Mobile phones & tablets thread

[race aficionado]

and it'll be a triumph and it'll be magical and so on and so forth.

that goes for everything . . . if it's good, why not?

I like it when I see that the competition is out there doing it's thing and participating in bringing up the bar. I am even glad that Windows latest venture has been so far a success - it was getting embarrassing, specially coming from a company that had a successful track record many years ago.

As for Steve Jobs and his team, I am one that is in awe with what they have accomplished and look forward to their latest products *and this includes not only their iPhones, iPads, iPods but also their video editing and graphic products.

I am a MAC man, coocookachoooo!!!!

[rah]

There'll be so many Android and Windows tablets on the market in the next few months that the iPad2 will almost certainly be an overpriced underspecced waste of time. Apple need to pull something spectacular out of the bag, not merely adding features that should have been on the original iPad (camera, decent screen resolution, better connectivity etc).

Plus I'm not convinced that a 10" screen is the way to go. Once you get to that size you might as well buy a netbook for half the price which does twice as much. 7" seems to be becoming a far more popular screen size, and far more transportable. I suspect that for all Jobs' posturing over screen size, Apple will release a 7" nano-iPad before the end of the year.

Some great offerings at CES this year http://dvice.com/archives/2011/01/tablets-youll-a.php

[Daniel]

Some great offerings at CES this year http://dvice.com/archives/2011/01/tablets-youll-a.php

Not just tablets either Intel has debuted their Sandy Bridge line of CPU's, one of which is sitting in MY PC at this very moment

[rah]

Not just tablets either Intel has debuted their Sandy Bridge line of CPU's, one of which is sitting in MY PC at this very moment

Really?? That was quick! I only saw them anounced the other day, they look nice. Nothing slows my 4 year old pc down like RAW and other image file processing. It will definately be in my next PC hopefully this year.

[Jag_Warrior]

that goes for everything . . . if it's good, why not?

I like it when I see that the competition is out there doing it's thing and participating in bringing up the bar. I am even glad that Windows latest venture has been so far a success - it was getting embarrassing, specially coming from a company that had a successful track record many years ago.

As for Steve Jobs and his team, I am one that is in awe with what they have accomplished and look forward to their latest products *and this includes not only their iPhones, iPads, iPods but also their video editing and graphic products.

I am a MAC man, coocookachoooo!!!!

With his latest leave of absence, I have a feeling that Steve Jobs' reign at Apple will mostly be ceremonial going forward... if that. Tim Cook (COO) has apparently been running the day-to-day for some time. But even as capable as Cook is, it will be hard to replace the greatest turn-around artist in corporate history (bar none).

As for those who keep saying the iPad will soon be an afterthought, that sounds like nothing more than wishful thinking to me. Not a single (reputable) analyst sees that. Certainly not by the end of the year. I think Android, and maybe the RIM OS, will eventually gain significant share in the tablet market. But as long as the pie keeps getting bigger, and as long as Apple remains ONE of the dominant players... who cares (from a shareholder standpoint, I mean)?

[Daniel]

Really?? That was quick! I only saw them anounced the other day, they look nice. Nothing slows my 4 year old pc down like RAW and other image file processing. It will definately be in my next PC hopefully this year.

By that time we'll probably be onto Ivy Bridge I'd wait for that for sure

[rah]

Just had a read about it, looks good. I guess I will have to stick with the old pc for now. Still looking at a netbook / tablet in the next few months, for tafe.

[Daniel]

With his latest leave of absence, I have a feeling that Steve Jobs' reign at Apple will mostly be ceremonial going forward... if that. Tim Cook (COO) has apparently been running the day-to-day for some time. But even as capable as Cook is, it will be hard to replace the greatest turn-around artist in corporate history (bar none).

As for those who keep saying the iPad will soon be an afterthought, that sounds like nothing more than wishful thinking to me. Not a single (reputable) analyst sees that. Certainly not by the end of the year. I think Android, and maybe the RIM OS, will eventually gain significant share in the tablet market. But as long as the pie keeps getting bigger, and as long as Apple remains ONE of the dominant players... who cares (from a shareholder standpoint, I mean)?

I think it's naive to think that Apple will continue on nearly as strong without their snake oil salesman at the helm. No one else can sell you a phone with an antenna that's fundamentally flawed in its design and come out smelling like roses.

I still think that tablets as a whole are just a fad, not just the iPad. How long that fad lasts is anybody's guess. If you can do something quicker on a tablet then I think that this says that either your computer is slow or you're just not that quick with a keyboard and mouse.

[Jag_Warrior]

I do agree that Jobs' absence COULD make a (negative) difference in Apple's strategy over the longer term. He is a visionary like Silicon Valley (or the business world) hasn't seen before. Tim Cook is apparently a supply chain genius. He's the one who has been making the trains run on time for the past several years. But no one yet knows how effective he and the others will be at picking the right product at the right time. In the sort term (2-4 years), most analysts believe that Apple has it covered, with or without Jobs at the helm. And at only 17 times earnings, it's not as if they're a Facebook or some vaporware company. For the time being, I'm leaving my chips on the table. If you go back and look at where the stock was when this thread was started, and compare it to where it is now, you'll see why I say that it's often wishful thinking that Apple won't deliver. I believe the phrase "kicking @ss and taking names" is appropriate. And BTW, it's actually quite funny to go back and read many/most of the posts on the first few pages of this thread now. Not to pat myself on the back or anything... but ya know *pat pat pat*

As for tablets, Bloomberg reported yesterday that the tablet market is poised to triple, from 17.1 million units in 2010 to 57.6 million units by 2014. That's what I was referring to when I spoke of making the pie bigger, even if their share is somewhat less than it is now. I think tablets were a fad. But now they're big business. And as they evolve from where they are now, I see no reason why that won't continue. Most people who buy tablets don't use them as their primary computing device, I would say. So they probably have access to either a desktop and/or a laptop. But tablets are far more convenient (and portable) than a desktop, and they're much lighter than a laptop (and cooler on the lap). As of right now, I personally don't have a need for a tablet. The iPod Touch perfectly fits my needs when I'm not by my computers. But if/when I can justify one, or want a bigger form factor (my eyes, they no so good no more), I'll get one too. I'll keep my desktops, laptops and iPod Touch as well - just like the millions who are gobbling them up right now.

[race aficionado]

OK
So the new iPad is out.

Any comments?
mokin: