Five reasons Australians shouldn’t buy an iPad 2

By
Renai LeMay
-
66

opinion Australians woke up to the news this morning that the next generation of the *cough* Apple of Steve Jobs’ eye would hit local shores on March 25; a new tablet to salve our compulsive need for the latest technology and a new colour scheme to make sure nobody was in any doubt as to the fact that we had the newest model.

For a few moments, we were elated.

But minutes after Jobs’ presentation finished, the cynicism set in as publications like Engadget started to tally up precisely what was actually new in the latest Apple hotness. And that tally didn’t precisely weight in Apple’s favour. With no iPhone 4-style ‘Retina’ screen, no multiple form factors, no real software upgrade or user interface overhaul, few extra ports and so on, it’s not hard to see why much of the initial reaction to the iPad 2 has been a collective, global “meh”.

So we thought we’d add some fuel to that negativity fire, as well as a bit of local colour. Here’s five reasons why Australians, specifically, shouldn’t buy the iPad 2. Treat it as an antidote to the mega-hype that will be circulating today in Australia’s media-sphere about Steve Jobs’ latest masterpiece. We’re calling it anti-marketing.

1. It’s the same as the old one
There’s no doubt that Australians loved the first iPad. Analyst firm Telsyte believes some 400,000 of us would have been using a tablet of some sort by the end of 2010 — and with Telstra alone connecting some 100,000 iPads to its network so far, there’s no doubt the overwhelming majority of that 400k total are iPads.

In other words, iPad hype reigned supreme in Australia last year, and the nation bought it in droves. But here’s the thing — as we’ve pointed out, the iPad 2 has no really significantly new features over the first iPad. So if you didn’t buy the first iPad when it launched in Australia in mid-2010, why would you buy one now?

2. You don’t need one
Common uses for the iPad include reading newspapers, magazines and books, browsing the internet, playing games and consuming multimedia such as movies, TV shows and music.

Well, here’s a big, fat reality check: Most of those functions are actually better performed in other ways. The overwhelming majority of Australia’s newspapers and magazines are not available on the iPad and Amazon’s Kindle eBook store has a way bigger range than Apple’s iBookstore — especially when it comes to those books actually available in Australia.

If you want to browse the internet on the move, why not do it on the iPhone, HTC Desire or BlackBerry which you already own? The same goes for listening to music, and as for watching movies and TV on the road, if you want to stay legal and avoid BitTorrent you had better buy a portable DVD player, as very few TV shows or movies are available for legal download on the iPad in Australia.

3. The competitive landscape is about to open up
Companies like Motorola, HTC, Samsung, LG and more have all revealed great tablet devices similar to the iPad over the past month, and many of the tablets are expected to hit Australia in the middle of 2011 — although major companies like BlackBerry maker Research in Motion have not yet confirmed local launch dates for their offerings.

Some of the devices have fantastic features that the iPad doesn’t — especially when you factor in the ability for manufacturers to customise the Android platform being used by many. They also come in form factors that Apple doesn’t, giving greater choice. In short, why would you buy an iPad 2, when we don’t know the full picture yet about what tablets will be available in Australia? Hold off a few months and we’ll know a lot more.

4. It costs too much
Even if you decide you definitely want a tablet device, why would you shell out the uber-dollars required to buy an iPad? Apple hasn’t yet confirmed Australian pricing for the iPad 2, but if the US pricing model (where the price is the same) is applied Down Under, the cheapest you’ll be able to buy an iPad 2 for is $449 — and that’s for the lowest end model, with just 16GB of storage and no 3G mobile broadband access.

For $269, by comparison, you can buy an Optus My Tab tablet, which provides many of the same functions as the iPad 2 — light browsing, email, reading and multimedia use — without being overpowered or overpriced. Better yet, it’s a sturdy little beast that you can give to your kids to take to school or on holidays. If it breaks, the cost is not overwhelming to buy a new one.

If you just want the basics and a little more, why pay double for the iPad 2?

5. Apple fandom is so two years ago
Most of my friends belong to Australia’s early technology adopter set. They often buy the latest and greatest mobile phones, game consoles and games, PCs and laptops — and now, tablets — when they come out, because they want to be on the edge of the technology curve and are prepared to pay for the privilege.

Among this crowd, if you’re an Apple fanboy with an iPhone, a MacBook Pro and an iPad, you’re really just … not cool. In fact, you’re viewed as a bit of a conformist — the sort of person who would switch off their brain and be subject to Steve Jobs’ famous reality distortion field.

No, most of this crowd has switched their focus away from Apple over the past year as the Google Android platform has taken off in a big way. Why pay for Apple gear that is inherently limited according to Jobs’ personal specifications, many ask, when you can get the same hardware with more open software?

In mobile devices, Apple is becoming the way Microsoft was seen in the late 1990’s and early years of the 2000’s — a monopolistic behemoth that controls its position in the market with an iron fist in a velvet glove. Do you really want to be an iClone?

Image credit: Screenshot of Motorola Xoom advertisement, text added by Delimiter

Related posts:

  1. Five reasons Australians should buy an iPad 2
  2. Five reasons the iPad will fail in Australia
  3. iPad telco plans will sting Australians
  4. iPad to hit Australia before April?
  5. iPad 2 to hit Australia March 25

66 COMMENTS

  1. Very bold post Renai! :) Way to swim upstream. If Apple Fandom is so 2 years ago, then what boat should I be on now? :) You’ve left out the most important piece of the article!

      • I myself am going to wait till IceCream (or IceCone) and Tegra 3D before getting an Android Tablet, but yeah, Android is going to skyrocket in the next couple of years for Tablets

  2. Oh I do have a Nexus One but I need a tablet (not sure why but I just do) – what Android tablet should I be using? I don’t think any have hit the Aussie shores yet though right?

    BTW – Do you want to buy my old iPad? I need to make space for my new iPad!!

  3. From a consumer point of view, there really isn’t a lot to get excited about in this upgrade.

    Corporates however will take a look – the addition of a front facing camera genuinely opens up the case for its use as a teleconferencing tool.

    Beyond that, meh.

  4. Nice troll Renai!

    I do agree though, fundamentally all the things the iPad 2 can do the iPad 1 can do and all apps will be coded for the lowest common denominator until the iPad 2 is the dominant platform.

    Same thing happens on Android, it’s called fragmentation, happens when the hardware specs move forward.

    • From a software dev point of view, the iPad 2 won’t be any different to the original iPad, with the possible exception of the triple axis gyroscope. When games with high-intensity graphics will run fine on the original iPad, and there are already 15 million devices in-market, you’d be a fool to develop specifically for the iPad 2.

  5. Hilarious article Renai. :)

    I am still looking forward to getting my iPad 2 though. No I don’t own an iPad 1. ;)

    As for Android – it’s not compatible with iTunes and therefore is useless for my needs.

    • My requirement that my Windows 7 PC runs smoothly is not compatible with iTunes.

      (Note: I do have a MacBook Pro as well, on which iTunes runs fine)

      • I’ve been hanging off for the iPad2, because I upgraded to the iPhone4 last year, so really couldn’t justify buying a tablet back then. Also, I prefer not to buy the first model of anything (it’s an open beta, but expensive to upgrade).

        Yep, Apple is a closed system, and isn’t waving the early-adopter flag at this particular moment, but its hardware is reliable, its software is intuitive, and its devices “just work”. This is particularly important to me, as I’m too sick nowadays to debug my devices.

        So, why do I want an iPad in addition to my iPhone4? I do need a heavy-duty laptop at times (so the MacBook Air is not a good investment for me), but a laptop gets too heavy for me. (I spend most of my life in a chair, with my feet up: weight on my legs increases pain and circulation problems.) I couldn’t do everything on an iPad, but I could do a fair bit, and it would be easier on me physically. I am also really looking forward to doing crosswords on a screen that size (the iPhone screen is a bit small for that).

        Now I know I can have my Growl notifications as well (see Prowl in the iTunes Store), I think the iPad2 will work very well for me. :)

  6. Is this supposed to be journalism?

    Apple products respect my time and I have come to value it more myself. An ex-linux-geek, I still love Linux but I don’t miss the extra maintenance work and incoherent UI..

    You’re right in that the iPad is too expensive in Australia, so I might buy it from the US instead. Since you’re asking, the reason I would buy one this year as opposed to last is I don’t have the budget to buy this stuff every year. I also thought the iPad 2 would come and have cameras etc. 2nd gen tech tends to be better fleshed out.

    I would compare it with other tablets but I don’t believe worrying about being an “iClone” is going to be weighing in on the comparison. What you’re advocating is self-contradictory. You’re saying that I shouldn’t follow what other people do, I shouldn’t let the masses of other people define my decision. But choosing an atlternative just because the masses are going iPad is precisely the same – letting the decisions of others define my choice.

    To me the strongest argument against the iPad that I have heard is that Apple are autocratic and overbearing when it comes to software vendors. I’m a software engineer, so I understand this. Of course you don’t hear console game developers complaining – to them it’s comparative heaven. Apple also cripple functionality for the benefit of their business partners economic interests. Apart from this, I will only consider the bang for buck of the product.

    You’re right about one other thing, though. Apple is like Microsoft was. They’ve got all the apps. If or when HTML 5 realises its potential, that may not matter as much.

    • Depends how you define journalism, but this is more of an opinion piece :)

      I agree with most of what you have said here — the fact that Apple focuses you more on the actual work, Linux on tinkering, the better second-generation Apple products, and Apple’s autocratic and overbearing nature.

      I also agree that going the opposite of what the masses do is just another way of following the masses … but at least it lets you feel like a rebel ;)

  7. They’ve dropped the original iPad starting price to $449 (from $689 I believe). The new ones will be at least $499 (which is what they cost in the US). I suspect Australians will be paying $549 or $599 despite our dollar being stronger.

    The iPad is definately an optional extra computing device, but I suspect most people who own one would disagree with most of what you’ve said in your article with regard to their utility. It took me 6 months of owning one before it carved out a niche between my laptop and iphone, but now I use it at least as much as these devices.

    “3. The competitive landscape is about to open up”

    I’d say there is a lot of crap in thing wings that will be ignored by the market – a case of too little too late. While it’s true that as Apple becomes more mainstream the cool factor may diminish, but the reality is, people who by anything else won’t be seen as cutting edge, they’ll be seen as peasants.

  8. This commentary was written with the author’s head in sand. Either that, or the author is shorting Apple stock.

    The single biggest complaint about the iPad was the weight – addressed in iPad 2, with same battery life. The other (minor) complaint was the screen gets fingerprints – (partially) addressed, but very cleverly.

    Do you know how great face time is – much clearer and more reliable than Skype – and this can now be used on the new iPad?

    Finally, have you tried the Galaxy and other Honeycomb tablets? HTC, Motorola and Samsung have more of a cool factor than Apple. Really?

    • John,

      For one thing – shorting Apple stock? I LOVE the idea that Renai’s opinion can sway AAPL’s stock price.

      Next, you’re saying that the new iPad addresses issues from the first. This is true, but what it hasn’t addressed is what its competitors have brought to the market since the iPad came out (removable storage, USB ports, better resolution, widgets on the desktop, improved notification).

      Facetime is a closed ecosystem which is why it has not taken off – you can’t Facetime to a PC. That simple fact means its dead in the water.

      Also perhaps you should update yourself on what is and isn’t running Honeycomb. The Samsung Tab isn’t. Check out some videos of the Xoom and have a play when Voda gets theirs in a couple of months. I promise you once iPad owners spend some real time with the Xoom, they’re going to be re-thinking their tablet choices.

      Tom.

      • 3 of the 5 you mention are software updates you idiot…

        better resolution, widgets on the desktop, improved notification

        • “Better resolution” is not a software update, but yes, I agree a lot of the things I would like to see in the iPad would come through software updates.

        • Better display resolution can be done via software now?! Woohoo! I can’t wait for Apple to flick the retina switch and the 1024×768 display will magically convert itself to 2048×1536. Now THAT would be magic :)

    • “The single biggest complaint about the iPad was the weight”

      Some people did complain about the weight, but to be honest I didn’t hear many — most of the whinging I heard going on was more to do with the fact that iOS won’t support Flash. The 100g or less weight loss is a small plus in the iPad 2, but it’s not a big enough factor to make people buy the tablet who wouldn’t buy it before.

      And actually, yes, I have tried the Galaxy Tab (both versions, the Honeycomb one and the original), and they’re fantastic. I liked the original Galaxy Tab a lot more than I liked the iPad, mostly because of its smaller size, which allows it to be a lot more portable and better as an eReader. I haven’t tried the HTC or Motorola tablets yet, because the companies haven’t demonstrated them locally yet.

      As for FaceTime … I haven’t really talked to anyone who uses it — I kinda see it as a nice to have, but not an essential feature.

  9. Renai- pricing comparison just isn’t accurate :).

    iPad1 16GB Wifi was $499 in US, new one will be the same. Its currently on CLEARANCE for $399.

    iPad1 16GB Wifi in Au was $629, currently on clearance for $449.

    That suggests (only suggests) that the iPad2 16GB wifi will be $549, not $499.

        • Sure, they’re in different classes if you’re a technology enthusiast. But if you’re a mainstream sort of person — say, a parent in their 40’s who doesn’t focus on technology — I think you wouldn’t notice a whole lot of difference. The Optus My Tab is a nice little device — if it had launched 18 months ago, we would have considered it awesome.

          • and if the T-Touch-Tab had launched 10 years ago, it would have been awesome too.

            It didn’t, so its not :).

  10. Ouch.

    OK, I’m definitely NOT an iFanboy. More an Apple iBanned Boy. For the record, my wife bought me an iPad for Christmas last year which I promptly returned and traded for the Galaxy Tab. (We’re still married though…)

    Now, to say that the iPad 2 is the same as the old one is grossly unfair. Front and rear facing cameras, thinner and lighter? Better performance.. white.

    I think you are being a little provocative deliberately to get page views. Well played.

  12. Wow. Troll much Renai? Given I know you own an iPhone 4, you must really be embarrassed to get that out amongst your “we know better than you do” Android friends?! After all you must have been a sheep to buy that, what with all the other hundreds of Android phones you could have bought instead! :)

    “It’s the same as the last one”. Eh? So you’re overlooking the fact that the iPad now had a dual core cpu and hugely increased graphics performance, while being thinner, lighter and maintaining the industry leading battery life? Yep. Hasn’t changed a bit.

    I actually love what Google are doing with Honeycomb, but look at the price of the Xoom as a comparison. It costs an arm and leg to get a proper Android tablet (with an OS actually designed for a tablet). To compare the iPad 2 against something as pathetic as the resistive Optus MyTouch is hilarious!

    Anyway, it’s all about the apps. Every Xoom review I have read says that Google have really nailed it with the Honeycomb UI, but there are still only a tiny amount of native apps that take advantage of Tegra2 or the tablet’s native 1280×800 resolution. In comparison look at all the thousands of native iPad designed specifically for it’s feature-set and screen resolution.

    The Android tablet experience is this: looking at scaled apps that aren’t designed for the screen you are using. And people blame the iPad for being a “giant phone”? The exact same thing can now be said of Android’s blown up apps on tablets.

    iOS itself definitely needs some work (widgets, and a proper notification system are well overdue examples) but these things will no doubt be addressed in iOS5. It’s the software of iOS that is looking dated, not the hardware.

    To criticise what is undoubtedly an excellent hardware refresh from Apple, launched at the same price as the last one, just makes you sound like another illogical angry Android fanboy.

    • I’m not embarassed about the iPhone 4 — I would have bought a HTC Desire HD, but it wasn’t available on Telstra’s Next G network. The other handsets available at the time had been in the market for more than six months — so I couldn’t justify buying them. It left me with no real choice.

      I could have bought an unlocked Desire HD from the likes of Mobicity — but I didn’t want to pay up-front.

      And I stand by my comments that the new iPad is not that dissimilar from the old one. The average user won’t notice the faster speeds at all, and the iPad already had excellent battery life. Most applications will run exactly the same on the new model, and of course the screen is the same. The thickness and weight are nice, but I don’t know many who had any problems with the size and weight of the old iPad.

      Lastly, have you actually tried the Samsung Galaxy Tab? It’s an absolutely lovely tablet — not a “blown-up phone”. It’s fantastic to use and I hated sending the review model back. As I wrote at the time, it needs a price drop, but I’m sure that will happen eventually.

      • “The average user won’t notice the faster speeds at all,”

        That’s a very bold blanket statement. So you don’t think anyone will notice the lightning fast web browsing, the games with far better graphics (9x faster to be exact), or the speed at which they can edit native HD video they’ve just shot with the device?

        That’s like saying the average user wont notice the speed increase any time they upgrade their PC.

        Who is this blind average user you speak of?

        Naturally the iPad 2 was only every going to be a refresh more than a revolutionary new device. It’s already churning around the rumour mill that the iPad 3 will introduce a retina display. By that stage I’m sure the hardware and iO5 or 6 will be mature enough to deal with the massive increase in resolution.

        And I guess the average user won’t notice FaceTime on the iPad2? or the HD videos they can output in 1080p to their display?

        Sure the iPad 2 is nothing amazing, but rather a sensible reasonably priced upgrade to the original. No matter what Apple did you could label the extra features as something “people wont notice”.

        • hey Simon,

          you could already play games with awesome graphics on the iPad and iPhone (3GS and 4) — probably the best one is Infinity Blade, which I’ve been obsessing over for months. As for the HD video editing … sure, it’s great, but it’s very much a “par for the course” feature — the other tablets and phones all have HD video as well. And … do you really think you’ll be doing a lot of video shooting with your iPad? I tried holding the much smaller Galaxy Tab up to do video shooting — but it was really awkward; clearly not designed as a video camera, even for casual use.

          And these days, the average person *doesn’t* notice the speed increase when they upgrade their PC, no. Even I wouldn’t, going from a quad-core Intel to an i7 or similar — the bottleneck in PCs these days is in hard disks (being gotten around by SSD) and video cards, not in basic user interface stuff or even most multimedia consumption.

          What do people notice when these sorts of devices are upgraded? User interface, mainly, or form factor. I wrote quite a bit about this here:

          http://delimiter.com.au/2011/01/19/has-apples-iphone-jumped-the-shark/

          • ”you could already play games with awesome graphics on the iPad and iPhone (3GS and 4) — probably the best one is Infinity Blade, which I’ve been obsessing over for months.”

            Not sure what your point is here. Infinity Blade is great. I played through it twice. It looks phenomenal thanks to the latest Unreal engine for iOS, but do you know what the biggest complaint in forums about Infinity Blade is? Poor frame rate! At times the frame rate dips as low as 15fps on the iPad (look at those wide pans of the castle between combat!) and it definitely makes combat more difficult.

            With the A5 processor, and a way faster graphics chip (Apple are saying 9x faster) games like Infinity Blade will not only run at a silky smooth 60fps, but better graphics performance will allow developers to not be so limited by hardware, and produce some stunningly detailed games. You’ll also see things like anti-aliasing enabled more regularly as there is such a minimal performance hit.

            No one knows how much ram is the iPad 2 yet either, but it’s common knowledge developers have been limited by the iPad 1’s paltry 256MB. I’m hoping it will have 1GB, but I think it’s safe to say it will have 512MB min. More ram obviously = better performance all around.

            ”As for the HD video editing … sure, it’s great, but it’s very much a “par for the course” feature — the other tablets and phones all have HD video as well. And … do you really think you’ll be doing a lot of video shooting with your iPad?”

            No. I do 90% of my video editing on my PC (a little bit here and there on my iPhone 4 when I’m out and about). However it’s one of those very cool show off features which will make people drool when they see how smoothly the iPad2 handles it. iMovie for iOS is already a great program and the next update is bringing a ton of new fancy features. Same goes with Photobooth which is obviously more of a gimmick, but again has that wow factor for these “average consumers” we keep talking about ;)

            The point is, it will never be a primary video editing device, but in terms of convenience and fun when travelling, it’s a great feature to have and the iPad2’s dual core processor will handle HD video like butter.

            ”I tried holding the much smaller Galaxy Tab up to do video shooting — but it was really awkward; clearly not designed as a video camera, even for casual use.”

            Yeah I agree the whole idea of holding up a giant tablet to shoot video is pretty silly, but again it’s just one of those “nice to have” features. Particularly if you want to show someone what you’re up to via FaceTime or Skype.

            ”What do people notice when these sorts of devices are upgraded? User interface, mainly, or form factor”

            I agree that UI is the most important factor in any OS. This is one area where Apple needs to do some work. The current icon grid layout is a waste of space, and Apple are well overdue bringing MacOS style widgets (and hopefully WebOS style notifications) to the iPad’s springboard. However this is the type of thing I’m sure we’ll see with iOS 5.

            After UI, I would argue the most important thing is the apps. Even though you clearly liked the Samsung Galaxy Tab’s hardware, how many apps are optimised for it’s 1024×600 resolution? A laughably small amount compared to the thousands of native iPad apps available. What’s the point of apps designed for 848×480 blown up to 1024×600? That’s the case with the Galaxy Tab which is why it doesn’t interest me. Apart from being a great E-Reader/browsing device, it’s just not in any way optimised as a tablet.

            Even Gingerbread for all the improvements it brings is still only a fairly thin (but admittedly awesome looking) Tron layer over Android. It’s still up to developers to make some really stunning looking 1280×800 (or resolution independent) apps to take advantage of the extra resolution of next gen Android tablets like the Xoom.

          • Since you mentioned Infinity Blade as an example of how great games are on the iPad, thought you might like to look at these side by side comparison shots of Infinity Blade on the iPad 1 and iPad 2.

            http://static.arstechnica.com/03-13-2011/5-iPad-1.png
            http://static.arstechnica.com/03-13-2011/5-iPad-2.png

            Amazing the difference 9x faster graphics performance can deliver eh? (ArsTechnia and AnandTech have backed up that figure with real world numbers by the way).

            The PowerVR SGX543 blows the pants of the previous graphics architecture. Infinity Blade now has high res textures,more detailed bump mapping + full scene anti-aliasing while running at a silky smooth frame rate. Much faster and hence more playable than it is on the iPad1.

  13. I get where you’re coming from…but come on, neither the Telstra nor Optus tablets match up to the iPad (1 or 2), Xoom or Galaxy Tab.

    • I agree with you about the Telstra T-Touch Tab, but actually the Optus My Tab does match many of the functions of the higher-specced tablets, as we noted in our review. Sure, it’s still mediocre — but it’s not like it’s not a competitor in the mainstream market.

      • I use (and own) an Optus MyTab, and its a frustrating experience. I get a “low phone storage” message every few days, you can only install a handful of apps on it, runs like a dog unless you run an App Killer each day, etc etc. Its decent for reading rss feeds though ;)

        People will be willing to pay a premium for something that just works. So far, the iPad (with all its quirks) is still way ahead of the competition. The HP Touchpad will be the only thing that will come close.

  14. 1: It’s not the same, it’s an upgraded item. Faster processor, faster graphics card. Based on your arguements my old 486DX would still do me for web browsing & games. Newer, FASTER, technology brings along better applications with it, both Games and business apps, as well as things we dont know yet.

    2: Let’s see. I have a Kindle, MP3 player, hand-held portable video device, Camera (although like a phone camera, it’s no match for my Nikon D90), game platform, GPS, web browser and portable email device all in one. I DO use the old iPad pretty much every day for both consuming AND creating information. While I dont NEED one, I also dont need a car (if I dont mind walking 25km each way to/from work), but having one makes my life easier

    3: Competition is good, but since the iPad came out last year we have heard about iPad killers, but as yet there are none that really “Kill” it at all, but some are starting to come close. Same goes for the iPhone – I am yet to see an iPhone killer, but some are getting close. The more competition that comes along the better for end users, as it will drive Apple and others to provide a better device now and in the future.

    4: Yes it is expensive, but you get what you pay for. I can get a $300 notebook PC that will do many of the things I need, but why do many of us choose laptops or desktops work $1000 or 2000 or more? Power, speed, screen clarity, the ability to run programs we want, the ability to run an operating system we like, and also to get something that is constructed in such a way that you dont HAVE to throw it away in 12 months time because it looks like something run over by an B-Double truck!

    5: I’m not a fan – I appreciate decent equipment. I have an iPhone, iPad, but a Toshiba laptio (my 3rd in 7 years), an Intel based PC running Windows 7, but why? Because each of the items I have suits MY needs, MY income, and MY situation. Do you prefer Holdens, Fords, or some imported car? If your a Ford fan, or Mazda fan or even a (gasp!) Volvo driver you tend to stick with cars you like because they are something you like for various reasons, weather it be price, safety, looks, or just manufacturer, so why is your choice of a PC, tablet, Phone or MP3 player any different?

  15. 1. It’s the same as the old one :
    Well… Maybe the iPad 2 is not worth a change… for iPad early adopters. But for those who have not bought an iPad yet, this one, honestly, seems to be faster, thinner, lighter.
    2. You don’t need one :
    This is much like anything in high-tech products: you don’t need it as soon as you don’t use it. This is the kind of product that you may not need, but that you may desire. Desire brings need.
    3. The competitive landscape is about to open up
    You may want to wait for other competitors. If you wait, maybe you’ll finally… get an iPad 3.
    4. It costs too much
    Compare a Tata motor car with a Mercedes or a BMW one: the Tata is surely less expansive. Saying a BMW or a Mercedes car costs too much is none sense: it depends on one’s own points of view and interest.
    5. Apple fandom is so two years ago
    There were MS monopoly in the 90’s PC market (it’s in strong decline today), and people got mad at MS because their product was not appealing. As you say yourself, there is competition in the actual mobile market, people have the choice. There is no Apple monopoly, there is Apple appealing, here’s the difference.

    Your point of view is mostly reactionary. You want to advise people, showing them how much you know everything about everything. But you just may not have understood really what everything is about. Maybe you should open your mind. Try it again. Give us 10 reasons to get any tablet you want to advertise (Motorola, HTC,…). Easy homework for you here. And you’ll feel better by providing positive and constructive arguments.

  17. The punchline to this?

    All the people “waiting” for iPad2, who didn’t buy the iPad, assuming it would be a revolutionary change, rather than just evolutionary. Oh dear. :)

  18. Hmm, let’s see:

    1) It’s faster, has more ram, two cameras, and it’s thinner and lighter. It’s also now has HDMI output (via an adaptor, sure, but it’s now possible). In other words, not the same. Evolutionary, yes, but that’s the product lifecycle for you. Don’t hate the players, hate the game.

    2) Well, if we only bought what we needed then we wouldn’t have a whole of stuff then, would we. I don’t need beer, but that doesn’t stop me from drinking one after a long day at work. I don’t need to lay in bed on a Sunday and read the news or RSS feeds, but I’d love to, and an iPad is perfect for that, among other things.

    3) Support for the latest Android tech is sporadic at best. Brand new phones are coming out with an old version of the system installed, which you then have to wait to be upgraded by the handset maker before you can get, if they ever care to. Tablet support is the same. Also, not buying something because you think something better might be on the horizon some time in the future is pretty lame.

    4) So, $450 for a high-quality computer in your hands that can do most of the things you do on your desktop, but easier, is too much for you. Well, if you want to pay peanuts then maybe technology isn’t something you should buy. The other options, almost all of lower quality, are almost as expensive (if not, in some case, moreso) anyway.

    5) Why should we care about being seen as “cool” or not by you or your friends? If the product works for what we want it to do at a price we’re willing to pay, isn’t that a good enough reason to buy it? Doing something because it’s “cool” is so last century. Doing something because it feels good and not caring about what people think of you is so this century.

    In other words, buy it or not, the decision is up to you, but stop trying to tell us why we should or should not do something.

  19. The lack of a USB port or SD slot is for me the real deal breaker. That means I can’t use the iPad as a laptop replacement whilst on holidays. How do I get my holiday photos and movies off my Canon SLR on to the iPad without a USB port?

    • How do you get your photos off your DSLR and onto your iPad…. easily, that is how.

      I specifically bought my iPad for this before I went to South Korea for ten days and it was perfect (as well as doing my social networking, mail etc. wirelessly at the local coffee shop).

      It looks a bit like THIS….. the iPad Camera Connection Kit

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44F85wRgXdQ

      (use it for SD cards and stuff, too!)

      • I looked up some reviews of the iPad Camera Connection Kit which pointed out there are serious software issues with transfering large files from high resolution SLRs. i.e. it’s OK for compact digital cameras but forget it for SLRs.
        These reviews were all with the old iPad – I wonder if things are improved with the iPad2.
        They also pointed out that it doesn’t work with SDXC cards, which of course new SLRs now support.
        The article is also somewhat critical of the iPad for not having builtin USB ports.

        Review is at http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/apple-ipad-camera-connection-kit/

        • I think you picked up one reviewers issue with one aspect of transferring super large images – an issue which they even suggest is probably a software bug that can/will be addressed.

          Five months later and thousands of images transferred leaves me massively happy with the iPad and Camera Connection Kit.

          • Hmm, what size images do you transfer, or perhaps more usefully, what size sensor does your camera have?
            The reviewer was using a Canon 5D which has a 22MP sensor. I have a Canon 60D that has an 18MP sensor. I guess the jpeg compression settings on the camera may have some effect too, as that would change the file sizes.
            Both cameras also have high definition movie modes which the reviewer also had problems with.

  20. The whole “Apple is evil no matter what it does” fanboyism is so 1990’s.

    It is called cutting off one’s nose despite one’s face – and the people who suffer this are all those people sitting there secretly wishing they had Apple stuff but not wanting to be seen as “un-cool” (no wonder they are always so grumpy)… and the rest of us who have to put up with their nose-less angst.

    Get over it guys.

    The iPad has changed the way I operate in so many ways – and I thought the PowerBook was the zenith… what the heck is next!?

  21. This is the singularly most misinformed, uneducated and ignorant post I have read this week

  22. @ Renai – talk about flame bait! Have you used the Telstra Tab yet?

    Yes, I have the iPad1 and yes I’ll be getting the iPad2

  23. I think the most salient point of this article Renai, that of the lack of Australian content for the ipad was highlighted by Sean.

    “As for Android – it’s not compatible with iTunes and therefore is useless for my needs”

    Now, I don’t mind Steve’s reality distortion field. It’s like going to see a magician and having a chuckle at the people that are convinced the tricks could somehow be real. What i do have a problem with is iTunes. I’m tired of my media experience being dictated to by the terms of the Apple Store and the forced reliance on Apple’s consumer media products that it begets.

    I think it’s such a shame. Apple makes great products, I just don’t like being treated like a cash cow.

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