iPad usefulness?
in [UK Mac]
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From: Chris Ridd on 31 Mar 2010 15:55 On 2010-03-31 20:25:35 +0100, D.M. Procida said: > Secondly: a netbook? Dear me. They're *so* 2009. -- Chris
From: Peter Ceresole on 31 Mar 2010 15:58 J. J. Lodder <nospam(a)de-ster.demon.nl> wrote: > > Do I get Sigourney Weaver with that? In that case I wouldn't even mind an > > AGA. > > With Sigourney cooking? With her, would I care? -- Peter
From: Graham J on 31 Mar 2010 16:05 "Peter Ceresole" <peter(a)cara.demon.co.uk> wrote in message news:1jg7mqv.pwouoiody9ygN%peter(a)cara.demon.co.uk... > My sister in law (in Geneva) is talking of buying an iPad. She's never > owned a computer before, except for an old terminally slow PC laptop > that had belonged to her son in law, which I set up for her to work on > dialup; it worked, after a manner of speaking, but was dreadful and she > never used it. > > She's not interested in computers at all, just wants to have email and > be able to shop and buy railway and airline tickets on line. > > I was thinking that she should have a basic ADSL or cable connection, > with a Wifi router. Presumably she won't need a real computer as well, > like for intance people who have AGAs but also need a real cooker to do > anything useful. > > However, thanks to Steve, the iPad is crippled by not being able to run > Flash. In spite of this, is she going to be able to do her shopping etc > when using it? > > Reading Bella's experiences with Safari on the iPhone, it makes for > slightly gloomy reading. > > This is for Quite Soon Now, not in some misty future when everybody has > converted their sites to HTML 5. Should I be advising her to forget it > for a few years? For a beginner, the idea of using a tiny screen and virtual keyboard is a non-starter. Further, if she's old enough to have son-in-law, she probably needs reading glasses, and without them any sort of PDA is virtually unuseable. First, she should be convinced by her own personal experience of the benefit of having email and buying tickets on-line. Every on-line shop I've ever used requires a large screen (to see what is going on) and handy scraps of paper to keep notes - it's really only possible to do it sitting at a desk with plenty of peace and quiet. Then probably she requires a phone line and a comfortable headset so she can ring the helpline and get them to talk her through the inadequacies of their website, while using both hands to drive the computer and make notes. With lots of experience then a PDA becomes practical. So start with ADSL, a router which you can configure to support a VPN, and VNC so that you can provide the necessary training. -- Graham J
From: zoara on 31 Mar 2010 17:11 David Kennedy <davidkennedy(a)nospamherethankyou.invalid> wrote: > Jim wrote: > > On 2010-03-31, Peter Ceresole<peter(a)cara.demon.co.uk> wrote: > >> Woody<usenet(a)alienrat.co.uk> wrote: > >> > >>> Unfortunately it is hard to answer that one at the moment as the > > > > iPad > >>> isn't out. There is a risk that you won't be able to update it > > > > without > >>> plugging it in, but until someone actually has one, there isn't a > > > > way to > >>> say for sure, everything is just speculation > >> > >> Okay, thanks Woody. I was wondering about updates if she didn't > > > have > >> another machine, but I presume that Apple will have sorted that > > > out, as > >> the iPad is much more of a 'computer' than an iPhone, and people > > > are > >> much more likely to have it as their sole device. > > > > While that is true my gut feeling is that it _will_ be treated as > > being a > > big iPod, and it _will_ need a host machine to be tethered to for > > updates. > > > > That would be a BIG own goal for Apple. I'm sure that, as in Peter's > case, many non computer users will be attracted to the device; either > as a type of net book and organiser or in lieu of a Kindle etc. or, > most probably, as a combination of these things. If Apple require a > computer to keep things up to date then this will [IMHO] reduce sales > considerably. Also; it will mean people will buy it and return it when they realise they can't use certain features. > There are already people who see that side of it as a drawback with > the iPhone as there is really no reason for the device to be tethered > to a computer. One possible reason is that they won't want to cannibalise their (presumably more profitable) Mac sales. -z- -- email: nettid1 at fastmail dot fm
From: Rod on 31 Mar 2010 18:03
On 31/03/2010 14:44, Woody wrote: <> > > I suspect not external areas, no. But that is just speculation, there > are no file explorers on the iPad simulator! > > iPad simulator? You got one? I was just working my way through this rather large thread in case someone had mentioned such a thing. In common with several other posters, I have been considering an iPad for my mother - who is really feeling that computers have passed her by - or should that be the other way around? Actually playing with a virtual iPad would be an excellent way to start evaluating it - and maybe even providing longer term support. -- Rod |