iPad! iPad!
Posted on January 27, 2010 | 10 Comments
Apple’s big announcement finally came today and let me just say: ooh! Ooh! The iPad! Want! Want! Weirdly enough, out of all of its great features, I’m most excited by the news that the full-screen color edition of The New York Times will be available as an iPad app. How fantastic would it be to play the NYT crossword puzzle on the iPad? Just the thought of being able to combine my love of crossword puzzles with my love of Apple products gives me a ridiculous amount of nerdy delight.
Because I apparently live in a fantasy land in which I have copious amounts of money to spend on wonderfully exciting Apple products, I signed up to be notified when they go on sale, even though there’s no way that I’ll be able to afford one in the near future. Oh well.
(But oh, Steve Jobs, do you have to call it “magical”? The cheesiness! It burns!)
Relatedly, I’ve been feeling nostalgic for MST3K lately, and all of this Apple talk has made me think of this hilarious clip of Tom Servo and Crow having a Mac vs. PC debate back in 1991 (!!):
Aw, I love them.
Anyway: fellow Mac nerds, what do you think of the iPad?
Comments
10 Responses to “iPad! iPad!”
January 27th, 2010 @ 2:41 pm
I think it’s going to be great.
January 27th, 2010 @ 3:21 pm
I want one so I can make the background say “Don’t Panic.”
January 27th, 2010 @ 3:22 pm
System 7!! LOL! Some good memories there.
January 28th, 2010 @ 10:50 am
@Andrew Chalkley: I hope so! Not that I’ll be able to afford one in the near future, but I’d love one.
@Wallace Finch: OMG! I love you for saying that :) I hadn’t even thought of that, but it’s perfect!
@Ralph Torres: Ha, I love that Crow & Tom Servo were already having “The Debate” back in ’91. Aw, I love MST3K to bits
January 29th, 2010 @ 4:19 pm
Actually I find myself disappointed by the iPad. Apple is in a position where it can really drive popular technology and the iPad sets the bar quite low in terms of what an expensive ‘slate’ device can be capable of. It is really only good as a casual output device (as opposed to input — you won’t be writing many articles or emails on this thing, to say nothing of graphics and other potentially fun things tablet PCs have been capable of). So yes, sitting back and browsing the internet on a large screen is what it can do that the iPhone can’t. But that’s just about it in terms of what you’ll find yourself doing with it 99% of the time. So indeed, for the growing number of smartphone owners (iPhone, Droid, etc.) this new device truly adds very little functionality. There is room for a device like this but not much at its current price. Apple’s brand power may prove me wrong, but I will be waiting for a device that allows stylus input (capacitive screens don’t) with multi-pressure-level sensitivity and the ability to run a proper office and graphics design suite. Then I will be free of the burden of an actual laptop and use something like that as an exclusive portable device (besides a phone).
January 29th, 2010 @ 5:52 pm
@Sciros – have you seen Brushes? Have you seen the keynote? If you want to use it as an office device for typing you can get a physical keyboard for it?
Also “Capability vs Usability” is important too. I can’t express how right this device is – I think it’s at the convergence of capability and usability.
Have you seen Barry Schwatz and “The Paradox of Choice – Why More is Less” – http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6127548813950043200# – it’s pretty interesting.
I think the 10 hour battery life is more than adequate for an “office” day.
January 29th, 2010 @ 11:33 pm
If you aren’t already, be sure to follow @rifftrax, @BillCorbett, @kwmurphy, @michaeljnelson — I’m not sure if Joel is on Twitter. And be sure to see http://rifftrax.com , it’s the guys from MST3K doing joke tracks for new movies.
I think I still have my MST3K fan club card in a box from back when the show was on Comedy Central. And many super-long-play VHS tapes filled with the show. And DVDs.
Did you get your sidebar sorted out? It seemed to load ok for me.
Josh
January 30th, 2010 @ 2:58 pm
@Josh Timonen:
MST3K? Never heard of them. :)
January 31st, 2010 @ 10:39 am
@Josh Timonen: Thanks, Josh! :) I really need to check out rifftrax. I’ve been hearing about it for a long time but have never done so, for some reason. & I hadn’t even thought to look for those guys on Twitter, very cool!
Ha, I was in the fan club, too! And I wrote them at least two letters (maybe more, I can’t really remember) and wanted SO badly to have one of them read on the air. I have a bunch of VHS tapes filled with episodes too, and half of them say things like “MIRANDA’S MST3K TAPE! DO NOT TAPE OVER!!!” Hardcore! :) I’d like to find some of the DVDs soon, too. I miss watching it.
& Yeah, the sidebar seems okay now. I think I probably just have too many scripts running on this page. I get a little carried away with add-ons and such. Thanks!!
& Oh! You and @Wallace Finch should also check this out if you haven’t seen it/haven’t seen it in a while: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y7KB3avAk0 It’s “Alphabet Antics” and I used to watch it over and over again on my tapes before YouTube existed. I’ve seen it a billion times, but it never fails to bring the lolz
September 9th, 2010 @ 4:42 am