back to article iPad spends 20% of time in bed

Among the interesting stats turned up by a new study of iPad usage is that 20 per cent of users' iPad time is spent in bed. That nugget was buried in a blog post by Stephen Baker, the NPD Group's VP of industry analysis, discussing his research group's just-released "iPad Owner Study." "It is obvious that the iPad form factor …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Marcus Aurelius
    FAIL

    Only 20%

    I would say more, but I've got to get back to my marathon World of Warcraft duvet session....

  2. The Other Steve
    Thumb Up

    I'm reading this ...

    ... on an iPad, in bed.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Down

      Unfortunately

      I believe you.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Well I was reading it on my phone...

      On the toilet. Marvellous.

      Did they include that bit in their survey I wonder?

    3. BingBong

      My wife watches ....

      Road Wars in bed on ours!

      I'm way over the 35 year mark and find that I take my 3G iPad almost everywhere I go as the size, weight, battery life, speed, instant on and user interface makes it an almost perfect ubiquitous computing device.

      By the time RIM ship their playbook, Apple will have iPad 2.0 almost out and that will be slimmer, faster (dual core), slightly cheaper (even with 20% VAT), at least one camera and probably also have the iPhone 4 gyroscope in it.

      ---

      Posted from my iPad ... on the sofa at the mother-in-laws

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I'm reading this ...

      ...only because Steve won't let you look at porn.

      Now turn out the light & put your boxing gloves back on.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        FAIL

        reply

        Plenty of porn available on the iPhone, just not in the App Store, cant see why it would be any different on the iPad.

        Not heard of the internet? I can think of more than one site that has a mobile / iphone version

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Title not available, please try again later

    "20 per cent of users' iPad time is spent in bed."

    Surely this indicates they are more likely therefore to be alone in the bed ? Otherwise there would be far more interesting activities available.

    Oh I see, he is inferring that an awful lot of iPad users are w**kers :)

  4. Eric Hood

    ebook reader

    I was planning to purchase an iRex 10" reader, two things got in the way.

    1. $1600.00 RRP in Australia

    2. The company went bust.

    The iPad at $750.00 is much better value.

    and I do not use it in bed.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hmm

    Can an iPad be used with only one hand free?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Joke

      Trying to determine it's usefulness

      for a bit of self-multitouch?

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    A title, a title, my kingdom for a title.

    "we can only hope that a goodly chunk of that iPad bedtime time is spent with apps such as Naim Cesur's iKamasutra XL..."

    Given roughly 25% of the under 35 group also falls into the under 18 group and can't buy such sundry content, we can safely assume the maximum size of that chunk is 3/4. Certainly we could cut that down with further analysis but... why?

    -- Dick Trio

  7. Matt Bryant Silver badge
    Boffin

    Early adopters.

    The early adopters can't admit anything could be anything but rosy with the iPad or any other iWant device. They spend so long convincing themselves that every Apple product is going to actually make their life bearable that there is no way they can admit it does little more than provide some light relief (in their case, going by the 20% time in bed bit, the relief is all from Ma Hand and her five daughters). For them, the religion is so strong they could never admit anything but undying love for the iPad.

    Mrs Bryant has a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes (for unmarried guys, those are designer high heels with distinctive red soles - ask a girl and if she knows and wants some then she is guaranteed high maintenance!). She spent weeks before she bought them drooling over a pic of them. She told all her mates and anyone within earshot that she was getting them. By the time she actually went and bought them she had convinced herself the shoes were going to change her life. After she got them she found out she can only walk slowly in them - any further than a few hundred yards and she's virtually crippled. But she loves wearing them out, and the main reason is the envious looks she gets from other fashion victims when they see those red soles. As shoes go they are inpractical and she could have bought dozens of paris of more comfortable shoes for the same price, but then they wouldn't have been so desirable, dahhhhhling.

    Early iPad adopters are exactly the same, you will have noticed that they just can't stop talking about their iPad/iPhone and seem happiest when showing it off to fellow fashion victims. Did you really expect them to say the iPad experience was anything but "wonderful, dahhhhling"?

    1. The Other Steve
      FAIL

      Sunday's child is full of misdirected bile

      So I think what you're basically saying here is that you can't have an iPad because your wife takes all your money and spends it on shoes ? Maybe you should go have your little envy tantrum at her instead.

      If you have the balls, of course.

      1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
        Happy

        RE: Sunday's child is full of misdirected bile

        Actually, I got an R300 upgrade kit fitted at the Appletree Works instead. Not that you'd be man enough to even know what an R300 upgrade kit is, let alone where the Appletree Works are. I assume you're raging on your iBone from the passenger seat whilst your wife drives the Prius?

    2. dave 46

      early adopters all fanbois?

      Some will be apple fans who will love everything and never admit they don't use it - but equally a lot of early adopters will be people who had a real need for a small, lightweight computing device that does exactly what the ipad does. Yes there have been other tablet devices, but none have really hit the mark and not many people have been aware of them.

      The 2nd wave, jumping on the band wagon, are disappointed because they never needed such a device anyway.

      How many fans versus people who have longed for a lightweight consumer tablet for years? Who knows but labelling everyone who likes the device as a blinded fanboy is being no better than the fanboys - just a hater :)

      1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
        FAIL

        RE: early adopters all fanbois?

        ".....just a hater" I would prefer the lable "not a fashion vicitm with zero technical knowledge", seeing as my objection to people that keep telling me the iCowPat and iBone are "groundbreaking" is they bring nothing technically new to the market that hasn't been done before. But it seems that if you disagree with the Truth, whether you can show the fallacy of the Truth or not, you just get labelled "a hater" - must be so much easier for you to deal with than actually try and formulate a technical argument. no?

        1. The Other Steve
          FAIL

          Nah

          You really are just a hater.

    3. D@v3
      Thumb Down

      oddly enough

      " you will have noticed that they just can't stop talking about their iPad/iPhone and seem happiest when showing it off to fellow fashion victims"

      not once.

      Mainly because, just about everybody i know has one, and therefore we don't need to show them off, we just 'use' them, as and when we need / want to.

      It is only those who for whatever reason have 'chosen' not to get an iDevice, that see anybody who uses one as being a show off.

      1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
        FAIL

        RE: oddly enough

        ".....Mainly because, just about everybody i know has one...." Ah, what a small World of fanbois you live in. You're just underlining my point made earlier.

    4. Michael C
      WTF?

      Really...

      You must be so full of yourself you neglect that a) its been 7 months since the release of the device and the honeymoon period is LONG over, b) its a well known fact it still lacks features it;s older cousin the iPhone already deployed, including multitasking, and c) its still selling like hotcakes anyway and nothing the competition has released to counter it has ended in anything but utter failure (or bankruptcy).

      Why is an iPad used 20% of the timer in bed? Maybe you should dig into the actual data and demographics a bit. 1: being married, i can tell you whether we have sex or not, one of us is usually up past the other reading a book, which is easily replaced with an iPad. 2: being married ,letting the wife watch her boring ass TV shows while I use a laptop or book is a great way to keep the peace, and ean more sex. 3: The majority of americans do mroe than 50% of their reading in bed, married or not. This is not a new statistic. 4: many, many iPad customers are either single, in college (no sleepovers permitted), or in their parents houses. This is by no means all of them, but if you ask a 15 year old how much time they spend with an iPad in bed, you'll likey find its 75+%. Why? They LIVE on their bed every hour they're at home unless they're eating (and still then sometimes), in order to stay as far away from other family members as possible at all times.

      Associating use of an iPad in bed with those who could otherwise choose sex and have chosen not to? Man, you really have a twisted idea of reality. Stop watching so many romance flicks and wake up.

      btw, i am not an iPad owner. I have no immediate plans to get one. If i DID get a tablet device ,iPad, or eReader, I'd EXPECT a large portion of its use would be in bed. I could use it to watch TV shows the wife doesn't like while she's watching hers. It;s a book that needs no annoying book light, I could sort photos or reply to e-mail during commercials. I could dig further into an interesting tidbit mentioned on the nightly news. i could buy a track from a band highlighted on the late show, there's a thousand reasons to use one in bed. Heck, it could even be used to enhance the sex (there are not only numerous tantric or sex position apps, not to mention the internet, but using it as a music feed to the TV through Airplay is also very much an option.

      1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
        FAIL

        RE: Really...

        "....being married, i can tell you whether we have sex or not, one of us is usually up past the other reading a book, which is easily replaced with an iPad...." So sorry that it upsets you that us Brits just spend more time between the sheets doing the business rather than avoiding each other.

        I'm also a bit worried that you think it fine for youngsters to spend 75% of their time sitting on their lardy arses on their beds - get them outdoors doing some sport or other activities! If you don't, you'll have a nation of overwieght ...... oh, too late!

        "....btw, i am not an iPad owner...." Yes, and I'm sure you rage in articles about the Kindle just as much, or forums discussing reading books on the Nintendo DS Lite? The former is a much better reader and the latter is (frankly) more fun for games, especially multiplayer (oops - sorry, for that you need friends!) and the latest DS has a camera!

  8. Si 1

    Sounds reasonable

    I recently bought a nearly new iPad for a bargain price and I've been very pleased with it. I don't think it's worth the full price Apple want, but for the price I paid I'm very happy with it. In particular as the survey suggests I use it in bed a lot.

    Probably the majority of use is with Kindle, I have surprised myself with the number of books I've devoured on the device. The iPad is also pretty useful for surfing, emailing and sniping the occasional eBay item late at night (although the iPad eBay app is shit, I use the excellent iPhone one instead. Why they're different I have no idea).

    I think the iPad is ideal for a bit of bedroom action because it loads instantly, automatically adjusts the screen brightness based on the light in the room, doesn't have any whirring hard drives or fans, has good battery life and is small and light enough to stick on a bedside table.

    It's definitely an over priced device, and certainly is more a luxury than a necessity, but I'm still very pleased to have it. Maybe like Rik I'll find myself using it less and less, but currently it's very much the flavour of the month.

  9. NX1977
    Heart

    what do you expect from geeks

    They can look at their porn on a bigger screen then reply to their dating site messages.

  10. Dexter Berlekey

    Makes a lot of sense

    I think that the iPad use cases fit a quite specific set of people. I travel a lot on the train and get a fair few flights and find mine awesome, it is lighter than a single hardback or a couple of paperbacks, and allows me to read/watch what I like during these activities while also get a bit of work done (Getting my 15" lappy out in economy is pretty much a non starter). I guess those folks bought early and are enjoying it, those who bought later didn't see the burning advantages and so aren't as happy

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    When you've finished with the iPad...

    ...if the missus complains about your lacklustre performance in bed, tell her she got the "sequence shortened" version.

  12. raving angry loony

    precision?

    I didn't realize that its location functions were that precise. Kudos to Apple for pushing the limits of locator technology. The real question of course how much time does it spend in the lavatory?

  13. Dick Emery
    Paris Hilton

    Wood you belive it

    I bet it's not just used for stroking the screen with.

  14. Ian Ferguson
    Paris Hilton

    One word:

    Porn.

  15. Mikey
    Troll

    The REAL reason for this...

    ...is that its one of the few places you can use it properly without getting wrist fatigue (stop sniggering back there). Lie back, bring your knees up and prop it up against your legs.

    Mind you, I never had that issue on my little Eee ;O)

  16. Gordon Barret
    Badgers

    They are wrong

    "20 per cent of users' iPad time is spent in bed" is NOT an interesting stat.

    Neither is the obvious other conclusion that 80 per cent of users' iPad time is not spent in bed.

  17. D. M
    Flame

    Those are not geeks

    Stop insulting geeks. A true geek doesn't use iWhatEverAppleSell.

    As a device someone may use in bed, It doesn't make any sense. The ideal device for something quick, easy, go anywhere with you and small, a smart phone is much better. For something light, and "long" time usage, a netbook is much better (and cheaper, does much more, and much easier to use).

    1. The Other Steve
      FAIL

      Throw down your geekWang

      Seriously, go on, tell us all what you do that makes you such an über geek. And after it turs out to be web design, I'll show you mine. And you'll cry.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Joke

        What is wrong with web design?!

        Actually, I bet this chap is one of those pyjama designers!

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "A true geek..." ODFRO!

      Behave, will you, and while you are at it, grow up...

    3. Michael C

      um, no.

      A netbook does not:

      - rotate to portrait view for better reading of website and book content

      - support touch, let alone multi-touch (in this price category)

      - weigh even close to 1.5lbs or come close to the thin form factor

      - last nearly as long on a charge

      - charge nearly as quick

      - boot instantly from hibernate

      - auto adjust brightness

      - survive the elements (keyboards and light rain do not mix, but the iPad is a sealed device and has little issue with water unless submerged)

      - play HD video (sorry, net books under $500 need not apply)

      - support Air tunes to wirelessly output video or audio to a TV

      - have a slick UI for managing photos and e-mail quickly

      - have apps that cost an average under $2

      - support wireless N 5GHz while also having blue tooth and 3G

      - have an option for contract free 3G wireless under $40/month (say, like a $14.95 on again - off again plan)

      - have an IPS display

      - sync easily to another PC for backup

      - get all its app updates through a single and easy to use interface, none of which require the device to be rebooted to install them.

      - get remotely wiped if they're lost, protecting your personal data

      - connect to Exchange servers without a $300 version of Office

      - be used on the majority of major University campuses (if it won't join a domain, but runs Windows, you cant use it as it wonl;t join their network or access e-mail, however most campuses do fully permit Exchange integration from iOS devices, and many distribute iOS apps for iPad and iPhone to access critical campus resources).

      - don't even compare to 13" notebooks that cost just $200 more that might be 1" larger and 1lb heavier (aka irrelevant difference in usability).

      - cant be serviced locally under warranty

      - have an app store for online purchase of hundreds of thousands of applications.

      - Share the same software license without additional cost across every iDevice in your family

      - Easier to use? Seriously, you think Windows is a simpler OS than iOS? Are you brain dead or blind or both?

      Netbooks do:

      - require continual patching and maintenance, from a variety of vendors, through a variety of interfaces that are often exploited by hackers and phishing scams (or by viruses if not patched)

      - require manual backup, typically requiring 3rd party software since the pro versions of Windows that include backup are verbotten on netbook class hardware.

      - require expensive applications for common tasks

      - crash

      - have cramped, uncomfortable to use, non-standard keyboards and even worse track pads

      - reboot, frequently, sometimes causing dataloss if the reboot was unexpected or due to a dead battery

      - require OS upgrades periodically. Upgrades between major versions can cost $129.

      - have poor resolution and quality screens

      - still require a real PC to be on hand for any complex tasks or heavy workloads, or large storage volumes. They're secondary devices at best.

      - have larger hard drives (though still not big enough to stand on their own completely for most users, and mostly irrelevant if you're cloud connected)

      - near impossible to track when stolen from you

      - have abysmal resale value

      - have a declining sales model and limited manufacturing future (20% off from last year, and a prediction of 50% less next year)

      - have any hope of supporting Windows 8 when released in the next 18 months (or so).

      Sure, a netbook does a lot that an iPad doesn't. Well, really, not that much at all when you think about it. And an iPad does a lot that netbooks do not, and in a much more convenient and portable form factor. On the run, if you need raw document editing power, you need a small notebook, not a netbook. If you;re only using a netbook for surfing, presentations, and casual use, you have no business case that an iPad (or other tablet equally crippled compared to a netbook) can't already do.

      A smartphone is great of a quick lookup, but an iPad is far superior for churning through 200 e-mails, managing and editing a hundred photos, reading web sites at length, commenting in forums, or pulling up a book or TV show on a screen. An iPad doesn't replace a smart phone, it COMPLEMENTS one. A netbook doesn't replace a PC, it is a SECOND one, to nurture and feed and complicate your life switching between the two constantly. A netbook may be cheaper by $100 in hardware, but it;s $400-500 more expensive in software over its live, more than $1000 more if you need a 3G contract for it on top.

      You're a nay-sayer for the sake of being one, rehashing arguements the iPad community has long smashed to oblivion.

      ...and no, i don't own an iPad, nor a Mac. I'm not a Fanboi, I'm an enterprise networks systems and security analyst and Macs don't fit in my world very well. I just can;t stand half assed commnets like yours, especially when it;s nothing but FUD. (and old rehashed FUD at that).

      Please do us all a favor, and abandon your forum account here.

      1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
        FAIL

        RE: um, no.

        "A netbook does not:

        - rotate to portrait view for better reading of website and book content...." It doesn't need to as most netbooks come with better screens already, and a laptop is goning to be waaaaaaaay better still.

        "- support touch, let alone multi-touch (in this price category)...." That's just feature sell - why do I need touch if I already have pointing devices like a mouse and proper keyboard? But then other mobile devices like iPaqs and smart phones have had touchscreens for over a decade, and I can remember having touchscreen handsets for warehouse stocktaking back in the nineties - try again, sucker!

        "....- weigh even close to 1.5lbs or come close to the thin form factor...." The iPad is too big to go in a pocket and so has to go in a bag, so the miniscule difference in weight is irrellevant. Same goes for thinness. I'd much rather have a proper keyboard and be free of Steve's lockin.

        "....- last nearly as long on a charge...." Depends what you're doing with it. My friends that fell for the iPad salespitch all moan that battery life is much reduced if you do anything other than stroke it.

        "....- charge nearly as quick...." But many netbooks have detachable batteries, just like laptops and other vendors' phones (unlike the iBone), so I can keep a spare to use whilst the other is charging whilst you can't. I'd also like to see you prove that the iPat charges quicker than an Archeros tablet, EEE PC or many other devices. Hint - just 'cos Steve said it's so doesn't MAKE it so.

        ".....- boot instantly from hibernate...." <Yawn> Go to your local Dixons/CompUSA, find the netbooks/laptops, close the lid on one whilst it is running and then open again - instant restart! The iPat does not properly hibernate the same way as a Windows PC does, it's just an Apple marketting term to try and claim superiority for a completely different action.

        "....- survive the elements (keyboards and light rain do not mix, but the iPad is a sealed device and has little issue with water unless submerged)...." Don't talk rubbish, if it was really "sealed" then it could be submerged just fine. It is at best splashproof, which many netbooks can match, and that's before we get round to discussing the toughened, industrial models.

        The rest of your rant is just more Apple marketting waffle served up with zero knowledge. Anyone with half a brain would realise it was gumph from the word go and not fit to be seen on a tech website. Please don't insult us with such sheep-like behaviour again, it's insulting.

        1. The Other Steve
          FAIL

          MultiFail Matt Rides Again

          Let me count the ways :

          "It doesn't need to as most netbooks come with better screens already"

          I hate to tell you, but if your 'netbook' screen is bigger (I assume you mean bigger, because better is certainly out of the question) than it's actually just a cheap shit laptop.

          "and a laptop is goning to be waaaaaaaay better still."

          Bigger. You seem to very focussed on size issues.

          "That's just feature sell - why do I need touch if I already have pointing devices like a mouse and proper keyboard?"

          Yes well done, you have perhaps finally spotted that having a touch screen interface is the USP of the tablet form factor. Well done.

          "But then other mobile devices like iPaqs and smart phones have had touchscreens for over a decade, and I can remember having touchscreen handsets for warehouse stocktaking back in the nineties"

          Erm, yes. And ?

          "Go to your local Dixons/CompUSA, find the netbooks/laptops, close the lid on one whilst it is running and then open again - instant restart! "

          No. Does. Not. Happen. I've got three windows lap/net/top/books in here with me and not one single one of them does this properly. Not even the very latest super Windows 7 touch screen model. My old G4 lappy however will happily do it.

          These are chalking up quickly aren't they ? We're up to five already. Shall we stop counting ?

          "The rest of your rant is just more Apple marketting waffle served up with zero knowledge."

          Given your apparent lack of knowledge of the power functionality of windows based netbooks - which suggests you don't actually own one, by the way - your complete ignorance of the ergonomic utility of the tablet form factor or touch screens in general, that's a bit rich, don't you think ?

          "Anyone with half a brain would realise it was gumph from the word go and not fit to be seen on a tech website. Please don't insult us with such sheep-like behaviour again, it's insulting.""

          No Matt, what is insulting is if I were to call you, say, a zero knowledge whiny fucktard of a man - who for reasons known only to himself has devoted his life to hating Apple so hard that it has wiped whatever minimal tech knowledge he may once have possessed out of his brain - trapped in a loveless marriage with an exploitative bimbo and displaying a worrying obsession with size and power that speaks volumes about the likely erectile dysfunction he suffers.

          That's an insult. Can you see the difference ?

          1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
            Happy

            RE: MultiFail Matt Rides Again

            "I hate to tell you, but if your 'netbook' screen is bigger (I assume you mean bigger, because better is certainly out of the question) than it's actually just a cheap shit laptop......" No, it's a netbook. You may be confused seeing as Apple don't make one. On the other hand, the iPat is just an oversized and expensive iBone only without the phone capability.

            ".....Bigger. You seem to very focussed on size issues....." No, I meant better as in comes with a decent resolution and superior graphics capability. Since when can iPats do 1080p vids (oh, and when is it going to get an HDMI port)? Size is not the only factor, but iPat fails on so many factors it's probably easiest for you to discuss how tiny the screen is compared to even the original EEE PC.

            "....Yes well done, you have perhaps finally spotted that having a touch screen interface is the USP of the tablet form factor. Well done....." Oh, so are you finally admitting that Apple didn't invent either multitouch, touchscreens or the tablet form factor? I'd say there might be hope for you but there's still the complete lack of technical knowledge you need to sort out. As a hint, try looking at the ASUS EEE PC T91 to see how netbooks are staying ahead of the iPat on features.

            ".....No. Does. Not. Happen...." Erm, yes it does. I've just done it with three different hp and a Dell laptop here in the office, running XP and Win7. I think it's more that you just bought cheap laptops, if you indeed do have one. As well as don't know how to use one.

            "....My old G4 lappy however will happily do it....." And there's the admittance of the secret iFanboi pretending he's not biassed. I'm betting you actually don't have a Wintel laptop and just have the usual iFanboi instant raging response to anyone that posts a dismissal of any Apple product.

            "....These are chalking up quickly aren't they ? We're up to five already....." As in five times more you've shown nothing but fail. Please do continue as it is very amusing.

            The rest of your dismal post is just a hilarious iFanboi rant about "Apple haters" - how lame and predictable! You actually think your trivial "lifestyle" toy (as in you lack a lifestyle and need Apple to make one for you) could actually cause someone to be "possessed out of his brain"? Reality check - you're just an amusing and sad little example of the fashion-victim mentallity that pervades the Apple fanbase, and we're laughing at you as you froth and rant.

            ".....trapped in a loveless marriage with an exploitative bimbo...." LOL! I think the bit about us Brits getting more done between the sheets should have given you a hint. If you have to bargain for sex that's your marriage, not mine. And Mrs Bryant is quite successful in her chosen career, to the point where I'm pretty confident she earns more than you (she earns almost as much as I do). I'm guessing the Prius gag struck a bit to close to home?

            ".....That's an insult...." Actually, it was more entertainment - the forthing rage of an iTard! Watch him squeal and get personal just because someone dissed his toy. The hysterical tone of your defensive rants just speak volumes about your need for fashion-victim "icons" like the iPad to give you a sense of self-worth. I suggest you go crawl back into bed with your iPad before your ego gets any more bruised.

            1. Tony Smith, Editor, Reg Hardware (Written by Reg staff)

              Re: RE: MultiFail Matt Rides Again

              Enough, kiddies. This tit-for-tat stuff is boring us grown-ups - you'll be threatening each other with 'my dad's bigger than yours' next. Rejection is imminent.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    laptops still rule in bed

    Tablets are fine for short-term usage, but laptops stand up on their own, which is good for movies and reading sitting up. Turning pages lying down is easier with a touchscreen tablet though.

  19. Maty

    So ...?

    Yup - I used my iPad in bed this morning. And I used it *gasp* to read the Globe and Mail on the newspaper app while I had my morning pot of tea.

    Before I got the iPad I'd have been reading yesterday's paper. Judging by the comments here, perhaps my morning read back then should have been Playboy?

  20. Tom 79

    Netflix

    I put on netflix or sleep sounds when I hit the hay. It beats leaving the tv on and dreaming about infomercials.

  21. Jeremy Chappell
    Jobs Halo

    Mac demographic

    One factor that might be significant is if the owner also has a Mac or not. The iPad (rather unsurprisingly) fits very well into a Mac ecosystem, with much of the users information (calendar, address book, email) being replicated. Additionally if the Mac owning user favours iWork over Office then versions of the iWork applications are available on the iPad. There are plenty of applications that have the same exclusivity from other venders (Cultured Code's "Things", which is excellent by the way, is one such example).

    It's hardly surprising that Mac owners would respond so positively, even before you consider any "fanboi jingoism".

    1. The Other Steve

      That would be a good point ...

      ... if it were true. But iThingees will also play reasonably nice with Outlook.

    2. Michael C

      misinformed

      First, iWork on the iPad can export to Word and Excel just fine, and vice versa, including through the cloud and iDisk.

      next, more iPads have been sold to PC owners than Mac owners. The vast majority may already own an iPhone or iPod Touch, but there's no correlation between Mac owner and iPod buying in any demographic i can find.

      I'll agree, a mac user may certainly have a more positive experience using an ipad given some added perks, but keep in mind iOS syncs just as well with Exchange or gMail as it does mobileme and the mac OS X suite.

      The majority of the reason the iPad is so popularly accepted by its buyers? Even given some restrictions, its simply a slickly enough implemented UI and series of features, not to mention familiar if coming from an iPhone, and it has the multimedia power to do what most people want it to. (people who need a notebook already had one... they didn;t even consider an iPad)

  22. Connor
    Jobs Horns

    So...

    As I always thought then, the iPad is little more than a very expensive book. No figures on the iPad time on the bog?

  23. The Envoy
    Pint

    In bed and a happy consumer

    I would guess that early adopters of ANY kind of Apple product is likely to be happy about their purchase simply because that's why they bought it; to be an early adopter. Ergo: Happy.

    And who'll be the first to point out that spending a lot of time in bed could be proof that iPad owners have taken one more step towards an online-only life and away fromm interacting face to face with other human lifeforms.

    No, you won't hear it from me. Never. No-no.

  24. CS3000

    Another sad excuse...

    For nerds to whine about how useless the iPad is for doing anything or using anywhere and how wonderful a netbook is. Get over it. We are now many months down the line from its launch - If it was shit to use believe me you would hear about how Apple got it wrong from millions of people.

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    All hot under the ...

    ... covers?

    I've never seen so many people get so het up about a product ... since ... hmm, since the iPhone ;)

    A friend bought his around a few months back, it's pretty cool, messed about with it for 10 minutes - nice gadget. We ended up ignoring it, eating good food, drinking wine and chatting all night.

    See, that's it, it's just a nice gadget, nothing less, nothing more.

    For some reason, people want to blow this all out of proportion, because they get sucked into the Apple marketing groove - they seem to expect some sort of electronic nirvana & when it doesn't happen, they get all upset.

    The kid in the sweet shop, gorges himself stupid, ending up with the mother and father of all gut aches.

    You have to ask yourself, when adults start over analysing electronic devices, is it not an extremely unhealthy outlook on life?

    FFS, go hang out with your mates down the pub, go for a walk, read a book, watch a movie, play some sport - just get over this obsession with gadgetry!

    Damn geeks.

    (Posted from my HTC Desire whilst listening to my iPod touch in a crowded pub)

  26. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    what title?

    maybe that 20% time is spent searching - if there was an app for that at the store?

    we are after all talking about geeks here, right? so the chance of finding an actual living human person on the same bed is pretty slim already.

  27. Paul
    Flame

    ipad users and their excuses

    the claim that apple invented the tablet, and revolutionised the whole thing simply makes me roll my eyes.

    what amuses me is the number of apologies/excuses ipad users make for the inadequacies of the device compared with its cost.... some ipad owners even buy a case/keyboard combo, meaning they've spent more on their ipad + accessories than a reasonably netbook and can't do half of it.

    I am even more amused by the way Samsung think they can sell their tablet for more than the ipad. really?

    1. The Other Steve
      WTF?

      Your brain hurts

      "the claim that apple invented the tablet"

      I don't think that anyone ever claimed that, but do feel free to prove me wrong.

      "and revolutionised the whole thing"

      Hmm. Total consumer tablet market pre iPad was what ? I mean it existed certainly, I personally own at least three from this era - then again, I don't easily fall into the 'consumer' demographic

      Total consumer tablet sales post iPad are, well, Barclays Capital predict upwards of 15 Million units just of iPad sales by year end, and various sources predict somewhere upwards of 28 million sales in 2011. And that's just the iPad, add in the many other manufacturers rushing to market with Android or Windows based tablets, and that's a metric shitload.

      And it's a market that simply wasn't there before.

      "the inadequacies of the device compared with its cost.... some ipad owners even buy a case/keyboard combo, meaning they've spent more on their ipad + accessories than a reasonably netbook and can't do half of it.

      I'm bored with this argument, it's fucking stupid and it isn't even logical. Apart from anything else it's rooted in envy, the price sensitivity whining always is. But aside from that it doesn't actually make any sense. Given the price premium (and it probably isn't as much as you think, but lets assume that it is for the sake of argument) do you honestly think that people would be prepared to pay it for a device that didn't fit their particular needs ?

      What part of your brain has difficulty with the idea that people would be prepared to pay for a device that does some particular thing very well, but doesn't do others at all ? My bicycle isn't a jet ski.

      What part of your brain has difficulty with the idea that people might own and use more than type of device ?

      And lastly, STFU about your damn net book which can do everything. I have a net book, it even has a touch screen. I've hacked the fuck out if it to push it way past it's original capabilities. So the fuck what ? If you really can do everything you ever need to do on your net book then your computational needs are tiny. I couldn't manage my real day to day without the coterie of multi core boxen that live under my desk. Your requirements are yours, and yours alone.

      But whatever. Calm the fuck down. Steve Jobs is not going to come round to your house and steal your precious net book, m'kay ?

  28. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    In bed. Alone. ®

    or soon will be...

  29. Anonymous Coward
    Alert

    In the bath?

    We discovered last night that our son uses his iPod Touch in the bath ... this was shortly after he discovered that it isn't waterproof and wanted to know why the screen wasn't working - STUPID BOY!

    1. Player_16
      Headmaster

      STUPID BOY? Must be the parents.

      Well, time to give the iPod a 'rice bath'. Put it in a bag of rice for a couple of days.

  30. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Early adopters

    So there is a corellation between early adopters, mac owners and satisfaction.

    Select from:

    a) Easily pleased

    b) Well indoctrinated into the cult of Jobs

    c) Both

  31. Tom 38
    Troll

    @Paul

    Paul, let me try to explain this to you. I'll use short words so you don't get confused.

    The ipad is not a netbook. It's not meant to be. It is both better and worse than a netbook, but not at the same things.

    A netbook is much worse at things like reading ebooks, watching videos, listening to music, browsing the web, reading emails, using for more than 4 hours without a charge.

    An ipad is much worse for looking at flash videos, typing long documents, having envious twatdingles stare at you non stop on the tube.

    The choice is up to you, but please stop saying I'm an idiot because I made a different choice to you.

  32. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    Hmmm

    My wife's got one and I'm not allowed to touch it for fear of misusing it, she has an iPad too...

    ( Sleepless in Sunderland! )

  33. Colin Millar
    Thumb Down

    @ Matt 89

    Actually - iT seems to i that i&i are getting bored with iWars and that there are less comments made on iStories now than when the iPhone was iNtroduced.

    iT does seem that the iFans are outnumbering the iDetractors though so maybe the naysayers have found another target and the iSayers can soon declare victory.

    Now - some stats which analyze that would be much more interesting than "device on which people can read and listen to radio gets used in bed a bit".

  34. Michael C

    Not surprised at all

    considering some 90% of my casual reading is done in bed, I'm not surprised a device that doubles as an e-reader gets that attention. Also ,watching TV in bed before nodding off, I could get a few last e-mails read, check a social site, or just game idly while the news is churning through uninteresting content or the wife is watching something boring.

    When considering an iPad (which i have yet to acquire), putting the charger in the bedroom was one of my first thoughts as I naturally assumed it would be used about 20-30% of the time in bed and 50+% on the couch. I honestly assumed it would rarely, if ever, actually leave the house except on long car trips.

  35. D. M
    Grenade

    My job is to help lusers, mostly fix PEBKAC.

    1. Been a geek is not what you do for living. Geek is made part of knowledge and part of attitude. A geek does not accept been "forced in walled garden". A geek breaks limitation. If you let Steve tells you what you can and cannot do, you are a sheep, not a geek.

    2. Who said netbook has to run Windoes? You load a good Linux distro, it has all the apps you need with a few mouse click, auto update, and does everything you wanted it to do. At least netbook has a proper keyboard you can use. 100ish Gb hard drive is the bare low end these days. It is enough for general use. And it can connect to external USB drive easily.

    3. People buy stupid expensive useless stuff all the time. Look no further than many of products targeted women. Men don't get much better, a lot of things we buy are pointless.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Down

      Been[sic] a geek...

      means that you should know how to use the 'Reply to this post' button too.

      But seriously, you are talking bollocks. No, really! The fact that you call your clients 'lusers' says it all. Yes numbnuts, they are your clients *even* if you work for the same organisation. Don't forget that you exist to enable them to to their job, not the other way around. The whole 'sheep' meme is just so tired and deeply unoriginal, it's the sort of thing that someone who cannot think for themselves would write.

    2. The Other Steve
      FAIL

      I was been right

      Lusers, PEBKAC ? GTFU. Users pay for you. Without them you are nothing.

      "1. Been a geek is not what you do for living"

      No one said it was.

      "A geek does not accept been "forced in walled garden". "

      Oh I don't know, I've been forced in walled gardens a few times and thoroughly enjoyed it. Sadly, they've cut the bushes down now.

      "A geek breaks limitation. "

      This is your first job out from school then ?

      "If you let Steve tells you what you can and cannot do, you are a sheep, not a geek."

      He phones me every day. But I regard them more as suggestions than, y'know, rules.

      "2. Who said netbook has to run Windoes?"

      No one.

      "You load a good Linux distro, it has all the apps you need with a few mouse click"

      No, it doesn't. Not by a long chalk. I need at least three OSes before I have anywhere close to "all the apps I need"

      "100ish Gb hard drive is the bare low end these days."

      I use SSD in /my/ net book.

      "It is enough for general use."

      No, no it isn't. For you it is, but not for me.

      Well, I promised I'd show you mine, but I think just the tip, I don't want to traumatise you. A contract I worked on last year involved reverse engineering binary device drivers and my favourite hobby is classical cryptanalysis.

      Breakin' enough restrictions for ya ?

      Oh, and what's on my iPad right now ? Communications of the ACM and a shit load of PDFs about computational complexity metrics.

      But don't tell anyone yeah ? It's our secret.

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like