly amusing. Like the appeal of a cheesy B-Movie. No coincidence that this claustrophobic, hushed tones show differs so markedly from Macbreak Weekly. Ha ha!
May all those who think the Paul Thurrott’s thoughts will never walk out of the Microsoft world, and stick with the netbook paradigm till their last day on earth.
700 gram is heavy? Paul you are a pussy!
You want iPad to be widescreen? How you think it will look like then? Like a skateboard? iPad is made so that both thumbs could reach the center while holding it.
@dimplemonkey: “Paradigm shifts?! Can someone say Apple printers, scanners, cameras, and Newtons?”
I would argue that Apple’s early integration of the laser printer, scanner and camera, along with their GUI and software like Pagemaker, was largely responsible for the mass shift of graphic design to digital although I will admit that others went on to have more success with the hardware. But you think the Newton wasn’t a paradigm shift? What do you think people were lining up for Saturday? That’s right, the latest version of the small-form, touch-screen computer Apple first released as the Newton…
Unbelievable, does Microsoft pay you in cash or by check? I LOVE my iPad and over Easter we were bombarded by people who wanted to see it and said that they were going to buy one. Almost all of the people that said that were non-nerd people, the majority. The computer nerds are the minority and the majority is going to flock to the iPad like the 700,000 that already flocked to it.
@ibagwan you forget who makes the technology – nerds. You’ll always need us.
1.5 pounds is too heavy?
@Dimplemonkey Heh, heh, I’m one of them! No, I never discount the nerds because like you said, we’re the ones that drive tech. What IS interesting is I have never had a tech device that has drawn as much attention from the non-nerds as the iPad. My wife’s dad was fascinated by the iPad and this is a guy that barely has a cell phone.
As to the weight, I read in bed with the iPad and it’s no heavier then a typical hardback book. Yeah, it’s not a paperback but my paperbacks don’t come with backlighting either! lol