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Nassifer · Mar 3, 2011, 04:50 PM

What did you expect and did not see, and what will make you wait for iPad 3 ?

The Godfather · 07:17 PM

No unlimited 3G for $30/month.
No 128GB.
Probably locked to AT&T and Verizon in the USA.

subego · Mar 3, 2011, 05:22 PM

Originally Posted by Nassifer

What did you expect and did not see, and what will make you wait...

No preorder.

MacinTommy · Mar 3, 2011, 05:51 PM

The biggest disappointment is the only justification I have to buy one is that I would use it as an "in-between" for my iMac and iPhone... no other real solid justification to purchase one.

mduell · Mar 3, 2011, 05:51 PM

Resolution (not even HD...), flash memory (16GB lol), RAM (512MB lol).

The Final Dakar · Mar 3, 2011, 05:56 PM

Not disappointed, really. I'll probably hold off til retina, but other than the 3G pricing, no complaints.

ort888 · Mar 3, 2011, 07:59 PM

I would have liked to see a storage bump, more RAM or a price drop... but I'm still jumping onboard the iPad train next week.

Most of my iPad "disappointments" have to do with the OS and will hopefully be addressed with iOS 5.

Phileas · Mar 3, 2011, 09:16 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

Resolution (not even HD...), flash memory (16GB lol), RAM (512MB lol).

How would more RAM make your user experience better?

mduell · Mar 3, 2011, 10:39 PM

Originally Posted by Phileas

How would more RAM make your user experience better?

Usable multitasking? Safari could stop dumping my tabs?

Honestly, I'm asking for a $500-800 tablet to include more than $3 in RAM and you're putting up resistance? A 0.5% BOM increase would go a long way.

imitchellg5 · Mar 4, 2011, 12:12 AM

I'd hold off judgement until people get the iPad in hand.

Big Mac · Mar 4, 2011, 12:36 AM

Originally Posted by mduell

Honestly, I'm asking for a $500-800 tablet to include more than $3 in RAM and you're putting up resistance?

Why do you assume his question was negative? He appeared to just be asking why you want more RAM.

Spheric Harlot · Mar 4, 2011, 01:22 AM

Originally Posted by mduell

Usable multitasking? Safari could stop dumping my tabs?

This is the first sensible point I've seen in support of the clamoring.

Well made.

I suppose that applies to other apps as well - I remember the discussion about DJay ending at the conclusion that, as long as RAM constraints mean that it will crash occasionally, it can merely be treated as a toy.

That implies that RAM does need to be plentiful enough to no longer be relevant.

OTOH, the more you add, the more you encourage developers to bloat their crap.

Phileas · 08:53 AM

Originally Posted by mduell

Usable multitasking? Safari could stop dumping my tabs?

What makes you think the current implementation of multi-tasking, which sucks, I agree, has anything to do with RAM constraints? RAM is cheap, really cheap these days, if lack of RAM would be the problem, Apple would have solved it by now.

This is a UI design challenge, not a hardware challenge. Personally I hope Cupertino will pull their heads out of their butts and copy WebOS for this.

I am not in any way against more RAM, but lack of horse power doen't seem to be the problem.

Wiskedjak · Mar 4, 2011, 07:22 AM

Originally Posted by The Godfather

No unlimited 3G for $30/month.
No 128GB.
Probably locked to AT&T and Verizon in the USA.

If I remember correctly, the original iPad isn't carrier locked in the US.

turtle777 · Mar 4, 2011, 07:38 AM

Originally Posted by Wiskedjak

If I remember correctly, the original iPad isn't carrier locked in the US.

Correct. I see no reason why they would change this.

-t

Nassifer · Mar 4, 2011, 05:08 PM

I guess I would have to say the lack of a reader slot, and maybe USB

RickP978 · Mar 4, 2011, 05:35 PM

How about the lack of a management system for owners of multiple iPads. If schools want to deploy units with common apps, Apple should offer some type of device that would allow a gang of iPads to be charged and sync'ed effeciently. Who knows, maybe Apple will have a "solution" for the ISTE conference in June.

ibook_steve · Mar 4, 2011, 05:59 PM

Crappy cameras. According to Wired, the rear facing camera is just about as bad as the rear-facing camera on the new iPod Touch, which sucks (believe me, I know; pictures are horrible on mine). Why is iPhone the only iDevice getting the good camera love?

Steve

AKcrab · Mar 4, 2011, 06:19 PM

To those clamoring for a USB port... What for??

okboy · Mar 4, 2011, 06:28 PM

The biggest disappointment was the lack of a single T-Mobile/AT&T/Verizon model. I'm in Canada, and the iPhone is a huge hit. I think the iPhone is more popular here than anywhere in the world. This is probably partly due to the fact that the phone works on the 3 major networks. I think Apple should be working to recreate this situation in the U.S., where they actually are having trouble with their Android competitors. But most importantly, there is a new network in Canada that uses the same frequencies as T-Mobile. So I could easily have used the iPad on my network of choice in Canada with a universal iPad. But I think it probably came down to cost for Apple. Why spend the extra money to create a device that will work on more networks when most people might never switch networks anyway? Then again, how much will it cost them to have stores sold out of AT&T models, but still have Verizon ones in stock? That'll mean customers leaving the store empty handed, or worse, going to get a competitor's tablet (ok, yeah right).

As for Thunderbolt, I don't think it makes sense for iPad. Thunderbolt devices should have 2 Thunderbolt ports so they can be daisy-chained. But what happens when you want to unplug your iPad from the daisy-chain? You'll lose the connection to your Cinema Display or external hard drives. Plus, the added space of 2 ports, the internal chipset, plus the cost... just not worth it for a speed boost where you don't much need it.

Apple has to balance size, weight, cost, and the ability to ship in the tens of millions, so when you wrap your head around that challenge, it's honestly a marvel that they can do what they have in just a year.

TheTylerDurden · Mar 4, 2011, 08:44 PM

Originally Posted by RickP978

How about the lack of a management system for owners of multiple iPads. If schools want to deploy units with common apps, Apple should offer some type of device that would allow a gang of iPads to be charged and sync'ed effeciently. Who knows, maybe Apple will have a "solution" for the ISTE conference in June.

Apparently Apple needs to do a better job promoting this solution. It does exactly what your asking for.
Apple - Education - Labs

exca1ibur · Mar 4, 2011, 10:29 PM

Originally Posted by Nassifer

I guess I would have to say the lack of a reader slot, and maybe USB

This has been available for a while, also

Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit - Apple Store (U.S.)

Wiskedjak · Mar 4, 2011, 11:24 PM

Originally Posted by exca1ibur

This has been available for a while, also

Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit - Apple Store (U.S.)

Only crippled. The sd card adapter is read-only, and only for photos.

exca1ibur · Mar 5, 2011, 12:15 AM

No surprise there. I was more referring to the USB port which will work with any card adapter.

There are third parties out there as well too.

3-in-1 iPad Camera Connection Kit

Wiskedjak · Mar 5, 2011, 08:36 AM

Originally Posted by exca1ibur

No surprise there. I was more referring to the USB port which will work with any card adapter.

There are third parties out there as well too.

3-in-1 iPad Camera Connection Kit

Sure, but that too is crippled to photos and read only.

P · Mar 5, 2011, 08:49 AM

Originally Posted by Wiskedjak

Sure, but that too is crippled to photos and read only.

Read only doesn't bother me, but can't it read movies from the SD? Can they be read by an app that is not Apple's standard fare?

LeoNobilis · 07:32 AM

- Ridiculously low resolution!

- Inanely limited storage!

Who on Earth would take a 16 GB iPad serious! I received one (first generation) as a gift half-a-year ago, and sold it the next week.

I wouldn't consider an iPad with anything less than 128 GB onboard storage (the utmost minimum for me at this point) and a 2048 x 1536 pixel screen (or, better put, 300 PPI or more).
Ideally, a dual input iPad (i.e., supporting a Wacom pen (or similar, battery-free operated and comprising the rest of Wacom Intuos properties, such as pressure-variable input, etc. - for serious work - and capacitative touch enabled for regular use). I know, Apple is too obsessed with housewives, newborns and seniors to even consider a device for professionals' needs, but 128 or more on-board storage and a 300 PPI screen isn't much to ask for at this point, is it? Bloody snails. Steve Jobs apparently prefers a ninety gram weight reduction to a proper amount of display that doesn't disappoint.

awrc · Mar 5, 2011, 10:22 AM

The people complaining about the amount of RAM are missing an important point (especially in regard to the perceived cost of the RAM). All RAM on the iPad (and presumably on the iPad 2) is part of the A4 (A5 for iPad 2) system-on-a-chip.

Basically the guts of an iPad are:

One A4 system-on-a-chip
Two NAND flash memories
One Broadcom comms chip
One TI touch controller
Not much else

The A4 contains not just the CPU and GPU but also the system memory. The iPad version of the A4 has just 256MB on there, the iPhone 4 has 512MB. The A5 presumably has 512MB also, but squeezes in a dual-core processor and a newer GPU.

Look for a Xoom teardown to compare it with - lots more discrete components including an external memory controller and two DRAM chips - the memory is off-board.

It's a trade-off - the A4/A5 minimize component count, which helps lower production costs. However, there's only so much you can squeeze onto a die. The Xoom uses the Tegra 2, which balances things differently - off-chip memory, but the Tegra 2 does look to have rather more graphics oomph (although it's always difficult to compare PowerVR deferred rendering architectures with other graphics cores). More components generally means higher manufacturing cost.

They're *both* only going to get better with time. If you can't live with 512MB, buy a Tegra 2 based device with 1GB, or wait for the iPad 3, by which time they may have been able to shrink feature size, letting them squeeze more memory on-chip, or they may have both on-chip and off-chip memory.

As for the reason the 16GB iPad exists - I'll admit that one puzzles me a little too. I'm torn between thinking it's the "Look, I've got an iPad, I'm cool, but I don't actually use it for anything much" crowd who've got Angry Birds and not a lot else installed, or that it sells well in those environments where the iPad is essentially being used as a portable glorified POS (intended acronym = point-of-sale, not the other one :-)) terminal, spending most of its times running a single custom-written app.

Have to say, though, that while I've got a 64GB iPad, and probably more apps on it than I really need (hey, everybody needs to try every notepad app available before discovering that none of them do it all) and I've barely scratched that. Mine's strictly home use, and at the moment the largest chunk of memory is used by music. However, even the 64GB won't come close to holding my whole CD collection, so the wireless home sharing in iOS 4.3 means I'll probably *remove* locally stored music from it and just stream from my iMac. With the music gone, everything I've got in the machine easily fits in 16GB.

If/when I get an iPad 2, it'll be 64GB again, though. Just in case.

Brien · Mar 5, 2011, 10:31 AM

Originally Posted by LeoNobilis

- Ridiculously low resolution!

- Inanely limited storage!

Who on Earth would take a 16 GB iPad serious! I received one (first generation) as a goft a half-a-year ago, and sold it the next week.

I wouldn't consider an iPad with anything less than 128 GB onboard storage (the utmost minimum for me at this point) and a 2048 x 1536 pixel screen (or, better put, 300 PPI or more).
Ideally, a dual input iPad (i.e., supporting a Wacom pen (or similar, battery-free operated and comprising the rest of Wacom Intuos properties, such as pressure-varioable input, etc. - for serious work - yet capacitative touch enabled for regular use). I know, Apple is too obsessed with housewives, newborns and seniors to even consider a device for professionals' needs…

Wow, really? They might make an iPad like that for $5000. (Or in 2016.)

Sorta reminds me of the people that bitch that iPod doesn't hold 1TB. "But I need all of my media on me at all times!" Not gonna happen.

And FYI, not ragging on you. I wish you could draw on the iPad too. But considering a Cintiq is $1000 for the low-end model, I can see why Apple hasn't gone that route.

Spheric Harlot · Mar 5, 2011, 10:54 AM

Originally Posted by awrc

As for the reason the 16GB iPad exists - I'll admit that one puzzles me a little too. I'm torn between thinking it's the "Look, I've got an iPad, I'm cool, but I don't actually use it for anything much" crowd who've got Angry Birds and not a lot else installed, or that it sells well in those environments where the iPad is essentially being used as a portable glorified POS (intended acronym = point-of-sale, not the other one :-)) terminal, spending most of its times running a single custom-written app.

There's an AWFUL lot of people who have no more maybe a hundred CDs (probably the vast majority, in fact), and a couple thousand photos, if that, and no more.

Add to those the professionals who use the iPad for on-the-road connectivity - how many gigabytes does a portfolio take? Probably few enough to have plenty to spare for en-route entertainment.

Also, a price sweet spot at $/€500.

exca1ibur · Mar 5, 2011, 11:37 AM

Originally Posted by Wiskedjak

Sure, but that too is crippled to photos and read only.

Seems it more of an iOS problem than hardware. They also have a power issue with running other devices. I found a this than can do a few more devices, but can't save as you pointed out, too. I wonder if jailbreaking the thing can give you the ability to write.

For me personally the USB/Card thing is a moot point. Beyond syncing it's not a bit deal to me. Any photos I need to edit will be done on my desktop or laptop with a larger screen and much better tools.

Wiskedjak · Mar 5, 2011, 12:42 PM

Originally Posted by exca1ibur

Seems it more of an iOS problem than hardware. They also have a power issue with running other devices. I found a this than can do a few more devices, but can't save as you pointed out, too. I wonder if jailbreaking the thing can give you the ability to write.

It absolutely is an OS issue and, you are correct, jailbreaking does resolve the problem. I suspect Apple would prefer we give *them* $100 to double the memory rather than do it through SD memory for half the price.

Originally Posted by exca1ibur

For me personally the USB/Card thing is a moot point. Beyond syncing it's not a bit deal to me. Any photos I need to edit will be done on my desktop or laptop with a larger screen and much better tools.

Indeed. It's not a big issue for most people ... yet. For me, however, I use my iPad at photoshoots, and it would be nice to be able to write my photos to an external drive for to back them up.

The Godfather · Mar 5, 2011, 01:24 PM

I'd like to bet a non-monetary something on the iPad2 comes locked to AT&T and Verizon.
My reasoning: no mention of it being unlocked means it will be locked.

turtle777 · Mar 5, 2011, 01:42 PM

Originally Posted by LeoNobilis

- Ridiculously low resolution!

- Inanely limited storage!

Who on Earth would take a 16 GB iPad serious! I received one (first generation) as a goft a half-a-year ago, and sold it the next week.

I wouldn't consider an iPad with anything less than 128 GB onboard storage (the utmost minimum for me at this point) and a 2048 x 1536 pixel screen (or, better put, 300 PPI or more).
Ideally, a dual input iPad (i.e., supporting a Wacom pen (or similar, battery-free operated and comprising the rest of Wacom Intuos properties, such as pressure-varioable input, etc. - for serious work - yet capacitative touch enabled for regular use). I know, Apple is too obsessed with housewives, newborns and seniors to even consider a device for professionals' needs…

Right, and all for $ 300.

Come back in 3 years.

-t

exca1ibur · Mar 5, 2011, 01:44 PM

Originally Posted by P

Read only doesn't bother me, but can't it read movies from the SD? Can they be read by an app that is not Apple's standard fare?

Yes will read movies of the SD card, not write.

Originally Posted by Wiskedjak

It absolutely is an OS issue and, you are correct, jailbreaking does resolve the problem. I suspect Apple would prefer we give *them* $100 to double the memory rather than do it through SD memory for half the price.

So true

Indeed. It's not a big issue for most people ... yet. For me, however, I use my iPad at photoshoots, and it would be nice to be able to write my photos to an external drive for to back them up.

Yeah, being able to hook up a portable drive for those types of users, I can see the usefulness. From what it seems like, they would rather have you sync to do 'backups'. These types of things are why it will never be a primary device over a laptop, in it's present form.

P.S. Makes more sense to just put an SD slot I agree and just let users worry about the storage space, but hey they wouldn't be able to sell new machines every year.

Spheric Harlot · Mar 5, 2011, 01:53 PM

Originally Posted by The Godfather

I'd like to bet a non-monetary something on the iPad2 comes locked to AT&T and Verizon.
My reasoning: no mention of it being unlocked means it will be locked.

doubtful.

Apple isn't twisting anybody's arm into offering and supporting the iPad. There is no need at all to sacrifice the SIM-freedom.

Andrej · Mar 5, 2011, 07:02 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

Resolution (not even HD...),

If you want HD video... get a television.

CharlesS · Mar 5, 2011, 08:03 PM

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot

This is the first sensible point I've seen in support of the clamoring.

Yeah, it's hard to imagine why people would want more RAM in a device that has no VM system.

Spheric Harlot · Mar 6, 2011, 02:55 AM

Which user has an idea of why he might need more RAM, let alone what VM is?

It's hard to imagine why any USER would think to care about something that costs money and they will never see the effects of, since all developers must work within those constraints.

The Safari reloading is a visible effect, and an annoyance.

As a developer, YMMV - obviously.

Big Mac · 06:56 AM

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot

Which user has an idea of why he might need more RAM, let alone what VM is?

Users who have some sort of technical inclination. Even though the iPad is a simplified and limited computing device, that doesn't mean the only people using it have simplistic understandings of computing technology.

Spheric Harlot · Mar 6, 2011, 06:24 AM

No. But those are so tiny a minority (that's probably better served by full computers at this time) that Apple isn't aiming for them at all.

mduell · Mar 6, 2011, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by Andrej

If you want HD video... get a television.

Doesn't fit in my travel bag, battery life sucks.

Big Mac · Mar 6, 2011, 02:45 PM

But do you really think an HD screen is necessary in a product that size, mduell? What resolution are you expecting? I know a lot of people were seriously expecting a doubling of the resolution and were setting themselves up for obvious disappointment.

turtle777 · Mar 6, 2011, 03:11 PM

People simply don't understand: currently, there is NOT enough manufacturing capacity to make 20M HD screens that Apple would require for their iPad in 2011.

So, Apple had a choice: sell two versions of the iPad, one regular and one HD (at a steep premium), or wait till enough mfg. capacity is brought online to satisfy the demand for a iPad HD.

-t