Thread: The iPad's role in your car?

I know I said I wouldn't reply, but this actually avoids the crazy polarisation, so:

I'm just saying, since its widely available, public, and easy, why can't i use it? Why can't I say that i have multitasking and tethering just because It does't come on the device. Your argument is that just because apple doesn't want you to do it.

What you're saying is more like how I install linux on my PC that came with windows [and one of my macs that came with OSX]. There's a feature set that I desire, the machine as it arrived did not have that feature set, so I installed something different.

The difference is that gateway don't enact punitive measures, either accidentally or on purpose, because I did that. A lot of jailbroken 1.x iPhones were bricked in the upgrade to 2.0. Apple have been pulling developer licenses from users who jailbreak 3.1.4. The act of jailbreaking potentially has a pivotal negative side effect - sufficiently negative to cause me to not do it. Jailbreaking the android phones does not cause HTC to attack me.

2. Consumers don't actually care whether Apple makes it hard for developers to get apps into the app store. All they know is they can add barcode scanning to their iPhones for $2.99. That's freedom.

That's true. But I'm a developer, so that's what matters to me :-)

I actually don't think people that buy the iPhone are stupid - as a whole, it's better than most of the alternatives for most end-users, at least for now. When it came out, the only other smartphone even worth glancing at was a cruddy blackberry with a postage stamp for a screen, and no real high quality third party apps.

I've always said that I think the iphone is great that it's shown people their phone doesn't have to suck; now I'm just waiting for someone else to build one that meets my needs.


On the other hand, the iPad really is an inferior product, even for end-users. It's extremely expensive. Developers can't just push you a development version of their software for you to try out - which in this community is a fairly common thing.

Also, it *is* true that apple give developers one of the financially best deals in the industry - 70% of sales goes into your account. That's fantastic. Their development tools are great, their documentation is great. It's just everything else that is awful. On a personal level, I'm not very financially motivated - it's that other stuff, the downsides, that put me off. Not all software engineers feel the same way. I just feel very very strongly on the topic of freedom for developers.

Where is everyone getting their information from? Who is telling you the iPad is not powerful? Sure it doesn't have a quad core in it but seeing how its running a lite OS it will hardly need it.

Because by my definition of "not powerful", I don't really care for CPU [the computer living in my car is an ARMv5 clocked at 1.2GHz, has 1/2G memory and only 1/2G onboard storage]. I care about the software running on it. And, as you put it, a locked down "lite" OS isn't enough for my needs.

All I want is Music, Nav, Video, and Phone connectivity through the iPad's microphone (or an extended attachment).

This is what I'm saying. If that's the net total of your requirements, then there's probably better cheaper alternatives.

Gary (-;

Originally Posted by likeobama

Where is everyone getting their information from? Who is telling you the iPad is not powerful? Sure it doesn't have a quad core in it but seeing how its running a lite OS it will hardly need it. I don't need Modern Warfare running in my car, while I'm emailing Tina from accounting. All I want is Music, Nav, Video, and Phone connectivity through the iPad's microphone (or an extended attachment). If I ever need to play a game, or email someone while driving its nice to have that option which the iPad will allow. Its that simple.

It's a ARM Cortex-A9 MCU with a Mali GPU on one slice of silicon. It is basically at the performance of a single core eeePC with a 1.6-2Ghz Atom.

Originally Posted by likeobama

In response to tablet PC's being more powerful or more useful, they fail IMO. Why? because every tablet since the beginning is plagued by one major problem, PC companies thinking they can run full fledged OS's on them. Even from demos of the up and coming HP Slate showed its sluggishness. Some people can deal with that, others can't and shouldn't especially when driving.

I have had tablet PCs since 2004, and none have been plagued with any heavy OS. They are full built machines and handle it. My current tablet (a M750) has a P9500 Core2Duo with 4Gb of RAM and a 7200RPM harddrive. It runs Vista and Win7 no problem. I can run OSX on it too, and I do. I can run 3 or 4 virtual machines at the same time while my taskbar is full of multiple programs. It does just as much as a regular machine, and I have tablet input. I could have had the non-wacom input but I actually prefer the pen input as it gives less false positives when writing. And this is a year old almost now. The Fujitsu slate's which are more comparable still kick the iPads *** in performance and the screen is top notch just like Apple's screens.

Originally Posted by likeobama

Final point: Turning this into some type of iPad Vs CarPC war is not needed. Heck, with the lack of publicity the CarPC gets in the industry it wouldn't even be fair. The iPad is coming like it or not, and you can be sure its going to be mounted in cars. The question is, will producers figure out a safe way to implement the devices and software or just leave it up to customers to try DIY methods. You can imagine all the weird and unsafe places people will mount these (in the windshield, on their passenger seat, steering wheel, glove department, visors, laps, etc.).

I dont see anyone in the general public mounting these. I see these sitting on people's ottomans next to the remote control while they use their laptop (probably a macbook if they have an ipad) and watch tv. Until the UI is changed it is almost unusable on the move too, which I think BB was getting at with his iphone install he was working out.

So what happens when you want to push your amps with line level front, rear and sub preouts? Oh wait, that's right, this pad really isn't a good choice if you are serious about car audio.

I think people tend to forget what makes a product suitable for an automotive environment. I mean any elementary school child can suction cup an ipad to the windshield, and mini-plug it into a factory system and viola! a "carpad". This is great I suppose for entry level enthusiasts, but for the inclined, they know exactly what hardware can be had for the same cost that literally destroys any chance the ipad will/did ever have.

Also, there is a reason it's called "JAIL-BREAKING" For those who have never actually analyzed or comprehended that term, it means to illegally bust someone out of prison. Fairly accurate description if you ask me.

Maybe I see the iPad really eliminating the need for customers to pay thousands of dollars to get crappy, low developer base, yesterdays equipment into cars (Kenwoods, Pioneers, a lot of the already built CarPCs). Really look at what's out there. I keep up with all the popular tech sites, Engadget, Gizmodo, BGR, Wire, etc., maybe twice a year I see advancements in the Car Entertainment arena. The base is not there.

Good point, but I think what others are pointing out is that there are other solutions that are even cheaper than the iPad and provide more functionality. They're right.

This thread is about whether or not the iPad will have a role in people's cars as a car PC. What you are hearing is that, well sure, maybe it will but there are some who aren't interested in it because it either doesn't function the way they want, is difficult to upgrade or load software on, or is restrictive in terms of developer agreements or expansion capability.

I would note as well, that putting the iPad in the car is something Apple as a corporation would likely vehemently disagree with. It's not designed for the car and they wouldn't support it's use in the car. Therefore, any use of the iPad in the car is going to have to be based around circumventing the original design of the device for use in a different way than intended by the manufacturer.

That, my friends, is called hacking. So, you have to admit that people do have a point here when they say there are other alternatives that are better, cheaper, and easier to use.

Case in point - loading car PC software on this thing will most likely rely on it being jailbroken. Unlikely that Apple will let a car front end be built on the iPad. Possibly a media center type of interface but not one specifically for the car.

So, right off the bat you have to break the terms of service to use it. But what if you can't jailbreak? Ah! Well then....er then what? Other slate/tablet devices don't limit you like that -absolutely a downside for the iPad.

Actually, I agree with chunky that this will spur competition in the slate arena and we'll all be better off in the long run. In the short run, I'm pretty happy so far. First, we had the iPhone, which showed what can be done with a mobile, always connected device that is easy to use. Now we have the iPad and we'll see how that turns out. Alternatively, we'll have other devices that are very similar but less restrictive.

Pass or fail, the iPad development is a good thing. Frankly, even if you hate it and Apple, you ought to be rooting for it to succeed because that will spawn a whole series of competitive devices that will all be suitable for experimentation in the car. It's all good.

Originally Posted by Bugbyte

All they know is they can add barcode scanning to their iPhones for $2.99. That's freedom.

No freedom is the six different barcode scanners on the android marketplace available for FREE! What a strange concept to apple users

Originally Posted by Bugbyte

Disagree, Cruiser. What it *sounds* to me like you said was that people who buy Apple products are too stupid to buy cheaper products with equivalent functionality.

I've also heard in this thread that it sucks that Apple controls apps and treats developers like crap.

I think both arguments completely miss the point.

1. The majority of consumers aren't stupid. Yep, there's apple fanbois for sure. But there's tens of milions of other consumers who aren't fanbois who bought Apple products. I just don't buy the argument that SOMEHOW Steve Jobs is exercising personal mind control over a segment of the population and Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and Larry Ellison haven't figure out the secret. There simply MUST be some other explanation.

2. Consumers don't actually care whether Apple makes it hard for developers to get apps into the app store. All they know is they can add barcode scanning to their iPhones for $2.99. That's freedom.

Sorry guys, aside from personal bias against closed systems - which I certainly empathize with, or assertions that millions of people are stupid when it comes to Apple but NOT to other products, I simply can't agree.

I'd urge you to look beyond those biases and think about exactly what it is that causes a regular consumer to pay a premium price for yesterday's hardware?

It's not a very hard answer to figure out. Just kind of hard for some people to accept.

Its becoming hard to keep up with this thread!

NOOOOOO, Im not saying that at all. What I think is that Apple has excellent marketing and has managed to get people to think that their cr@p is useful beyond everything else because its Apple, even though its yesterdays technology! At no point did I say anyone is stupid, because trust me, if I thought you were stupid, id say so.

Im not biased, I just dont like Apple plain out. I have used their products and I have had to go through other people using their products (my little brother has iPhone intergration in his car) and I know thats its a plain ripoff.

As far as the dev aspect, I cant comment because I have no clue on that.

I guess my big thing is that I dont understand why so many people fall for Apple. I mean if Apple where to release a video game console that was equal to an Atari 2600, it would out sell the Xbox 360 even though the Xbox 360 is 1 million times better, more powerful, and cheaper.