The iPad Killer

[braex27]

Have had my iPad 2 since its release - I use it every day and cannot imagine doing without it!

 

[Arcturus]

Exactly! And many people add keyboards to tablets essentially making them netbooks... It's hilarious to me. You end up spending more on a tablet AND keyboard... then you would on a far better netbook. Yeah, Ipads... woeful for my usage. Lacking all sorts of features...

And yea I might be harsh... but I speak my mind. No fluff.

I care about speed and quality... not looks. That's all Apple is. They are looks. Whether it be any of their devices. I'm a practical user who demands quality components... and I'm sorry but Apple is far from the best. I'll take my Toshiba laptop and Cowon MP3 player. Don't yet have a netbook... really don't have a use for one... but if I were to get one... Asus all the way! Asus Eee PC > Ipad.

"I think it's clear that specs don't matter most because if they did, then Apple would not be the success they are today."

Reaaallly...? Beyond Mp3 players and Phones... where is their success? Don't say computers please. They suck there. With $500 I can build you a fantastic computer better then most Macs.

It's too bad people didn't give the Zune HD (which Microsoft sadly ended... I think?) or Cowon J3 more of a shot over the Itouch/ipod. I guess people just look at advertising and believe the hype over real quality.

Apple's success is with their computers, and no they certainly don't suck. There is a reason why you hear of people switching to Mac, but not back to Windows. I am sure it happens, but you don't hear of it often. A least I don't. Apple succeeds with looks and quality, but they are really good with customer service and keeping customers satisfied. If they can't fix your machine on a timely basis, what do they do? Replace it. (Keep in mind if it's old they won't.) They just offer a superior user experience. Apple is a quality company. I've owned a lot of PC's that have all bit the dust like the pieces of shit they were, and there manufacturers couldn't have cared less.

Apple's computer sector is mainly based on notebooks. When was the last time you built your own notebook? Sure you could build a tower PC, but that's not where Apple competes. They have notebooks, the iMac, and the Mac Mini. Would you build an AIO computer, or even attempt to make one as small as the Mac Mini? The only traditional tower that Apple sells is the Mac Pro with server class CPU's. But guess what? I would say that the Mac Pro is better than most tower PC's. Not to mention it is ridiculously easy to upgrade.

But when it comes down to it, that $500 computer would be running Windows or Linux. I am not a big fan of either OS. I prefer OS X above all. And guess what? The only way to get that it to buy it on a new Mac. You could Hackintosh it of course, but it wouldn't be easy to do so.

And people looked at the Zune and saw it for what it was. An iPod ripoff created to compete with Apple.

Form is important too. People want what works the best, and what looks the best. For many, Apple delivers. And a lot of competitors think the same way. A lot of things that Apple has been the first at have all shown up in competitors products.

 

[Corny]

Most of Apple's products are sold within the first world where WiFi is more readily available, aren't they? Perhaps, the Wifi version is geared towards the US and other first world countries where wireless is much more prevalent. I am not sure if it would be as easy as to grab a sim card in a foreign country and pop it into your iPad. From what I know, iPad's use a different sim card technology that is harder to find and might not be in that foreign country.

Uh .. WHAT? I am sorry, but maybe you need to get a bit out of the US or at least learn a bit more about what's going on outside the US. Many not "first world" countries have a WAY better 3G infrastructure than the US.

 

[Arcturus]

Uh .. WHAT? I am sorry, but maybe you need to get a bit out of the US or at least learn a bit more about what's going on outside the US. Many not "first world" countries have a WAY better 3G infrastructure than the US.

Yes, I know that they do. These countries have a lot less area and population, so it's easier to have better 3G infrastructure. However, if wireless is just as prevalent, which are you going to choose? WiFi which is in most instances free, or 3G that you have to pay for? Also, Wifi is often faster too. That might not be how it is in other areas, but that's how it is here.

The last half of my paragraph that you quoted was talking about an example in a third world country, not a first world one that would have the same technology (different sims) that is in the iPad.

 

[blackbeltninja]

Okay, Arcturus, so what's the story here? You joined up 2 months ago and have posted to date 12 times. All in this thread.

Do you work for Apple?

-d-

 

[Arcturus]

LOL! Is that so? Why do they possess so little of the market? And I hear many people switching to PCs. Want to know why? They are cost effective. You only bring up the cases of people switching to Mac because those selective examples will prove your non-existent argument. Quality? No... you won't find that in the Mac. And their customer service is a joke... Apple has nothing on the PC. All bit the dust? You have an attitude problem. Take it elsewhere. Your precious little Mac is based on components used in the PC. Older components.

So little of the market? Apple now possesses over a 10% market share. It is now the #3 computer manufacturer, behind only HP and Dell. Operating System wise, they obviously are dwarfed by Windows. However, Microsoft will license their OS to anyone and everyone, so it's no wonder why they have a lot more users and manufacturers. If Apple suddenly started licensing out OS X (which they never would) to other manufacturers that would build cheaper PC's, then their share would go up. I have honestly never met anyone in real life that switched from Mac to PC. They aren't selective examples; they are my only first hand experiences. Stop insinuating that I am omitting things to make Macs look good. You don't know anything about who I have come across.

You WILL find quality in a Mac. I've had PC's that were pieces of shit that wouldn't perform after two - two and a half years. All of my Macs on the other hand worked as well at the three year mark as the day I took them out of the box. I used the phrase "pieces of shit" to describe my PC's because that's what they were. I am sure great PC's are out there, but I never owned one. Also, Apple's customer service is fantastic. They have won awards that said just that.

Sure Apple does use older stuff sometimes, but as I've said before, specs aren't everything. I don't know what I can do to make you realize that. As for specs, some of their hardware is quite current. The user experience and ecosystem that Apple provides with is well worth it.

You can find fantastic PC companies out there. And as far as laptops, Toshiba is actually better then Mac and have a far lower malfunction rate based on recent studies.

I wouldn't say that Toshiba is better than the Mac, but I will concede that Toshiba has a lower malfunction rate. Far lower? Definitely not. I've found studies that placed Apple just under Toshiba. I also found one that put it above Toshiba. Reliability studies don't mean much to me. When I buy what they say is reliable I seem to get a lemon.

You sound like an Apple spokesperson.. albeit quite uncivilized. I'm sure none of their spokespersons would use profanity to prove their non-existent arguments.

I am not an Apple spokesperson, though if the opportunity arose, I would love to be. And excuse me, but I said "shit". I don't think that makes me uncivilized. I am sure you've said worse, and you don't seem to be calling out other people on this site who use profanity...so please get off your high horse. My argument is existent, otherwise we wouldn't be having it.


Is that why Toshiba have a lower malfunction rate then Apple? Why cna't you explain these things? Because you don't have a case. The iMac and Mac Mini are pieces of junk. I'll pass on them any time. You would say things are better, but you can't prove it. you just speak out of thin air.

If that is the spin you are going to take, then I'll call you out and say you have no case. You aren't proving why Toshiba is better than Apple. I am trying to get it across to you, but you don't seem to be taking it in. All you keep doing is bring up malfunction rate. That's just one point, and I wouldn't say Mac's malfunction that much more than Toshiba's anyway. At least from what I've read.


Then what is what you prefer.

Sorry dude I prefer quality over junk.

Apple products aren't junk. In fact, they have the best build quality out of any computers I've used. Tell me though. What makes Macs junk? You keep asserting the fact that they are junk, but you aren't backing it up.

LMAO. Despite it having a better screen, better battery life, better quality build and a lower price? Keep saying that.

Even if those things are true, and they might be. I don't know. I never really paid much attention to the Zune. The point is, everyone saw them as ripoffs. If Apple had never introduced the iPod, do you really think MS would have made the Zune? NOPE! The Zune was a last ditch effort to try and catch up to Apple's burgeoning market share with it's killer iPod + iTunes combo. And it didn't work. Your product can be better than the competition, but if no one wants it it was a failure. And obviously few people wanted the Zune.


Apple does not deliver. It doesn't work the best. Thank you Apple fanboy. Heard it all.

Apple does deliver. If it didn't deliver with great products that people loved it wouldn't have $80 billion in the bank. Apple does work the best for a lot of people. I am one of them. You are not, but to discount all of their contributions to the tech industry because of that is ignorant. Think about it. There is a reason why competitors emulate Apple and imitate product designs. They do things well in a way no company besides them can. When was the last time your precious Toshiba was looked at like that? Finally, I am a proud Apple fanboy, and I will be until they turn into the horror that is Microsoft.

I do have links with sources of information to back up the things I said, but I can't post them yet. When I get to 25 posts I will come back and post them.

 

[Arcturus]

Okay, Arcturus, so what's the story here? You joined up 2 months ago and have posted to date 12 times. All in this thread.

Do you work for Apple?

-d-

No, I don't work for Apple. But I would love to! It's my goal to do just that someday, but I know it probably won't happen. I can dream, right?

I did join just two months ago, but I've been lurking around for maybe a year or so. I didn't join then because I was underage, and I didn't want to get banned in the future if I ended up becoming active.

I wasn't planning on posting either, but what I saw this thread, I figured I wanted to defend my precious Apple products. Because, you know, I am one of those Apple fanboys everyone hates so much.

 

[72-Jay]

Yeah I used to have a Creative Zen X-Fi2... and then it broke... was great when i had it... lasted a good while. I put it through too much abuse.

My Zen is even older than that LOL
I killed the hard-drive on it, but not a big deal, I got a new drive & replaced it bet that can't be done on most modern MP3 players...

Then I got the Cowon j3... which is said to be the best Mp3 player as far as audio quality.

I've seen that posted on multiple forums, and seen good reviews on it too. I considered a Cowon when my Zen died but went with an Archos...then I fixed the Zen (the battery on Archos has since died, so it sits on a shelf)

As far as the Zune... it's too bad. i really thought it was a great device...

I agree there

And my desktop PC is entirely custom built to my specifications.

Mine is home-built too...but it was a matter of what I got free & cheap LOL
The next one will probably be something more custom

 

[resonance]

Personally, I find Android to be a rather stupid OS and do not understand its popularity whatsoever.

Android is a complete resource hog. By taking away the ability to close apps, the battery drains fast and apps become laggy. I realize fanboys are going to argue that the OS has miraculous resource management and that the specs are stronger; but the 4S was recently benchmarked against Android dual core devices and the phone is literally twice as fast!

Android also suffers from security issues and device fragmentation. There are fewer apps that work on Android devices. I eagerly await Windows 8 so this android nightmare can be over with.

 

[Just_Believe18]

Hyperbole. Your statement will be forgotten in a week.

 

[Arcturus]

I hate to break this to you, but you're believing crocks and falsehoods. The PC market is highly deregulated so you can't "compare" Apple to single PC companies. And it's not really 10% anymore. It's starting to decline again as PC prices start to fall once again. You really do sound like an Apple spokesperson, albeit an uncivilized one who uses profanity, which will never get you anywhere on here.

The Mac is not declining. If anything it's picking up momentum. About a month ago Apple revealed it's 4th Quarter results, and they sold more Macs than ever. Each quarter they sell more and more. And you right, their market share is not at 10%. It's apparently at 13.7 according to CNET. Again I would post the link, but I can't yet. Apple's Mac sales percentages are growing, while PC's are staying the same or stagnating. I have multiple sources to back me up. And can you give it a rest? I said shit once. Big deal.

You are making highly selective examples. PCs are simply more practical and better, and I've known more people who jumped to PCs, often jumping back after using Macs for some time. Yes, you are omitting plenty of things to make your inferior choice look good... but hey that's your choice.

I am not omitting any of my PERSONAL knowledge about these things. And PC's may be more practical and better for some people, like gamers. But Macs are more practical and better for others, like designers. Macs are used so much more than PC's in creative industries. Hell, Apple was even awarded a Grammy once. It's not a blanket statement. Things work better for some people, and for certain subsets, it's not a PC that works best.

And your lack of civility in this argument shows once again. what if I said Macs are pieces of shit? I've had my PC since 2006, and only upgraded certain parts of it at a time because I wanted to upgrade. I rarely had any problems iwth them. There are many great PC companies out there... and there are many that have won awards (for example on the difficult CNET website).

You are allowed to say Macs are pieces of shit; It frankly doesn't bother me one bit. And I won't fly off the handle like you did when I called my PC's pieces of shit. I won't say you have "attitude problem" and I won't call you uncivilized. For what's it worth, I called the PC's that I have owned pieces of shit. I didn't call PC's in general shit like you are calling all Macs shit.

for someone who prefers to use Macs for "light usage" I guess specs don't matter now do they? Your argument is so poor here it doesn't make any sense. User experience? Windows 7 is quite easy to use. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out.

I've used Windows 7 before, and it's no easier or harder to use than it's predecessors in my opinion (I've never used Vista, so keep that in mind). It's certainly not hard, but it doesn't have the ease of use and simplicity that Mac OS X has.

Sure, you wouldn't say a lot of facts... simply because the facts don't line up with your argument. Yes, far lower malfunction rate. Toshiba has the lowest malfunction rate out of all laptops. You can't "cite" these studies, because there really is only one solid study that has been done on this. You continue buying your Macs... they are lemons to me because of their use of INFERIOR hardware.

No, Toshiba doesn't have the lowest malfunction rate. A quick Google search will show you that award goes to ASUS. According to my source, ASUS has a malfunction rate in three years of 15.6%, Toshiba has 15.7%, and Apple has 17.4%. Is that would you call FAR lower? How can you call something a lemon if it works, and clearly a lot of Macs work well, and far longer than their PC counterparts. Do I need to pull some sources out for that too? Apple doesn't use inferior hardware. For example, they use some of the best chips that Intel has to offer for their notebook lines. My 15" MBP has a Quad Core Intel i7. Is that inferior? The Toshiba Qosmio X775-3DV78 is $100 more than my MBP, and it has the same processor. I wouldn't want that Toshiba because it has 2.5 hours of battery life, compared to 5 hours (you can easily get 7 if you try) with my MacBook Pro. Who always has an outlet to plug into? I would be crippled during a 3 hour lecture. When my laptop died and I couldn't take anymore notes, the last thing I would do to console myself is this: "It's okay that I can't take anymore notes that I might need for a big exam because my notebook died; I have superior hardware." Also, look at all the bloatware. Can you imagine how long it would take to uninstall all that crap? It would be easier to wipe the drive and reinstall the OS.

Bottom line is this. You have said about 10 times that Apple uses inferior hardware, yet not once have you backed up your claim. Maybe if you did that instead of complain about my use of profanity you would have won me over.

I tend to stay away from such language because it doesn't make an argument any better besides showing you're too biased to be reasoned with, and are incapable of looking at the other side. Seriously, lose the profanity... it doesn't prove your argument.

Oh that's rich...and hypocritical. You are just as biased as me, if not more. I am capable of looking at the other side, and I am capable of admitting that there are things that a PC does better than a Mac. There are things Macs are better at too, but have you admitted it? NOPE! You won't admit it and are practically saying that PC's are always better and are always more practical. Guess what? They aren't! Answer a question for me. Have you ever owned a Mac? Have you ever used one for any extended period of time (walking into an Apple Store and screwing around on one for 5 minutes doesn't count)? If not, then how are you qualified to talk about this?

I said a swear word once. I don't see how that gives you the right to complain about my profanity every paragraph. It's not like I am peppering in swear words every sentence I write.

Spin? What about the spin you have posted? All you do is sit around here and cry and scream. You haven't proved anything to me. You haven't posted anything. You've only gone on a distorted rant (and not only that you don't know how to quote properly). Toshiba has better components then Apple... lol. Prove me otherwise... oh wait... you can't. That's the problem with you Mac fan boys... all fluff, and no substance. You have links with sources of information... oh yes, the empty brief case defense. Have a nice day!

How am I crying and screaming? I am sitting here trying to put forth a logical debate. Why either of us are trying is a mystery to me...we are clearly too stubborn to be swayed even a little bit. You haven't proved anything either. You say lots of things, but nothing is proved at all. I will quote how I want to quote. There is no proper or official way of quoting. You are just resorting to petty things now to try and pull one over on me. Prove to me that Apple has worse components than it's competitors. You can't, or you probably would have already just to throw the fact that you are right in my face. Unless one of us and can get a list of components for a similar priced MacBook Pro and Toshiba laptop, and then prove why one component is better....neither of us can do anything. And a Toshiba laptop having more RAM than a MacBook Pro is not acceptable. More of something doesn't indicate superior components. And links that go to reputable sources are the only way I am going to penetrate your thick skull. Anything I say to you won't make it.

Everyone saw them as ripoffs? No only the Mac fanboys did. The Zune was a last ditch effort? In other markets there are better solutions out there... like Cowon (which is most popular in Germany and Korea). The killer ipod + itunes combo? Itunes is a pile of crap, and iPod has terrible sound quality. Plus, iPods have very high incidences of crashes and failure. You're failing to prove anything.

How was the Zune not a last ditch effort? You haven't proved anything either. Whether or not you like iTunes or iPod, it was a killer combo and it still is. I wasn't debating the quality, even though it is great in my opinion. I was referring to the fact that the integrated software, hardware, and store made things easy for people who perhaps weren't great at using a computer. iTunes allows you to buy music, download it, and then immediately sync it onto the iPod...all from the same software once it was immediately plugged in. I am not so sure that any other company made it so easy. Keep in mind, iTunes has a better offering of media than other places. I looked up the Zune Marketplace and it has about 14 million songs while iTunes has around 20 million. There is a reason people bought the iPod rather than the Zune.

Apple clearly doesn't deliver, and their declining PC market shows that. Apple is not the best for a lot of people. People are ignorant and don't do enough investigation into what other superior products are out there. You prefer to stick to your Mac machines with its inferior hardware. I don't care for product design. I have a standard aluminum case. I got into this argument in the past with people on here, but I'll say it again. It's not the exterior that counts, but rather what is on the inside. But since you're a superficial guy, you just go by looks. Bravo! You'll fit right into West Hollywood. Looks, but no substance.

Apple does deliver and I've tried to show you that, but you are a stubborn PC fanboy just like I am a stubborn Apple fanboy. It's Mac market is not declining. I have stats that prove that is false like I told you above. They are constantly topping themselves and gaining market share. This past quarter they sold 4.8 million Macs. That's more than any other quarter, and a 26% increase compared to last year. Their computer division is growing while the PC world is staying the same. To say their declining is just a lie. Again, I ask you to rpove to me that Apple has inferior hardware. You keep saying that, but you aren't explaining or proving yourself.

Now, I am getting angry. You have no right to judge me or call me superficial just because I like Apple or it's products. I do not go just by looks. I bought a Mac because I think that OS X is the superior OS. When I use my Mac I look at the screen, not the case or the glowing apple. I would never go just by looks. I bought a Mac because I thought it was a superior product, not because I saw the shiny sleek aluminum unibody design (sans Intel Inside or Windows 7 stickers) and thought that I had to have it because it looked good. What an asinine thing to say. I am not going to piss (don't even try to claim that's profanity) away $1800 because of looks. I get it; you look at your computer like it's a utilitarian appliance. That's fine. But if someone wants more than such as great design in addition to the great performance that a Mac offers, why flip out and accuse them of only caring about looks?

FYI, as someone who isn't comfortable in their own skin and as someone who feels pretty unattractive a lot of the time, I would never judge something based on looks. I genuinely feel that my Mac is a great machine, with great hardware, and it gets the job done for me. If you can't accept that some people feel that way, then I don't know what to say.



Why would competitors want to emulate Apple? No... many competitors take their devices and do something better. By the way, the MP3 player I own is a Cowon J3. Cowon has been making Mp3 Players since 2000. Their design is their own.

Why would competitors want to emulate Apple? Because Apple products sell more than their own products? Isn't that a good reason. And they do emulate Apple. Samsung's tablet (Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1) was a direct rip off ofthe iPad...right down to the packaging and the way the OS looked. In fact, they are now in a legal battle with Apple over it because of design and patent infringements. And as far as I know, they are losing. A judge showed Samsung lawyers an iPad and a Galaxy Tab 10.1, and they couldn't pick the differences, Apple does something and other people copy because they can't innovate. Where would the MP3 market and the tablet computing market be without Apple coming it and reviving them? Tell me I'd really like to know, because I don't think your Cowon J3 has made an impact at all. Apple's design is their own too. When Apple designs something, others copy. All the major portable computer manufacturers have emulated Apple's MacBook designs in some way, shape, or form.

Horror that is microsoft? That statement clearly shows you're not capable of being a reasonable person.

I am a very reasonable person. Just because I think Microsoft is a horror doesn't mean that I am not reasonable. You probably feel that only people who subscribe to your way of thinking are reasonable people.

Replies in bold, because that is how I want to quote. I think we should just stop this arguing. We are not going to get anywhere.

 

[andysayshi]

Ahhhh, where do I begin? I think I'll just address the topic directly.

We've all been hearing about the new "iPad killer" since day 1 of the iPad. Maybe it'll happen one day, but not today, and not with this Asus tablet/keyboard hybrid thing. Anyone remember the last "iPad killer", the HP TouchPad? How's that goin'?

Rather than shrinking, the iPad marketshare has grown substantially this year. In the second quarter of 2011, iPad marketshare rose from 65 to 68%. Android's share of the tablet market declined from 34 to 27%.

Apple is in a unique position in the tablet space. They're the only company on Earth with a complete walled environment for their product: they make the software, they make the hardware, they have the largest range of apps on the planet, they control the largest online music and video libraries on Earth, and they now sell more digital magazine/newspaper subscriptions than anyone else.

The walled garden frustrates tech heads and spec-lovers, who care about dual core CPUs and RAM and Gigabytes. But normal humans don't care or even understand such things: they just want a device that does what they want to do in an easy, reliable way. On an iOS device you can download an app, buy a song, rent a movie, read a newspaper with just one click. The system already knows your credit card details - the sale is instant. Take a photo and it instantly appears in the photo library on all your other devices. New apps and songs and stuff are the same. The fact that my 69 year old mother often texts me with suggestions for new apps proves to me how easy the system is to use.

Android's major issue is fragmentation. There are hundreds of different devices running various versions of Android OS, with different hardware specs, different screen resolutions etc. This means that many Android apps can only run reliably on certain devices. Sometimes they WILL run but they look like crap because they were designed at a different resolution. This makes app development for Android far more complex and time consuming, and thus more expensive. When you read that Android has so-many-thousand apps in the MarketPlace, you need to consider that many thousands of those won't necessarily work on the device you own.

There's a small amount of fragmentation in the iOS market - some newer apps might not work on older iPhones, for example - but the devices know that and won't install them anyway.

I'm all for competition, and I hope Android continues to expand and do well, but they have a fight on their hands. This weird hybrid device highlights the worst of tablet competition: it doesn't know if it's a laptop or a tablet. Invariably, devices which try to be all things to all people end up doing a number of things badly, rather than one thing really well.

 

[72-Jay]

Your older Zen had a tougher screen then my X-Fi2... the screen was just too fragile. I still have an older Zen myself.
Amazon.com: Refurbished Creative ZEN Vision:M Mp3...

This one to be exact. I still have it... and it still works.

Ahh yes I remember the Zen Vision
Only reason I didn't go with that one is because it wasn't compatible with Win 98
Mine is closer to this (but larger drive): http://www.ebay.com/itm/Creative-Nomad-Jukebox-Zen-Xtra-Silver-30-GB-/120808450791

I only went with a Cowon because most people said it had "gorilla glass"... I wouldn't run over it with a car... but people said it's tough. And I'm always on the move. The 64 hour battery life is unparalleled amongst Mp3 players (something my X-fi2 is weak in). Only complaint is the UI is a bit complicated... but not impossible to learn. It took me a while to get used to it... but now I do everything at ease.

64 hour battery life that is awesome!

I was referring to the fact that the integrated software, hardware, and store made things easy for people who perhaps weren't great at using a computer.

This is one of 2 reasons why Mac has done so well... for the average user that does nothing more than 'use' a computer the Mac is supposedly "easy" ... now lets say you want to actually do any configuring or modification, um..good luck ... oh and if you want to try networking the damn thing & shareing files between it and Windows, again forget it, not gonna happen (and no network/file-share, the thing is of no value to me <note I'm talking home/personal network, NOT internet "file shareing"> )(granted Win 7 sucks here too. but all Windows XP down through 3.11for-workgroups can 'talk' to eachother no problem )
The other reason would be "it looks nice" (lets face it a "pretty box" is a big selling factor in any item)

iTunes allows you to buy music, download it,

There is one word in this line that describes why I personally dispise iTunes (and its clones) thats 'buy' ... with iTunes its all pay...pay...pay... <not to mention iTunes doesn't even use the standard: MP3>
Simple fact there's no way I'll pay for a inferior "nothing" (and that's just what a audio file is "nothing" - not a physical item ...and "inferior" because sound quality is less than that of a CD) If I'm buying music, I'm heading down to the local used CD store & getting the CD

 

[72-Jay]

Oh my... I remember that one. I think it was the one I had prior to the Vision:M. Creative made way better MP3 players back then. The newer ones kinda suck... and get poor reviews. And Creative tried to get into the tablet business... ugh.

Yep that's an oldie LOL but does just what I need: play MP3's
I had no idea Creative tried to do a tablet LOL I really can't picture that. not something I'd buy anyway.

By the way, no file converting necessary on my mp3 player. No loss of audio quality. Just drag and drop.

Will it actually support .WAV? then (which if copied directly is exactly the same quality as CD)
After getting a CD into the computer, I've always converted from .WAV to .MP3 on my own so I could pick the MP3 compression settings for better quality (although MP3 by nature will be some loss compared to CD. I can live with some quality loss .WAV takes too much harddrive space.)
Most of the time when at home I listen to CD, but if I want to listen to MP3's I've got my PC connected to the stereo, which is way better than any cheap little computer speakers

I love .flac too. I have some files in that format. Does Apple support it? Forget about it lol!

I have a few .FLAC files but have never played them (I don't even know if there is a good freeware player app that'll work in Win 98 for that format...yep my desktop is kinda old LOL)

On a side note, Tablets are the dumbest things. Netbook please!

I agree there! Other than it being Windows-7 I love my netbook . Tablets are way overpriced for what you get.

 

[resonance]

Yea I find it funny when people attach keyboards to them... essentially making them underpowered, overpriced "netbooks".

Wrong. This indicates your lack of tech savvy because the Tegra 3 in the Transformer Prime will be faster than any netbook. This is a low-end PC speed device. Tablet will have better graphics.

The Tegra 2 in the previous gen Transformer was comparable to netbooks with Atom n255 or n450. This is the bulk of netbooks. Tablet had better graphics.

The walled garden frustrates tech heads and spec-lovers, who care about dual core CPUs and RAM and Gigabytes.

Wrong. The iPad 2 is dual core and it was ahead of the tech curve and released before the first dual core Samsung tablet. (Samsung is the most major Android manufacturer.)

Also, Apple products happen to be twice as fast as Android due to Android's bloatware philosophy on OSes.

I would describe Apple as a technologically cutting edge company in the post-PC era until the recent 4S.

 

[resonance]

@ giancarlo
You can't dispute the facts.

www.engadget.com/2011/11/09/nvidia-says-tegra-3-is-a-pc-class-cpu-has-screenshots-to-prov/

Also, netbooks are kind of dead. Aside from a lack of serious Atom innovation, Intel has thrown its weight in the development of "ultrabooks" instead.




For US technophiles, I further recommend you buy Apple on the basis that it is the only company left to put US at top priority (other than Motorola).

Samsung treats the US like crap. The Galaxy S II was delayed 4 months in the US relative to international launch. It is so bad that the Galaxy S II coincides with the iPhone 4s launch. HTC has reasonable US delays, though, delays nonetheless.

 

[resonance]

www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-10/n...s-estimates-on-demand-for-graphics-chips.html

Giancarlo, you are flat out wrong. This article directly contradicts your assertions about the state of NVIDIA's finances and its prominence in the graphic card market.

Please provide links to corroborate your statements. I would provide more if I were not replying on smartphone.

Your information appears out of the loop for one to two years. AMD had offered cheaper, faster chips for a period but more recent benchmarks put NVIDIA in the lead again.

Furthermore, I do not understand why you decided to detract the conversation into GPUs when we were discussing SoCs. NVIDIA's chief competitors in the SoC market are Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, and Samsung.

 

[andysayshi]

And Andy, keep dismissing us as "tech heads" or "spec lovers". No, no, no... I'm a pragmatic person who wants the best performance... hence why I avoid Apple like the plague.

If your focus is performance, then you certainly wouldn't be interested in any tablets OR netbooks currently on the market. Both markets are dismal in performance compared to real computers.

I've never used a netbook that I thought wasn't a piece of shit. They are cheap, plastic crap, and their failing market share shows my opinion is not alone. Comparing a netbook to any tablet just shows ignorance of the market. They are very different devices, aimed at very different customers. If you think a netbook is a tablet replacement, you were never in the tablet market in the first place.

 

[andysayshi]

Wrong. The iPad 2 is dual core and it was ahead of the tech curve and released before the first dual core Samsung tablet. (Samsung is the most major Android manufacturer.)

Also, Apple products happen to be twice as fast as Android due to Android's bloatware philosophy on OSes.

I would describe Apple as a technologically cutting edge company in the post-PC era until the recent 4S.

I didn't mean to imply that Apple were behind the times in the tablet market. On the contrary, they are blitzing the opposition at the moment. Android tablets are only recently realising that the hardware graphics engine in the iPad makes the typical software graphics rendering in Android clunky and slow.

There isn't a tablet on the market today that compares to the iPad2 in graphics performance.

My point was that average customers don't appreciate or recognise the technology that makes tablets work well or work badly. They just know that the tablet works well or works badly. Apple might occasionally use a few tech remarks to differentiate last year's model from this year's, but they don't really use specs like RAM, CPU speed or resolution to sell their gear. They sell the experience, not the specs.

 

[resonance]

I have provided respectable sources that verify my statements and are in direct contraction of your own and your rebuttal is more personal opinion?



For the record, I am not an Apple fanboy. The reason I bash Android is because the OS is legitimately slow and various benchmarks support this.

www.anandtech.com/show/4951/iphone-...rks-800mhz-a5-slightly-slower-gpu-than-ipad-2

I prefer smartphones and tablets over PCs because that's where all the excitement is, for consumers and the tech industry. The PC market is so stale and unlucrative that HP, the market leader, wanted out of the industry.