[pscates2.0]

I'd like to see a simple bullet-listing from folks consisting of the things they hope come to the iPad. These can be 12-18 month "Rev. B" items (hardware-oriented) or things that could be addressed via software, either by iPhone 4.0 or future updates from Apple. Or they can even be things that you hope are part of this Rev. A model (and simply haven't been revealed or confirmed yet).

Some of this talk is spread out among several threads, and lots of back-and-forth. Hard to keep up with the features everyone misses or wants...so put it here!

Short, sweet and to-the-point entries (for easy skimming/reading by others, try to keep it to one line/sentence), and eleventy-teen extra points for using the [ list ] tags!

And please be realistic/reasonable. Work within the frameworks of what this iPad seems to be and would actually be capable of doing (don't talk about a bunch of silly shit that's never going to happen, due to hardware, pricing or technical limitations or obvious market positioning).

I'll start:

Apple

• Used as a standalone computer, requiring no "real Mac" for initializing/setup

• Time Capsule backup support for those using iPad as their sole device, assuming the above came to be

• Photo editing/enhancing (the same controls and tools found in iPhoto)

• iSight and iChat app

• Some sort of homegrown, OS-level printing support/capability

• iWeb (design, update, maintain and publish your site, blog, etc. No brainer?)

• Photo Booth (assuming iSight is present, why not? A fun app for many)

Additionally, list any third-party items - software or hardware - you'd like to see created for the iPad. Make that in a second grouping.

Third-party

• Mounting stand/arm that allows for 360-degree rotation, tilt and height adjustment...kitchen use, etc.

• Musical keyboard app w/ life-sized keys (and knobs, sliders, etc.). Works with GarageBand or standalone

• Google SketchUp app (how fun could this be, pushing/pulling/pinching shapes into 3D, rotating and placing them in 3D space, orbiting and panning with various swipes and gestures, etc.)

[Kickaha]

You know... I can't really think of anything else to add to that list.

I mean, there are things I could think of such as better information on where notifications are going, how metadata will be handled between apps, etc, but that's all iPhone OS 4.0 info that I'm sure will come out soon enough.

[709]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 Used as a standalone computer, requiring no "real Mac" for initializing/setup

Wait, what? You have to have another computer to use the iPad? The hell?

[Robo]

709: That's just speculation, for now. But I think it'll probably be that way.

The only big omission, IMO, is the camera. I'm sure that will come, but I don't partcularly care for it, so I'll be happy with a Rev. A iPad. I'm going to have to resist buying one in March. I have a trip at the end of March...long flights...layovers...and I have a crappy HP netbook for a travelling companion. And I doubt they'll upgrade the iPad before year's end, anyway...

Oh dear.

[bassplayinMacFiend]

Multi-tasking.

[thegelding]

multi-tasking (hopefully with iPhone 4.0)
camera (hoping version 1, but probably not till ver. 2)
netflix (app or microsoft update...i don't care which)

hulu goes HDML or whatever youtube is doing

g

[zippy]

I think you've got it pretty well nailed in your original post pscates. Way to steal all our thunder.

Of course there are countless other things that it won't do out of the box that it could/can do, but I expect most of that to be addressed with Apps.

[chucker]

Camera and mini-DP. VGA out only is kind of a bummer.

[Robo]

Originally Posted by bassplayinMacFiend Multi-tasking.

This is going to sound really weird, but...I'm more bothered by the lack of multitasking on the iPhone than I am on the iPad.

I know the iPad is supposed to be "fancier." But the way I see it is this: It's the iPhone that I'm going to use to "check" stuff. I'm going to want to quickly flip through messages, email, news, &c., and while listening to music or a podcast in the background. It's the whole "snacking" thing. I swipe open my iPhone without a specific goal, I just want to see what's up in my world. But the iPad is something I'd use to do something in partcular -- write, watch a movie, and *maybe* page through a textbook. So multitasking doesn't matter to me as much, there.

That said, it'd be nice if the iPad could run iPhone apps as widgets, at least -- they look sort of silly, centered on a black screen. And I'm a little worried about the lack of a calculator, so far...

My gut is that the iPhone won't ever really multitask -- Apple will just make switching apps fast enough that it's basically the same thing. Even now, multitasking isn't something the mass market seems to care about. The only place the next iPhone needs to go is onto Verizon.

[Kickaha]

Originally Posted by Roboman My gut is that the iPhone won't ever really multitask -- Apple will just make switching apps fast enough that it's basically the same thing.

Well, that is kind of what virtual memory is *anyway*...

[adamb]

I want to want an iPad but the following is stopping me:
• Basic multitasking - all I want is the ability to run an IM application in the background whilst browsing. Could be addressed in OS 4.0 so I'm holding out hope there.
• avi support - This isn't going to happen, but watching video in a VLCesque app would be perfect for me and basically all the video I watch is avi or mkv format.

That's pretty much it. If it was a stand alone device that would be pretty cool too, but it's not a deal breaker for me.

[BuonRotto]

These are mostly extensions of the things Paul mentioned:

• wireless sync/backup

• Garageband "nano"

• iWeb/blogging tool tied into Wordpress or something, not only a MobileMe thing

• iMovie organizer/basic editor

• just one USB port

• just one HDMI/mini-video port of some sort -- maybe.

[rdlomas]

Originally Posted by chucker Camera and mini-DP. VGA out only is kind of a bummer.

VGA out only is totally friggin' ridiculous and it drives me nuts when Apple does crap like that. If you've got some 720 HD movies on your iPad and you want to take it to someone's house and output to their TV, there is simply no excuse for them limiting the output quality.

[Robo]

Originally Posted by Kickaha Well, that is kind of what virtual memory is *anyway*...

Well, I have no idea what that is. So nyah.

But seriously...with the A4 and 512MB of RAM, switching apps on the iPhone probably could be *almost* as fast as switching between cards on the Pre. You'd just see a menu in between (which makes more sense than flipping through ten cards anyway). I love webOS but everyone is freaking out at just how fast the iPad is...I'm sure we'll see the A4 in the next iPhone. Hell, maybe it'll be called the "iPhone A4." It's one more than 3G

[chucker]

Originally Posted by Roboman My gut is that the iPhone won't ever really multitask -- Apple will just make switching apps fast enough that it's basically the same thing.

That'll be fine for many purposes, but not ones like streaming Pandora or last.fm.

Originally Posted by Kickaha Well, that is kind of what virtual memory is *anyway*...

But virtual memory is unfeasible on ordinary Flash storage.

Originally Posted by adambrennan I want to want an iPad but the following is stopping me: • Basic multitasking - all I want is the ability to run an IM application in the background whilst browsing. Could be addressed in OS 4.0 so I'm holding out hope there.

No need for this — push notifications work fine for this and provide a better solution to the user by saving resources. Much more effort for the developer, though.

Originally Posted by Roboman Hell, maybe it'll be called the "iPhone A4." It's one more than 3G

Clever. Works around the "what are we going to call the next one, anyway?" problem. Not like 3GS was ever a good name…

[Kickaha]

Originally Posted by chucker But virtual memory is unfeasible on ordinary Flash storage.

Righto. I was not calling for VM, but saying that 'switching between apps fast enough' is all multi-tasking really is, and on most any machine these days, this is facilitated by VM due to memory usage. So we're already using a secondary mechanism on multi-tasking machines that goes to disk and loads in app state. If it's fast enough, we don't notice. Take it a step further, and if *launching* apps from storage is fast enough, we don't notice.

Clever. Works around the "what are we going to call the next one, anyway?" problem. Not like 3GS was ever a good name…

Nice. Also, it's the fourth iPhone. iPhone A4 makes sense on a couple of levels.

[Robo]

iPhone 3G S was an awful name. And just after the announcement, they quietly, sort-of-officially changed it to iPhone 3GS, because that's what the rest of the world called it -- a sure sign of a poor name. But they left the "logo" the same, with the S in a box...gah!

Calling the second iPhone the iPhone 3G set a bad enough precedent that basically guaranteed suffixes forever, but suffixes for suffixes? Really, Apple?

I've viewed the name iPhone 3G S as actually being a point in favor of the next iPhone going 4G, because otherwise why leave 3G in the name? Why not just call it iPhone S? But iPhone A4 works as well...reminds me of when Apple put G4 and G5 in their product names.

And the fact that it is the fourth iPhone wasn't lost on me. Also, if "faster performance" is once again the new iPhone's main draw -- and with an A4 processor, it would be -- what else would they call it? iPhone 3G SS?

[chucker]

Originally Posted by Kickaha Righto. I was not calling for VM, but saying that 'switching between apps fast enough' is all multi-tasking really is,

But surely you don't expect users to manually switch back and forth between Pandora and iPornBrowser at 100Hz just so they can keep listening to music.

[Kickaha]

Originally Posted by chucker But surely you don't expect users to manually switch back and forth between Pandora and iPornBrowser at 100Hz just so they can keep listening to music.

Hey, you do what you gotta for iPornBrowser!

[ezkcdude]

This might sound lame, but I'd like it to be rubberized like the Droid. I think it's more comfortable to hold than metal and glass. Won't happen, of course, but that's what I'd prefer.

[Chinney]

How about a Phone app? I still have no confirmation of my speculation, in the other thread, of whether or not it has one. If not, why not?

[Kickaha]

I'm sure that there will be sleeves for this thing ala the iPhone, to add just that.

Well, and to waterproof it during one of chucker's 100Hz iPornBrowser sessions.

*fapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfap*

[Kickaha]

Originally Posted by Chinney How about a Phone app? I still have no confirmation of my speculation, in the other thread, of whether or not it has one. If not, why not?

Stealth change of the telco industry in the US.

Note that the SDK terms just started allowing VOIP over 3G.

Note that they negotiated a $30/mon unlimited *non-contract* plan with AT&T.

Note that the iPad has mic and speaker, as well as Bluetooth for a headset.



Now... what do you think the next gen of iPhone is going to be like in its terms? My guess is that it will follow. $30/mon, no voice, VOIP only, VOIP app from Apple will have background access ala current Phone app, no contract, use whatever carrier you want.

And it'll probably be an additional $200.

Or you can go the subsidized route, as now. Just a wild-assed guess.

[rdlomas]

How about being able to Tether it to your iPhone and use it's data connection.

I'm a bit put off by needing an entirely separate data plan for the iPad if I'd like to use it on the go.

[ezkcdude]

Originally Posted by Kickaha I'm sure that there will be sleeves for this thing ala the iPhone, to add just that.

I can only imagine how difficult it will be to wrap an invisibleShield around the iPad.

It's already here, folks.

[Kickaha]

Originally Posted by rdlomas How about being able to Tether it to your iPhone and use it's data connection. I'm a bit put off by needing an entirely separate data plan for the iPad if I'd like to use it on the go.

*nod* I suspect we'll see official tethering in the US tout suite.

[zippy]

Originally Posted by Kickaha Stealth change of the telco industry in the US. Note that the SDK terms just started allowing VOIP over 3G. Note that they negotiated a $30/mon unlimited *non-contract* plan with AT&T. Note that the iPad has mic and speaker, as well as Bluetooth for a headset. Now... what do you think the next gen of iPhone is going to be like in its terms? My guess is that it will follow. $30/mon, no voice, VOIP only, VOIP app from Apple will have background access ala current Phone app, no contract, use whatever carrier you want. And it'll probably be an additional $200. Or you can go the subsidized route, as now. Just a wild-assed guess.

That's what I was thinking. And I'm all for it.

[Frank777]

Apple:

1. Built-in dictation to Pages.

2. Wi-Fi Direct compatible for easy printing to Wi-Fi printers.

3. Fix iCal. To Do list management on the Mac is a shambles - whether in iCal, Mail, iPod, iPhone or iPad.

4. C'mon, license a few first edition comic books to get us started.

Third Party:

ESV Study Bible available with highlighting and ability to track progress on One Year Reading Plans.

[Robo]

I'm *really* quite sure that telcos aren't going to just let everybody halve their bills with VoIP. When it happens, data prices will rise, at least for a while. Still, unlimited everything for $70 is a good bit more appealing than current smartphone plans (well, except for Boost, who is already at $60).

[Kickaha]

Ooooh, I thought of one.

Basic Ink functionality. Not to make this a pen computer, but good enough that someone could do the NYTimes Crossword with a capacitance pen, and it would be able to check your printed letters in the boxes. It's perfect: preset entry spaces, printed (usually) writing, letter-by-letter analysis...

That would be the killer app for some folks.