IPad vs Microsoft Courier, Ipad for netbook and Courier for graphic.
The unveiled of Apple Ipad has shown the world about what is modern tablet should be and there are still more to come. Like I have mentioned in several posts I think the Apple Ipad’s customer is people who is use their computer for the daily life basis such as surfing the internet, read some online article or e-book, watch picture & movies, listen to music, play leisure game, and work with iwork application. I believe this is a very hugh group of (Who will be) the Ipad’s customer.
Or we can say that Ipad will become the netbook replacement and not interest in the graphic working related issue at all (yes I think you can use Ipad’s Adobe photoshop application but without stylus I don’t think it’s works and including the very low speed of 1GB processor I don’t think Apple consider their Ipad as graphic pad).
But several months ago, while Apple Ipad still named Itablet, Apple tablet, Mactablet etc. Microsoft also has launch a very interesting demo video for the tablet named “Microsoft Courier”. In that presentation Microsoft has shown several things that will really change the world of graphic tablet. This Microsoft Courier works as your “online” sketchbook which every designer use this kind of sketchbook all the time. But It will be really great If it is not only a sketchbook but also the link to the internet world.
So It is very clear now that this two world leading computer company Apple & Microsoft will not fight each other. In the tablet market IPad will be the winner and in the graphic tablet market Microsoft Courier will be the winner.
For me as I use Macbook Air due to my regular basis, I think I’ll pass Ipad and wait for the Micrisoft Courier. How about you ?
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I think the main benefit of the iPad over the Courier is that it actually exists and is more likely to make it to market (on sale in 60 days versus “we have a concept video!”)
The Brushes.App has a distinctive style, which will restrict it’s acceptance, but the “clean slate” and low barrier of entry nature of the App Store means that Autodesk, Pixelmator and any of a dozen different companies can write Graphics software for it without having to worry about muscling into an established market. While a variable pressure stylus will be difficult to emulate by Finger painting, I’m sure someone will work it out.
@ Dan:
I couldn’t agree more. It’s like saying……”hmm, should I buy this beautiful Arabian horse now, or should I wait because this other guys says that he has a unicorn that he wants to sell to me?” The two are not comparable.
I actually found this site because I was searching to see if anyone was using an iPad as a graphics tablet. I’m in the research phase of buying a graphics tablet now, and after looking and seeing that I’m going to be laying out $400 for a nice one, and it’s going to be a peripheral device dependent on a laptop at the least. I started thinking…….”I wonder if you could just use an iPad as a graphics tablet, and eliminate the laptop from the laptop/graphics tablet equation?”
That would be great for me, especially when I’m in the initial stages of a project, to only have to carry one thing into a meeting with a customer.
Surely, these graphics tablet companies are working on this? They are nuts for not having an app ready to go at or around launch date. Even a company like Wacom who has the market in a stranglehold would be CRAZY to not take what they already know about tablets, and develop an app for the iPad. They could develop an iPad specific pen for the iPad and their iPad app. If they don’t do it, someone else surely will.
I say all this, never having touched (or even seen for that matter) an iPad. I don’t even know if you can run Photoshop (or any other graphics software) on it. I just see a tremendous opportunity, given that the price of a decent tablet is just about the same as an iPad.
@ Jwray: Sorry, but you can forget about that.
The iPad will never be a substitute for a graphic tablet.
Wacom Intuos and comparable products are not simply app-related.
The whole concept works because of special hardware (based on inductive signals between pen and tablet).
That is why stylus based, pressure sensitive tablet PCs cost > 1500$.
The good news is that Win7 based tablets like Lenovo X200 are both multitouch and stylus ready.
But the iPad can simply never deliver the pressure sensitivity and precise input due to it’s lak of hardware.
Cheers,
Mafan