iPAD!!

[ILoveC4]

While I won't take the time to make an image like you did, I will go on record saying that Apple's lack of features is disturbing.

Yea, I'm sure you and Codeman would rather use Control4's dedicated touchscreens.

I actually don't have any touchscreens in my home currently. I had some 10.5's, but 6 months ago the rumor was they wouldn't work with 2.0 so I sold them and figured I would wait to see how that whole thing shook down before I replaced them.

Turns out they probably would have worked just fine.

Oh well, you live and you learn.

[takitezsdc]

Control4 needs to rethink their $1200 7" This Ipad is going to ROCK!!! Hell Ill install the ipad in the wall for $499 .......P! and Have more control than C4 7" could even dream of!

[ILoveC4]

Just curious, what does "P!" mean? I've seen you do that several times. Is it some new internet slang I'm unfamiliar with?

[hike]

So, I could sell my two 10.5" screens I spent a ridiculous amount of money on that are barely responsive and sell them for $300-400 each and get the Ipad and get faster response, full internet connectivity, digital photo screensaver..etc....for a few hundred more?

Duh!

[ILoveC4]

You mean a few hundred less, right?

The $499 price point is surprising to me.

[Rsmolo]

Can run all iPhone apps unmodified out of the box.

Can I use existing licence than? Go to connections, disconnect from current iphone and id new ipad?

License is assigned to only one account, but I don't think it is assigned to only one iphone/ipod. What if one dies and you get new one. I have never tried that, so just wondering.

[jesh]

Yeah, tablets have had a great history.

Of failure.

FAIL.

[thecodeman]

One license per phone, currently. Your dealer will need to re-identify the phone for you.

[tumult]

and i just wired for a couple of 7'' touchscreens:( well, if i do buy them, I'll have that added intercom functionality:)

tum

[ILoveC4]

I personally will still buy the C4 touchscreens. They don't dioall the other stuff, but I have computers and a smartphone for that.

All I want is an in wall GUI that will run the new interface and photo screensaver.

Call me a simpleton I guess.

[tumult]

I'll probably still get one 7'' but if someone manufacturers an in wall dock for the ipad, then it seems to me that for $499 and c4 functionality, there's no way i'm buying any more 7'' touchscreens. oh, i almost forgot the ipad also has internet, e-mail, apps, photos, etc. and its $499! can you tell i'm excited?

tum

[dogdvr]

So did I miss something, New Ipad does not support flash.

New C4 system moving to Flash.

Conflict?

[ILoveC4]

So did I miss something, New Ipad does not support flash.

New C4 system moving to Flash.

Conflict?

Yeah, no kidding...

I'll stick with C4 gear. I'm not a big apple fan anyways.

[wappinghigh]

So where does the ipad leave the AppleTv? There are reports it will support extenal displays (via a dock). I guess it depends whether it can stream 1080p and the dock has HDMI out...

In any case, if a TV can become an external display, the ipad could be docked nearby, the running C4 app selects inputs etc, and the movies played....you wouldn't need frontrow... just play the video straight out of iTunes. All speculation of course.

But I agree. Lack of Flash is a big prob IMHO

[3fingerbrown]

To be honest, I haven't ever been that much of a fan of portable touch screens as a remote control, period. It just seems odd to me to sit in front of a 50" flat screen TV, but look down at a little screen to control it. Why pay for a big screen and then an equal amount for a small screen to control it? I'm a big fan of the SR-250 remote, which navigates the GUI on the TV.

But if I had an iPad, I could sit back on my couch, watch the game, and surf the web too. Not bad. And if I want to control something I can do that too. But I honestly think I will still have my SR-250 handy.

I just watched the Apple presentation. Jobs said "to be successful, a tablet has to do some things better than an iPhone and a laptop." But I don't think the iPad does anything better than a iPhone or a laptop, with the exception of two things: as an e-reader, and as a remote control for a home automation system.

So the portable C4 touch screens are no panacea, and the iPad will not be either, no matter how much better than the C4 touch pads it may be. But it does present some serious competition in the mix. Future versions of the iPad will surely support flash, etc. And lower prices for the C4 touch screens are inevitable IMO. That is a good thing for the C4 consumer.

[wappinghigh]

Absolutely spot on Great post. You can't have enough touchscreens and remotes lying around...actually we all must remember C4 needs to be congratulated for being adaptable enough to accept change and give customers a potential opportunity to add control on something like an ipad. When all the ipad hype dies down 'can't help thinkin' from the point of view of iTunes centric hometheatre control and network media buffs...that the appletv has been left in the cold....

[sjj31a]

I see the ipad as slightly different from my personal use perspective. First and foremost, this is not a dealer comment, but one that specifically relates to the use of the touchscreen products made by control4 as well as the iphone app. To give a frame of reference, I have 3 7" desktop touchscreens, 1 wall mount 7" and 1 7" portable + the iphone app. I also have a project whose file size is approximately 20MB (more about this later). From the usages, each represents a unique use and a unique need, once you get past the wow factor and why to have touchscreens, I think you will see they are all very different animals and the dynamic changes considerably when considering the wife and kids factor (main users)

1) Ethernet Desktop #1 - Master Bath, bottom line wake up, quick keys for music, lighting scenes (ie wife still in bed, room all on etc) default to IP Cameras screen, weather, traffic, IP Cameras around house all at fingertips and all instant, push a couple times a day, wife does same, use is about 10 seconds a day for very quick specific tasks, is this overkill, yes, but it sure beats setting a SR250 by the sink. When push button response time to scene execution about 2 seconds and I'm on to other things.

2) Ethernet Desktop #2 - Guest Suite - same as master bath except for Guests and by bed, all in one place dedicated, don't need to be an expert to use

3) Ethernet Desktop #3 - Family Room downstairs Bar area (KIDS), mostly quick use, quick buttons for WII, Movies, etc. Kids know to use, but don't move around, can't loose and expensive picture frame, but I can always find

4) Wall Mount Kitchen Pantry (focal point in Kitchen) again great place to execute quick keys and actions, like Master Bath, most actions are 2 seconds and done

5) Portable on Kitchen Counter (overkill, but when it is to far to walk to pantry use), doubles as the one portable in the house for parties etc

6) Iphone App - really only use is outdoor parties or when I am working outside and want music etc, nice to have in my pocket all the time. I find during parties, don't really like giving the pad to a lot of people as they start pushing buttons and the house is out of control, also no way am I carrying around a big PAD while I am getting some cool ones on a hot summer night. Other big problem, with a project my size, initial load time on the iphone is 23-25 seconds. Sounds short but is a factor, also if I leave in screen saver mode, battery won't last entire party also remember, when I refresh my navigators the iphone DOES NOT synch, this must be done manually and is a 5-7 minute process so every pad you have or iphone has to be done seperately, this alone is a deal breaker for me as I am constantly tweaking my house, buttons etc. Not to rip on the iphone app, but I also need to reboot my phone once a week or so, its just an item that requires maint, I could not see myself doing this for 5 or 6 touches.

Now for the kicker, as you will note, none of my touchscreens are ever used watching tv, I prefer the onscreen navigation vs. the touchscreen so much easier to look at the tv and navigate with the arrows then looking at the touch then looking up to see execution etc. This is a totally different experience then I personnally thought of what touchscreens would do for me. I had visions of hanging on the couch with the pad, multitasking etc. Bottom line its too much of a pain, so there you have it a Real World Guide to Touch! As you can see one size does not fit all. Hence my initial apples and oranges comments, throw in the wife and kids factor and it gets crazier.

[wappinghigh]

I couldn't agree more. All the more reason to have a C4 app that runs on mac's and PC's I know discussion on this has been done to death..but perhaps this ipad thing (together with these great comments) will focus C4's attention, that it doesn't matter that user's want to go outside C4 touchscreen hardware to enjoy their fantastic homeautomation platform. All that matters is that the C4 IR, IP, serial and software control (ie the C4 platform) remains the central way they experience this. I'll end up with dozens of remotes and interfaces.. The more the merrier..who cares? As long as C4 is THE interface. .

[ILoveC4]

Great post Steve, I agree completely.

Good to see you're still surfing the forums, its been a while =)

I see the ipad as slightly different from my personal use perspective. First and foremost, this is not a dealer comment, but one that specifically relates to the use of the touchscreen products made by control4 as well as the iphone app. To give a frame of reference, I have 3 7" desktop touchscreens, 1 wall mount 7" and 1 7" portable + the iphone app. I also have a project whose file size is approximately 20MB (more about this later). From the usages, each represents a unique use and a unique need, once you get past the wow factor and why to have touchscreens, I think you will see they are all very different animals and the dynamic changes considerably when considering the wife and kids factor (main users)

1) Ethernet Desktop #1 - Master Bath, bottom line wake up, quick keys for music, lighting scenes (ie wife still in bed, room all on etc) default to IP Cameras screen, weather, traffic, IP Cameras around house all at fingertips and all instant, push a couple times a day, wife does same, use is about 10 seconds a day for very quick specific tasks, is this overkill, yes, but it sure beats setting a SR250 by the sink. When push button response time to scene execution about 2 seconds and I'm on to other things.

2) Ethernet Desktop #2 - Guest Suite - same as master bath except for Guests and by bed, all in one place dedicated, don't need to be an expert to use

3) Ethernet Desktop #3 - Family Room downstairs Bar area (KIDS), mostly quick use, quick buttons for WII, Movies, etc. Kids know to use, but don't move around, can't loose and expensive picture frame, but I can always find

4) Wall Mount Kitchen Pantry (focal point in Kitchen) again great place to execute quick keys and actions, like Master Bath, most actions are 2 seconds and done

5) Portable on Kitchen Counter (overkill, but when it is to far to walk to pantry use), doubles as the one portable in the house for parties etc

6) Iphone App - really only use is outdoor parties or when I am working outside and want music etc, nice to have in my pocket all the time. I find during parties, don't really like giving the pad to a lot of people as they start pushing buttons and the house is out of control, also no way am I carrying around a big PAD while I am getting some cool ones on a hot summer night. Other big problem, with a project my size, initial load time on the iphone is 23-25 seconds. Sounds short but is a factor, also if I leave in screen saver mode, battery won't last entire party also remember, when I refresh my navigators the iphone DOES NOT synch, this must be done manually and is a 5-7 minute process so every pad you have or iphone has to be done seperately, this alone is a deal breaker for me as I am constantly tweaking my house, buttons etc. Not to rip on the iphone app, but I also need to reboot my phone once a week or so, its just an item that requires maint, I could not see myself doing this for 5 or 6 touches.

Now for the kicker, as you will note, none of my touchscreens are ever used watching tv, I prefer the onscreen navigation vs. the touchscreen so much easier to look at the tv and navigate with the arrows then looking at the touch then looking up to see execution etc. This is a totally different experience then I personnally thought of what touchscreens would do for me. I had visions of hanging on the couch with the pad, multitasking etc. Bottom line its too much of a pain, so there you have it a Real World Guide to Touch! As you can see one size does not fit all. Hence my initial apples and oranges comments, throw in the wife and kids factor and it gets crazier.

[akg4y]

I was really excited about the iPad until I heard:

1) Doesnt support Flash

2) Runs the iPhone OS and not MacOS

It will still be popular because the price point is great, but if they had priced this at $1000 it probably would have been a huge bomb. I was hoping for something where you could handwrite on the screen (finger or stylus) and have it convert to text, and be able to use the thing as either a portable "desktop" (with small keyboard & mouse).

For $499-800 though this still seems like a steal... but the lack of Flash with 2.0 coming out is a bit of a bummer. Im getting to the point though that the portable touchscreens are just gathering dust. SR-250 FTW.

[sjj31a]

I have been swamped, but still loving C4 also! I still read from time to time great stuff. keep it up!

[wingzz]

Flash is highly over rated, I for one will be glad to see HTML 5 take hold so we can get rid of flash, it is a bloated, buggy piece of software, hopefully Adobe will get their shit together and do some work on this piece of (cough) software and improve it a bit (actually a lot)

[CFUG]

... Im getting to the point though that the portable touchscreens are just gathering dust. SR-250 FTW.

My opinion is both together are a nice team. Thumbing your way through Rhapsody on a SR250 is clumsy. The kids get the SRs, Dad gets the WiFi 7". The only thing that doesn't feel right on a TS is navíng DVR selections using arrows. You need to be looking at the TV to see where you need to go yet you constantly need to glance back at the TS to hit the right arrow. SR250 works better here.

There is no rule that says you should have just ONE device to run you life. Dedicated controllers make for less havoc when one goes belly-up.

[jacksonian]

Flash is highly over rated, I for one will be glad to see HTML 5 take hold so we can get rid of flash, it is a bloated, buggy piece of software, hopefully Adobe will get their shit together and do some work on this piece of (cough) software and improve it a bit (actually a lot)

You're dead on. Flash is a bloated, buggy piece of junk. All the PC guys keep asking for it, but Flash is not the future, I WANT flash to die. This app-based system on the iPhone OS and Android OS is the future.

I predict that those "internet appliances" that we were supposed to all have a few years ago will finally become reality. You'll have a touchscreen built into the refrigerator door with a "Grocery app" that lets you scan a barcode to place/build your weekly grocery order. And when it's not doing that, it will run a weather or stock widget, or whatever you want. You can see that in the Sony Dash that's coming running the Chumby platform. I can see having one of those mounted on the wall in the master bathroom between our mirrors showing the weather or news or whatever we want.

As for touchscreens for C4, unless 2.0 somehow makes the ControlUI C4 app non-functional, I honestly can't see why anyone would ever buy a C4 touchscreen again. Why pay more for a TS that can only do C4 when you can have one that is an eReader, web surfer, plays games, runs apps, etc...I actually question whether the C4 app store will get any traction. Those apps will have to improve the functionality of my C4 system and I'm just not sure how many of those there will be. But I could be way off base on that, I don't know what they have planned.

I LOVE the C4 app on my iPhone and if I were a dealer I'd outfit an entire house with iPod Touchs or iPads. Sure, using the 250 handheld remote makes sense for changing channels/general operation of a TV, so you'd still use that. I've never been a fan of touchscreens for operating my theater/changing channels.

But where I really use my touchscreen is for browsing music. If I'm sitting around and want to chill out with some music, I love to be able to browse through Rhapsody or my mp3 collection and look at albums and cover art and such. The iPhone screen is a little small for that, and the 250 remote is painful for that, so the iPad will be awesome.

And for those that say "tablets always fail", I think this time they're wrong. My wife has a Kindle, a PC laptop, and an iPhone. What does she use for 95% of her web browsing and email? The iPhone. What's the only thing she'd change about her Kindle? A backlight. Why does she hate her PC laptop? Because it's big (she can't just pick it up easily and check the weather or read an email) and because it's PC. What would be cooler about her iPhone? For the screen to be bigger.

So what does all that equal? The iPad. I've said it for the past year--"Just make a big iPod Touch." And that's what they did, but you know it will have more functionality to come. When iChat quality improves, you bet there will be a front-facing camera for iChat on that thing. When they figure out how to integrate the Mac OS features people want into the iPhone OS, they'll appear. It's coming. But the iPhone OS is the future.

And professionally, as a physician, all the push from the Obama administration for physicians to adopt Electronic Medical Records and the reasons that they assume doctors haven't adopted them is flawed. Physicians haven't adopted EMR's because so far they take twice as much input time and twice as much output (finding info) time, are incredibly expensive, and are "dumb" as in most are just a digital version of a paper record, no smart features--not to mention the fact that a laptop or desktop places a keyboard and monitor in the middle of a human interaction.

I have been dying for an Apple tablet for over a year now because with a little programming help (which should be MUCH easier with the app architecture), one could create some really awesome EMR programs that are intuitive, easy to use, actually speed input and output and add smart features such as having a main page with widgets graphing your weight, blood pressure, blood sugar, etc...AND it would be in a form factor that a doctor could carry in a large white coat pocket and sit in his lap while he talked to you.

These are just my opinions from my perspective so take them for what they're worth.

[thecodeman]

As for touchscreens for C4, unless 2.0 somehow makes the ControlUI C4 app non-functional, I honestly can't see why anyone would ever buy a C4 touchscreen again. Why pay more for a TS that can only do C4 when you can have one that is an eReader, web surfer, plays games, runs apps, etc...I actually question whether the C4 app store will get any traction. Those apps will have to improve the functionality of my C4 system and I'm just not sure how many of those there will be. But I could be way off base on that, I don't know what they have planned.

For a tabletop or portable, yes, but I'm not going to stand someplace and read a novel or surf C4 central on a screen in my wall. I could see this being beneficial in the Kitchen, for example. If they could make some kind of cover for it that's like the stuff in the medical industry to keep all the samonella, etc. off and easy to clean.