[Closed] iPads - WHY are they taking over the world?

I play movies from a DLNA server just fine. Through my own choice of media player that was freely available on the App Store.

Via what renderer?

? I have no idea. I didn't write it. I just use it. Why on earth would I care?

No I mean what device is connected to your AV system which your iPad is controlling.

Or did you misunderstand what a DLNA controller is?

No definately Audi, same internals as a Skoda/Android, but looks flashier and costs more.

ahhhh, I see. So two things can have very similar characteristics. Yet one is nicer to use than the other!!!

I love all this isheep stuff - really makes me laugh

Anyways, love or hate Apple, what they are doing is providing a certain quality of service which other manufactures cannot really provide due to vast flexibility of hardwear/software.

For example - my father in law wanted a tablet, he asked me what to get and I said ipad mini - he shuddered at the price as he saw, what to him seemed like a better specced android pad at Maplin, so he bought it. It was SHOCKINLY bad and he has returned it, but it has basically put him off any 'pad due to technology fright. Conversely my disabled aunt, who it completely useless with tech, bought one and uses it daily with no issues at all, albeit in a basic form compared to power users.

I am not even going to claim Apple is better than the others, what I am saying despite their high price they provide a good user experience (except for the people who go into it expecting the world...)which counts for an awful lot. There is no way I would recommend a non-tecchy an android phone or tablet - though they are much better than the older ones.

Also you can walk into an apple shop if you have a problem and you have a much better chance of getting some semi useful support. And if the item is in warranty and there is a hardware issue, they will usually just swap it on the spot. I have know loads of people who have done this.

btw I use a S3 and ipad.

No I mean what device is connected to your AV system which your iPad is controlling.

Or did you misunderstand what a DLNA controller is?

Did you misunderstand where he's watching the video?

No I mean what device is connected to your AV system which your iPad is controlling.

Or did you misunderstand what a DLNA controller is?

I'm watching video on my iPad/iPhone served by DLNA server upstairs. What do I need a separate controller for?

If I wanted to put it on the telly I could just whack in an HDMI cable or buy an Apple TV and stream it across wifi.

Are you thinking of something more like this:
http://www.sitecom.com/mobile/apple/imediacontrolforipad/

Or this:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/media-connect-for-dlna-upnp/id335036887?mt=8

?

My first smart phone was an iPhone. I thought the hardware was much nicer looking and had a higher quality feel to the competition at the time. I thought it was a superb device and my experience of owning and using it was what persuaded me to replace my Windows PC with an iMac. Again, a considerably more aesthetically pleasing piece of hardware that let me do the things I wanted to do on a computer with minimal fuss or thought. This in turn led me to buy an iPad for the missus followed shortly by Apple TV. The devices all work together seamlessly (although I won't pretend Apple software is perfect...it isn't).

Could I do the same with the Google or Windows infrastructure? No doubt I could, but it's not the full story. The combination of superb hardware, capable software AND a retail/customer service arm that many big businesses would learn a thing or two from is what makes Apple appealing. This Apple approach makes it very easy for customers to climb into the walled garden for their home computers, tablets, phones and countless other gadgets whilst the competition wonder what they're doing wrong. They're not doing anything wrong, they're just not competing on the same playing field.

Cougar - Moderator
No I mean what device is connected to your AV system which your iPad is controlling.
Or did you misunderstand what a DLNA controller is?
Did you misunderstand where he's watching the video?

[quote=spectabilis ]
Cougar - Moderator
No I mean what device is connected to your AV system which your iPad is controlling.
Or did you misunderstand what a DLNA controller is?
Did you misunderstand where he's watching the video?
yawn..
he responded to my post saying he was doing what I described...I now think he misunderstood and thought I meant playing a video on said device (in this instance the tablet being the renderer) from a DLNA server. Which is clearly not what I said.
If you unsure too just ask Google

It really wasn't clear, still isn't.

Actually I'm still not sure what you meant, despite asking Google.

Are you talking about using the tablet as a "remote" to control what appears on a telly, via an AV system that is connected to a DLNA server?

If so then that's not something I do, but I suspect the official Apple solution to that is Apple TV.

And there are no doubt several unofficial / third party solutions too (I gather Apple TV makes a good XBMC system)

A lot of people are catching on though and pretty soon their bubble will burst IMO
As will a lot of iNotSheep when it happens. Into big sticky messes.

What? Eh? 😐

why do so many people who make their living from computers use them?

this ^
because for some people they are better and easier to use than alternatives. it has nothing to do with fanboyism and little to do with cost.

only apple laptops will run the software i need, only an ipad will let my clients instantly view images from the capture software i use as i shoot with the camera tethered to the laptop. only apple laptops run the grading and editing software i use.
i dont care if you can spec me something better for less money i willingly pay the extra 'apple tax' as it means i get ease of use and work done.
sure if you have an office of 100 drones doing spreadsheets that need to look at each others meetings diaries and the beancounters to please you need a job lot of £300 P.C's
if you are a geek that likes to feel like an individual 'in control' then do that linux/ubuntu/hackintosh thing if it makes you feel better.

but don't assume every apple user is a 'fanboy' queuing up outside the applestore for every new release.
they certainly have a tactile quality (i dare you to pick up a retinaMBP or MBair and not covert them) but they are tools for a job.

Our IPad is brilliant, same with my mate's Nexus. The Kindle Fire we have is also a reasonable bit of gear, albeit on a lower level.

Can't see the point in slating either piece of equipment, surely the protest ends by deciding not to buy the one you don't like.

I still wouldn't buy any of them. They cost a bomb and do very little, they should cost the same as a low end netbook. And have a keyboard.

(That's a netbook, isn't it.)

I still wouldn't buy any of them.

my advice would be to not buy one
HTH.

Yes a DLNA controller is simply an interface where you see all your shared media libraries (nas,cloud,pc,mac,smartphone etc) and all available renderers (all sorts of devices from various HiFi companies,.Ps3, iPad,smartphones etc etc)

You can control whats playing from what library on what device, room etc.

I'm not sure but you may be limited to apple TV.. I did see a few threads cursing it on some AV forums with people having to resort to jailbreaking it to get it to work as required...n

they should cost the same as a low end netbook

A low-end notebook with a retina display, capacitive touch screen, gyros, two cameras, solid state disk and 10 hour battery life?

Not seen many of those around.

I still wouldn't buy any of them. They cost a bomb and do very little, they should cost the same as a low end netbook. And have a keyboard.

(That's a netbook, isn't it.)

...and what happened to them? They died a death when most of us realised Steve Jobs was onto something with these new fangled "tablets".

Yes a DLNA controller is simply an interface where you see all your shared media libraries (nas,cloud,pc,mac,smartphone etc) and all available renderers (all sorts of devices from various HiFi companies,.Ps3, iPad,smartphones etc etc)

You can control whats playing from what library on what device, room etc.

Okay. That's not something I've ever needed* so I don't really know.

Is that not what that media:connect app I linked to does? It talks about controlling renderers etc.
[img] [/img]

If not then I can't see why an app couldn't do it. Sounds easy enough.
Or are you saying Apple are banning such apps for some reason?

*(Not sure I understand the point either - if you've turned on the PS3 then why don't you just use that to select stuff off the DLNA server to play?)

Its just so much easier than using the libraries/folder structure on the players themselves generally and using the network rather than I/R I can be sat in the garden with the hifi set to Zone 2 switching tracks without going in the house for example.
I also couldn't get much enjoyment from watching a film on a tablet...small screen tinny speakers.. Dont see the point.
I listed PS3 just because it's a renderer I would use a controller for the ps3, I wouldn't use the PS3 for player anyway it's not very good as one. IMO.

not sure what the prob is with Apple/atv or even if it still exists.
Like I said I don't like Apple stuff, don't own any, won't own any.

...and what happened to them? They died a death when most of us realised Steve Jobs was onto something with these new fangled "tablets".

But whereas I look at the cost of a big phone that's worse than an old netbook and scoff at the price, people on STW look at a small wooshy computer that costs less than their last seatpost and can't believe it's so cheap! 😆

Klumpy, yer talking pish, pro pish at that.

worse than an old netbook

I'll agree to disagree on this one. What old netbook has GPS? What netbook has a (video) camera? What netbook has a bang up to date OS* rather than something Microsoft tried to ditch years ago? Etc. Netbooks are nothing more than cheap and underpowered laptops that sacrifice performance for...erm....what exactly? Price, that's it. As Apple demonstrate very effectively, this is not a price-driven market. Remarkably.

*not used a Chromebook, maybe they are better

with removable keyboards, I wouldn't be surprised if that very quickly became the norm

I would.

worse than an old netbook

If they sort out boot up times, PC's may stand a chance again. But the iPad is so much better as a media consumption device than a laptop.

But the iPad is so much better as a media consumption device than a laptop.

I've heard this said before. It's so true and I think is an important point in why tablets have become so popular. There are still lots of tasks that a laptop is more suited to than a tablet. The thing is, the tasks that the majority of the money-spending public want a "computer" for are handled much better on a tablet. Surfing the internet was a chore before tablets came along. With tablets, surfing is as easy as channel-hopping on a TV. Not sure if that's a good thing 😆

Yeah. "Instant-on" is the tablet market's killer app. Even a laptop resume can't compete. Being able to pick something up and just use it without thinking "I'll just start up the computer and..." is a massive plus point.

I still wouldn't buy any of them. They cost a bomb and do very little, they should cost the same as a low end netbook. And have a keyboard.

£159 for a Nexus 7? 🙂 Works fine with bluetooth or USB keyboards (mouse too if you really wanted the whole hog). You could even remote desktop to your desktop PC with Splashtop if you desperately needed a full laptop experience.

Netbooks were a great idea, I found them painfully rubbish though. Instead of a powerful device running a slim operating system/apps, they were a low power device running apps drastically too expensive for them.

So let me get this straight ... the sheep are the people who buy Apple products?

Not the companies who make cheap inferior rip-offs of Apple products?

<confused>

Indeed, from the safe confines of the Apple ecosystem they believe the world outsides is fraught with terrible software and devices made of bendy plastic. Realistically the competing products have been pretty much level pegging for a couple of years now, for less money.

My Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 combined are still £100 cheaper than an iPhone 5.

Buy an iPad, buy a car, sleep on a mattress .... other options are available

Yup, guess I'm a sheep then

Actually, I have a Windows laptop and will soon be installing Linux onto a desktop.

Raspberry Pi as a media device too.

But yes, apart from that generally terrified.

"Instant-on" is the tablet market's killer app

That and no save. And no file system.

Just like Jef Raskin described in 'The Humane Interface' I think. (First published 13 years ago.)

"I thought the damn robot should speak human, not the other way round"

That and no save. And no file system.

eh?

piemonster - Member
Actually, I have a Windows laptop and will soon be installing Linux onto a desktop.
Raspberry Pi as a media device too.
But yes, apart from that generally terrified.

Raspberry Pi is not really much of a media device tbh tried that.. No digital audio out.

Cubox is a better route
http://www.solid-run.com/cubox

Netbooks were a great idea, I found them painfully rubbish though. Instead of a powerful device running a slim operating system/apps, they were a low power device running apps drastically too expensive for them.

GPS and cameras obviously add to the cost, but I don't know if I'd need either to watch iPlayer on the couch.

That Nexus 7 mentioned earlier sounds a good price, I suspect iPads come in a little higher?

I think the Ipad is brill but I don't want/don't plan to buy an Iphone.

I think those calling "sheep" should stop bleating on about it.

Raspberry Pi is not really much of a media device tbh tried that.. No digital audio out.

Aye, but it was free

I think those calling "sheep" should stop bleating on about it.

Boom

but I don't know if I'd need either to watch iPlayer on the couch.

Nor do you need a tablet or a netbook. Just a smart TV or similar.

There have been a few posts up there^ where actually quite techy people have been arguing/discussing how things can and should be done. This is where Apple score points by taking the guess-work/research out of it. For example there are LOTS of ways of getting media on your PC/laptop playing on "the big telly" or even your tablet/phone for that matter. Anyone can Google how to do it but will potentially be baffled with talk of DLNA servers, clients and renderers not to mention confusion with file formats (how many codecs??). Apple's apparent lack of flexibility is precisely what makes it easier for Joe-public to get the results they want without having to get technical.

To back this up, I've plenty of experience of using several 3rd party DLNA servers to serve media to my Sony BD player. All were a faff and the Sony DLNA client is unpleasant to use. I now use iTunes as my media server and Apple TV as my client. Easy peasy and a joy to use.

Raspberry Pi is not really much of a media device tbh tried that.. No digital audio out.

... apart from the HDMI port?

On a similar note, the Ouya makes a good media box 🙂 $99 with a couple of wireless pads, much to my surprise XBMC (Android version) runs fine on it already and the pad bindings just worked out the box. Merrily runs stuff like Netflix already too, should be good.

Toasty - Member
Indeed, from the safe confines of the Apple ecosystem they believe the world outsides is fraught with terrible software and devices made of bendy plastic. Realistically the competing products have been pretty much level pegging for a couple of years now, for less money.

This.

It's not 2007 any more, things move on....everything syncs with everything else these days.

Neither system is superior, what tech you should buy depends on what you already have....if you have an iphone it makes sense to buy an ipad, a macbook etc and do everything through Apple/iTunes....if you have an Android handset buy a Nexus tablet and do everything through Google instead.

Apple's apparent lack of flexibility is precisely what makes it easier for Joe-public to get the results they want without having to get technical.

Yep. Do one thing well.

The best apps (outside of games) are the ones that heed this.

No one wants a washing machine that can also tell you what the weather forecast is. There is a good reason that a toaster-coffeemaker-radio will be outsold by normal toasters, coffeemakers and radios.

if you have an Android handset buy a Nexus tablet and do everything through Google instead.

Actually I do quite a bit through Google from my iPad. Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Maps, Picasa, Search, Google+ etc