Survey reveals 28 percent of iPad owners use it mainly for gaming

@Abriael

While I disagree with your made-up, on-the-spot statistics, I do agree with your points. The iPad is simply an aesthetic piece of hardware that is only meant to do what other current generation iPods already do for multiple times the price. A laptop is clearly a much better deal considering that it does much more, is more powerful, and can be cheaper depending on which kind you get (obviously not a MacBook).

http://pbskids.org/arthur/games/factsopinions/

@Abriael

Your whole post is incorrect. I bought an iPad and I'm not an Apple fanboy (this is just the second Apple product I've bought in my entire life and I hate iPods and iPhones ). I know a lot of people who bought iPads and hated or didn't give a shit about Apple. I got an iPad, because after using one at an Apple store I realized this device was going to make surfing the web easier and more enjoyable. It's much easier than starting your computer and opening your browser.

The iPad isn't really meant to do all the things a laptop can do. I don't want to use Photoshop, write documents, make PowerPoints presentations, edit videos, make websites, etc on a touchscreen. I have a computer for that stuff.

I like many other people don't need an iPad, but f*ck it I'm Michael Jackson and I'M RICH!

@Abriael

You know, as an extremely satisfied iPad owner and gamer, I almost responded to this post with a well-worded argument like TheMichaelJackson did, but I decided not to when I realized that if someone is filled with such complete rage and anger for a device (as you are) then there's really no point in arguing with them because they're not a reasonable person.

Btw, if you own an iPad try out Osmos, Monkey Island 2, Foosball HD, Marblenauts, Blokus HD, and The War of Eustrath. Those are just a few of the best releases within the last month :)

@TheMichaelJackson

" It's much easier than starting your computer and opening your browser. "

Or you know, you could just leave your computer running, and press the homepage button on your keyboard to open your browser. How much easier can it be to spend that much money on an iPad when you could press a single button on a keyboard for the same thing.

@Migitoneo all of which exist or have similar games on other platforms on which they look and play better :D

@Migitoneo

I don't know about the iPad version, but Osmos is one of the most frustrating/rage-inducing games I've played on my laptop haha

As for how the iPad will change the handheld gaming market...

It might make a small dent, but I don't think that it will be as significant as it may sound like. I would say that if someone doesn't have a DS/PSP/any other handheld game console with them having been out for many years now, I don't think that having an iPad/not having an iPad will make that much of a difference to them.

But for me, I'm content right now with a first generation iPod touch and don't think I need an upgrade anytime soon.

@Abriael Thats quite a lot of people! Some 800,000 people if my Math is correct!

@statickeith compared to the whole size of the portable gaming market (about 190 millions between DS and PSP) that's crumbs even if you consider an overlapping between DS and PSP owners.

@TheMichaelJackson
kay, you can make fun of macs, make fun of the ipad, even maybe make fun of iphone, but cmon, ipod's ARE the mp3 market.

and for the price of the ipad you can easily get a ps3 or 360 plus 2-5 decently new games.

or hell, get a wii and have 15-20 shovel ware games

I have an iPad now, got it as a gift. It's a pretty nifty device for web browsing. Despite what some of may think, it's actually considerably more convenient than a laptop and even desktops depending on the circumstances. My main PCs are upstairs in an office, but I can keep the iPad with me downstairs for general web browsing. Hell, I can also use it to VNC or RD into my PCs from there. In fact, I've also got the built in VPN client set-up so that I can RD into my work workstation. Basically, I can just use it to horse the web or manage any of my computers with it. very convenient.

As a gaming device, I still prefer devices with buttons in most cases. I'm not a huge fan of virtual buttons or games that rely on tilting to control... But there are exceptions that work very well. Same with basic touch screen controls. There's a lot of crap, but a few diamonds. For the most part the gaming is a nice side feature, I just really like the tablet form factor for web browsing.

Ugh... However, the automatic spell checker can be a PITA at times. That should say "browse" the web, not "horse"... LOL.

@Abriael

This is what happens when a gaming blog is playing pocket pool with Apple. Tisk tisk *shakes head*

@Abriael

ITT: Few Apple fanboys born in the 90s that think the iPad is the only tablet and first of its kind. Can get so much better for less.

OK, point something out then, Anti. Put up or shut up.

@Vidikron

Off the top of my head the newish EeePC line of tablets from ASUS, it actually does something other than open a browser and has a magnificent battery life.

There is a reason UMPCs died, and then the cheaper Tablets died and the Tablet PC market was dying. Why? Because disposable computing is suppose to be cheap, light and useful. None of those before were any good. Thus why the Netbook market is booming along with Laptops. Only a moron would buy an iPad, and that is a fact. Allow me a few moments to find my psychology books, there is a severe disorder linked to this level of thinking.

So your answer is a product that isn't yet? The iPad is proving to be sort of like the iPhone in that it's kicking a market into gear. Cell phones were utter shit and stagnant before the iPhone, now we have cool stuff like Droids around. Tablets existed, but they were absurdly expensive compared to standard laptops and most most were running Windows... Which even today is piss poor with it's touch screen support. Now every tech manufacturer has been forced to get serious about talblets and several viable touchscreen OSs are out or in the works.

Look, if you think I'm some sort of Apple fanboy, you couldn't be more wrong. If you've seen any of my posts on Engadget or Ars you would know that... I have big gripes about the iPad too and Apple's entire ecosystem, but the simple fact is that there are no good reasonably tablet options out there... But there are about to be a lot of them thanks to the iPad.

@Vidikron

Do you read what you are typing you lunatic? Stare at the moon a few more days and perhaps it will finally put you over the deep end. The iPhone changed nothing other than the realization companies had about their consumers, that they are dumb. The iPhone 1st generation was an abomination. Perhaps you slept through the slew of complaints, call quality, call drops, lack of exchange support, poor build quality, cheap copper connectors rubbing thin and killing the screen, etc etc. The device itself was nothing more than eye candy marketed fantastically to the consumer. I'd love you to list one innovation brought by the iPhone. Phones were fine before, we had smartphones that made calls perfectly, had exchange support, read PDFs and word documents, etc. All the things a smartphone should do, then the iPhone launched and companies stopped pushing forward. They dropped previously standard services. RIM and Windows dropped their server side e-mail pushing that was included in the extra fees for smartphones, the plans for said phones went up and covered less - everything being handled by the carrier rather than split between dedicated delivery services. Planes dropped out of the skies, cats exploded while they were sleeping and rainbows bled out the tears of billions of dead unbaptized baby orphans in purgatory. GOD HELP US ALL! THE END IS NIGH!

@Abriael

You've never played those games, and you don't own an iPad, so you wouldn't know. All of those look and play excellently on the device, and several of them ARE totally unique to it.

Dammit, you got me. Successful troll was successful in pissing me off. Stupid fanboys.

OK, I checked and apparently Asus does have one Eee tablet out now. That's certainly a step in the right direction, but I'd hardly call it so much more for less at this point. You'll have to make sure it comes with Home Premium and not Starter. Starter doesn't support multitouch, so you'll have to upgrade to get decent touch support, and even then Windows is still fairly lacking in the touch department. I'm more interested in seeing how their planned Android based tablets turn out. Other than that, it also has a lower resolution than the iPad. I bet it doesn't have an IPS screen, but I don't know that for sure. The battery life is also not as good.

It does have advantages though. You aren't locked into Apple's ecosystem and it has a physical keyboard (at the expense of being heavier) so it should be better if you need to use it for serious work. Certainly things to consider if you're looking for a tablet. Still not seeing any big advantage. I'd still pick the iPad if looking for a recreational web browsing device... Which is how I use my iPad the vast majority of the time. But, again, we'll continue to see more contenders as time goes by, but we wouldn't see anything like we're going to see if Apple hadn't moved into the market.

I was originally planning on waiting to see how the market shook out after the iPad, but then I got this one as a gift. It's much more enjoyable than I had anticipated, not the "magical" as Apple claims, but great at what I use it for. So I'll keep using it to buy time as the market takes shape. As a form factor though, I'm sold on tablets as convenient web browsers.

@Vidikron

LAWL one, they have an entire new line. They use to be a huge producer of the keyboard-less Tablets but they dropped them because it is a silly idea. They were called UMPCs to most in those days.

LOL... Whatever, cell phones were shit. To claim they previously made calls trouble free is not only laughable it's utterly stupid. But that's dependent on a lot of variables... I certainly don't know anyone that doesn't get dropped calls and roaming charges at odd times... On any phone.

All that aside, phones had utterly terrible UIs. Flat out wretched. Things are worlds different since the iPhone launched. Of course, save your breath about cell phone,s, I still hate them. Cell plans are all rip offs and I really rarely have use for cell phones, which are reasons why I don't have one.

You keep bringing up UMPCs. They died because they were too small to provide any sizable advantage over cell phones for web browsing and they had terrible UIs. They were overgrown MP3 players.

And are you seriously blaming the iPhone for RIM and MS making the or service worse? That doesn't even make sense. Honestly, if their response to competition is to make themselves worse they deserve to die. And you act like charging for services is a new thing... verizon used to be notorious for that sort of crap.... Long before the iPhone arrived.

@Abriael I own an iPad and play games on it all the time. But you're right, I'm not a true gamer, I have only owned/spent significant time playing games on Commodores (Vic 20, 64, Amiga); Ataris (2600, Jaguar), Segas (Master System, Game Gear, Megadrive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast); Nintendos (NES, Game Boy, SNES, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Wii), Sonys (PSone, PS2, PSP); various PCs and Macs, the iPhone and the iPad over the past 25 years.

The iPad is at least on par with the PSP in terms of 3D capabilities, but outputs more than four times the number of pixels. It is highly portable. The app store plays host to thousands upon thousands of games, at prices as low as free or a dollar. Some of those games are silly time wasters, some are every bit as deep as their console/computer equivalents.

You need to set manufacturer hate and fanboy allegiances aside. There are great games everywhere if you open your eyes.

@Dale P I also forgot poor Microsoft in that mix. *hugs his 360*

@Abriael Some Apple owners will do anything to get even a little bit of gaming on their machines.

@Acosta02

LOL, thats awesome!

@Abriael Couldn't have said it better myself. This survey of interest only to mobile app developers. It's meaningless to Sony, Nintendo or Microsoft and most importantly, Me.

@Dale P
You said it all. Saying that the Ipad is even close (not to mention "on par") with a PSP in term of graphical output shows a lot how much you know. You might want to get a tad better informed.

Finally, the PSP (or the DS at that) have something that tends to be very relevant for real gaming. It's called "buttons".

@Abriael



Hahahaha



You don't speak for gaming or "actual gamers," you just sound bitchy.



.

@Raiki Laptops are larger, heavier, have more expensive software that isn't necessarily going to run well because of hardware differences, and their batteries don't last as long. The iPad is also instant-on.

There are a lot of reasons to opt for an iPad over a laptop if it can satisfy the way you use a portable computing device.

@rokubungi Can you waive the activation fee?

@GordoJones88

HAH! icwatudidthur

I want the white one.

@Malkmus

Except that we all know what a survey is and therefore understand how the data was collected.

@acefondu

Brain Age isn't a game dummy!!!

@liquidsoap89 Sudoku is and Brain Age has the only good interface out of all of the ones on the DS.

@acefondu Yeah... That's what 9 year-olds do.

@hey buddy

Yes 9 year olds play video games too. Aren't you the observant one. The DS will always be a better gaming system than the ipad for one obvious reason, D-pad + buttons. The ipad will always suck because it lacks these things. Enjoy tilting it around to play need for speed, lol.