[Closed] IPad 2

Really depends what you surf. You'll find a lot of sites that use flash also have an iphone/pad version which works without.

Not really. If most of your flash use is Youtube, then that is taken care of with an app. [url= http://www.skyfire.com/en/product/ipad ]Skyfire[/url] picks up a bit of slack as well, other than that most websites will having HTML5 alternatives or still be useable without the flash option.

Due to the market share iPads/iPhones etc have now, website designers are having to make their products and services useable on these devices. Otherwise they are shutting out a sizeable percentage of their market.

If you have an annoying younger brother it's just the thing;

Oh, crap wrong forum.

Ok, let's make this bike related then: Is the lack of flash a problem for surfing the main mtb websites (Dirt, mtbr, STW, Pinkbike, NSMB etc?

STW was fine on my iphone (though I regularly had to cancel 'report-post' which I hit by mistake...

All the other sites you listed should be fine too.

As a previous iPhone owner I had my heart set on an iPad but having recently switched to a Samsung Galaxy S2 I'm far more interested in their tab instead of the iPad. The lack of flash isn't an issue until you use a device that has flash enabled. I never appreciated how frustrating it was, especially browsing a lot of biking sites with videos that simply wont play on an Apple device.

Flash isn't the only issue. As I travel a lot I watched a lot of films on the iphone and the constant need to convert them to a suitable format didn't seem like an issue at the time, but with the Samsung I can stick films on there in whatever format I downloaded them in with no need to convert them. That's so much more convenient. Not an issue if you don't watch a lot of movies or tv shows on it, but it is a big deal for me.

None of the videos on the Dirt website show up on my iPhone (so I assume they don't work on iPad either). They need to sort that out, it's annoying and as someone said above they are shutting out a big percentage of users these days.

Funnily enough I was reading a review of the Galaxy tab last night and it wasn't exactly glowing: The screen was good, but compared to the IPad it was poorly made and nowhere near as fast, or as smooth.

The other factor is security: Apparently the Android system is far less secure than the Apple OS.

I quite like the look of the Asus eeeeeeeeepad transformer too.

packer - Member
None of the videos on the Dirt website show up on my iPhone (so I assume they don't work on iPad either). They need to sort that out, it's annoying and as someone said above they are shutting out a big percentage of users these days.

Skyfire will sort that out though it is a bodge (it's not as good a browser IMO) and it doesn't allow you to skip through a video so you have to watch start to finish.

Flash isn't the only issue. As I travel a lot I watched a lot of films on the iphone and the constant need to convert them to a suitable format didn't seem like an issue at the time, but with the Samsung I can stick films on there in whatever format I downloaded them in with no need to convert them. That's so much more convenient. Not an issue if you don't watch a lot of movies or tv shows on it, but it is a big deal for me.

I'll echo the above, although I went for a Xoom. Being able to just drag and drop anything in is very convenient. Also, it means I can use my work laptop for extra storage while travelling, then just add/remove stuff from the tablet whenever.

Can the flash issue be fixed with jailbreak?
I've jailbroke mine but don't really know what it's capable of.

iPad/Galaxy tablet/other....

What would you get. Me and the missus are going to treat ourselves to one in the next few months and iPad is at the top of the list. Mainly going to be used just for surfing...

Can the flash issue be fixed with jailbreak?
I've jailbroke mine but don't really know what it's capable of.

iPad/Galaxy tablet/other....

What would you get. Me and the missus are going to treat ourselves to one in the next few months and iPad is at the top of the list. Mainly going to be used just for surfing...

I'm actually moving towards a new laptop instead. These tablets all seem too clitchy/problematic at the moment.

I'm actually moving towards a new laptop instead. These tablets all seem too clitchy/problematic at the moment.

These tablets all seem too clitchy/problematic at the moment.

Not really. It's more they serve a certain purpose, it's whether that purpose is suited to your needs.

But they all have issues that potentially can limit their use, do they not?

mikey74 - Member
But they all have issues that potentially can limit their use, do they not?

Shirley you've investigated these & know them, if you've decided on a tablet over a netbook/laptop.

EDIT: Seemingly the best way I've seen of differentiating between buying an ipad and the rest is, are you a geek?... buy an andriod tablet, want something that 'just' works, buy an ipad.

Shirley you've investigated these & know them, if you've decided on a tablet over a netbook/laptop.

Yes, hence why I am moving back towards a laptop.

Got an ipad and an SGS2 (has flash). Don't miss the flash.

Tried various android tablets out the other day (will be getting one for work dev. stuff), I'd prefer my ipad 1 over any, as a consumer device. Far better software support, and felt faster in a lot of use.

Are you a geek?... buy an andriod tablet

I'm an epic geek, and my personal device is an ipad...

it's a generalization, they don't always work 😉

Geek here too, ipad2 (maybe 3) is on my shopping list, sometimes you just want something that works without any fuss.

Anyway to me the price difference is what would sell Android tablets to me, make em half the price of an ipad & they'd fly out...

I do find the lack of flash annoying, especially for biking sites I regularly visit such as Dirt where the videos will not play.

Check out my Mint Sauce cover...
[img] [/img]

sometimes you just want something that works

That is why I am attracted towards the Ipad. although I have never been interested in getting tied up in the whole "Apple thing". I have never had an IPod or IPhone and don't intend to either, but as you say, the Ipad just seems to work.

However, I have been thinking of getting rid of my pc, in which case a laptop would be a better choice, especially given as I enjoy photography and photo editing is currently somewhat limited on tablets.

Or do I buy an IPad now, and then buy a new laptop further down the line? That way I can have both

I enjoy photography and photo editing is currently somewhat limited on tablets.

You need a PC too really, but I really like loading the photos off my camera onto the ipad, then sitting on the sofa with a drink flicking through them, maybe making a few tweaks to see how things look in an editor on the ipad, or publish to flickr/facebook from there.

Nice bright screen, and holding the pictures in your hand is a very compelling way to view and share photos. Great way of showing pics of a trip etc. to family and friends too.

I would have thought a decent spec modern laptop would be able to deal with PS Elements and RAW processing.

iPads are brill. Don't buy one just yet. Sit tight cos the iPad 3 could be just around the corner.

LOVE the Mint Sauce cover. Where did you sauce that from?

I bought an Ipad just because I could & I fancied one, not trying to sound conceited but I did really fancy one. It's an absolutely fantastic bit of kit, it was invaluable on a recent trip abroad where the 3g came in to its own.
It will never replace my laptop, but I never expected it to, but as a casual entertainment device its unbeatable. I do have reservations, like the lack of charging from USB really does my head in, but in the grand scheme of things it's not a big issue, none of them are...

iPads are brill. Don't buy one just yet. Sit tight cos the iPad 3 could be just around the corner.

a great toy for general surfing....get one you wont regret it!

agree that waiting for the "next best" could be a little frustrating.

We tested basically all the iPad type things we could get our hands on for work recently, and in almost every respect, probably because you have to do everything within the apple environment, the iPad won hands down.

The rest (Samsung, HP, Asus, Blackberry) ranged from totally, gobsmackingly, mind smashingly shite (Asus, Balckberry playbook), to just completely unusable (the rest).

It is quite staggering what apple have managed to do with the iPad, and as soon as you give up trying to fight the system and do things your own way, the more you get out of using the iPad.

I agree that I find Dirt annoying that the videos won't show. Hat's off to STW though for making all movies work off the bat. Nice job.

Kev

iPads are just too much ££££ for what they are IMO. Having said that I'm a shareholder in the UK company which provides the design for the graphics processing unit in iPads, iPhones and Apple TV, they get a royalty per device shipped so for all you prospective fanbois out there BUY, BUY, BUY 🙂

I'd wait, the high resolution version will be due out early next year.

I missed out on getting a couple of pairs of Oakleys for free the other week because of my ipad. Could have gone and switched the lap top on but then, who wants to wait more than 0.5 seconds for a computer to boot up?

Asus eeepad is pretty good and IMO the best alternative to the ipad.

😆 ^^

another wee interesting value prop: it's been blistering hot weather here for a while, and having a device that stays cool on your lap is a godsend!

Kev

It works fine. And the lack of flash is rarely an issue. There are video players for it which will play almost any video format. They are not really laptop replacements. Although pages and keynote aren't bad. Great for travelling, surfing on the sofa, and doing a lot of iPod type things. A great grown-up toy.

i tried watching the same videos on the ipad2, xoom and asus, the ipad played them smoother, where flash was required it didn't play that smooth on the android tablets, only occasional do i come across a video i can't watch, often videos will come up on another site in a format you can watch. Combined with the issues about getting updates at different times all over the world, the customer service offered by the android brands just doesn't cut it. I bought an iPad2*

*disclaimer: I also have an Android phone so not a total apple geek.

surfing on an ipad1 now. Will buy ipad3 when released. Nothing i have seen comes close. Hope HTC come out with a top drawer android tablet.

You should get a cheap HP Touchpad at just £89.

I did 😉

Bought a reverb iPad 1 for much cheapness, used everyday for general surfing, photos and music.
Awesome device.

Only time the flash thing bothers me is on the BBC, but it's generally not an issue.

[i]The other factor is security: Apparently the Android system is far less secure than the Apple OS.[/i]

They're both crap. Treat them as such.

To be honest it is predominately for surfing on the sofa and I don't want a situation where I am sitting there and I want to watch, say, a video on Dirt and I can't because the bloody gadget I've just spend £400 isn't compatible. That, for me, is a deal breaker.

Where did you get your returned one from? I want a tablet to use as my portfolio rather than carrying around folders etc.

The samsung Galaxy 10.1 looks good but then pricing is pretty similar to the iPad.

For me, it's an age related issue. I'm old enough to be irritated when I can't view something due to the lack of Flash support.
If I was younger and more adaptable, I probably wouldn't mind searching for an alternative website.

Take the BBC News website. The app for this is too restrictive.
If I use the normal website, I go to the sports section and am unable to view any of the videos. Very annoying.

I want to watch, say, a video on Dirt and I can't because the bloody gadget I've just spend £400 isn't compatible. That, for me, is a deal breaker.

there is an mpora app that has all the video from Dirt and more available.

I don't think it's got anything to do with age at all. Yes, there may be other options, but why buy a piece of equipment that limits what you can look at? It's a bit like buying a car that can only drive on motorways.

Anyway, I ordered a Asus Eee Pad transformer, so I'll let you know what they are like.

Only time the flash thing bothers me is on the BBC, but it's generally not an issue.

Try the SkyFire browser. Works on the BBC and most other Flash video.
Not ideal but does the job.

Posting thisfrom my blackberry playbook. Great form factor - I thought the ipad was too big for regular travel. Synchs with my blacberry perfectly and seems pretty fast.

To be honest, i bought it for work with drag and drop pdf transfer. It's not as slick as an iPad, but handles flash seamlessly, is portable, gives about half a day of charge, has a great screen.

Probably best if you already have a blackberry. If you have an iphone, then you already have a small iPad as far as I can see.

It's not the device that's incompatible with the website for watching flash movies it's the website developers who are too lazy to provide alternative content or update their code. The movies behind the flash interface are compatible. It's just the player that's the problem. Your frustration should be aimed at the people trying to sell you an app or force you into watching ad based flash systems (mpora)

You should get a cheap HP Touchpad at just £89.

It looks like Amazon are still flogging those at £400.

No, that's like saying it's not my betamax player that is at fault it's the film industry's decision to go with vhs.

The player won't play the most popular software for viewing video on today's internet.

I just bought an iPad 2 yesterday and my other half thought I was stupid as we have iPhones and a nice MBP.

Within 10 mins of me opening the box she was all over it! I'm literally having to fight her off.

Just bought VNC Remoter for 69p so I can log into my Mac at home from anywhere and use it as if I'm there. Just opened up the camera to watch the dog from the in-laws house via my iPad.

What's the dog doing?

what's the dog doing?

Just kicking back 🙂

why buy a piece of equipment that limits what you can look at? It's a bit like buying a car that can only drive on motorways.

Other devices are limited/compromised in other ways, so it's really just choose your poison.

Personally the lack of flash rarely causes me any issue on my iPhone, but I guess if you need flash then it would.

Feefoo - you are talking rubbish, it's the choice of website to ignore Adobes own advice and not provide an alternative. It's nothing like VHS/Betamax they were competing formats. Flash is a proprietary system, without a competitor. The iPad can play the movies on dirt etc. It's just they choose not to allow you too. 90% of the videos on the web are recorded or encoded in H264 the native format of iPad. That's how YouTube/Vimeo starting supporting it almost immediately, all the videos were already h264.

tworide - I own an iPad. I know its limitations. It's annoying.

It won't play the most popular software for viewing video on today's internet.

I'm going to lay the blame for that with apple not with the millions of sites that choose what software they want for videos etc.

Incidentally, if you are against using the dedicated mpora app then I can confirm that the Dirt flash vids play fine in the SkyFire browser.

millions of ipads and iphones out there. how long till market forces makes all websites compatible?

Still only 3% of web traffic comes from iOS (iPhones and iPads). As a web dev, I'm not sure I'd always bother to cater for that

[url= http://marketshare.hitslink.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?spider=1&qprid=8 ]http://marketshare.hitslink.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?spider=1&qprid=8[/url]

and whats the rate of change? note I said "how long?" that 3% are more likely to be cashed up, too.

and whats the rate of change? note I said "how long?"

Colin

Still only 3% of web traffic comes from iOS (iPhones and iPads).

Crikey. Given the amount of guff from press, viz Sky banging on about the App etc, you'd have thought it was waaaaay more than that.

Does anyone have a comparitive list showing Android, MS etc figures?

You should get a cheap HP Touchpad at just £89.

I did

Link please? I could do with sommat to watch films and surf the web, but £300+ for a glorified smartphone minus the phone bit doesn't cut it. Plus, I'm sure someone will be along soon with an Android OS hack for the HP thing.

I have an iPad 2 and a PC. The most annoying thing for me when watching videos is the seemingly constant updates that go along with flash and stuttering imaages. This on the PC! Now the BBC have updated their iPlayer app the iPad is a joy to use 🙂

iSteve wrote an open letter a while ago explaining why the iPad would not be supporting Flash.
[url= http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughts-on-flash/ ]http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughts-on-flash/[/url]

Seems to me that those were, and still are, valid points.

They are valid. But the point remains that they've brought out something that is too ahead of the accepted technology used by the majority of websites.

If 97% of people (going by the 3% web traffic figure above) are accessing my site's video with a PC/Laptop, I know how bothered I'd be.

It's a great piece of technology, just wish it was better that's all.

This article covers the UK stats which may be more relevant to us:
http://www.tecmark.co.uk/uk-mobile-stats-2011

[i]"Mobile now accounts for 12.59% of UK web traffic... 58% of mobile visits coming from iPhones and an additional 17% coming from iPad devices"[/i]

If 97% of people (going by the 3% web traffic figure above) are accessing my site's video with a PC/Laptop, I know how bothered I'd be.

That was the stat for iOS only and probably worldwide (it's doesn't say).
UK "Mobile internet" in general is ramping up massively:

[img] [/img]

So catering for mobile makes a lot of sense - which typically means video should be supplied in HTML5.

58% of 12.59% is pretty close to not a lot at all......

You might want to check you arithmatic there CF, 7.3% of the total web traffic of the UK on iPhones seems like quite a bit to me.

and you're not counting iPads there. It should be 75% of UK mobile traffic coming from iOS devices, which is 9.4% of all UK web traffic - that's pretty substantial and doesn't show and sign of slowing down.

The remaining 92.7% seems more important.

If the trend continues hopefully all sites will be "forced" to use HTML5.

That means however (if I've done my maths right) at present, in the UK, iPad users account for 2.1% of people accessing the internet.

Anyone know the figure globally?

Edit: just looked it up - 1%

99% of the world doesn't use an iPad to view video on the internet...

in the UK, iPad users account for 2.1% of people accessing the internet.

Plus iPhone users (which are basically the same deal) = 9.4%

If you run a UK site that doesn't work on iOS for some reason then you are turning away 1 in 10 visitors - and those are visitors with disposable income to spend.

No idea on global figures but mobile internet in general is likely to be much lower worldwide - due to lack of mobile infrastructure and disposable income.

If the trend continues hopefully all sites will be "forced" to use HTML5.

Can't see that happening for a long time. Sites are STILL being made that have to work correctly on ie6...

Can't see that happening for a long time. Sites are STILL being made that have to work correctly on ie6...

[url= http://www.itpro.co.uk/623893/ie6-use-drops-below-five-per-cent ]UK IE6 usage is at 5%[/url] and dropping, iOS is at 9.4% and rising.

I know which I'd back.

Plus iPhone users (which are basically the same deal) = 9.4%

Agreed it shows an increasing use of these devices and hopefully it will help speed up the change to HTML5 or whatever.

Not sure what the figure of those using the iPhone to actually shop is though.
90% of UK users (shoppers) use other means of accessing the internet.