Audio wars spill into Apple Tablet

[amirm]

Just when you thought we were alone....

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http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2401726,00.asp?obref=obinsite

Oh, the power of the placebo effect.

Tech website Gizmodo went out and picked up a new iPad on Friday and opted to let Gawker's various writers and staffers get a quick peek at Apple's new red-hot device. Or at least, that's what Gizmodo's Sam Biddle was trying to lead them to believe. Because they device they were holding off wasn't a brand-new, retina-display iPad, but instead its predecessor: The good ol' iPad 2.

The response?

"It seems very pretty," one staffer said. "It's light. You know, it's not quite like my Kindle, but it'll do, I suppose."

That's not so bad, right? Especially for someone who claims to have never touched an iPad prior to Gizmodo's delivery. It gets worse.

"It's still… it's not as sharp as my phone," commented another staffer, correctly noticing that the iPad 2's simple 1024-by-768 resolution (at 132 pixels-per-inch) would have a lower pixel density than, say, a Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone (316 pixels-per-inch) or an iPhone 4S (326 pixels-per-inch).

"I actually wish it was lighter," the staffer added. "It feels heavy. The screen overall is OK. I still see pixilation. It's not like, 'Holy God, I'm looking out a window.'"

The descriptions continue, with most Gawker staffers delivering the typical Steve Jobs-like highlights we've come to expect by now: The iPad is super-light ("It's got good weight distribution," says one commenter), it's easy to hold, it looks great (incredible, amazing, awesome!), the resolution is wonderful, et cetera.

Not one person featured in Gizmodo's video correctly deduces that they're holding an iPad 2 instead of a new iPad.

While it's certainly a funny way to go about covering a major product release, Gizmodo's little prank also exposes the relationship between the tech ramp-up for normal shoppers versus those close to the industry. The Web always seems to be saturated with speculation and specs: What's Apple's new product going to have, followed by essays upon essays written about a device's every specification post-launch.

To typical iPad owners or potential purchasers, the words seem to fall on deaf ears. They can be told that Apple' new iPad is better than its predecessor but, as Gizmodo's experiment shows, it's not as if they have a real-world bearing for what a "Retina Display" or "faster processor" actually means. At some point, a device meets a person's internal threshold of what's "fast," or "good-looking." And unless this person is holding two products side-by-side, he or she is seemingly going to enjoy an experience with an older, similar-looking device just as much as a newer one.

Talk about an upgrade cycle killjoy.

 

[amirm]

http://gizmodo.com/5894094/we-people-an-ipad-2-told-them-it-was-the-new-ipad-and-they-loved-it

We Gave People an iPad 2, Told Them It Was the New iPad, and They Loved It

Apple's advertising onslaught is already battering down doors and TVs around the nation—you're gonna upgrade to a new iPad whether you like it or not. But based on our little test, most people can't tell the difference anyway.

We figured that if we—enormous nerds who fixate on pixel density—were underwhelmed by the screen, then what about non-gadget geeks? We rounded some coworkers and handed them a "new iPad." The "new iPad" was an iPad 2. They loved the new iPad.

Apple doesn't even need to try anymore.

 

[NorthStar]

Good score Amir.

 

[treitz3]

That is just too funny.

 

[Syntax]

But based on our little test, most people can't tell the difference anyway.

We figured that if we—enormous nerds who fixate on pixel density—were underwhelmed by the screen, then what about non-gadget geeks? We rounded some coworkers and handed them a "new iPad." The "new iPad" was an iPad 2. They loved the new iPad.

Apple doesn't even need to try anymore.

Who cares about reality

Here is some Humor about that serious chapter

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/fredmanteghian.htm

 

[FrantzM]

Who cares about reality

Here is some Humor about that serious chapter

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/fredmanteghian.htm

H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S!

I also believe that apple has created that in their own way , a distortion field that Apple fans (I am one) just willingly get themselves into. I have an iPad but can't begin ti understand why it is soooo difficult to just print on the damn thing or the absence of Flash playor the absence of an USB port on it ... Yet no one seems to be complaining ... BTW does the new iPad print through normal, basic, old Wi-Fi?

 

[rblnr]

To typical iPad owners or potential purchasers, the words seem to fall on deaf ears. They can be told that Apple' new iPad is better than its predecessor but, as Gizmodo's experiment shows, it's not as if they have a real-world bearing for what a "Retina Display" or "faster processor" actually means. At some point, a device meets a person's internal threshold of what's "fast," or "good-looking." And unless this person is holding two products side-by-side, he or she is seemingly going to enjoy an experience with an older, similar-looking device just as much as a newer one.

Not sure I understand this. By comparison (real world bearing) matters and an incremental upgrade -- say a greatly improved screen on a device that is mostly screen -- is likely meaningful. Seems to me that this is mostly an argument that the iPad2 is an excellent device with a screen not as sharp as smaller phones (but as good as anything avail on a screen it's size at time of release). But in consumer electronics we're dealing with wants more than needs anyway. So whether the 2 is good enough is barely relevant.

A meaningful test would be to double blind the 2 vs 3. If the screen on the 3 is as obviously better as claimed (ignoring other possible improvements), lets assume most people would choose the 3. Isn't that meaningful, something a company that wants to sell product should hype?

The exposure to something better matters. Isn't this what many of us would like to happen audio-wise? Expose people to better sound so they understand and value it?

On the Flash issue, Adobe has even dropped support for mobile flash (RIM says they'll continue to develop it, if thats not a death knell..). AirPrint has worked fine for me btw. USB be handy though the only thing I've ever had the urge to physically connect to an iPad is an SD card, and there's provision for that.

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

Don't get me wrong, I don't think Apple lovers, or anyone, is immune from expectation bias, I just don't get the post. The premise seems to be that, being told an iPad 2 is a new iPad, people saw all the "new iPad" stuff where it did not exist. The reality seems to be the opposite:

it's not quite like my Kindle, but it'll do

It's still… it's not as sharp as my phone

I actually wish it was lighter," the staffer added. "It feels heavy. The screen overall is OK. I still see pixilation. It's not like, 'Holy God, I'm looking out a window.'"

The descriptions continue, with most Gawker staffers delivering the typical Steve Jobs-like highlights we've come to expect by now: The iPad is super-light ("It's got good weight distribution," says one commenter), it's easy to hold, it looks great (incredible, amazing, awesome!), the resolution is wonderful, et cetera.

If the descriptions continue with most Gawker staffers delivering Apple-approved highlights, it would really support their story if they printed some of those highlights. "It's got good weight distribution?" That's the most expectation-bias indicating thing they could get in quotes?

I guess I'll have to click the link and read the article. There's nothing here to indicate anything more than some writer decided what his story was going to be and wrote, ignoring that the actual events did not back up his premise.

Tim

PS: Clicked the link. Nothing incriminating there, either. If the staffers at Gizmodo really did gush about how cool the new iPad was while unknowingly playing with the iPad 2, the writer at PC Magazine completely failed to capture it. Bad journalism. If they didn't, and he wrote the story he wanted to write inspite of rather than because of what actually happened, terrible journalism.

 

[rblnr]

Would have been more interesting and to the point had they disguised, say, a Samsung Galaxy 10.1 and pitched that is an iPad3.

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

Would have been more interesting and to the point had they disguised, say, a Samsung Galaxy 10.1 and pitched that is an iPad3.

I can't get to Gizmodo through the corporate firewall, but if PC Magazine's article is representative of what is there, it would be more interesting if what people said and experienced backed up the point they're trying to make. It seems the opposite is true. They handed them an iPad 2, telling them it was a new iPad, and everybody yawned. Evidently while they weren't very impressed, no one caught on to the fact that it was an iPad 2, and that's supposed to mean something.

It doesn't. I really hope this is PC Magazine's error, not Gizmodo's. A really crappy piece of work in either case, but uncritically echoing a really crappy piece of work would be even worse.

Tim

 

[Steve Williams]

I spent this past weekend playing with my son's new iPad3 which is the same version that ack bought (64 gig with wifi) and the clarity and resolution with photos and text is what leaps out at me. We laso had his older ipad2 to do a side by side comparison and as great as the ipad2 is the ipad3 is leaps and bounds far ahead of its predecessor

 

[amirm]

I agree both articles were poorly done. I just thought it was neat to test the Apple halo in a somewhat blind test to see what the consumers thought. Since the form factor and such did not change, and consumers don't understand tech specs much, I am pretty sure I could sell the iPad2 as the new iPad to 99% of the consumers if I didn't show them side by side.

There is a danger for Apple here in chasing specs which is what the Android crowd has been doing. Not making the form factor better is a missed opportunity for Apple. I think a lighter iPad would have been a better seller than one with quad core graphics and such.

 

[Steve Williams]

From what I understand making it thinner and/or smaller is difficult because of the size of the battery to run the new processor. IIRC the battery runs along the left side from top to bottom of the iPad body

 

[rblnr]

From what I understand making it thinner and/or smaller is difficult because of the size of the battery to run the new processor. IIRC the battery runs along the left side from top to bottom of the iPad body

That's what I read too -- they need a bit of extra space for the battery. 4G chips are power hogs too.

IMO, since the thing is mostly screen anyway, that's a bigger deal to improve than the form factor. I don't think a few oz. here or there matter much.

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

I don't know about the new one, but the battery life on the 2 is unbelieveable. It could go down a notch and still be pretty awesome. Is there anything out there with a competitive form factor?

Tim

 

[Steve Williams]

as Bob said the processor is a power hog however it didn't fail me at all this past weekend

 

[NorthStar]

I've heard that those Apple tablets use Samsung screens. WoW!

And that the video resolution on the iPad3 is greater than the resolution on a 60" plasma with full 1080p! That is truly amazing!

And that the future is TV & Movies on the go, just like those high res tablets. ::seek::
Well, the future meaning big money business...

* Battery life is very good too, and just keep getting better & better. :b

 

[Steve Williams]

as Bob said the processor is a power hog however it didn't fail me at all this past weekend

The one thing I forgot to mention is that I found the ipad3 bottom becomes quite warm with extended use

 

[JackD201]

I'm probably in the minority here but I actually find the iPad2 too thin. I prefer the more rounded edges of the iPad1 and also like the iPad1s volume and mute switches that aren't hidden. I wouldn't want the iPad3 to be any thinner than it's immediate predecessor that I already find uncomfortable. I also don't think an ounce or two saved would make any difference. If that screen is what it's cracked up to be, I'm very interested particularly for viewing pictures I've taken. I'm not much of a gamer because for lack of a better word, I suck at action games, have no patience for RPGs and mainly play card, puzzle and word games. For productivity, I'll still go for a full sized keyboard, a trackpad or mouse and for specific applications like audio a track ball.

 

[NorthStar]

Perhaps Apple could get into 3D OLED HD big screens business?
...You know, for the people who stay home. :b