[DUG] Apple iPad - OT

Thu Jan 28 15:26:18 NZDT 2010

This is still just anecdotal and not research.  Your child learnt the
iphone cause she spent more time on it than your pc/laptop.

I don't have an iphone but I have a 2 year daughter.  She turns on my
computer speakers, and she uses the mouse to click lots of youtube icons
on my desktop so she can watch row row row your boat and the like.  Be
it pc or iphone I don't see how it can be intuitive to them as they have
no reference point to go on - it is simply that they are shown it or
spend time figuring it out which they do a lot faster than us.

Good luck to anyone that buys a IPad for their <5 year old.  Sure they
will be able to figure it out after a while and have great fun with it -
until they drop it, put it on a wet table, stick things in the plugs,
spill drink on it, rub food on it, leave it for the baby sister to use
as a teething toy.

Even for myself these items are just are not rugged enough to use as
carry round devices.  The convenience of having an IPad lying around my
house for use when needed is mitigated by the fact that I have to be
careful with it.  I cant just leave it lying on my couch. Ill satisfy
myself with walking to one of the nice big LCD screens around my house
like my tv and using the power of a full computer from there..

cameron

From: delphi-bounces at delphi.org.nz [mailto:delphi-bounces at delphi.org.nz]
On Behalf Of Kyley Harris
Sent: Thursday, 28 January 2010 2:43 p.m.
To: NZ Borland Developers Group - Delphi List
Subject: Re: [DUG] Apple iPad - OT

That sounds like a lot of rubbish without reasearch. 

My Child is 4 now. when she was 2 she learnt to use my iphone to scroll,
navigate and take photos. 

she has learnt to type on my iphone. She is now 4 and can also use the
movie and music player..

All of this was through intuitive use of the interface. She can still
only just log into her $600 windows XP Laptop, and move the mouse, but
she cant do "ANYTHING"

Open your mind a bit to the fact that there are DROVES of people out
there that dont need/ want or do what you want to do with a computer.
I've used my iphone for 2 1/2 years now and the interface is excellent.
email is quick and easy and I dont need to goto my computer most of the
time. Day to day calendar tasks, and now mapping and getting phone
numbers is far easier than a desktop. 

Most people don't need all the crap a modern desktop provides, or for
the 90% of their use would rather have the iphone or tablet and sit at
the desk on the Box only for a minimum of use.

I have plenty of Laptops, cheap, expensive, large, small. my children
cant use any and they are a PIA to open and close all the time to use in
a car (as a passenger etc etc)

There is and always will be a good use for this kind of technology. My 4
year old will be using that tablet in about 10 minutes flat and happy
and productive on it. I will happily use it on the couch for email, and
browsing and in bed so that I dont overheat and screw up my laptop and
my knees.

There is a time and place for every product. Just like I dont have 1
knife in the kitchen I  dont expect one computer to do everything for me
either.

How many people commenting about iPhones and iPads and saying their
little cheap laptop is better actually own both? and have used both for
considerable time (ie months)? I have.. I've used and owned just about
damn near every geek tool there was and wasted a fortune. the iPhone is
an exceptional tool, and I think the iPad will be revolutionary..

the Google phone is a piece of junk to use in comparison.

On Thu, Jan 28, 2010 at 2:32 PM, Jolyon Smith <jsmith at deltics.co.nz>
wrote:

> for a large chunk of the population it could replace
> laptop/desktop.  Many people just use computers for
> web/email and some casual gaming.

... and managing their music collection, organizing/uploading photos,
videos
etc etc ...

If people only wanted a device for the limited things you suggest, then
in
the days even before email/the web etc were things that people might do
at
home on a PC, the *home*computer* would never have been supplanted by
the
IBM PC.

As for the iPad itself, anything that requires more than trivial text
input
(like, emailing, naming/tagging/describing photos etc) is going to be
unbearable on an iPad unless you attach a keyboard (sold separately) and
a
"mount"/stand (also sold separately) to hold it at an angle whist you
type,
at which point you've negated the mobile appeal and added to the cost.

The "middle space" is defined by "devices not adequately equipped for
general purpose use, but not small enough to be carried in your pocket
or
used handheld for decent periods".

There *is* a "space" defined by such devices, that's for sure.  But is
there
any real *use* for such devices?

At the price point likely to be hit by the iPad, it's not going to be
much
more expensive to "step-up" to a device that does everything an iPad can
*and more*.

But yes, the iPad will sell in droves.

Just as Avatar has sold a metric bucket-load of tickets despite the
overwhelming view being that the story is pedestrian, obvious and in
many
ways boring, but YOU HAVE TO SEE IT COS IT'S SOOOOOO COOOOOOOOOOOOL !!!
WOOT
!!!!!

Colour me unconvinced.

(coming soon the "Google tablet" ... even COOLER THAN AN IPAD!!!  Cos
it's
like, ya know, an iPhone which is like, WAY COOL **AND** IT'S GOOGLE,
which
is like, ya know, even WAY WAY COOLERER!)

(and yes, it'll be WAY COOLER even if, technically, it actually sucks,
cos
Google don't do evil <pant> <pant> <drool>)

_______________________________________________
NZ Borland Developers Group - Delphi mailing list
Post: delphi at delphi.org.nz
Admin: http://delphi.org.nz/mailman/listinfo/delphi
Unsubscribe: send an email to delphi-request at delphi.org.nz with Subject:
unsubscribe

-- 
Kyley Harris
Harris Software
+64-21-671-821

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://listserver.123.net.nz/pipermail/delphi/attachments/20100128/d99c1daa/attachment-0001.html 