iPeds, iRobots, and the Chinese iPad clone machine Surprising no one, iPad clones are sprouting up in the IP rip-off capital of the world — China — including one charmingly and thoroughly unimaginatively known as the iPed. Apple's iPad escaped across the US border Friday and landed in the UK and eight other countries. If — when? — it arrives in China, it will find an army of …
Who cares about flash...if the device is open (I'm only assuming that's the case, someone let us know), then one can install whatever one pleases!
Fewer end user restrictions make these devices much more valuable than apple's own gear, and for a significantly lower cost. I can't wait for these to come to the US.
That said, it's terribly unfortunate they decided to promote the product using confusingly similar trademarked material and names. Obviously though it seems to have gotten them the publicity they were after.
My japanese ain't good enough to get the whole report either, but I can at least tell you it's a fairly light report - it's a general-interest news show, not a tech show - and spends a lot of time not saying very much; the first half is just mentioning that the iPad's about to come out in Japan but you can already buy one...but wait! It's not an iPad, it's an iPed! The second half they're mostly just pointing out that even though it's a knock-off running Android it can still do a lot of stuff - look, it browses the web! Look, the screen rotates! Look, it plays music! Then they point out the price relative to the iPad (the knock-off seems surprisingly expensive, actually, you can buy 'em a lot cheaper on eBay). Overall they actually give a pretty positive impression of the knock-off. They don't point out anything like how it's completely incompatible with the iPad's software ecosystem or anything as far as I can tell. They don't say anything about the hardware either. It's not a very enlightening story.
you are mistake this was an in depth report according to general Japanese TV/radio standards.
There was no mention of
-the weather
-their pets
-the shopping they did yesterday
-the food they eat / bought that was OOOOIIIISHIIII / UUUUMAAiiii
It is normal to hear all the above in the news show on the radio
The news is about 5-7 minutes long and about 30 seconds is actual information like The oil is still streaming in the gulf of Mexico
"...like how it's completely incompatible with the iPad's software ecosystem...."
You mean that it'll run anything you want it to rather than only those things given the Holy Blessing of the Cupertino Cultists?
The way you put that makes it sound like a bad thing.....
The real downside is almost certainly that the battery life and screen will be nowhere near as good as the vanilla product. I regard the "openness" and the agnostic attitude to one's chosen software usage as a bit of a plus myself. What'll be really interesting is if the Android based knockoffs are using a vanilla Android build without any manufacturer's "enhancements" or proprietary drivers. I'd be very interested in one of these products if it could be upgraded to newer Android releases as they turn up without having to rely on the fly-by-night maker getting round to shipping a tweaked version.
Engadget keep reporting on these so called 'KIRF's' although I'm not one to perpetuate stupid acronyms.
They mostly turn out to be hideously underpowered to do anything worthwhile on.
And the issue of Flash support because it's Android, well doesn't the new mobile Flash system only run on the latest Android v2.2 devices?
All of these are ancient Android versions down at 1.5.
"IP rip-off capital of the world"
Yes and no. Leaving some of the more debatable parts of IP that American companies love to protect, copyright is simply thought of differently in China. Anyway, if a company is that worried about this thought of thing happening then they shouldn't source their products there just "because it's cheap".
At the moment Apple is probably happy to think of "imitation as the highest form of flattery" with these underpowered devices. A faster chip and a smoother interface and you can see why they are going after HTC.
Thats what its about. People want a status symbol. So Apple has nothing to worry about. Your average iphone or ipad or macbook or whatever has less features, runs less useful programs than your average 'clone' but people want the real thing.
Its like cars. People just want to drive a Mercedes. While your average Nissan or Honda has tons more features and gadgets standard build in, the top models even have better performance. But you just get more chicks in a Mercedes than in a Nissan.
Guess the IPhone, IPad is just like that.. a gadget to get chicks. Well if it works maybe 599,- isn't such a steep price for an otherwise useless gadget.
But chicks are impressed by you
carrying out trash
ironing your own shirts
sewing own buttons
washing yourself
putting down toilet set
remembering all anniversaries
buying chocolates/flowers/whatever as present anyway and ignoring the "don't get me anything this year"
lifting your castoffs into clothes bin
Dressing neat
Keeping your word
Letting them have last word
and many other things.
In reality few chicks are impressed by cars (that's to impress other men, like Clarkeson fans) and fewer chicks are impressed by gadgets, unless they actually want it and it's exclusively theirs. Otherwise it's just a boy-toy that helps reduce time you spend watching sport, drinking and womanising. So if they seem impressed, it's only because they think it will keep you from more annoying activity.
Most prefer a reliable unobtrusive car that either has an owner-driver that takes them wherever they want without argument, or that they can easily borrow and drive.
Don't believe the adverts.
"Most prefer a reliable unobtrusive car that either has an owner-driver that takes them wherever they want without argument, or that they can easily borrow and drive."
Yeah, "unobtrusive"... Like a Mercedes or BMW Z series...
Dead on that they love a quiet and passive chauffeur or someone to give them the car but still takes care of the payments, all the servicing, insurance, etc, etc.
They like you because they truly care about you, right?
I assume you didn't look at the queues outside the stores last week then - you couldn't move for the chicks and other iPad groupies - NOT.
To compare it to a Merc is a but of a stretch - much more realistic would be saying 'it's like buying a Sony rather than LG HD TV' - yeah, great bird puller.
The only chick an iPad will help you get is an on-line one (assuming the app is allowed of course)
Standing about outside the Apple store on Sunday ( the Missus wanted one of these things! ) the number of couples who went in and played with the iPad with the guy saying something along the lines of "OK, I'll have a look but that doesn't mean you/we are getting one though!".
My Missus got one for her birthday. Before you start, she gets a new toy. I get brownie points and I get left alone to do my photography, drooling over new lenses!
The way its panned out, Ipad is still more of an internet access device for grannys and "compter savvy challeneged" netizens, Music device, Photo album, ebook reader and...... err thats abt it. Next best use is a doorstopper .
Ill buy when they are £50 ish. Why not? As an Internet access device instead of my smaller screened HTC Desire.
So whats wrong with a £73 device that does the same, and more with its free ecosystem? OK battery may be poor, but at least it would be promptly and cheaply replaceable!
Similarly, whats wrong with a £40 Iphone CLONE with dual SIM GSm and everything else Applesque, except perhaps wifi? IT SURE WORKS AND M IGHT PULL IN THE CHICKS TOO.
Paris, cos she's the real thing.
the problem with these are that you know you wont get a Apple IPad but they insist on selling you an apple iped knowing you know it not an apple ipad.
meaning you cant really tell the difference between this "apple iped" and all the other "apple apad"s.(else I'd get one like a shot)
of course if they called the Shenzou Click-box, it wouldnt get the publicity and you wouldnt know you can get a (pro-and cons compared)comparable device for £73.....let me pause....
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SEVENTY THREE QUID!!!!
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usally stuff like this is tat, not the hardware, you get what you pay for and with apple charging $700 for thier version, you will definatly get a deal there, its generally the firm/software that let these copys down(a few mp3 players to prove it) however android seems to have revolutionised that side of things meaning it comes down to design, price/hardware/firmware version choice. all things that Apple didnt even have to worry about........but as the cases proby come of the same factorys 3rd shift, and apple have left such a gap between the buttom of the market(prob 50quid) adn thier cheapest model,which will be filled withloads of price/option choices....well lets see huh.
"and baulk at copying the device names?"
Becuase that's fraud. Different thing to being inspired by a style of device.
Are they really rip off's?
Different hardware, Different Software. Only thing the same is the styling. My HP laptop looks pretty much the same as an Acer one, or an and IBM one. Few differences, but nothing major.
Doesn't seem like there is anything wrong with what these guys are doing. Apple doesn't own the letter 'i', and at least one of these devices used a different processor entirely, so it can't be a stolen batch of bad iPad's or a 4th shift reproduction. Finally the OS is Android, so they are hardly stealing anything Apple.
Apple didn't invent the tablet. It seems the biggest thing they "stole" was the chasis, which bears great similarity, but then again so do most HTC phones, so WTF? If anyone is guilty of non-innovation here, it is the US and EU for hiding behind ACTA instead of trying to compete in a real free market.
Jobs, of Apple, purportedly has a short fuse (temper) and the availability of these competitive devices should make him sit up and think about the crippled iCrap products.
A colleague, recently back from China, returned with one each of aPad and RK2808. We opened them up and there was one added component and one added jumper wire which demonstrates a mature product. The motherboard was fibre rather than an economy material.
I have a custom e-interface on my motorcycle, run on a under-the -seat Notebook computer and I have managed to transfer some of the functions on to the RK2808 tablet which offers a far superior display to my home grown LED display.
Since the screen might be hit by the deluges of rain we have in VietNam, the only question is whether the touch screen is too sensitive or not. Splash-proofing the device will be easy with the use of a custom stainless steel and a tube of silicon glue.
Forget Apple - get the REAL thing. RK2808!
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