We see it everywhere. Whether it’s some 40-something playing with it on the subway going into work, or a greasy-fingered kid playing games on it because their parents gave into their incessant whining, or from inescapable channels of advertisements that bombard me with that silly jingle, the Apple iPad is everywhere. I am not saying that it doesn’t offer its benefits for some. If you are a person that is an Apple fanatic and really love everything that Apple spews out of their factories, then by all means go crazy with it. But with the way technology is today, there is always better and there is always the possibility of getting better, so why would I limit myself just for the brand name?

I think that the right tablet will eventually replace the laptop/netbook. Personally, I am waiting to buy that “right” tablet because of the many functions it can serve, some of which the iPad does not offer. First, the iPad doesn’t have USB or HDMI ports. Without those, Apple is limiting their customers to only use Apple peripherals (which are both costly and limited). If they had just one USB port I would be able to take the iPad to class and plug in my wireless keyboard/mouse and type up my notes through there. Also, without a USB port, tethering applications are useless and as a result I wouldn’t be able to use my cell phone’s 3G service and save that extra dough from purchasing the iPad’s 3G service. Lastly, I wouldn’t be able to attach a camera and use Skype. Without an HDMI hookup, the iPad cannot connect to my HDTV to play all the media that I would put on my iPad.

Among other things, I am looking for a tablet with 3.0 Bluetooth (which is about 8x faster than the iPad’s 2.1 and supposedly drains less battery), a camera (one that swivels back to front would be ideal and with at least 5 Megapixels), and I am looking for a tablet where I can replace the battery (the iPad is an enclosed unit and not being able to replace the battery really grinds my techy gears). I also want a tablet that supports widgets because they are personalized shortcuts that expedite all the information I want at a fast glance on my home screens. Lastly, it is paramount that the tablet be able to support flash because the better websites out there are flash enabled and without it, my internet capabilities are hindered and that makes me a sad panda.

So in the end, I will not go into the clinically white and sterilized environment of an Apple Store just to buy a product that is limited and gets more expensive with each add-on that should come free. This is why I am going to wait for a better tablet to replace my laptop/netbook and I promise it will never be an iPad.

About The Author

Scott Covit is a Blast correspondent

30 Responses

  1. Kevin N.

    There are some good points here, such as the lack of USB, but Flash? Forget it. There is nothing currently out there that can manage this antiquated resource bug filled hog and it’s going away soon anyway. Also, Apple has not ever (or not recently) shown a habit of increasing its prices with each upgrade. In fact, just the opposite.

    Reply
  2. Susil Behera

    I have my hopes pinned on the Toshiba Tablet, It has all those things the iPad lacks.

    Reply
    • Scott Covit

      There’s a tablet called the NotionInk Adam that, to me, has the best specs of all. The only problem is that they have had a lot of production delays and I haven’t been able to test it out yet to get a hands-on opinion. Check that one out as it will likely come out in 2011 if all things go well.

      Reply
  3. James

    Stunningly useless. Just another rehash of things that have been said a thousand times before in a thousand different places, with the obligatory sidewise sniping at anyone who purchases an Apple product because they find it useful as nothing more than another Apple fanatic.

    Even historians generally try to offer a new take on the same old material rather than just repeating what has been said before, ad nauseam.

    Reply
    • Anonymous

      James,

      Yes, some of these points have been mentioned before, but not on THIS website where THIS author writes. And why are you comparing him to a historian?? That analogy doesn’t even make sense, the ipad only came out a year ago, and with cautious consumers who didn’t rush out the first moment they could to purchase one, these perspectives are still relevant. Just because you probably spend all your time perusing tech blogs doesn’t give you the right to bash on anyone who repeats something you’ve already come across.

      No one told you to read this piece, and no one cares what you think because you sound like a person who probably enjoys the smell of their own farts. Ew.

      Get a life.

      Reply
      • James

        The curious thing about online publication, particularly online publication that advertises is that, in point of fact, they DO invite others to read their pieces, and the curious thing about having a comment board is that they also invite feedback. It’s really altogether irrelevant if anyone cares what I think, just like it’s altogether irrelevant if I or anyone cares what you think, or, indeed, even what the author thinks insofar as it has been published and posted regardless (although it is implied that someone MIGHT at least care, because they have a comment section to begin with).

        Once upon a time, an author would submit a piece to a publisher who would look over it and decide , among other things, if the world really needed another article discussing a given topic, particularly in the relatively closed environs of industry literature. The “egalitarianism” of the Internet has done away with much of this model, but as a (perhaps unhappy) side effect, my “letter to the editor,” as it were, also gets posted when it might not otherwise have seen the light of day in a paper publication.

        As for the reference to historians, it wasn’t so much analogy (although I would contend it would still make sense, even if it were analogy– a year ago is still history, friend, believe it or not), but rather hyperbolic comparison.

        As for your last 3/4 of a sentence, it hardly even justifies a response.

  4. Jillian

    I disagree. While the iPad quite obviously doesn’t have the features that YOU are looking for, my iPad is absolutely perfect for me. The ereader is stunning – my texbooks have never looked better, the games are hilarious and extremely entertaining (and mostly free), when traveling the video player is absolutely amazing and it’s size and display are perfect for what I am looking for. Also, are you really going to hold up a 7 inch tablet to take a photo? – I think not, bashing the fact that it doesn’t have a camera has just seem to become an easy iPad target, how often are you really going to take photos with an iPad…

    Reply
    • Sulma Khalid

      True, it would be stupidish to take pix with the ipad but I think a camera on a tablet would be a great idea if it was used for Skype/Video chat purposes. It would open up a whole arena of uses with relatively little engineering effort.

      That’s great that you love your ereader, but I’ve heard that the ipad has serious issues with glare on the screen when using it outside, what has been your experience with that?

      Reply
  5. Robert DeSaeger

    Excuse me???? You said, ” If they had just one USB port I would be able to take the iPad to class and plug in my wireless keyboard/mouse and type up my notes through there.

    If it had just one USB port so that you can, ” plug in your wireless keyboard and mouse?” what part of Wireless don’t you get???? Wireless is Wireless you do not need a USB Port. I am always amazed by what people write or report on, and claiming that they know technology.

    Reply
    • Scott Covit

      yes, but like i said, bluetooth 2.1 is slow and drains battery. BT3.0 is found mostly with newer PC’s/laptops/netbooks and in some cars, but for tablets it has yet to really break into the market. I see your points and they are valid ones, but nonetheless my opinions are what they are.

      Reply
      • Opinionated

        “nonetheless my opinions are what they are”

        Yes, exactly. Ignorant, arrogant rubbish.

        Opinions are like assholes — everyone has them. And some stink more than others.

      • Matthew

        I bet your USB wireless transmitter uses more battery power than Bluetooth 2.1.

  6. Chuck

    When you denigrate other people, you reveal yourself to be the shill that you are. Life is full of compromises, and if you hold out for perfection, you will miss out on the many nice parts that are in that tablets that not perfect in your eyes.

    “If you are a person that is an Apple fanatic and really love everything that Apple spews out of their factories, then by all means go crazy with it.”

    I am not that but enjoy my ipad. Its success brings us closer to the goals you embrace. Prior to that tablets were an abject failure as a viable product.

    Reply
    • Scott Covit

      Absolutely, couldn’t agree with you more. I remember the old tablets, not even going back 5 years, and they were just slow and couldn’t do anything. They had the stylus style “touchscreen” but you couldn’t actually touch it. The hard drives were small, the processor slow, but you’re right, the iPad really busted into the market and created a standard. I just believe that they could have done better to create a golden standard. I hold out for perfection when perfection is attainable (even though more often than not it isn’t) and my dream tablet can definitely happen.

      Reply
  7. Jimmy Gunawan

    Hmm…good luck with finding “the right tablet”, sans iPad.

    I was a bit like you and did not get the iPad right away, because I am not Apple fans first of all. But after so many research and months of waiting, I got my iPad 6 months ago and never been happier.

    Forget the brand or the name for now, and try comparing all the available tablets, what experience they offer, including the apps available.

    Obviously, technology changes all the time and eventually there will be a decent tablet that suits your needs. But until, then, I wonder how far the iPad will go.

    Even with the current iPad I have, I continue to follow tablet development, the ups and downs of Android tablets and the ever-growing iPad even in these early years.

    Reply
  8. ajc

    I really only have one question, which I believe illuminates that the author really does not “get” what the hell the iPad is about…

    What the HELL are you going to use a wireless mouse for on a touch operated OS?

    I think rather than a tablet what you’re after is something called a “desktop PC”. I’d usually recommend a mac but an iMac comes with a wireless mouse and keyboard and I know you’re not keen on recharging batteries.

    Reply
  9. Patrick

    Scott, relax. Take a deep breath. Let your anger and hatred float away on the winds of calm. When the blinders come off, you will see.

    What you want is a laptop for your class notetaking and Flash pornsurfing, and an iPhone or Droid for your picture taking needs. You do not want a tablet that replaces a laptop, you want a laptop. You like your current life, with your websites and your widgets and your replaceable batteries. You are superior to the 40-somethings and the grubby-fingered kids. Why dirty yourself by getting a tablet like they have? After all, you’ll never become a 40-something – right?

    When you do buy your superduper happypanda tablet from HP or Toshiba or whomever, you will not like it. Why? Because it’s not a laptop.

    Reply
  10. Ralph Butler

    Says it all with his ending “it will never be an ipad”. So, even if the next ipad had all the things he wanted, he wouldn’t buy it because his grudge is against Apple, not the ipad.

    Reply
  11. Dick

    “If they had just one USB port I would be able to take the iPad to class and plug in my wireless keyboard/mouse and type up my notes through there.”
    Umm, get a bluetooth keyboard that’s actually bluetooth, not one that connects via USB. It will have less wires and be more portable anyway.

    “Also, without a USB port, tethering applications are useless and as a result I wouldn’t be able to use my cell phone’s 3G service and save that extra dough from purchasing the iPad’s 3G service.”
    iPad tethering via Bluetooth is coming in the next iOS update.

    “I wouldn’t be able to attach a camera and use Skype.”
    The next iPad will have a camera.

    “Without an HDMI hookup, the iPad cannot connect to my HDTV to play all the media that I would put on my iPad.”
    There are a ton of video-out adapters for the iPad available now that will connect it to a TV and charge it at the same time.

    “Among other things, I am looking for a tablet with 3.0 Bluetooth”
    Wait for iPad 2 in a few weeks/months.

    “a camera (one that swivels back to front would be ideal and with at least 5 Megapixels)”
    Again, wait for iPad 2 in a few weeks/months.

    “and I am looking for a tablet where I can replace the battery”
    You can replace the battery if you’re such a hardcore techie that you’re not afraid to crack it open. If not, it can be replaced at any Apple Store.

    “I also want a tablet that supports widgets because they are personalized shortcuts that expedite all the information I want at a fast glance on my home screens.”
    Apple hired WebOS’s notifications guru so you can bet that shortcoming will be solved.

    “Lastly, it is paramount that the tablet be able to support flash because the better websites out there are flash enabled and without it, my internet capabilities are hindered and that makes me a sad panda.”
    Is this a joke? You made me think I wasted 5 minutes responding to the other questions when this one makes you sound like a total troll.

    Reply
  12. Jen

    Wow…. I read everything here and typed my response while comfortably laying in bed with my sleeping baby. How did I do this you may ask? I will tell you. With my iPad!

    Reply
  13. Zeeshan Anwar

    I have an apple ipad– connect to my samsung led all the time with the hdmi connector. Have a apple wireless keyboard, and am able to type in class all the time using pages, keynote, and numbers. MobileMe provides much space to fit a lot that you can have anywhere. Only drawback is the camera.

    Reply
  14. Al

    And the number one reason I won’t buy an Apple iPad

    Mom is going to get me one for my 18th birthday!

    Reply
  15. Shawn

    It took you 7 months to concoct these theories on the iPad? You are completely off base when you say “the better sites out there are Flash enabled.” The better sites on the web spent huge resources and a better part of 2010 switching to HTML5. Have you even used Android or Windows Tablets with Flash? It’s a terrible experience and a battery hog. It also creates a huge security risk. Flash is meant to be used with a mouse and not made for touch interaction. It’s also died in 2010.

    Reply
  16. Benjamin

    You won’t buy one because you’re too effing stupid to make it useful and productive. Idiot.

    Reply

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