What the iPad 3 really needs: fewer stupid articles about the iPad 3
As the iPad 3 gears up to smash the industry in the face, the internet is being pelted by articles that say—shock!—the iPad 3 is doomed! It’s rubbish! Its competition is about to nonchalantly zoom past, leaving Apple once again like it was back in the days when it didn’t have a clue.
This is all true. Especially if you ignore the fact that today’s Apple has a clue. And that the iPad has sold more rapidly than anything else Apple has ever released. And the fact competing tablets are selling poorly, bar the Kindle Fire, which is only currently available in the USA. And that everyone and his dog is writing an ‘iPad is actually rubbish’ article, because, clearly, there’s lots of interest about the iPad. BUT LET’S IGNORE ALL THESE THINGS, BECAUSE!
First up today with a slice of crazy: come on down, Eric Zeman for Information Week, with What iPad 3 Really Needs: Revised OS.
Apple’s iOS is starting to get a little long in the tooth. There, I said it. The overall look and feel of the operating system has not changed since its 2007 debut.
Users and developers love it when operating systems change in terms of look and feel all the time. They think it’s just great. And I agree with Zeman: now literally millions of people are familiar with and enjoy using iOS, it’s the perfect time to RAKE IN THE FACE! But, tell us, Zeman, what specifically should Apple do?
What would I like Apple to change? Well, I’m no design guru, but I am sure Apple has enough creative juices to turn out a more visually appealing operating system.
“Make the logo bigger!”
I’d like to see a sharper-looking operating system, with fewer curves and more corners. Not Windows 8-style corners and blocks, but something that has cleaner lines to it.
“Make it squarer, but not too square! Make the colours more—I don’t know—voguish.” (Every designer, everywhere: HEADDESK!)
The operating system could use some more features, but that will always be true of any platform. Things that iOS lacks that other platforms capitalize on? Widgets, the ability to control files/folders […]
Now that Microsoft has aligned the look of its PC, tablet, and smartphone platforms, it would behoove Apple to do the same.
“Hello? Doc Brown? I’m stuck in 2007, before the iPhone and iPad, when everyone thought an OS X tablet was the best idea ever! I can’t get out, and the DeLorean’s broken down again. HEELLLPPP!”
*zemanmighthavetomarryhismothersadface*
We need a new contestant! Come on down, Roger Cheng for CNET, with iPad rivals catching up: Can iPad 3 keep them at bay?
Apple should be blowing us away with the iPad 3, but it probably won’t.
Bold! Let’s hope you have a really good article that explains why this is the case and won’t just bang out a list of pointless specs that companies are using in a desperate attempt to differentiate their otherwise similar offerings and that consumers don’t care about, yet that tech pundits seem oddly infatuated by!
The latest rumors call for a higher resolution screen on par with the iPhone’s Retina Display, a possible upgrade to the iOS software, and possibly a few other improvements. That’s certainly enough to draw the Apple faithful and sell a ton of iPads.
SUB, PLEASE CHECK: DID APPLE’S 55+ MILLION IPADS ALL GO TO THE ‘APPLE FAITHFUL’?
But with the rapid advances that the competition is making, will it be enough to secure the company’s continued dominance in the tablet business?
SUB, PLEASE CHECK: DID STRAIGHTFORWARD IPAD 2 UPGRADE MAKE IPAD SALES FALL OFF A CLIFF?
So, Roger Cheng, please educate as as to what the iPad lacks, and what Apple should unveil tomorrow!
At first glance, the [Kindle] Fire’s biggest advantage is price. It’s hard to argue with a $200 tablet.
Price! The iPad is too expensive, which explains its lack of sales. *onlytensofmillionssoldsadface*
Sure, the specs aren’t the greatest, and it feels sluggish at times, but it’s not a bad experience for the price.
Everyone likes sub-standard experiences if they are cheaper!
Another key feature is the access to Amazon Prime and its streaming video service. Apple has iTunes, but it doesn’t have its own dedicated service for streaming video for a low flat rate.
Man, if only streaming video apps existed for the iPad.
The Kindle Fire also boasts its own custom Silk Browser, which is supposed to enable faster Web surfing through a cached architecture. It’s debatable whether Silk is that much better.
‘Debatably faster’ is always a good selling point, I find.
The [Asus Transformer] Prime uses Nvidia’s quad-core processor, which on paper means two more cores than the iPad’s dual-core chip
MOAR POWER! Everyone loves specs. Apart from consumers, who really couldn’t give a monkey’s about specs.
But the Prime’s best feature is its detachable keyboard, which makes it a virtual laptop.
Man, if only you could pair an entirely-optional-if-you-really-want-one Bluetooth keyboard with an iPad.
The tablet also has Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest flavor of Android meant to bridge the gap between the smartphone and tablet user interface. Only time will tell if that’s a true advantage.
‘Time will tell if this feature is a true advantage’ is always a good selling point, I find.
Say what you will about the 5-inch Galaxy Note, the [Samsung] Galaxy Note 10.1 is a tablet that makes sense. Its main advantage, like its 5-inch brother, is the S-Pen stylus, which works extremely well on the larger surface.
Man, if only you could get an entirely-optional-if-you-really-want-one stylus for the iPad. And if only people generally had ten styluses attached to the ends of their arms. And if only we weren’t in 2012, instead of the year poor Zeman is stuck in, when a stylus for a tablet still seemed like a pretty neat idea.
Of course, these tablets all have their share of weaknesses as well,
But we’ll subsequently ignore those entirely and won’t address them, because otherwise this article makes no sense.
but that doesn’t take away from the fact these features are ones that iPad users would certainly appreciate,
Every iPad user I’ve ever met has said they want a ‘debatably faster’ browser, features that may or may not be a ‘true advantage’, and an easy-to-lose, pointless stylus!
and indicate that gap between Apple and its rivals isn’t as wide as most people think.
Apart from in terms of sales. And profits. And usage. And quality apps. But none of these things matter if there aren’t enough cores or styluses on stage tomorrow. I HOPE YOU’RE LISTENING, TIM COOK!
While I fully agree with most of your article (I couldn’t care less about new features – the iPad 2 does all I want/need from a tablet), the one thing I disagree is the stylus issue: since I bought an Adonit stylus I can use the iPad to replace paper for just jotting down notes in a way that is not possible with one of the ten built-in ones. Maybe it’s been too long since I did finger painting as a kid. True, it is easy-to-lose, but for me it really made the iPad that little bit more useful. One of the few issues where I think Steve got it wrong.
What can I say about the stylus issue?
How about “It’s so pointless it’s almost spherical‽”
Fairly sure the Kindle Fire is available outside the US. In fact it’s the only Kindle I’ve personally seen up close!
Peter, you obviously haven’t ever used the Adonit one… unlike most styluses this does allow you to write with it like a pen.
[...] What the iPad 3 really needs: fewer stupid articles about the iPad 3 [...]
Our fingers are suitable for regular usage of the iPad’s UI and for most standard use-cases.
However, a stylus is suitable for writing while not looking at the screen (taking notes, while looking at people’s faces) or for sketching / drawing. Related to taking notes, I can also do that with a regular laptop keyboard, since I can touch-type, but I can’t do that while standing on my feet. For extra bonus, try doing that while walking and talking to people … with a piece of paper and a regular pen, that’s entirely doable.
People easily dismiss “older” forms of interaction with our computers, or other physical objects, but forget that these forms of interaction are optimized for use-cases people cared about.
This is why I think the iPad is cool for not having a stylus (not everybody needs one) but an optional stylus is a useful addition.
@Matthew: The Kindle Fire is only officially on sale in the USA right now; whether someone you know owns one is a different matter entirely!
For those wondering if there are interesting articles about what tablet computers should have, let me suggest this read:
http://ignorethecode.net/blog/2012/02/21/steal_webos_features/
Hi, I agree with you in everything but the stylus.
A stylus lets you draw over the screen like nothing else.
I’d really love an iPad with a stylus, and I’m pretty sure that Apple had been testing it for decades.
Technology is getting there, we need capacitive resolution improvement so you can draw with a pen, and I mean a real pen, not a “half an inch tip pen’, and hardware to remove the hands support.
Like the ebooks when S.Jobs said nobody read anymore but then release Apple books, or the 7” tablet that was not a good format(but Apple will release later this year), Apple is just waiting for technology to improve.
Something like this:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ipen/ipen-the-first-active-stylus-for-ipad
Apple is waiting too much for them, who knows, maybe they don’t want competition.
I don’t have much use for a stylus, but I agree with those of you saying it has it’s place.
** That’s why there are hundreds of models of styli you can buy for the iPad. ***
In fact I bought one the other day that goes on my keychain – for $5 – just in case I felt the urge to draw.
Now if only the iPad HD comes with a stylus, I’d upgrade. Wait, what?
I own several stylus and I use them exclusively for drawing. It’s like owning a wacom tablet: it’s usefull, but only if you need it, and most likely you don’t.
I do think iOS is probably the ugliest mobile OS out there. It looks a bit like it was designed by a 12 year old. “More gradients! And rounded borders! Wait, make those buttons look shinnier! And hey, this App should force you to move your eyes back and forth in uncomfortable ways! Why are those bubbles not shinnier on the top!”
It could be worse though. They could be adding woodgrain I guess:
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tuaw.com/media/2011/03/ical-mac-os-x-lion-1301604741.jpg
Then again, I also think Apple will eventually add a stylus to their phones at least because, lets face it, typing sucks on a touchscreen, and voice just makes you look like an idiot.
“Then again, I also think Apple will eventually add a stylus to their phones at least because, lets face it, typing sucks on a touchscreen, and voice just makes you look like an idiot.”
I find typing on a touchscreen fine, assuming the keyboard works well—and modern mobile systems are pretty good when it comes to auto-correct and amending hit areas to assist with what the next characters are most likely to be. I don’t really see a stylus being a boon for text input, beyond note-oriented scribbles, but them I can type faster than I can neatly write.
Sorry but IPAD 3 is useless. It can’t make coffee for me. I don’t a tablet that can’t do such a simple thing.
You can write and use your iPad or iPhone with a sausage. Raw, not cooked though. The raw meat works in the same way as your finger. So you can have a stylus and eat it too. Small sausages best for accuracy.
Hilarious and so true. Thank you.