Journal symbolset's Journal: iPad (was NSFW, but now OK) 1
Edit: I'm cleaning up my
NSFW? Yeah, I'm going to use some rough language.
My first pair of iPads came today. Let me preface my journal article by saying I've not been a fan of Apple for 25 years, and I'm not now. I got my start in IT on Apples mostly, but I had moved on. Steve Jobs is an obsessive controlling ass bent on world domination, a control freak of the first order and those aspects aren't a huge draw for me. His platforms aren't going to be something I desire as an end result because most aspects of them spring from that evil part of his psyche where he must control what I do with them. I would vastly prefer an Android tablet that obeys me without reservation.
Moving on... They come to the dock and I have to fight to gain control of both of them. Not one person in the building isn't gathering 'round. "The iPads are here!" I had to tolerate a certain amount of fondling before I wrested control of them. Ultimately I had to remind folk they had work to do. These ones are mine because they're thin clients for a VDI solution I'm presenting so I get dibs. I'm sure the entire staff will have their own in time, starting with the sales folk.
They come out of the box remarkably basic: An iPad, a tiny box with a mini CD and booklet, one wall power to USB converter, and a USB to iPad charger converter cord. It came fully charged. I've unpacked Apple products before, so I know that this simplicity is a ruse. I power it on, identify myself and link to our wireless. Like that I'm on Google and Gmail and I'm already impressed. The gesture interface is impressively intuitive, more responsive than XP. The thing doesn't appear to have a "top". Whichever edge is uppermost is the top. That was disconcerting for all of fifteen seconds, and then I'm showing a coworker a website by flipping the thing out, and the screen auto-orients. Awesome. My favorite question, from an IT pro with 10 years experience: [hushed] "can I hold it?" It's a precious thing now, but they'll be flipping it onto the passenger seat on their way somewhere a year from now. Today they treat it with reverence because it's rare.
It came with a Citrix client, which admittedly was a bit of a pain to get registered with our restrictive environment. It would have been easier at home. Citrix gives me control of my many servers and desktops. Windows and its apps are a bit of a nuisance using this tech, but it works. It has 3G, but that's not registered yet so I have to deal with our restricted wireless networking.
I can't fiddle with the thing today though - I'm off to the client site where it's to be a VDI client. On the way in I should have covered it. We gathered many of an envious stare, my iPad and I. Today there was only one person it didn't inspire envy in - and he whipped out his own. "Let me show you which apps you need first. My daughter likes these ones."
What I learned: this thing is hot. Completely hot. It's the kind of hot that Armani and Gucci and Burger King would kill for. Shiny doesn't even begin to describe it. It's a geek magnet. It's a chick magnet. It's a people magnet. Having one is like being completely plated in gold. People don't just want to fondle it, people want to associate with you for being one of the special people who have one. I'm not prone to that type of attention seeking, but DAMN it felt good. I'm pretty nerdly but with this in my hand I'm notable, interesting and sexy. The damned thing doesn't have to even be TURNED ON.
Now we earn our NSFW rating: [edited]Oh my goodness[/edited]. This thing could be completely [redacted
Shit (Score:2)