iPad Getting Schooled, Hospitalized and POS'ed

[Guest]

I hope it works out for schools; especially 6-12. I have painful memories of the 40pound sack I used to have to lug around.

 

[del35]

"I like how these exact pieces of hardware have been around for over a decade, and people only start noticing them when Apple makes one."

When the media unconditionally endorses what you do, that is what happens. Apple is the US media's child.

 

[del35]

"Because they spend oodles of money on marketing. How many TV commercials have you seen by Asus?"

Ummmm, is not only that.

Anyway, the good thing is that now the gullible technologically preliterate masses are aware that it is possible for a device to behave like an iPad. Now other devices that are already in the market will be noticed.

The other day I was reading the Chronicle of Higher Education and could not avoid noticing the hoopla they were making about the release of the iPad and how "it will transform how people learn". I could not stop chuckling at the thought of the sheer ignorance of the people penning those articles. Where were these morons when other devices came into the market? Also, why do they suddenly feel impelled to suggest that Apple is transforming education, when all they did was steal and repackage technology?

 

[wicko]

[citation][nom]applerocks[/nom]And what planet do you live on? The hardware in an iPad hasnt been around for decades. Perhaps the idea of a touch screen has been around, and even some examples may have been around for a decade, but to say a quote like this is just ignorant.Im not saying Apple invented everything in the iPad, but they where the first ones to put it all in an working tablet device, write on OS that was designed to run on with a touch interface, put it in a box and ship it and market it.You can make all the excuses you want but NO ONE, else has achieved this before. There have been attempts, but to be successful you need ALL of the parts above, not just hardware with great specs that doesnt really work! (HP Slate, Microsoft Courier)I also love how people look at the estimated hardware costs to build an iPad and forget how many millions of man hours where invested in R&D to get to the point of shipping a device. That number is unknown, and is probably a HUGE cost that has to be amortized back on each device thats shipped.[/citation]

C'mon, don't act like the iPad is some revolutionary device. It's a bigger iPhone. While I agree that the hardware costs are not the only costs Apple has to cover, you're making it seem way too grandiose.

 

[del35]

This moron needs an education:

"Im not saying Apple invented everything in the iPad, but they where the first ones to put it all in an working tablet device, write on OS that was designed to run on with a touch interface, put it in a box and ship it and market it."

 

[zoemayne]

3G sucks...... 3G is low bandwith...

 

[cletus_slackjawd]

another reason businesses my be interested..Apple isn't a fly by night company, and will more than likely stay in business for the foreseeable future. Makes sense to feel secure (from a business standpoint) in investing in ipad (training, hardware, inventory) when you know the product will be around and supported for a healthy length of time. Plus, many employees will already be familiar with handling it. The same reasoning is why the military likes the Iphone.

 

[nukemaster]

[citation][nom]omikron48[/nom]LOL Read the title wrong.Thought it was "iPad Getting Schooled (taught a lesson), Hospitalized (sent to the hospital) and POS'ed (do I even need to bother?)...[/citation]

 

[omikron48]

[citation][nom]cletus_slackjawd[/nom]when you know the product will be around and supported for a healthy length of time.[/citation]

Maybe as a series, but tell me... what's the average time between iterations of Apple products?

As an institution, is it in your good interest to invest in a product that will most likely be quickly replaced with a better one just as you finished paying for the one you just got? Wouldn't you like it better if you got the better one right from the start instead of having to wait for the iteration where they deem to finally include something that they already had a long time ago?

 

[hngton]

the bottom line is, apple haters will hate any positive news about apple's products, while apple fan love do the opposite

 

[joebob2000]

[citation][nom]mj4358[/nom]True the have been around for yrs but the cost was $20,000 for a Point of sale system compared to $ 2,000[/citation]
This is beyond the point; the cost of the POS systems is in the software. If they are saying they can magically make software for the iPad for 1/10th the cost that does the same thing as a traditional POS system, good for them, but it's complete BS. Saying that they couldn't do it on old systems for the same amount is a lie, they simply think it's easier to market since it has an apple logo on it.

 

[pluripotent]

Having worked in restaurants a lot, I can tell you that managers will not be thrilled about buying every single waiter their own personal iPad, and it would significantly increase the cost to the waiter if they had to provide it themselves.

But it would almost have to be something the waiter provided themselves, because if the restaurant bought them, they would grow legs quicker than the stylish pepper shakers and flatware.

This has been possible ever since PDAs, but is yet to catch on. And the most likely reasons are the above.

 

[chunkymonster]

[citation][nom]Pyroflea[/nom]I like how these exact pieces of hardware have been around for over a decade, and people only start noticing them when Apple makes one.[/citation]Also, those previous tablets did not offer up to 10 hours battery life (4 hours real world at best) neither did they have the usability and overall functionality of the iPad. Regardless of how people feel about Apple, they deserve props for the iPad, the interface, ease of use, and OS.

An example of the latest and greatest non Apple type tablet for industry would be the Panasonic Toughbook tablets priced at $3500 which do not have the application support, ease of use, or overall appeal of an iPad. The Panasonic tablets are niche devices to meet industry specific needs which require money and resources to develop specialized applications. And, fuhgitabowdit if you are a non-windows non-Microsoft shop because the Panasonic tablets come preloaded with Vista Business. Don't get me wrong, the Panasonic tablets are nice machines, however given their price tag and lack of comparative 3rd party application development and support are just not pragmatic for companies without the tech support and resources to operate and maintain.

Heck, if a non-profit company, hospital, or small business can buy iPad off the shelf and develop an app for minimal costs that meets their needs, I say more power to them and props to Apple for providing a low-cost platform.

 

[omikron48]

It's a Toughbook, emphasis on "tough". Of course it costs more since it caters to a different requirement. I doubt an iPad can survive what a Toughbook can. Does an iPad's internals and features even come close to what a Toughbook has?

 

[xatrusx]

The iPad is a large iPod Touch, however it has been noticed and very successful. Ppl can jeer at it and complain how un-revolutionary it is all they want however you have to look at it from all points of view. It's well constructed, fast, and extremely usable compared to...well nothing I have seen can really compare (Unless you are looking at the iPod Touch or iPhone). A touch screen netbook might be able to run all kinds of software however they are all so SSLLLOOOOWWWW and the build quality is typically (not to be read as ALWAYS) sub-par. Ultimately, if you don't like it, don't buy it and feel free to come up with an idea that is plausible enough to build at a reasonable price. HP has attempted however they seem to think their idea was leading to failure - presumably due to an OS issue. Finally, I am sure that you will eventually see some better slate type devices come out, however the only reason they will be better is because they will have something different to live up to...the iPad.

One more thing, I've read a couple of posts mentioning how a device very much like the iPad has been released in the past - feel free to educate us what those devices were.

 

[brianmoz]

u bitter techies are sad, this thing is awesome, usability and critical mass is more important than specs

 

[SlickyFats]

10 hours of battery life sucks in hospitals since they generally run 12-hour shifts.

 

[omikron48]

Usability and critical mass? Sure, if you're not looking to use it for anything serious...

I doubt the same can be said when the requirement is number crunching. There, it's the specs that are at the top of the list. Your statement is lacking.

 

[anamaniac]

I tried convincing my math teacher (he was busy with the schools budget) to buy a small calculus class tablets as a test project, he decided not to.
I actually think he will now, just because it's a Mac. He loved wasting school money on Mac products. Why buy the school 100 cheap laptops when you could buy only 20 instead?

 

[brianmoz]

ok huge number crunching is too much
if it wasnt useful and an opportunity then businesses schools and hospitals would not be getting it. You are acting like the world is stupid because they want to use this as a tool and they dont "get" the specs. be practical. technology needs to fit life, not the other way around. my dad actually can use these things...that is an accomplishment