infrageeks
And here's an article that will certainly be making its way into the Angry Mac Bastards podcast before long. It's a link-baiter par excellence, with the article spread out over 5 pages of approximate 400 words per page.
And it's so incredibly light on substance and written in the lovely attack op-ed style that drives me nuts. So although I try and resist responding to this style of article, I think that there's enough here to warrant the response to this FUD.
First off, Apple will tell you nothing more about the iPad than they've already said until it arrives. This is their standard operating procedure. I seem to recall them being just as tight-lipped about the original iPhone in that space between announcement and launch. So grow up and stop whining. I seem to recall that once upon a time, we were told that patience was a virtue.
iPad question No. 1: Can you save and transfer documents to the iPad?
A: Uhhh - yes and if you had the intelligence of a fifth grader, you'd go over and get the SDK beta and discover how that's going to work. But then you'd be under NDA and not able to complain about it being in there. Or you could wander over to the shady side of the web and read the following article from MacRumours and discover that lo and behold they've actually been thinking about this kind of thing.
iPad question No. 2: Does the iPad support Microsoft Exchange email?
A: From all of the information available, the iPad runs iPhone OS 3.2. A little sensible reflection would lead you to the fact that it will inherit everything the current iPhone OS is capable of doing since it's not named iPad OS 1.0. Apple's not going to make a separate fork for something that is just an extension of the current structure since that's more work for their developers with no return. They're not aiming their marketing push at the enterprise since the enterprise is constantly busy going "nyah, nyah, nyah, I'm not listening, I'm not interested in your stuff". Or at least the enterprise tech journalists since I see an awful lot of iPhones and more and more MacBooks in the enterprises that I visit.
iPad question No. 3: Does the iPad support VPN and configuration management?
A: See #2.
iPad question No. 4: Can you use media services other than iTunes on the iPad?
A: Does it run on the iPhone? Then you'll see the equivalent on the iPad. It's not available for the iPhone? Don't expect to see it on the iPad. I'm not sure this is a terribly complicated equation. I know you'd love to see your Netflix stuff on there, but in the meantime, use your slingbox if you've got one and you just can't stand to live without your TV and film fixes while on the road.
iPad question No. 5: Can the iPad be used for videoconferencing?
A: In a word: No. Will some enterprising person figure out a way to enable this ability with a combination application and external camera? Probably. But I'm still stumped as to why this is such a big deal for everyone. I've been video-chat enabled for almost 8 years now, with friends and family equally well set up on decent DSL and cable pipes and I don't think I use it more than 3-4 times per year. Apple could care less about permitting a video chat application on the iPhone - their only restrictions on VOIP software were imposed by the carriers that didn't want to lose their minutes revenue stream and worried about the bandwidth use on their data network.
iPad question No. 6: Will the iPad's internal storage be upgradable?
A: Is this really a necessary question? Of course not. Not for the average user, anyway. Once the tear downs get out there and we can see exactly what Apple's using for storage, I suspect that it's going to be technically possible, much along the same lines as the AppleTV, but certainly not the sort of thing Apple's target market will be into. But an officially supported storage upgrade done at the local Apple Store. Not a chance.
iPad question No. 7: Will the iPad allow multiple apps to run simultaneously?
A: On launch? No. Other than the standard suite of built-in services like Mail, Push services and Safari. Look for it in a later OS release once the device has enough memory to avoid going to swap and they come up with a UI paradigm that's sufficiently obvious (in hindsight) to the average user when dealing with multitasking in a modal UI. Think about it - it's not as easy as it seems.
iPad question No. 8: Will Apple allow the use of Flash on the iPad?
No. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
For questions 8 & 9 see here for more info.
Comments
WaltFrench (unauthenticated)
Feb 10, 2010
Yeah, they've just published another “iPad is Your Enemy” article for their IT readership.
It's a couple years since the iPhone became a popular item at every enterprise in IW's readership, and 26 now since the original Mac. IW has had all the time they need to figure what to do about these newfangled thingamajobs. And they have had a remarkable consistency: Nobody needs a mouse. Apple's mouse only has one button. 25X80 green-on-black is better than WYSIWYG black-on-white. The Mac 512 has no color option. Users might use spreadsheets that would cause mistakes. Apples can't run user-written Excel macros. Nobody needs to multi-task. Everybody needs to constantly multitask. Graphics displays cost too much. Flash videos, games and ads are essential.
“Apple is NOT the answer. What was the question?”
You have to believe IW has staked out its turf intentionally. They represent those who go beyond being paranoid control freaks who insist on VPN, encryption of off-premises data and so on (whom I'm glad my bank employs). They identify with those who enforce standards for the sake of having control over all use of information.
If your firm requires a user fill out a request to whitelist each and every website, your firm employs people that IW serves.
If your firm requires many workers to have more than a half dozen passwords, each with different security rules and rollover periods, but can retrieve that password when you forget it, you work for a firm where IT's raison d'etre is control, not security against who actually loses data.
If your firm won't allow you to insert a thumb drive into your PC, but wouldn't notice if you stuffed a few hundred pages into your backpack or briefcase, your firm's “data security policies” are actually Data Security Theater 3000… a silly joke for the brain-addled.
Unlike InfraGeeks and n00bs such as myself, IW readers read thru this crap and nod approvingly. This is the propaganda line that they will be using for the next couple of months until a plug-in videocam comes out (and becomes a senseless $50 addon), until the Exchange support is available but doesn't handle repeating daily meetings in multiple time-zones, until a user points out that Apple already distributes (gratis) a VPN and app configuration tool that meets all the specifications except itself does not require a biweekly rotation of passwords.
Clarity. Focus. Agreed-on story. Because once users can install Keynote, build a presentation deck and save it back on their desktop in Powerpoint, who needs your license management team, configuration management protocol, 24X7 desk, … YOU? Make sure you're not the next casualty of these machines. Read IW!