If one part of a sentence is factually incorrect or an outright lie[1], it is entirely appropriate to point out that it is so, ignoring the other portions of it.
> crappy netbooks running windows 7 on a tiny screen
The iPad has a 9.7in screen, with a 1024 x 768 resolution. By comparison, many netbooks have 10.1in screens with 1024 x 600 resolutions. I wouldn't call that enough of a difference to say that netbook screens are tiny while iPad screens aren't.
> its specs might be (hypothetically speaking (for the sake of the argument)) crappier than some netbook out there
Your bias is showing, as is your ignorance of the current specs of iPads and netbooks. The first generation of iPads had specs which were inferior to many netbooks at the time, especially when considering RAM; the current generation (which isn't shipping yet) has comparably fast processors, but much less storage and probably less RAM.
But yes, Apple is trying to position themselves as not a part of the herd, removing the need to compete on specs. They are definitely succeeding[2], which allows them both to focus on the interface and appearance and to make their products into appliances, where it doesn't necessarily make sense to compare them to anything else. How do you compare UI, after all? If Apple is able to avoid objective measurements, that's a huge success for them, since they'll be able to sell hardware that's slower or older without anyone noticing.
[1] In this case, it is factually incorrect, and perhaps an outright lie, to claim that iPads are cheaper than netbooks. $379.99 for a netbook is less than $499 for an iPad.
[2] As your comment makes abundantly clear, Apple does not lack fans, nor will these fans stand quietly by while objectively true statements are made that disparage Apple.
I'm not a huge apple fan as you try to imply. I don't own an iPad, I don't even use Mac OS X (I use Ubuntu). But I find Apple's products appealing and I like their approach.
Your mentality is exactly why Google and Microsoft (and others) don't get Apple at all. You think in "data". If something can't be put in a spreadsheet, it's not real for you.
Your comparisons between netbooks and iPads are ridiculous. You're comparing the price, specs, and screen size. You just don't get it.
11" is tiny for windows 7, because it wasn't designed for netbooks. The taskbar takes a huge part of the screen, as do the title bars and menu bars and tool bars and tab bars.
The iPad screen size might be the same or smaller or whatever, but because applications are designed specifically for it, they use the screen space much more efficiently.
By the way, Apple has its own netbook. It's called Air and it has a 11" variant. It's much more expensive than typical netbooks though, and I guess you could argue that it's not really a netbook.
> Apple does not lack fans, nor will these fans stand quietly by while objectively true statements are made that disparage Apple.
Your sense of "objectivity" is ridiculous.
It's like your counting the number of character in a logical argument as a measure of its validity. "I wrote more characters than you, therefore I win the argument". This is just an analogy of course, and this is not what you're saying. But, you're using the wrong measure for determining the value of the iPad.
> If one part of a sentence is factually incorrect or an outright lie[1], it is entirely appropriate to point out that it is so, ignoring the other portions of it.
It's only a lie when you take it out of context. It's talking about non-expert users. Only geeks like us would shop around for the best laptop deals. Most people don't even know how to evaluate the specs. "What does dual core mean and why should I care? What type of memory is best?".
non-expert users cannot get a product that's cheaper than the iPad and provides the same or similar experience. There just isn't such a product.
Not to mention the iPad uses SSD instead of magnetic discs. A typical non-expert user wouldn't even know what SSD means and if he had to pick a laptop he would most likely choose one with a magnetic disk because it tends to be cheaper (it's not like he would read all the specs anyway).
Your post has nothing to do with the argument at hand. The article effectively claimed that the post-PC devices are "cheaper". I refuted that in my original post above.
Your argument that they are of more value because of the software is subjective, not objective and the parent post acknowledged that. And no one is talking about 11" netbooks here which you introduced as a strawman to beat down PCs. There are a lot of 15" and 14" LAPTOPS (not netbooks, geez, are you stuck in 2008?) that can be obtained below $500(the Air is much more expensive).
At this point, the subjective comparison is between a $500 basic 10" iPad vs. a 14" or 15" laptop for $500 or cheaper and your claim is the iPad beats the laptop in value for the general public which is a highly debatable claim given the iPads lack of physical keyboard and small screen.
Comments
If one part of a sentence is factually incorrect or an outright lie[1], it is entirely appropriate to point out that it is so, ignoring the other portions of it.
> crappy netbooks running windows 7 on a tiny screen
The iPad has a 9.7in screen, with a 1024 x 768 resolution. By comparison, many netbooks have 10.1in screens with 1024 x 600 resolutions. I wouldn't call that enough of a difference to say that netbook screens are tiny while iPad screens aren't.
> its specs might be (hypothetically speaking (for the sake of the argument)) crappier than some netbook out there
Your bias is showing, as is your ignorance of the current specs of iPads and netbooks. The first generation of iPads had specs which were inferior to many netbooks at the time, especially when considering RAM; the current generation (which isn't shipping yet) has comparably fast processors, but much less storage and probably less RAM.
But yes, Apple is trying to position themselves as not a part of the herd, removing the need to compete on specs. They are definitely succeeding[2], which allows them both to focus on the interface and appearance and to make their products into appliances, where it doesn't necessarily make sense to compare them to anything else. How do you compare UI, after all? If Apple is able to avoid objective measurements, that's a huge success for them, since they'll be able to sell hardware that's slower or older without anyone noticing.
[1] In this case, it is factually incorrect, and perhaps an outright lie, to claim that iPads are cheaper than netbooks. $379.99 for a netbook is less than $499 for an iPad.
[2] As your comment makes abundantly clear, Apple does not lack fans, nor will these fans stand quietly by while objectively true statements are made that disparage Apple.
I'm not a huge apple fan as you try to imply. I don't own an iPad, I don't even use Mac OS X (I use Ubuntu). But I find Apple's products appealing and I like their approach.
Your mentality is exactly why Google and Microsoft (and others) don't get Apple at all. You think in "data". If something can't be put in a spreadsheet, it's not real for you.
Your comparisons between netbooks and iPads are ridiculous. You're comparing the price, specs, and screen size. You just don't get it.
11" is tiny for windows 7, because it wasn't designed for netbooks. The taskbar takes a huge part of the screen, as do the title bars and menu bars and tool bars and tab bars.
The iPad screen size might be the same or smaller or whatever, but because applications are designed specifically for it, they use the screen space much more efficiently.
By the way, Apple has its own netbook. It's called Air and it has a 11" variant. It's much more expensive than typical netbooks though, and I guess you could argue that it's not really a netbook.
> Apple does not lack fans, nor will these fans stand quietly by while objectively true statements are made that disparage Apple.
Your sense of "objectivity" is ridiculous.
It's like your counting the number of character in a logical argument as a measure of its validity. "I wrote more characters than you, therefore I win the argument". This is just an analogy of course, and this is not what you're saying. But, you're using the wrong measure for determining the value of the iPad.
> If one part of a sentence is factually incorrect or an outright lie[1], it is entirely appropriate to point out that it is so, ignoring the other portions of it.
It's only a lie when you take it out of context. It's talking about non-expert users. Only geeks like us would shop around for the best laptop deals. Most people don't even know how to evaluate the specs. "What does dual core mean and why should I care? What type of memory is best?".
non-expert users cannot get a product that's cheaper than the iPad and provides the same or similar experience. There just isn't such a product.
Not to mention the iPad uses SSD instead of magnetic discs. A typical non-expert user wouldn't even know what SSD means and if he had to pick a laptop he would most likely choose one with a magnetic disk because it tends to be cheaper (it's not like he would read all the specs anyway).
Your post has nothing to do with the argument at hand. The article effectively claimed that the post-PC devices are "cheaper". I refuted that in my original post above.
Your argument that they are of more value because of the software is subjective, not objective and the parent post acknowledged that. And no one is talking about 11" netbooks here which you introduced as a strawman to beat down PCs. There are a lot of 15" and 14" LAPTOPS (not netbooks, geez, are you stuck in 2008?) that can be obtained below $500(the Air is much more expensive).
At this point, the subjective comparison is between a $500 basic 10" iPad vs. a 14" or 15" laptop for $500 or cheaper and your claim is the iPad beats the laptop in value for the general public which is a highly debatable claim given the iPads lack of physical keyboard and small screen.