I'm a bit surprised no-one has opened up this topic, must be because Australia is ahead of all you yanks : )

SO Apple has finally produced a ‘tablet-mac’.

Bit disappointing really, all I can see it is good for is surfing, emailing, playing games and watching movies…
in other words, a toy, not a tool.
With a 1GHz apple-made processor, using it for any kind of art production would be agonizing.

A shame really, because the years of begging for a tablet-mac was carried out by the ‘creative’ Mac users, illustrators, graphic designers, musos, etc.

Even if the processor was powerful enough, you can't use a stylus on the screen… it remains to be seen if the trackpad is sensitive enough to allow ‘drawing’ with a finger.

With the only ‘serious’ competitor for ebooks, emags, and the like being the archaic ‘Kindle’, which does not even have a colour screen!… I predict the iPad will be a huge seller, especially after the popularity of similiar ‘toys’ like the iPhone and iPod.

It will be great for comic producers like ourselves… the beautiful sceen will make even ‘ordinary’ comics look great.

Come on DD… write an app for it.

What do you guys reckon?

I think the BW screen on the kindle is because it's a slightly different kind of screen- much lower power and with a clarity closer to the resolution of paper which is much higher than a hi-def screen and essential for reading for long periods without eye-strain. I could be wrong though :)

As for artwork, I think I remember reading that there's some sort of painting app for the ipad? That could be interesting.

Mostly it seems like a slate tablet netbook, with a bit less ability than a netbok. I'm sure there'll be a niche for it and apps available that will turn it into something useful, but it's not quite there yet.
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Now I havesome more time to write…
So far, in comparison to currently available tablet and sate computers (of which there are many), the ipad doesn't stack up. Those are computers made for work, productivity, entertainment, all the rest of it. The ipad isn't that kind of device though as far as I can see. It seems to be just some sort of media viewing/internet device, like you suggest. In most ways it's the same as all the others in the current crop of neutered netbook style slates coming out- stripped down operating systems that are optimised for the web and entertainment media and handle all their applications through a browser based OS…

It's Apple's netbook.

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So what do you guys think of the current trend toward disposable, less able computers?
It's true at for a lot of the time all you want to do on a comp is simple stuff like media viewing, web browsing, writing e-mails or writing docs or something… But while these smaller computer devices are nice and light, portable and convenient to use, they are all very flimsy and without any endurance. That's why I still have most of my PCs as desktops- not only do they last many times longer, are far more reliable, their components are easily replaceable.
The difference between netbooks.smartphones, laptops, and desktops is like the difference between a sub machine gun, a light machine gun, and a heavy machine gun: While the first two are fairly portable, they will not stand up to any rough extended use. The abilities of the devices decrease with their size and you sacrifice reliability for portability- even when the desktop is older, it will still out perform a newer laptop (in terms of work flow) during extended regular use.
To go back to my analogy- that's why the military still use much older heavy machine guns along side much later light machine guns. :)

The Kindle and many of the new e-readers use “E Ink” screens. They are much better for reading for extended periods of time and there's no glare. It's like you're looking at a printed page. And it doesn't need continuous power for the screen so a single battery charge lasts a long time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_Ink

Unfortunately, colour E Ink is still a ways off. There is one out there though it's not available in North America and it's rather crappy because it takes a few seconds to redraw the screen.

For reading a novel, I'd still go with a Kindle over the iPad to reduce eye strain. But then again, I'll probably never buy either of them.

Several years ago, MadTV came up with their own iPad.

Every time I hear that name, it's all I can think about D:

—

But regarding the actual product, I think the reason the iPhone was so popular was partially due to its portability. Not everyone can carry around a laptop to check email or get driving directions, but they can certainly carry a small phone.

The iPad threw all that out the window. What's the point in carrying around a minimal-feature iPad over a laptop that weighs and takes up roughly the same space?

cartoonprofessor
“mac”

“playing games”

lol

hahahahahah. mac sucks !!! im using iphone to check out DD rite now. the only reason i use it is cuz it can go in my pocket. its very difficult to draw on iphone but i did manage to make a few comics before i got a headache. http://www.drunkduck.com/Coming_Soon/

I personally like the Mac in general, not the company as it's moved away from what it was originally, but all corporations eventually do that.

I think this iPad will be fine 5 or 6 generations down the line, just like the iPod. I held off on the original iPod because I didn't want just music and I wasn't in a hurry, and this year I was choosy and picked up a 5.5 gen iPod, as I can't stand the new ones (to many hardware/firmware limitations for my taste on the newer ones, and they took out the Wolfson Dac soundchip and replaced it with something else.)

This is a novelty-sized iPod touch. There is honestly no difference except the size. I'm pretty sure this is the dumbest idea Apple has ever had.

I could talk about how it's an oversized IPhone without the phone. I could talk about how it has the same computing power as a netbook. I could even talk about its ridiculously high price. But I won't. Instead, I will make the obvious connection for all us artists here:

A giant touch pad without the power to use a decent drawing program? What the fuck?!

ozoneocean
As for artwork, I think I remember reading that there's some sort of painting app for the ipad? That could be interesting.

I've had a painting app on my iPod Touch for a while and it's a lot like fingerpainting, though you're able to make some nice stuff with enough patience.

Really, I think it's ridiculous that they didn't include a stylus and pressure sensitivity. They sacrificed what would have been an incredible artist's tool for what it is now, a glorified media consumption device good for little more than games and video.

Eh. Looks useless as an art tool. It's a shame Apple is ignoring our share of the market.

I think the real strength of it is that Apple has been trying to get some significant market penetration on university campuses. The iPad is more or less their way of expressing interest in the e-book market. Combine those two angles and you have the potential for Apple putting a fair amount of weight on textbook publishers to increasingly release e-versions of their books. Even though it's not useful to us as artists, I'd be willing to bet the ripple effects will have an influence on academia over the next decade.

Okay, this isn't a cheaper Cintiq. I keep seeing webcomickers post stuff how they are disappointed, as if that's what they somehow thought it was going to be.

That being said, it's a bit underwhelming. I have a smartphone, My wife just bought me an e-reader (I read a lot of books) and I have both a PSP and a Nintendo DS. All of those can fit into my pocket or pockets, and all do individually what the Ipad does on one device.

It's big and awkward and really unecessary, granted those gadgets I listed above are unneccessary as well, but still … :)

And you also have to pay an additional 15 to 30 dollars a month to really get the most out of the Ipad. And it only runs one app at a time?!

As of right now, not for me.

zaymac
Okay, this isn't a cheaper Cintiq. I keep seeing webcomickers post stuff how they are disappointed, as if that's what they somehow thought it was going to be.

Yeah, but it's so close that taking the extra step would have actually made the thing apply to another market demographic and would have opened up opportunities for sales. As it stands, it really seems to be essentially nothing more than a less useful, underpowered Cintiq with the computer in the same body as the screen.


Now what gets me rolling is something I saw on NPR's website. There was a post-coitus level glowing article about how this thing is going to revolutionize and save the comic market via easy digital distribution and how it might spell the death of comic book stores as it would result in comics being downloaded directly from the publisher.

lba
As it stands, it really seems to be essentially nothing more than a less useful, underpowered Cintiq with the computer in the same body as the screen.

Nothing at all what so ever to do with or like a Cintiq in any respect. the ipad is just a touchscreen netbook.

Which is way more than a Cintiq is. A Cintiq is just an LCD monitor with a highly accurate digitizer system in it and some interface buttons for your computer on the sides. The Cintiq isn't a computer, it has to hook up to a computer to work.

Artists wanting the ipad to be a Cintiq are fools. There are powerful slate and tablet computers already out there with actual Wacom digitizer technology built in that are way, way, WAY better as art machines than a stunted browser OS one app at a time netbook could ever be. Even with all the apps in the world.

That's not to say this ipad is bad at all, there are just way better art slates already out there.

I was trying to get at the fact that it's basically just an excuse to have an overgrown touch screen that's only half as effective as it could be. Maybe I shouldn't have used a Cintiq as an example of that, but I did mention the difference of where the computer is located. I know you need a computer to go with the Cintiq, but that doesn't change the fact that the Cintiq is still a hell of a lot more effective a use of touch screen technology. Regardless, it doesn't change the point I was making, that the Ipad is a lame duck compared to it's competition.

I think the iPad is brilliant. The START-UP price is only $499. That will come down but it's already cheap enough for many. The price for UNLIMITED data is $30 a month, cheaper than any other plan I've seen. It's 4g and will be able to stream HD movies.

It's the size of a sheet of paper, is only half an inch thick, weighs less than a kilogram, and has a 10-hour battery life. What netbook, laptop, whatever, has specs like that?

Carry it with you in the car, take it into the bathroom with you, write while you sit in the yard, surf the internet at the dinner table. It seems very versatile to me.

This is the ultimate consumer electronic device. Books, TV, movies, maps, YouTube, comics, iTunes, draw on it, surf the net, and it runs all the iPhone apps. Unless you want to make hard copies of things (on paper or disc), you would need nothing other than an iPad to fully participate in the culture.

All schools should have one of these for each and every student and load each iPad at the start of the schoolyear with the textbooks the student will need for that year.

Companies should have one for each new employee and load it with everything the employee needs to know.

There are no moving parts (no keys, no disc drive) so the iPad should be relatively sturdy, as long as you don't hit it with a hammer.

Portability? It's a lot more portable than a laptop that weighs twice as much and has half the battery life, but less portable than a cellphone.

Anyone who has a bookbag or a briefcase will find it completely portable since it's only a half inch thick.

I'm looking forward to owning one…

I can not comprehend the depravity that the human soul must sink to in order to purchase this product.

LOOKIS
Gush.

Whatever. There are tablets and slates out there you can do all of that with already and ones coming out that are not only cheaper, and similar dimensions, they also have superior specs and they're NOT closed systems- meaning you can do a LOT more with them.

Like ALL Apple products, the device is nothing but a pretty face, there are always competing devices that are the same or better. The important thing is the Apple culture behind it- They will give it a great deal of support, unlike others who tend to only half heartedly support their products before moving to the new thing.

The device is not that great, but you can probably expect Apple's back end to make it a pretty useful thing, not least because they have a massive amount of fanatical brand followers and media pull to draw public attention for long periods of time to whatever they want.

lba
the Cintiq is still a hell of a lot more effective a use of touch screen technology.

The Cintiq is a better art tool, yes, but it's not a touch screen. It's just a digitizer that requires a pen stylus to work.

The only thing I've ever liked about Apple is their OS, and even that is buggy sometimes (though it beats the hell out of my Windows experiences, that's for sure).

Other than that, I could care less about Apple (I'll take a CD player over an Ipod anyday).

I'm a little bored with the idea, personally. It doesn't seem like anything new or original, but I could be wrong. I'm guilty of the Apple craze myself, being the very satisfied owner of an iPhone. :/

The name is atrocious. Someone needs to fire the genius who came up with that.

boooo
apple and it's new menstrual pad

also that name was already used by an madtv spoof. stupid apple.

I for one think it would have ROCKED if it was more like a Cintiq. That doesn't make me a fool. I can imagine taking it where I currently take my sketchbook, only instead of a finite number of sheets I'd have great digital tools like Photoshop and Painter.

Sure there are already existing alternatives, but they don't have quite that form factor, functionality, or price that the iPad does. TabletPCs have always felt delicate and cumbersome to me, but the iPad looks sleek, light, and sturdy. On the other hand, at least with a TabletPC I have my choice of non-Apple operating systems.

The iPad is a giant iPod Touch that you can't take jogging or put in your pocket. I think its appeal is mainly for people who like reading things in color and don't like watching video on a small screen. That's a legitimate market but I'm just not part of it.

Wow… and here I thought it was the next big thing in bra technology… O_O

Seriously though I hope they improve on it. It'll save me the trouble of lugging around a laptop to keep all my digitized drawings in…

There will always be people who laugh at Apple.

And there will always be people who enjoy the Apples.

In the beginning it was Apple vs IBM PC's. Have you seen any IBM desktops in the stores lately? They had to abandon home computing. And companies like Dell, HP, and eMachines don't innovate. They just mass produce computers from existing designs.

When Apple dropped the floppy drive from their computers, everybody snickered. Now try to find a computer with a floppy drive.

If you can't trust Apple to find a new direction, then who can you trust?

And this Cintiq vs iPad comparison is pretty lame. Last time I checked, a Cintiq as big as an iPad cost several thousand dollars plus you would have to lug a computer around with it. The iPad is $500 now and maybe eventually $300.

If people can draw beautiful art with MSpaint and a mouse (some actually do - check YouTube) then I think there will be people who can draw with a finger on an iPad. Art is about art, not about whether your crayons are exactly a centimeter in diameter. But we'll see what happens. In a few months we'll know whether anybody can draw on an iPad or not.

Heehee, it sounds like I already own an Apple, but I don't. They're too expensive for me. I use a couple of cheap PC's. But now the iPad is priced right. I'm going over to the other side. :D

LOOKIS
Heehee, it sounds like I already own an Apple, but I don't. They're too expensive for me. I use a couple of cheap PC's. But now the iPad is priced right. I'm going over to the other side. :D

The iPad is not a computer. It can't even multi-task, it's just a big iPod touch.

There is literally no use that this machine has.

Bleagh, yet another stupid Apple product with annoying media hype. Madtv is lame.

Lookis
Gush more

lol!
The Apple effect is not innovation.
The Apple effect is hype.
ie. Once their version of an existing product comes out it blinds everyone to the existing ones that were pretty much the same. That happens because they are a big company, with mass appeal.

It happened with the imacs - similar alternatives abounded
It happened with the Mac Mini - again, similar machines had been around a while
It happened with the ipod - mp3 players were everywhere and most were pretty good.
It happened with the iphone version 1- People completely forgot the LG prada touchscreen phone had been out for ages already and named the iphone the first touchsceen phone.

There is nothing new, interesting, significant, or stand out in the device. You completely miss the point of it! :)
The device is just the medium, what will make it in the market is how Apple will support it and how the masses will also support it simply because Apple is a mass appeal company.

Apple is the MacDonalds of PC makers- everyone knows them, and 3 or 4 sizes fit all comers. But they'll make sure your burger always tastes the same wherever you are and their toilets are always clean.
Want fries with that?

(Like MacDonalds in ubiquity and uniformity, not price. Although, they are not all that expensive comparatively and certainly not the top end of the market)

Hawk
Sure there are already existing alternatives, but they don't have quite that form factor

Oh, they do Hawk, indeed they do.
Apple has a reputation for great aesthetics in industrial design. That's not entirely deserved. All they do is simple minimalism, and that's pretty easy for anyone to do when they get a brain and stop adding ugly useless lines, corners and buttons everywhere. You can find small, pretty slate tablets if you look (and I have, for years), the trouble is that they don't have the mass appeal of the Apple company, so it's not as easy to know about them.

You could do a simple Google http://images.google.com/images?source=ig)

There's even the JooJoo (formally the Crunchpad) that's been available for pre-order since December
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en I have nothing at all against Apple. They are a fine large PC and software company. I've often used Apple computers in my working life and found them adequate.
I do however have a problem with the ignorance and fawning that surrounds the brand.
P.S. –I'm not calling anyone here ignorant or fawning, I'm just saying those things tend to surround the Apple brand.

I have 5 Apple keyboards at home that I use for all my Windows PCs because I like them the best out of all the alternatives.. :)


Here is a very unoriginal and derivative poorly drawn cartoon I just drew to show the situation:

Ozoneocean
Here is a very unoriginal and derivative poorly drawn cartoon I just drew to show the situation:

I've seen cartoons exactly like this one before but this one - I like the presentation, packaging, I don't have to go looking for it, it's kind of user friendly looking and your name does have a certain cache.

Yep, you've given us something totally new here, completely raising the bar. The way people interact with cartoons will change forever and even if you don't keep it up, there'll be a host of long running imitators waiting to step into your shoes.

Ladies and gentlemen - the O-Toon.

the O-toon is a Game Changer !!!

As a long-time user of macs AND Cintiqs… I would love (as would many others) to be able to use a stylus and a decent drawing program on one of these.

I reckon in about two or three generations this will be possible… maybe.

Apple, like Wacom are very protective of their technology (the fact that you cannot view Flash on the iPad is an excellent example of this).

The Modbook is another example, a touch screen in place of the keyboard on a Macbook pro with wacom tech, I thought one of these would be fantastic (I even have a reseller license for them here in Australia).

However, I haven't even bothered trying to sell them. Wacom will not give Axion (the company making them) the tech to go beyond 512 levels of pen sensitivity, nor angle recognition. PLus a huge price $3500 and up.

I know it will never happen, but imagine what sort of tech gadgets we would have if companies shared their technology and did not fear each other as competition.