iPad

[Nubbins]

Tyson, what the shit, man?  Do you have one of these things yet?  I need the deets, yo.  I figured you'd be first in line for one of these things.  They look incredible and I want one and I want to hear all about them and maybe if I put it on my Amazon wishlist someone will buy it and mail it to me.

[Matt]

Wait a couple years for the better and cheaper models. Early adopters of Apple products always pay out the ass for something not as good.

[Tatertots]

Actually, don't wait for the 2nd generation, wait for the 3rd generation, because that'll be better than the 2nd generation. Actually, no, just wait for the 4th generation because it'll be better than the 3rd generation. Or, you know, just get one now and touch yourself with it.

But yes, it's amazing, especially for the price. And when iPhone OS 4 comes out, it's going to be even more amazing with the multitasking and other new features.

I don't have one, because I'm too busy buying hookers and burning money to light my cigars. But I want one. Mostly it's the appeal of having a 1.5 pound device that can play video for 10+ hours, for me. Everything else is icing on the cake.

The apps available for the iPad are just amazing. That's the big draw.

[Tatertots]

People who say you should wait for better models always amuse me. Dudes, new, better shit gets released *all the time* for *everything*. Of course there'll be a better version next year.

Are there people still holding out on an iPhone? "Oh, man, the original, the 3G, and the 3Gs were cool, but the *next* one will be even better. Wait for it. Don't get duped into getting something that'll be outdated in fifteen years."

[Nubbins]

Yeah.  I just went to the store and looked at the display models.  Figures that there isn't an iPad in stock anywhere in Atlanta.  They are cool as shit, for sure.

It's funny, because shit like the iPad will eventually make our laptops obsolete the same way laptops basically destroyed desktop computers.  You're right... having the ability to carry what, basically, is a computer in a slim little package like the iPad is just awesome.  I definitely want one.

Of course, after reading reviews and stuff, it doesn't seem like there's any real practical reason for me to want one.  My laptop does everything the iPad does, and more... my Droid even has some features that are far more practical than an iPad, but it is tiny and slow and not nearly as beautiful.  It seems like the iPad is tailored to people who watch tons of movies and television on their computers or on the go... which is not a feature I will get a whole lot of use out of... or maybe I would if I just had the right device for it.

Definitely a cool little piece of equipment.  I'm kind of surprised that it doesn't have a USB port or some kind of flash drive.

[Tatertots]

The iPad, also, is a computer for all the people who aren't tech elites like us. It's so simple to use. There's no task managers, force quitting, bizarre upgrades, settings panes with millions of obtuse options, weird bugs, or virii. There's no arcane keyboard commands or dense collections of unorganized menus to navigate through.

For most tasks, it takes everything that stands in between you and what you want to do, and removes it.

Sure, it's absurd to people like us that the iPad be considered a computer but, what the fuck, do computers have to be impossible and arcane? If I get one, I'm getting it for my mom. She'd love the crap out of it. It would make her internet life so much easier.

[Tatertots]

As for USB ports and flash drives, I think it's much like what Apple did with the floppy drive. It's time to do away with the crap that ties you down. It's time we finally took everything wireless. USB is getting replaced by Bluetooth, thank god.

[Matt]

Nah, I really want a USB port and if I wait two generations I think I have a good chance of getting one.

[Tatertots]

Nah, I really want a USB port and if I wait two generations I think I have a good chance of getting one.

You don't know Apple. Apple hates two things: cables and buttons.

If you want a USB port, you're better off looking elsewhere. I hear the Joo Joo's only "really" awful, not "incredibly" awful. But it has a USB port!

Why would you want a USB port on an iPad, anyways?

[Nubbins]

Yeah, I mean... I guess you don't have a USB port on an iPod and I use mine with my computer all the time.

For me, the only reason to wait would be that there have to be models with larger hard drives on the way.  I sort of feel like... what good is a bitchin, portable multimedia player like the iPad if it only has 16 or 32 gigs of space?  The 64 might be the best option, but it's $699.

[Matt]

...and that's why you wait for 3rd generation.

[monkey!]

Or buy every generation.

[nacho]

If I had the money, I'd leap on one now.  That Netflix app has me swooning.  I can watch Hercules movies at top volume on the train while dressed like a baby!

[Nubbins]

Oh shit, son!  Sony enters the fray!

The Sony Dash

[monkey!]

The "Dash" looks like it will be a piece of derivative shit, and so much for HP's Slate.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20002773-64.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

The notion of the Slate as a Netbook sans keyboard gained some ground Monday amid reports that the Slate does not compare favorably to an Apple iPad.

And one of the core specifications is the Intel Atom, a minimalist processor that runs a Windows operating environment only adequately, if not less-than-adequately, depending on what the user is doing.

HP would be wise to make sure consumers--and reviewers--have realistic expectations.