Markus

Anyone happen to be at the Regent Street store today? If so, did you happen to see our Kobo girls wandering about?

mike1210

Was in the Cardiff store today, full of people checking it out and extra security for people trying to get five finger discounts

urban

iTrader: (1)

No comments then?

Trout

iTrader: (1)

I guess quite a lot of people do get the point...

...there were 200,000 sold during normal shopping hours on Friday. Most stores reported the 16GB 3G Wifi model sold out.

urban

iTrader: (1)

I understand quite a lot of people like it etc - hence fantastic sales figures

However - what's the point though.
You can't make phone calls etc
You can play games etc, read news, read books, browse internet etc but at £430 notes you could get a laptop and do more?

JackClark

I'm not so sure you can do more on a Laptop, I can't remember the last time I used my laptop for anything much more than email and web browsing, on my iPhone I use applications all the time, having even the same functions on a larger screen is worth the money to me. I'll have an iPad before I upgrade my laptop.

boxst

This is an interesting read: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/05...air_goes_sour/

I had a similiar experience with the Newton (I still have it, albeit the Sharp one with the cover) but love my iPhone.

I haven't made up my mind about the iPad, I very nearly bought one a few weeks ago whilst in America but I wasn't quite convinced.

Steve

Jamescsti

Just because you only use your laptop for email and browsing doesn't mean it's not capable of much more

Dedrater

Jack, this is the most stupid reply I have ever read in my life. You need to get your d*ck out of the IPad which you don't even own yet and look at technology objectively.

IWatkins

Tried it today, extensively (I booked a Genius).

Love it, really nice for stuff like e-reading, even paid for and downloaded the Wired app to try. Really quite lovely.

Tried to do some work stuff on it = FAIL. Lot of our stuff is Flash based (actually Flex for those who know the difference). Switching to our Ajax alternatives which we built for backup, still problems, some really unusual scripting errors, i.e some core JScript problems deep down in the DOM model.

Anyway, back to the good stuff. Lovely screen, really quite beautiful. Orientation sensor works well too.

However, bottom line is I'm not buying one:

1. No good for work stuff.
2. E-reading outside = awful. Screen too shiny and crap in sunlight. Keep my Sony Reader for holiday/daylight reading (better battery anyway).
3. Couldn't get iPad and Camera kit working with my Canon 7D, so no on move camera backups = Fail. May be techie issue from Genius.
4. Too closed, I want my own software on the thing.
5. I want GPS and compass without paying for a 3G capable iPad = FAIL. Already paying for data and calls on my phone.

So, I love it, great bit of kit. But for majority of day to day stuff, my £250 Samsung NC10 netbook does way, way more. And at that price I can really treat it like a consumer item.

Awaiting version 2 of iPad or whatever Google etc. come up with

In meantime, my mobile kit = Android phone, Samsung netbook and Sony Reader. Home kit = MacBook, MacMini and lots of PCs. Happy.

Cheers

Ian

JackClark

I'm honoured. And I would **** the iPad if it had a card slot.

Coupe-Se

I'm definitely no Apple Fan boy and do not own, nor plan on getting an overpriced Iphone, as my trusty nokia make calls and texts just fine and is cheap to replace when broken at work. I do have an iPod touch as an mp3 player but didn't buy it myself as it was a surprise 40th b'day present from the inlaws.

At work we use windows machines and dedicated windows software. So any Mac based device is useless.

Popped into PC World on Friday to get some Dvd's, and saw a gaggle of people round the iPads. I was firmly in the overpriced giant iPod camp until I got my hands on one! After playing with one for 15 minutes, out came the credit card and I was grinning like a kid.

It is a superb quality gadget and does everything I need for a home laptop in a conveniently sized device. The battery lasted well over 10 hours on it's 1st charge and the screen quality has to be seen to be believed. The keypad in landscape mode is great for people with fat fingers like mine that have a habit of hitting 2keys at once on a proper keyboard.

It isn't the be all and end all and won't suit everyones needs as a complete package. A couple of IT geek friends have had a play and are equally impressed at it as a high quality gadget that outshines netbook. We all agree that the price is bloody steep and well ott.

I'd recommend that people get there hands on one before making their mind up, as It really changed my mind.

RichB

I've been using one this weekend and for checking email, watching iplayer and surfing the net looking up prices on things it has been really really good.
So much better than using a laptop or iphone.
Now I've used Apple products longer than most but my iPhone was a hand me down, original 8gb and my MacBook Pro is getting on and was a refurb so getting me to part with cash for Apple products is hard. That said, I was originally not going to get one, my business partner bought one and I thought I'd see what it was like, I am going to get one now.

You can make Skype voice calls on it too.

Don't knock it until you try it properly, I don't think you'll see the benefit by using it in the shop for 5 minutes to be honest.

jowl

I admit to being a bit of an Apple fanboi but i love the iPad. So far all I've really done is surf the web and e-mail - which the iPad it's just brilliant at. The only time i missed flash was on the BBC F1 website

The screen size is just right - my iPhone seems so small now! battery life is excellent and i haven't touched my laptop all weekend. Watching iPlayer/video is brilliant.

Quite a few of my Apps don't have ipad versions yet - I think iPad apps are a bit lacking at the moment. Having said that, the ability to view full websites easier means I can do away with some of my apps.

I don't ply many games but the ones i had on my iPhone actually look quite good. I think this could be great for the casual / mobile gamer.

Be interesting to see over the next few weeks how well it works at work (It Support and consultancy). Already used some free vnc clients to good effect at home.

ipad2 with front facing camera for Skype etc will be fantastic

Markus

I think part of the reason for he lack of ipad apps is due to it only being available world wide as of Friday. If you were in the us then you could easilly pick one up. However it was notbso easy for others not in north America. You would either need someone to go and pick one up for you or fly out to pick one up, hardly cost effective for small developers

"use the simulator then" you may say, however it is not the same as using the device. For example we found a few things on the decive that would never have shown up in the simulator. If someone fins issues on the device it is hard to troubleshoot if you don't have one!

Now we have devices open to a bigger world than just the us we should see more apps updated for ipad plus new apps taking advantage of the ipad's bigger dimentions and more power than the iPhone and iPod touch

some updates mght take a while as they could be written as universal apps, and this does present some unique challenges

urban

iTrader: (1)

Your having a laugh surely?
Laptop less versatile than an iPad
Have you been on the drink fella?

RichB

I think if Jack used the word "need" instead of "can" he would not be far from the truth.
Let's face it, a huge majority of people just do email, surf the web and store photos.
It's damn good at that BUT it is not a cheap enough alternative. Lets not lose sight of the fact most of us in this section are geeks so it is only a supplement to the rest of our collection of gadgets gathering dust somewhere...

SirFozzalot

I had a play with one at the weekend and I was very tempted.

I've got a laptop as my home pc and I can see where the iPad would be very useful and I reckon I would use it more for internet browsing than my laptop just for the ease of use especially on the move.

I don't have a flash phone with internet access, just a simple Nokia 6300 (supplied by the company so it's free ) for calls and texts.

If I go over to a friends house or travel on a train or stay at a hotel for a weekend or even went on a short break in the UK, I could see myself taking and using the iPad, but I don't think I could be bothered taking my laptop in the same situations. I don't think it would replace my laptop completely but I can definitely see that's it's something I would use.......quite a lot.

The reason I didn't buy one?..........I think it's a bit too expensive for something that will realistically just give me internet access on the move.

.....I may change my mind though!

StickyMicky

Loads of things you can use it for.

http://jesserosten.com/2010/ipad-velcro

Tenby

iTrader: (1)

lmao

P1_BEN

Well I have just sold my macbook pro as I have had my ipad for about a month now and the macbook hasn't been touched, note I do have an iMac which does any heavy duty stuff and acts as my media server etc at home.

For the netbook view I appreciate this is just as good as the ipad bar the form, it's not instant on in the sense the ipad is, the battery lasts no where near as long, it's not good for reading books on the train. It is not as quick as the ipad, i've had to rebuild my parents samsung nc10 several times. In a summary it's a compromise on what a tablet is in a media consumption sense. I've given up with people that don't get it and just explain to them until you've used it for a few weeks you won't get it.

I also appreciate it's not for everyone but the £300 difference I got back on my macbook makes it good value for me.

Also feel free to substitue iPad for tablet as this is a big step forward and a matter of time till there are more players in the same space.

JackClark

I've been using one over the last few days and have now found the cash to buy one when I get home. It's as good as I thought it would be and a bit more.

Markus

You're going to have empty pockets soon Jack, first an iPad and then the iPhone HD when it's announced next week at WWDC.

Gilesdwrc

Got it, it!!

Using the web is so easy and intuitive, as an e reader indoors it's superb and the only thin lacking is coming soon; Multitasking.

More Ipad apps please , trying to use I phone apps scaled up is'nt brilliant but full web browser makes several defunct, so who needs a facebook app when you have the full facebook site?

Gilesdwrc

BTW, Now need powered USB 2.0 hub as (and I know its sad) My Iphone, Wifes Iphone, Ipad And freecom hard drive (Time machine) draw to much from the existing ports on our mac!

BTW; Did I mention I quite like Apple products?

JackClark

I'm going to have to stick with my3GS for a while Marcus, oh the sacrifice.

Motion-X HD GPS is a game changer for a couple of quid. One of the apps that I just can't emulate on my Macbook. It's great on the iPhone, stunning on the iPad. Lacks tracking but I'm sure that'll arrive in an update.

SirFozzalot

Had another play with one at the Apple Store today.

The more I play, the more I want one!

Just in case I did go for one has anyone got any advice or opinions on the services from the different 3G dataplan suppliers? (O2, Three, Orange and Vodafone)

jowl

I went for 32gb wifi only, reasoning that i'll get a 3 mii (3G wireless router) so i can use that from several devices when and if I need 3G.

3 looks the cheapest and most people i talk to who use it are very happy

RichB

We're considering that option too, anyone know of a provider where you can buy say 5gb of downloads and just keep topping up where the credit doesnt run out of after the month....

JackClark

I used Pages and Numbers today, better than I expected and my expectations were high.

Documents in emails - which is where the majority of my active documents are - can be opened and edited, I wasn't sure on this one so was very happy when it worked... easily.

Saving to .PDF is a top level option, I invoice using PDF's created in a spreadsheet so very happy with that.

My wallet is flexing again.