skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
That is exactly what I thought. I would have loved to see iphone apps running like widgets. Keep them the same size, but give me three or four running at the same time!
Yep. The Gizmodo pages look a little overly enthusiastic to me, but I'm betting that this is going to tempt my friend. She is quite non-technical and one of the reason's she has been considering a Mac is to get away from the malware that has caused her work provided Windows PC to be wiped and reinstalled four times (she never asked me for help with it; too bad).

http://i.gizmodo.com/5458341/ipad-keyboard-dock-because-even...

http://i.gizmodo.com/5458292/the-apple-tablet-is-here-and-it...
Not to mention all of the carpenters in history that have built wooden shelves.
because we want an OS with extra functionality like background apps/etc? Especially the netbooks w/3g capability you can get subsidized.

Does this add options to the market? Yes. Is it a game changer? Not even close.
Because some of us, actually want a computer with more power than the iPad, or because the App store is a bad idea for end users and developers, or because some of us use netbooks and smaller laptops as our mobile coding machines when this thing doesn't even have a keyboard.
To be fair, the original iPod was pretty lame.

It worked fine, but it wasn't especially cheap and it only worked with a relatively late model Mac. And in 2001, this meant something like 95% of computer owners wouldn't be able to put any music on it.
One of those guys was hired by Apple a long time ago.
They most certainly could be related. If you had a few background apps doing something, such as playing music while browsing the web, that would take more clock cycles. Even something like a native twitter app running in the background could be pinging twitter several times a minute, obviously requiring power to do so.
The iPad will support the Apple Bluetooth Keyboard, as well as VGA output from the dock connector. This could be interesting.
I would assume so, unless T-Mobile uses a different GSM freq from international carriers. They don't want to have to make separate hardware for the international market.
This was my thought as well. Any one know about push?
What emotions? Let's see. No camera. AT&T craptastic 3G for another $130 and $30 a month. (My OSX Dell Mini is paired with my Sprint blackberry for wireless at no extra charge!)..and iPhone OS. As I said, this is NOT a tablet Mac. I can't run Office on it. I can't run Adobe stuff on it. It's a big iPod Touch. Underwhelmed.
Only read half so far, but so far it's interesting.

It's NOT just a return to Malthus and Ehrlich, although the latter is cited several times as a sort of parallel. Even so, I think they miss the point of why Ehrlich lost his wager with Simon. While it's true that prosperity is helped by constant increases in manpower, it's not the biggest factor.

Our climbing prosperity is primarily due to improving know-how. And barring really extreme circumstances, we're not going to forget the technology that has allowed us to feed more with less work, and other feats.

That technology will still exist into the future, and because IP isn't rivalrous (claims of Disney and RIAA notwithstanding), it'll be available the whole world.
I don't agree with your assertion that China is this manipulative siren and the googles and microsofts of this world are naive innocent suitors.

For all the talk of corruption, censorship, and privacy, the Chinese government is surprisingly transparent at the macro level.

Gates and co knew going into China that the government will not budge regarding issues that even remotely threaten their political legitimacy. This point extends itself naturaully to the economic arena as well, as it forms the foundation of CCP's legitimacy for the past few decades.

So all the IP frou-frouing in your post seems off-the-mark to me, not to mention that blatant copying can be found in really any developing economy. Before the rise of China, recall that the centers of piracy were in HK, Taiwan, and Korea. Innovation is derivative and when you can't you copy until you can.

This is a natural phenomenon of economic growth.

Anyways thanks for trying to be at least more nuanced in your analysis, instead of casting blame only on one side.
I'm mainly surprised at how quick people are to post their opinion on a device they've only seen demoed on a stage.

It seems like you'd have to try to read some things on it, type, and surf the web before you could have an informed opinion about how useful/useless it is. I'm looking forward to reviews by people who have had a chance to spend a few days with one of these things.
because we need a USB port?
Absolutely right; however, I'm trying to think about a large segment of consumers... I see no justification for buying a PC unless the user is a professional who really is tied to a particular workflow.
Yeah, I also though about that although I'm not sure using a wooden shelf is that revolutionary / unique. But then again, stranger things have been patented and trademarked so perhaps the Delicious Library guys might have a case.
Early iPad reaction: "It's just a giant iPod touch"
Thinkpads used to have IPS displays (FlexView). Lenovo stopped offering them as they could not procure a reliable supply.

http://lenovoblogs.com/insidethebox/?p=75

They did look considerably better:

http://www.notebookreview.com/assets/13263.jpg

http://www.notebookreview.com/assets/10884.jpg
Pure speculation, but I wonder if they got that $29.99 unlimited plan out of AT&T with no contract in exchange for keeping the iPhone exclusive...
I was personally hoping for a new user experience. I want a tablet like Microsoft's Courier prototype. It's a book, which can easily be held with one hand. You interact with it in fundamentally different ways than both a phone and a laptop. It serves an entirely different purpose.

The iPhone works because I can operate it with one hand. They effectively took the iPod Touch and scaled it up... this left me underwhelmed. If anything they should have made the tablet just a laptop without a keyboard... at least then I could dev on it.

The thing that made the iPhone stand out was that it was a completely new way to interact and use such devices. It gave phones a level of power that previously did not exist. People were comparing the iPhone to other phones. People are going to compare the iPad with other tablets/laptops and realize how limited it is.
he was hyping the iPad

Where?
IPad to hit Australia before April?
Nope!

I think for what it can do and the price points, its a really well thought out device. I had a dell mini 9 maxed out (2GB/64GB SSD) with 10.5 to supplement a portable mac and i sold it in less than 2 weeks! It was too cluncky, crappy keyboard (even with the upgraded int'l one), tiny trackpad... it couldnt stream netflix.

This device on the other hand will be an ebook reader. Better than the kindle or the nook. I think its similar to many of the android based tablets that were announced at CES.

Portable surfer, already has iphone app support.
Can give presentations with a vga out too?
I think its pretty spot on.
Congrats to apple for yet another well thought out gadget.
And no, im not an apple fanboy but I do appreciate a well thought out product.
Some jailbroken firmwares out there already support backgrounding.
A backlit LCD ebook reader? I guess you enjoy headaches.
The update on ye olde population hysteria seems to be this: Erlich thought there would be too many people. He was wrong, but he didn't distinguish between people. The real problem will be that will be too many of the wrong kind of people ... foreigners mostly.
There's a kindle reader for iPhone, right? Won't that work on the iPad?
True - is it possible that they will allow digital cameras etc to be plugged in the way they used to with the iPod USB digital camera link? This was my first thought when they showed the Photos app.
Because netbooks are cheaper, have a physical keyboard, and offer much more flexible use cases? Not to mention many, many, many, many more available apps?
If this thing can store and play arbitrary video files (to the limit of Quicktime's capabilities) and gets an app for Netflix streaming, I actually think it'll be extremely useful for me in that I can finally separate my entertainment machine from my work machine. It looks like it's only MPEG-4/H.264 friendly, but that may be enough if that becomes the standard. (Letting it somehow play DVD's--even with just a "DVD dock"--would be helpful as well, but I have a laptop fully capable of converting DVD's into H.264 anyhow.)

My suspicion is that next year's iPad will be the one to push the concept over the top for me. Though it's already compelling as an ebook reader and part time laptop replacement, one more iteration will seal the deal.
I wasn't sure what "launch" meant. At first I thought it was submitted to news sites and blogs and twitter automatically.

I can see the confusion there, yes, thank you. I'll have to brainstorm a bit on that, because that first line is obviously most crucial..

A list of current secrets is coming in a bit, don't you think though that they would be too out of context to appreciate?

At least my initial idea was that I share something valuable with a few friends. Of which maybe just 1 or 2 finally wind up being able to read the message (due to timing, interest). It seems to me that because it was shared among friends, and because you have to wait, and for it to become a limited resource, is what creates the additional 'value' here.

Just playing around with it myself, sending little secret messages out to friends, has been really interesting. The ones that time it right kind of 'nod' back in a we-two-now-share-something-secret kind of way, where the ones that missed it, go nuts because I won't tell them now.

For the UI, thanks, I always wanted to make a textarea HUGE.

I think the name works in favor of what the thing does. Luckily it was available.
There were quite a few hw related problems with early iPhones, off the top of my head, 3G issues, battery life, screen tint (not sure if that one was device or firmware related), touch screen dead zones.
After seeing the iPad, I wonder if the JooJoo (CrunchPad) will even make it to the market.
I found that really odd. As pre-scripted as their demoes are, why would they use a page with that?
They are going to sell a lot of these. Game changer.
Someone can make an accessory webcam.
I use my netbook mostly to write small web server applications in Ruby and Python.

This device is not "for" me.
I saw that it has bluetooth, but I haven't seen anything about it supporting the Bluetooth keyboard... source? (Or does the bluetooth keyboard work with the iphone now?)
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/sale-trade-wanted-items/1436...
I like it...but it's a USB client rather than a host. That's a hard pill for me to swallow. I suspect I'll be getting a competitor's model with somewhat inferior aesthetics and for maybe $100 less. I admire the product (and especially their pricing, which was a surprise) but it doesn't arouse real gear envy for me.

TBH I was hoping for haptic feedback and a webcam, or host connections that would allow it to work as a generic console for other devices - which would have driven the entry price to $800 or more, but felt really revolutionary. Apple will do well out of this, but the competition is coming up a lot closer than with the iPhone, where it was unarguably the best of its kind for a long time.
Where's the "I'm waiting for a decent android tablet" option?
It's not that important actually. iPhone is a locked system hardware and software-wise. Whatever chip it's using now or in the future hardly matters.

On the other hand, adding these in the laptops might be interesting... But I don't think they are in a hurry to switch architectures so soon.
Yeah, but a good number of people don't know how to jailbreak their devices or simply don't want to do it. So, I am talking from their perspective.
No, it's the result of lazzyness of "journalists" who don't want to do research and come up with real content by themselves.
Every iPhone and iPod Touch ever released has had background apps running at all times to provide services like e-mail. How do you think the iPod mode on an iPhone works? It plays music while you're browsing in Safari by leaving an app running in the background. Email notifications? App running in the background.
Panache, my friend ;)
Makes me think of the comparisons people are constantly performing. If you see someone else exert self-control, you can do so while your inherent cognitive comparison functions deduce that in doing so you are not "doing worse" than the other person; you are not missing out on something that they are getting.

Also, in comparing, you may see the abstention of the other person as advantageous. For example, if weight gain is a consideration, that other person's abstention helps them to control their weight and -- at least by current, U.S. society's evaluation -- improve their appearance. You may then be motivated to do the same, so as to not compare poorly to them in terms of physical appearance.

Further, I'd argue that what's in front of you has the most immediacy. When you directly confront these situations, they have a stronger influence than when you have knowledge of them but are currently separate and alone. Advertising may overcome this in part by saturation. If the saturation is sufficient, then furthermore, you are never far from its immediate, real-time influence.
Things i wanted in Apple's iPad (tablet)
In the short run? Flash Player.

If your browser doesn't support Flash, you are still getting a more fragmented web experience than the person running Windows XP on her $250 netbook.
Processor is always a harder to produce part and there is only handful of suppliers. Not true in case of screens, batteries, may be also memory.

Why they choose their own product instead anyother? May be its better, at just 1Ghz 10" interface is super fluid. 10 hours of video on single charge. And owning supply chain doesn't only mean more profit. Now they control features and tweak chips to their own needs much more easily.
Sure, and the iPod is just an MP3 player, and the iPhone is just a phone... who in their right mind would buy that... =)
...and as someone who uses an iPhone/13" laptop to get stuff done on my commute, this seems like a very nice middle ground (also seems like it would be good for using casually at home too - I rarely use my laptop at a desk now unless I'm getting work done).
Ugh. Very lame on his part. His company doesn't magically hold exclusive rights to a bookshelf with books on it. Thankfully he realized that iBooks and Delicious Library are completely different products.
People in poor countries.
I never noticed you can vote for multiple options in HN polls. No + 16gb wi-fi = maybe.
but at just 499$ you get no 3g and not sim slot. check, http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/.
I might buy a used one when the 2nd gen comes out.
The No option
True, but I can still fit most of my music on a single original iPod, carry it around in my pocket, and use the cool wheely interface to navigate through it, which is loads more convenient than what everyone else did in 2001 (either listen to one CD all day, or carry around a binder filled with CD's on a long road trip, or carry the equivalent of one or two CD's around on a Rio).
Seems mixed, sort of: "they took my bling but DL is more than that, but dammit they took my bling".
I can't help but wonder if this thing is related to Amazon's wild success with the Kindle.

Jobs never saw a consumer market he didn't like. Certainly if I was given the option to go with the Kindle or an iPad, my choice would be clear - I want the device with more functionality. The Kindle DX is the same price as the iPad, with a slightly smaller screen.

Kindle killer? Time will tell.

Edit: At the Kindle DX price point the iPad does not provide 3G access though. And that's one of the biggest selling points for Amazon's device.
It's ARM. Given the "snappiness" one might speculate Cortex A9.
http://www.apple.com/ipad/design/ under the "Accessories" heading.
It's just the US that's behind the curve on this. I have a 2Mbit 3g connection that works anywhere for $30 a month. Which is really great since I live on a boat, so I'm connected wherever my home happens to be.
This tires the eyes like normal LCDs, so for my main use it's the same as a netbook.
Wasn't the interface pioneered by Classics? I thought so.
i kind of think this summarizes my feelings about the ipad:

http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/frantic_steve_jo...
I'm surprised at the lackluster 3G options. If I can't tether my iphone to this - and the existence of a 3g model, combined with notable omission of any talk of tethering certainly points to a resounding no - why would I have an iphone rather than a rooted nexus one or Pre, which I could tether via wifi?

If I were Google/Palm, I'd work hard to get official, viable 3G->WiFi AP tethering working by the time the iPad ships. Then advertise it far and wide.

I understand Apple/AT&T want the revenue from an additional data subscription, but the option of saving $130 up front + $30/mo. is a pretty strong case against going all Apple, at least for me.
Okay, that is pretty nice.
Yep, the 3G support is only higher up the price chain.
I really thought they'd have high speed wireless broadband option on contract with the upfront under $500. That would have been pretty appealing.
Well, I think there is doing something, and then doing something very well. Delicious Library did the bookshelf thing very well, and the iBooks thing seems to do it very well in a similar way.

I'm not saying he has a legal bone to pick or anything, just that he is allowed a tweet or two to hrmph about it.
I'm really disappointed. I was looking forward to being able to easily move around from room to room while video chatting.

Apple brought nothing new to the table today. They didn't solve text entry on tablets, they didn't make it easier to video chat (or even voice chat for that matter), and they didn't come up with a new form factor that is better than a big flat slab of metal.

It's bad when the biggest wow moment for a product is the price and data plan.
Was disappointed by lack of multitasking. Already ditched my iPhone for Android, and the difference is huge.

Is this going to be another thing with Apple like the single mouse button? Seems like they are really trying to stick to their guns. I mean, why would anyone want to use more than one app at a time right?
No "maybe"? I don't know if I want one yet, but I don't also know that I don't want one.
All the flash (or lack there of) got me excited, but there are a few glaring questions left unanswered:

1) Support for multi-tasking? This is a must on something like this. Perhaps they want to ensure performance of single applications by restricting multi-tasking?

2) Flash support? When Steve was browsing the flash plugin was missing... another must on a device that is trying to act as an intermediary between laptop and phone, primarily for web usage.

3) All of the focus on the iPad as an e-reader is neglecting the fact that the screen will be difficult to read off of. The screens of Kindles and Sony e-reader products are the major attraction, in my opinion. There's no way I could read for several hours on a backlit screen.

It's a great multimedia device, and has some awesome practical implications. However, I think the things I listed above are big time issues for the intentions of this device.
Delicious Library predates the iPhone (unless Classics does too?)
"The Camera Connection Kit gives you two ways to import photos and videos from a digital camera. The Camera Connector lets you import your photos and videos to iPad using the camera’s USB cable. Or you can use the SD Card Reader to import photos and videos directly from the camera’s SD card."

http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/
I bought an acer netbook that came with an SIM slot that I didn't even know about until after unpacking the thing. (check behind the battery if you have one, maybe you got lucky :) )

Worked like a dream too using ubuntu NBR and a 3G capable sim card.

Currently it is on loan to the father of a buddy of mine that is stuck in a hospital on 'extended stay'. Surf the net and stay in touch with the family.

Until I've had a chance to try one out for a while without commitment I'll stick to the little form factor PC, especially because I'm not locked in to some 'phone os'.

But I don't think it will take very long before someone gets ssh running on this device.
Current rumors are that approvals go out in under a business week.

Apple uses the number of apps as a selling point, they're proud of that and want that number to rise substantially, and that they're so confident of the App Store they put their own iWork suite on it; they've been fixing that user experience.
I need an option for:

Probably, but the device missed the mark with me. The purchase will be for someone who just needs an ebook (now ibook?) reader, web browser and music player.
I wonder what the 4 stands for? Was there an A1, A2, A3?
Wait for ver2
TBH, the only thing I can see this being more useful for than a netbook is reading ebooks, as I don't watch movies on my computer. And given that all it has is a standard, all be it nice, display I wouldn't buy one. E-ink is far superior for reading. I can see it being useful for grandma who can't remember how to right click, but given the closed nature of the device, no thanks. The hardware looks ok, but not spectacular. Not that that will stop Apple from making a boat load on them. At this point, Apple could sell rotting fruit and people would rave about how great it is and buy it by the truck load.
They are making an accessory for the dock connector: http://images.apple.com/ipad/specs/images/usb_connectors_201...
The question is: are there a lot of them itching to spend several hundred dollars to do that via a wireless picture-frame in their lap?

In my experience those people are reasonably well served by sitting down at a PC with a webcam.
Efficiency isn't a new race. What's happening is that the desktop market segment is learning efficiency to meet the demands of the developing performance mobile segment, as traditional mobile is learning performance to also take that segment. That's a race that has been developing in the semico designers for around eight years, give or take, but product has only been available on the store shelf for a year or so.
Use the 3G on either T-Mobile or Verizon network with either an Android phone or MiFi unit.
I don't know yet. It looks awe inspiring, and I think that the iPad app development field might be a good way to make a little cash if I get in early enough. People who buy the first generation, though, usually end up wishing that they waited for the second generation device with even more features and power.

Typically the second version works out any quirks and problems that they first one has. So I might wait.
What made you think it ever would ?

It's DOA as far as I'm concerned. The companies that were supposed to launch it are stuck in infighting mode and meanwhile the iPad is here and defines the market.

They could have had a good run of it if they managed to steal apples' thunder by launching 6 months early.

Have apple make the hype and run off with the customers, that would have been a classic coup. As it is they might as well pull the plug.
need to go to the Apple store first and see the real usage
I choose No.

I'm interested in playing with one. But I really don't think I will buy one - perhaps my wife will though. ;-)
Best of all you don't need to understand your problem domain?! This sounds like a recipe for disaster to me - how do you tell if your model is giving you nonsense or not?