iPad woes.

Thema Allgemein | Karl Geiger | 30/01/2010 | 12:01

So the iPad is here. I still have a Newton and I love portable devices so why do I feel not only let down, but actually bothered?

Letdown

This is the letdown: From the looks of it the iPad is essentially an iPod on steroids. (The Economist calls it an iPhone on steroids but the iPad doesn’t make calls.) It’s smaller than a standard netbook which is great; it’s also not much prettier than a standard netbook which is not so great. And even though I understand that the iPad has this black bezel around its screen to prevent the users’ fingers from touching the screen as they push the iPad around in their lap when typing, I find it oooog-ly. (Google Spider: That spells “ugly”.) Essentially I feel let down because there is nothing new here. (And I’m not tempted by the books. I vastly prefer a thick paperback when I’m on a plane to a device that I can’t use because it’s run out of juice, or because the airline company has kindly ordered me to shut it down as it’s 10 minutes to landing).

I really feel let down by:

  No multitasking. I can’t listen to internet radio when I write an email.

  No file access. Whatever I am working on, I have no clue where those files are stored on the system and whether I’ll be able to access them at all. For instance, photo sync on an iPhone is via iPhoto on a Mac. Sync settings are cumbersome to get to. No drag and drop. Very complex and ultimately a joy killer.

  No customization. Well, there’s a little – I can re-arrange the icons on the home screen and change the background image. But I can’t even change the buny “reminder” sound for a calendar entry.

Others are bothered by other things (cf. Gizmodo’s list of things that suck about the iPad).

But what I’m really bothered about is who has control over my device.

Bother: Total Apple control.

Today we have an iTunes Music Store (which incorporates a Video Store), an App Store, and we’ll have a Book Store soon (presumably incorporating the News Store); for file synchronisation, email, online calendar etc we have me.com. I’m beginning to wonder when we’ll have a Search Store, a Photo Store, a File Store. Everything on the modern iDevices (iPod, iPhone, iPad as iPposed to iBook and iMac) is at the mercy of Apple. If Apple decrees a particular piece of software unworthy, it will not happen.

For example, this is happening with Flash support. There’s just no way for an independent developer – or for Adobe – to develop Flash for the iPad if Apple doesn’t like it. For whatever reason. Maybe because Steve’s digestion wasn’t good that morning. I’m no great fan of Flash but I don’t want to wait for Apple and Adobe fo finish comparing the size of their dicks.

I love my Mac for various reasons, one of which is that I own it. It’s mine. I can do with it what I want, including install another OS on it.

The iPad – as the iPhone – feels like someting borrowed from the public library: I can use it but I don’t really own it. Only in this case the public libary isn’t public at all.

This is getting a bit scary. So for the moment at least, count me out as regards the iPad.

 

(Und det habick nu wieda allet uff Englisch jeschriehm weil Guhgl det sonst ja imma noch nich lesen kann.)



  1. Andreas Steffan
    30/01/2010 | 12:12

    thanks for your insights, Karl.

    You may be aware of the fact that I’m in no way a fan of Apple at all. Right now, my girl friend is seriously considering to get an ipad (she already has an iphone). Maybe your post can hold her back. ;)

    cheers Andreas

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