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Old 01-30-2010, 11:42 AM   #72 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Xerxys View Post
If it's meant for portable media consumption then why didn't it naturally come with a fully functional web browser? What other media dispersion method is there better than the internet? Just the fact that it has no flash looses it massive points. I'm also getting this through the angle of music, not just video. Why would you lug the iPad around when you have the option of a small iPod?
Here is Apple's list of features (with added notes from me):
  • Safari
  • Mail
  • Photos
  • Video (movies)
  • YouTube (Web video)
  • iPod (music)
  • iTunes (digital media downloads)
  • App Store (140,000 apps)
  • iBooks (ebook reader)
  • Maps
  • Notes
  • Calendar
  • Contacts
Okay, so Safari doesn't have Flash. That does limit a bunch of Web stuff, but it doesn't cripple the experience for a lot of people. I've read that Apple's reluctance to implement Flash is based on the on-the-fly encoding it uses. They don't want third-party code downloads involved with their devices for whatever reason. Security? Proprietorship?

That aside, this device does a lot of things, on a large screen, and for a reasonable price.

You might not be able to use Hulu (Flash-based), but you do have YouTube.

A part of me thinks (hopes?) that Apple may eventually implement Flash due to market pressure, but I'm not holding my breath.

As far as the music is concerned, I see your point. But, hey, you could always use bluetooth headphones. The device itself is only about 1.5" X 0.5" larger than a trade paperback book (which for book nerds like me is reasonably portable). And 1.5 pounds isn't bad considering the size of the screen.

For music, it's a bit of a trade-off compared to an iPod, yes, but this device is more of an all-in-one. I don't like the idea of reading an ebook on the iPod Touch, and watching movies is barely passable.
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