Why I Don't Want an iPad for Christmas

[relaXman]

Why I Don't Want an iPad for Christmas
(This article is from Walt street Journal written by Brett Arends. )

Everyone wants an iPad this Christmas, right?

Apple's tablet computer is this year's hottest adult toy. Sales are booming. James Cordwell, an analyst at Atlantic Securities, expects the company to sell six million this quarter, half of them here in the U.S. It's driving the company toward what will probably be yet another blowout Christmas period.

Apple is expected to sell millions of its popular iPad tablet computer this holiday season but Brett Arends has several reasons why he's not willing to join the masses and buy one for Christmas.

But you can count me out. I don't want an iPad for Christmas, thanks very much.

Sacrilege!

Why? Here are my reasons.

1. It'll be cheaper next year.

How dumb are people? Apple is coming out with iPad II in 2011. (Mr. Cordwell predicts April.) That means fanatics won't be seen dead with this year's model, and you'll be able to get it much cheaper. Try eBay or buy it "refurbished" direct from Apple. Price deflation in technology is a wonder to behold. Remember the first iPhones? The 8-gigabyte models cost $599. A few months later they cost $399. Now they're paperweights. The average middle-class American earns maybe $16 an hour after taxes. So if you save, say, $150 on a product, that's more than nine hours' extra work. Of course, if you love your job so much you like putting in an extra day for free, go ahead.

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Associated Press

Apple CEO Steve Jobs shows off the then-new iPad in January.
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2. It's going to be better next year.

The next iPad will have new features—allegedly including video conferencing and maybe a better screen. This year's model will be so over. When Steve Jobs unveiled the second iPhone in 2008 he actually made fun of the slow first model—the same product that he had hailed a year earlier as the eighth wonder of the world. The audience yukked it up. Me? I'm not a fan of buying a product for $500 from a guy who's going to deride it a few months later.

3. Check out those profit margins!

OK, I admit it: I've been wrong about Apple stock lately. After correctly turning bullish at $85 two years ago, I turned cautious waaay too early. My mistake? This isn't a technology company. It's a luxury brand, like Hermès or Tiffany. And it's wooed customers so they'll pay almost anything for its products. Last Christmas, Apple's gross margins were 41%. That's incredible. It's good for Apple, good for stockholders—but not so good for shoppers. Me, I don't want to support someone else's 60% markups with my own dollars. Generally speaking, the smarter move is to invest in the Tiffanys of the world—and shop at the Wal-Marts.

4. Competitors are coming.

Right now the iPad has just one serious rival, the Samsung Galaxy Tab. So no wonder it's doing so well. But all that will change in just a few months. New tablets, many running on the Android platform, are expected to hit the market as soon as March. These will give you a much wider choice of size, style and operating system. And when these companies duke it out for market share, you know you'll be able to get a deal. So why would I buy now?

5. No Flash.

Do you want to watch video clips on the Web? On a boring old laptop or PC, you can do that for free. On the amazing new iPad? Only sometimes. Most Web video runs on Adobe Flash, and the iPad can't—or rather, won't—handle Flash. So there are plenty of video clips you won't be able to watch. And plenty of others you will have to pay to watch, either by renting them from Apple's iTunes, or by paying for a subscription service like Hulu Plus. Mr. Jobs had a very public bust-up with Adobe over Flash this year. I have sympathy for his position, as Flash can be unstable. But it's still the software most Web video clips use, and I want that choice.

6. The cost of the add-ons.

The iPad starts at $499 plus tax. That's nearly twice as much as a netbook. And I know if I get the cheapest iPad I'll regret it. It has only 16 gigabytes' storage. And it can only go online when you are in a WiFi hotspot, like at home or in Starbucks. A lot of the iPad's best features need an Internet connection. So if I want to use them wherever I go, I'll want the model with a 3G data plan that works everywhere. And those start at $629, plus at least $15 a month. Total cost: at least $809, plus tax, in the first year, and $989 over two years. This I don't need.

7. The games.

Yes, they're great. But that's the problem. Computer games are as addictive as cigarettes. And this is a habit everyone is taking up, not quitting. This is why I dumped my iPod Touch. Am I alone? Maybe. But I don't think so. I know lots of people with horror stories about addiction to immersive games. Someone I know—now, as it happens, a British member of parliament—once sat down to play Civilization, a role-playing game, on a PC one Saturday evening and didn't finish until three o'clock ... Thursday morning. (He stopped when he ran out of cigarettes.) And that was on an old PC. Games on the iPad are more intense than ever. A friend recently showed me some of the serious news apps on his iPad. I noticed that to get to them he first had to "wave" us past several screens of games. Is he really using his iPad to read that article about the Indonesian economy, or is he playing Angry Birds? Hmmm. You make the call.

8. The waste.

The scarcest resource in life isn't money, land, fresh water or gold. For singles under 25, the scarcest resource is sex, and for the rest of us it's time. And the biggest waste of time I've ever discovered—after games (see above)—is the Web. Nothing comes close. It's a total black hole. Do I want to carry a device that lets me surf the Web endlessly wherever I am? That's easy. It's amazing how much time I have to read now that I never look at Facebook.

9. It'll get boring.

(Journal Community
* discuss
“ I just read this article on my iPad via my WSJ subscription via 3G sitting in a restaurant listening to some Christmas music on iTunes. Darn this infernal machine! ” —Geoffrey Cox )

This year's totem is next year's meh. Economists call this "the hedonic treadmill." Human beings quickly get bored of each new item. We always want the buzz from something newer, better, bigger, faster or fancier. But the treadmill never stops. Think of how amazing the first Palm Pilots seemed back in the 1990s. Look at them now. The iPad may look like the eighth wonder of the world today. Soon it will seem so old.

10. The whole Apple cult is starting to creep me out.

OK, I already knew about the fans. Last summer, three-quarters of the people standing in line so they could buy the new iPhone the moment it went on sale already owned an iPhone. But now it's the company, too. Look at how it reacted last spring, when a Silicon Valley blogger scooped an early iPhone 4: Next thing he knew he was being handcuffed on his lawn in front of his wife while police ransacked his house. And think of Steve Jobs, complaining that news coverage of the iPhone 4's troubled aerial had been "blown so out of proportion that it's incredible." Hmmm, out-of-proportion media coverage—you sure you want to go there, Steve? This is the guy marketing a new telephone under the slogan "This changes everything. Again." Maybe this stuff shouldn't matter to me, but I have to confess it's turning me off.

[Mounds]

Just wait until the iPad 2 comes out. The same guy will complain that it doesn't wash his car.

When I die, I'm getting my iPad buried with me. Just because something else comes out, doesn't make an old product obsolete. He makes it sound like it will suddenly turn to dust in your hands.

[relaXman]

Originally Posted by Mounds

Just wait until the iPad 2 comes out. The same guy will complain that it doesn't wash his car.

When I die, I'm getting my iPad buried with me. Just because something else comes out, doesn't make an old product obsolete. He makes it sound like it will suddenly turn to dust in your hands.

LOL, Mounds, I find you angry ?

[Mounds]

Originally Posted by relaXman

LOL, Mounds, I find you angry ?

Lol, no, I'm not mad. I simply found the article to be very biased. I mean, there will always be people who dislike a certain product and that's fine. This seems a little over the top though.
I find mine to be the most handy tool I own.

-Tim

[James81]

I posted a link to this article in Mounds' thread about the ipad.

I agree with Mounds. This article is just someone botching about things that the ipad is not meant to do. Look at what it was designed for, not at all the things it CAN'T do, and your experience suddenly changes.

[pyrogen]

I'm holding out for a competitor that's a few generations ahead, and runs Android.

I hate Apple.

And I'm NEVER an early adopter anymore.

[Elrond]

Originally Posted by Mounds

Lol, no, I'm not mad. I simply found the article to be very biased.

You're own writings on it are very biased as well - that's often the side-effect of sharing ones personal opinions.

[Mounds]

Originally Posted by Elrond

You're own writings on it are very biased as well - that's often the side-effect of sharing ones personal opinions.

Honestly though, look at his arguments. Surfing too much, too many addictive games, profit margins are too high, Apple cult is creeping him out (by the way... what Apple cult?) and technology will inevitably get better. In other words... *****, *****, *****. Can't control yourself or don't like capitalism? Then don't buy one Don't like seeing a line of people outside the Apple store? Then don't drive past.
Truthfully, I looked at pretty much every other option. The main thing I wanted was a larger screen than my Kindle. iPad had the largest screen and I figured I could use it for entertainment purposes. Once I got a hold of it, it fit perfectly into my life.
I wouldn't put down other tablets. Hell, I'd go for any tablet at this point. They're simply fantastic organizational tools. Far more handy than a laptop IMO. If that sounds biased, then biased I am!

[relaXman]

Hey Mounds ,

I liked above article because ;
People's tendencies are two types regarding to new products of market.

Some people like buying new product of market .,
.......even some like buying it immediately

Some people like waiting for observation.
.......even some like waiting for very long.

I am the second of second....

[marinik]

Originally Posted by relaXman

LOL, Mounds, I find you angry ?

I am writing this on my iPad with delight. Gadgets make me happy! If it does not make you happy that is OK but it does not make my happiness any less. So enjoy what ever does it for you. Love my iPad all the same.

[Mounds]

Hi relaXman,

Trust me, lol, I'm not mad. Normally, I do the same thing as what you're describing, which is riding behind the wave. It's an awesome way of getting a great product at a great price. I'm not opposed to that in the least.
The parts where I do believe he has a point are the lack of flash and cost when everything is said and done (3G is pricey). The lack of flash is a flub, no way around that. The cost could be negated if you use it for a lot of different things.
Pretty much everything else (anything but #5, #6 and #10 I suppose) could be extended to every tablet and most pieces of technology. Just saying

[James81]

Originally Posted by Mounds

Honestly though, look at his arguments. Surfing too much, too many addictive games, profit margins are too high, Apple cult is creeping him out (by the way... what Apple cult?) and technology will inevitably get better. In other words... *****, *****, *****. Can't control yourself or don't like capitalism? Then don't buy one Don't like seeing a line of people outside the Apple store? Then don't drive past.
Truthfully, I looked at pretty much every other option. The main thing I wanted was a larger screen than my Kindle. iPad had the largest screen and I figured I could use it for entertainment purposes. Once I got a hold of it, it fit perfectly into my life.
I wouldn't put down other tablets. Hell, I'd go for any tablet at this point. They're simply fantastic organizational tools. Far more handy than a laptop IMO. If that sounds biased, then biased I am!

I looked up the definition of "bias" in the dictionary, and found that there are several definitions. Definition number 5 on dictionary.com jumped out at me:

Electronics . the application of a steady voltage or current to an active device, as a diode or transistor, to produce a desired mode of operation.

I figure that since we are talking about electronics, then that must be what Elrond was referring to.

And it makes sense! When you are holding your iPad, using your fingers to touch the screen, your application of energy from your body to the screen produces a desired result.

So, you are very biased in the moments in which you are using your iPad.

[Mounds]

Originally Posted by James81

I looked up the definition of "bias" in the dictionary, and found that there are several definitions. Definition number 5 on dictionary.com jumped out at me:



I figure that since we are talking about electronics, then that must be what Elrond was referring to.

And it makes sense! When you are holding your iPad, using your fingers to touch the screen, your application of energy from your body to the screen produces a desired result.

So, you are very biased in the moments in which you are using your iPad.

Darn it James, I bet you're right... I bet your ass you're right.

[Elrond]

Originally Posted by Mounds

Honestly though, look at his arguments. Surfing too much, too many addictive games, profit margins are too high, Apple cult is creeping him out (by the way... what Apple cult?) and technology will inevitably get better. In other words... *****, *****, *****.

?

Originally Posted by Mounds

Can't control yourself or don't like capitalism? Then don't buy one Don't like seeing a line of people outside the Apple store? Then don't drive past.

That's the same kind of argument I've seen by people when people criticize Steve Pavlina. Don't like what he is writing? Well noone is forcing you. It's his site, he can write whatever he wants, etc. Well why criticize religions? Noone is forcing you to adopt one. Why criticize having a ***job***? Noone is forcing you to get one. Why criticize eating meat? Noone is forcing you to eat it. Why criticize Walmart? Just don't buy from them. Why criticize big business? You don't have to use their services. Why criticize Obama? He is the president of freaking US of A, he can do whatever he wants (within reason). On and on the caruzell goes.


Of course people don't really seem to take this idea to it's full fruition all the time... only when it suits them, i.e. when there is something that they want to defend that is on the line. I've myself felt like posting knee-jerk "well if you don't like it, why do you care and why are you bothering me?", but I sometimes think to myself "would I really say this if there was something that I didn't like that was being threatened?". For some people it seems that one can critique anything between Heaven and Earth as long as it is not in the inner circle of ones own Holy, untouchable convictions: those that are just "if you got nothing nice to say, don't say nothing at all", all the while not realizing that five minutes ago they were writing a blog-post on the damaging effects of listening to Rush Limbaugh. Pathetic.


In your case, why comment on anything that you don't find positive? Or you don't do that? You perhaps never voice your opinion on anything that find negative? After all, you can probably most of the time

- ignore it
- don't "buy it"
- otherwise not support it by not giving it your attention

Perhaps he is not just venting his own frustration about the iPad, maybe he is convinced that other people will be better off without it (i.e. that they will probably play less games, surf less etc). Does that ring a bell...? Perhaps the thousands of posts on all these forums where people warn others about everything from microwaving food, to masturbating, to tupperware. Do you never share your own convictions in the belief that you can perhaps help others?

Originally Posted by Mounds

Truthfully, I looked at pretty much every other option. The main thing I wanted was a larger screen than my Kindle. iPad had the largest screen and I figured I could use it for entertainment purposes. Once I got a hold of it, it fit perfectly into my life.
I wouldn't put down other tablets. Hell, I'd go for any tablet at this point. They're simply fantastic organizational tools. Far more handy than a laptop IMO. If that sounds biased, then biased I am!

Biased is if you almost only try to tell one side of the story, in your case the positive things that you've found (in his case the negative ones). Another way is to try to be impartial and try to argue both for and against it, even if you don't exactly agree with your own arguments (devil's advocate). Being biased is not bad, but you seem to criticize him for being biased, which is funny since your own postings on it have been quite ***biased*** yourself.

[Mounds]

Sorry you feel that way, Elrond.

[openeyes]

don't buy next year's model, the 2012 model will be even better, then wait for the 2013 model if the world hasn't ended.

[relaXman]

Originally Posted by openeyes

don't buy next year's model, the 2012 model will be even better, then wait for the 2013 model if the world hasn't ended.

how a great idea, you told the best of options, best of options

[Bizarre Jester]

Originally Posted by relaXman

Why I Don't Want an iPad for Christmas

I don't want one either. Apple and all of its overpriced gadgets are overrated.

[Jai]

Technology is like being on a speeding train. You may not wish to be there but you cannot afford to be off it. The IPad is a new age technology that is redefining the man-machine interface. If you keep up with the change you will increase the chances of your survival in an information age. If you don't, you will join the modern day dinasours who refuse to embrace change and take pride in resisting it. They will go extinct!

[relaXman]

Originally Posted by Jai

Technology is like being on a speeding train. You may not wish to be there but you cannot afford to be off it. The IPad is a new age technology that is redefining the man-machine interface. If you keep up with the change you will increase the chances of your survival in an information age. If you don't, you will join the modern day dinasours who refuse to embrace change and take pride in resisting it. They will go extinct!

I prefer to be a modern dinasour in calm spirit than restless tech freak.

[marinik]

Originally Posted by relaXman

I prefer to be a modern dinasour in calm spirit than restless tech freak.

Why do you think we are restless tech freaks? Because we own an iPad? Why are you on the net then? You must be the only dinosaur around here!

[AlmostGodess]

I LOVE supporting other peoples' ideas, be it their art, their work or their gadgets. I think one of the best way to do this, is to buy what they produce. Since I live according to this principle, I buy all music and culture I use, no more illegal downloads or piracy

It happens that Apple is one of the brands I support

[Jai]

Fear not what you don't understand Relaxmansaurs . Had it not been for the "tech freaks" you wouldn't be on this blog sharing your point of view. Calm spirit comes to people who do not judge others especially if they are different.

in every society there are those who are in the front driving progress forward & shaping the future and there are those in the back with bounded rationality resisting knowledge and holding on to the past. I don't see the IPad as a gadget. I see it as a device that will help shape our future access to information especially for the "none geeks" given it's power and ease of use.

I am not a blind follower of technology but I know a superior innovation when I see one. The IPad is years ahead of it's time and being able to purchase it at such low cost is a real privilege.

[relaXman]

Originally Posted by AlmostGodess

I LOVE supporting other peoples' ideas, be it their art, their work or their gadgets. I think one of the best way to do this, is to buy what they produce. Since I live according to this principle, I buy all music and culture I use, no more illegal downloads or piracy

It happens that Apple is one of the brands I support

Do you think Huge International Companies like Apple need our supports ?
Why don't you support needed people like me as a homeless insted of wealthy people

[relaXman]

Originally Posted by Jai

Fear not what you don't understand Relaxmansaurs . Had it not been for the "tech freaks" you wouldn't be on this blog sharing your point of view. Calm spirit comes to people who do not judge others especially if they are different.

in every society there are those who are in the front driving progress forward & shaping the future and there are those in the back with bounded rationality resisting knowledge and holding on to the past. I don't see the IPad as a gadget. I see it as a device that will help shape our future access to information especially for the "none geeks" given it's power and ease of use.

I am not a blind follower of technology but I know a superior innovation when I see one. The IPad is years ahead of it's time and being able to purchase it at such low cost is a real privilege.

by definition of restless tech freak, I don't mean anybody in this forum, so I don't know who does what in this forum ? It is not my business.

I mean the general community of the world. And I see and strongly believe that in this era people are restless and especialy the youth is restless tech freak.

In order to find peace, people are turning into tech meterial, and soon after they are becoming addict. like cocain,

İt is not possible for me to be afraid of tech.
I am electric electronics engineer , sales professional ,and I deeply know electronics devices even repairing. plasma, TFT Tv Camcorde exc....

[Elrond]

Originally Posted by Jai

Fear not what you don't understand Relaxmansaurs . Had it not been for the "tech freaks" you wouldn't be on this blog sharing your point of view. Calm spirit comes to people who do not judge others especially if they are different.

in every society there are those who are in the front driving progress forward & shaping the future and there are those in the back with bounded rationality resisting knowledge and holding on to the past. I don't see the IPad as a gadget. I see it as a device that will help shape our future access to information especially for the "none geeks" given it's power and ease of use.

I am not a blind follower of technology but I know a superior innovation when I see one. The IPad is years ahead of it's time and being able to purchase it at such low cost is a real privilege.

You're judging people yourself (the "dinosaurs").

If you push people, don't be surprised if they push back.

[Jai]

Originally Posted by relaXman

by definition of restless tech freak, I don't mean anybody in this forum, so I don't know who does what in this forum ? It is not my business.

I mean the general community of the world. And I see and strongly believe that in this era people are restless and especialy the youth is restless tech freak.

In order to find peace, people are turning into tech meterial, and soon after they are becoming addict. like cocain,

İt is not possible for me to be afraid of tech.
I am electric electronics engineer , sales professional ,and I deeply know electronics devices even repairing. plasma, TFT Tv Camcorde exc....

I agree with you that there are many kids who are over exposed to games and technology gadgets that is limiting the other aspects of development. It's their parents responsibility to ensure they have a balanced experience of the world around them.

I also agree that there are those with obsessive compulsive characters that take these modern tools to obsessive extremes which is not healthy either.

The mainstream population however use these tools in moderation and enjoy being empowered. I am one of them!

Being an engineer Relaxman is not relevant. The fear of learning something new is found in many engineering propessionals. I have seen many expert technicians reach a level of knowledge that they remain at until a new disruptive technology comes along which they, for whatever philosophical reason, refuse to embrace and re-train for. That's when they fall off the edge of their professional career. Watch out for that! Knowledge transcend thru space and time and we ought to keep up with it. Just like we understand the science of nature, we should also understand the science of artefacts since most of us in this modern era are more in touch with our artefacts and less with nature. Stay cool and treat yourself to an IPad

[Jai]

Originally Posted by Elrond

You're judging people yourself (the "dinosaurs").

If you push people, don't be surprised if they push back.

Elrond, I think you take pleasure in auditing other people's point of view instead of putting forward your own. I was kidding with Relaxman on the dinosaur hence the smily face that followed. In any case I didn't say I was not judgemental! I also was not pushing anyone! It's a point of view healthy exchange and I look forward to commenting on your point of view in an objective none judgemental (I'll try!) way

[AlmostGodess]

Originally Posted by relaXman

Do you think Huge International Companies like Apple need our supports ?
Why don't you support needed people like me as a homeless insted of wealthy people

I think every company - big or small - that creates something that is beautiful or useful deserves support in the same way people - rich or poor - deserve support and love.

How do you know I don't support you?

[Elrond]

Originally Posted by Jai

Elrond, I think you take pleasure in auditing other people's point of view

Yes. You want my opinion?

Too big to have in your pocket, but hopefully it has enough advantages to justify it's size, and to be an alternative to a laptop.

That's all I know and care about that.