So…What do you think of the iPad?

I purposely didnt write about them on the release day, i was waiting for the hype to die down. Apple have said that they have now sold 2 million of these in the 2 months they have been on sale for. Thats faster than the iPhone.

I still dont think i want one; I may get one, but thats a different matter They just dont do anything which hasnt already been done. I have an iPhone, and this is a bigger version. I dont use that in terms of the apps, or use it in any way in general, other than using it as a phone. I do check Twitter and Facebook on the go, and blog a bit, but that doesnt happen very often, and that fits into my pocket.

If you watch the F1 you have probably noticed in the past 2 races that Jake Humphrey walks around with one…That does make me want one

But i know that i will hardly use it, and it will gather dust. I have an iPhone, desktop and laptop. Where does this fit in?

I will definatly wait a while before getting one, if i get one. I will see what the other companies have to offer, Dell, H.P. and others are said to be bringing devices out.

The UK iPad price has now been announced, with no real suprise. My last guess was £399-£429, and the lower end was being really optimistic; and now we have confirmation that the base model will be £429.

16GB WiFi-only £429
32GB WiFi-only £499
64GB WiFi-only £599

16GB WiFi+3G £529
32GB WiFi+3G £599
64GB WiFi+3G £699

I might get one, but i doubt it. Why? Well it really is just a big iTouch/iPhone. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but i already have an iPhone, and will probably get the next generation one when its released, my contract runs out next month. There is no need to have a bigger version of this. Not only that, i dont use apps, not enough to justify buying this. I will wait it out, and maybe get whatever HP or Dell will be offering, which will be more of a computer than this. If i see a better reason to get an iPad then i will

If i were to go for one of these configurations i would get the 32gb WIFI, its only a little more than the base model, and is probably the best value for money at these pricepoints.

You can pre-order on Monday 10th May, with it supposedly being released later in the month…its already been delayed in the UK.

UPDATE: Release date is 28th May

If you get an iPad, you gotta get this!

This is PLAYER!

oh dear oh dear……

I have laughed at people who pay for apps, called them sad losers, and thought they were pathetic. Now Sports Interactive are trying to make me look like a sad geek!

They have released Football Manager for the iPhone! It is more or less a fully featured game, yeah there are some things which arent in the full PC version, but this is a download for a phone! More or less all the playability is there, but it is said to be faster (to get from match to match) and is like an updated lightweight version of Football Manager.

This is exactly what i want!!! I play the retro old versions of Championship Manager, its still great fun, because of its speed and ease of use. Now we have an up-to-date game which is just as fun and fast.

The cost? Its £6.99 which is alot for me to spend on just an app…But this is a full game! Not just an app

The steady slope has begun

If you are American, and a geek, then today you would of woke up from your wet dream. The Apple iPad was finally launched today.

No word yet on a UK release date, or even pricing.

Look at this guy, this is what an Apple Fanboy looks like.

So, If you are American, you can pre-order an iPad today. If you live anywhere else, you cant. Not only that, the price STILL has not been revealed for the UK or Europe. They claim a revolutionary price, but dont say what it is…

So what is your guess? Well its $499 (starting) in the U.S. If you were to convert it, that is £332, but we know things never work that way. My original guess was £349-399, i think i will change that to £399-429

I will probably get one, because, it is a cool gadget….But it is nothing more than that. I would never recommend one to a friend, but if i had spare cash and i was in the mood for a gadget, then this may be the one. It is just a large iphone/itouch, but like i say, still a cool gadget.

Its supposed to be coming to the UK in April, maybe they are waiting to see the response it gets in the U.S. before they market and sell it in Europe and the UK, to price it better; If its a big success, they can sell it for more; If its a flop, they can try to sell it for more, but it will fail and nobody will buy it.

Now we know about the iPad, we know the spec, we have an idea of the price, but WHO is the device marketed at?

the iPad has had lots of negativity and criticism directed to it from the Apple fanboys, in an Apple Internet forum around 70% of people said they would not be buying one…These are Apple fans, so how is it going to go down with the mainstream?

Engadget posted a comparison iPhone VS ipad for 3g, and the costs, and in their comparison the iPad worked out as a much cheaper device. This is NOT the case. They did not factor in 1 thing, the iPad is not a phone! A mobile phone is an essential device these days, and i doubt anyone would have an iPad without having a mobile phone.

So who will buy this device? What is it for? I really do not know. If you use a computer at home, you will be using either a desktop or a laptop. If you are traveling day-to-day for example on the bus, train, or to work and want light use you will use your iPhone or touch if you have 1. If you need something more powerful for travel, if you go on holiday or away for a few days you will use a laptop. It fits between a laptop, and a smartphone, but do we need something in between those? I dont think so.

iPad is Apple’s netbook? This was touched on at their event, but really, its not. A netbook is an inexpensive laptop, this is not. This is a large expensive itouch.

What you dont get

If you buy the WIFI version you do not get 3g (obviously) and do not get GPS. You also still do not get Flash, so cannot run flash apps or websites; There are plenty big websites running flash, for example the BBC, so you will not be able to get some of their media content. You also dont get texting and calls, which is obvious since its not a phone. If you go for the 3g version, there will be a monthly cost, and many current plans are for a fixed term (e.g. 12 months).

Check out my breakdown of the cost, i believe this is the only true comparison:

The iPhone Pay As You Go looks cheap here in comparison having a contract, but remember this does not include any calls, texts or anything like that. Simply free 3g access. My choice out of the 3 for price, is the iPhone on contract.

So the iPad is actually very expensive. Lets not forget, you have to factor in the cost of a mobile phone, as this isnt a phone whereas the iPhone obviously is! So even if you go for a free phone (which you wont, if you are geeky enough to have an iPad you will want a geeky phone) and contract at £30/month that is another £360/year on top of the iPad and its 3g usage. Even if the iPad is not at my predicted £499 cost, it is £250 MORE than the iPhone, and we know that it will not be £250 under £499.

So, after looking at all of this, considering all the good and bad points, what have i decided? I have decided that this is a cool gadget to have, but nothing more. It costs too much, it isnt going to replace something, and isnt going to be an addition to something either. There is no room in the market for this. You buy a laptop because you want/need a portable computer. You buy a mobile phone because you want a mobile phone. You buy an iPad because….There is no reason.

Earlier today Apple announced their tablet, which is officially called the iPad, and has already got an adopted name by some people of the iTampon

So what is it? Well its a 9.7″ screen which you can read ebooks, check emails, listen to music, watch video, play games, use applications…It is basically an iPhone/Touch, which has left people very disappointed.

Spec and price

There will be  WIFI only and a 3g+WIFI models available, which come with an Apple 1GHZ cpu, 16, 32 and 64GB Flash storage drives and Bluetooth. It comes in at only 1.5lbs in weight and is 0.5 inches thick. The battery seems impressive, which boasts 10 hours of usage, and claimed to have a month of standby juice. The price is the major stumbling block…

Announced prices for the U.S. market are split into 2, for the WIFI only and WIFI+3g models.

WIFI only – $499, $599, $699 For 16, 32, 64 GB Respectively
WIFI+3g – $629, $729, $829 For 16, 32, 64GB Respectively

Remember, if you go with a 3g model, you will not only have to pay this down for the device, you will also need a monthly subscription to 3G from a carrier.

For me, this is a big MISS

I will doubt very very much i will get 1 of these at those prices. Why? 2 massive reasons, the price, and i have this device already, its called an iPhone. This just looks like a really big iphone to me, and to alot of people. The buzz from everyone on twitter is the same, that this is, a larger iphone. So if you have an iphone, what does this bring to you? Apple, you need to give us a reason to buy your new toy, and i cant find one. The majority of Apple products have been a huge success in recent times, i really think this will be the first to fail, well i suppose that Macbook Air was a bit of a flop aswell It actually looks a little more square than i thought it would, it looks a bit “wrong” in MR Jobs’ hands.

Availability: It will be available in 60 days for the WIFI Only, and 90 days for the WIFI+3g (April/May)

UK Prices

These are yet to be announced, but i am going to go and guess these, see if i am right….

WIFI ONLY – £349-399, £449-499, £549-599 For 16, 32, 64GB Respectively
WIFI + 3g – £449-499, £549-599, £649-699 For 16, 32, 64GB Respectively

I put the lower “x49″ numbers in as they may feel a bit generous, but i doubt it So a mid range with 3g could cost almost £600! btw you cant just convert the dollars to pounds and assume that is the price, thats not how it works!