My Belated Review of the iPad- It’s No “Big iPhone”
Will it kill the netbook? Will it be replacing your main computer? Who knows?!
The iPad is said to be a “new category” by Apple. It goes a little something like this;
iPhone (or other Smartphone) -> iPad -> Laptop/Desktop.
How you use it, and what you use it for is entirely up to you. I myself see this as a new way to consume media. Think of it as Books, Magazines, Movies, Web, and more, right at your finger-tips (pun intended). It outperforms previous tablet computers with its snappy execution, and elegance. Say what you will about its lack of USB, Flash, or SD slot; when it comes down to it, this device does what it does, VERY well.
I picked up the iPad a week after its release. I was going to hold off on it for maybe the second gen, but I gave-in after I saw my CEO’s unit. I was in love with that screen. It was bright, vibrant, and took up the whole device. It was like a big piece of glass that transformed the gadget into a different experience with every app. I love the sense of interaction and simplicity I get when using it. I use it for watching my Netflix, and YouTube subscriptions in bed- reading articles, and Stumbling with the StumbleUpon app, the list goes on.
Yes, I could do all this on my Asus netbook , which I like very much- with the iPad though, I no longer have to be bothered by noisy fans, and over-heating from heavy websites and video.
Many critics constantly point out its lack of Flash, but it really hasn’t affected my video consumption much. Off the top of my head, I can say that the only thing I’m missing out on is Hulu. Plus, with Apple’s support of HTML5, so many websites have took the plunge into converting their videos to the format; Facebook video is one example.
I went with the Wi-Fi only 32GB model, since I don’t see myself needing it while on-the-go much. Also, considering that I’m already paying $30 dollars for the iPhone 3G plan, it really adds up.
Under the Hood:
The iPad runs iPhone OS 3.2, which is basically an iPad-optimized version of the iPhone OS. It features a really fast and power-efficient 1GHZ Apple A4 chip, which I hope will be used for the iPhone Gen-4, also rumored to be called the iPhone HD. The graphics are powered by the PowerVR SGX GPU, which is pretty similar to the one in the iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch. The iPad responds almost instantly; The A4 chip offers an amazing touch-screen experience.
The power efficiency of the chip offers phenomenal, yes I mean phenomenal battery life! Apple promised 10 hours of use, and they were not kidding. I watched a whole hour of video on Netflix, and the battery was at 90%. If I had done this on my netbook, I would be down to around 40%; that’s a big deal! That’s not to say the battery doesn’t have some tricks up its sleeve. It takes up most of the space in the iPad, and forced Apple to go through great engineering lengths to fit it in along with the chipset.
The Wi-Fi antenna supports 802.11 b/g/n. Connection speeds are snappy, and I did not experience the Wi-Fi issues that many have been having since its launch (fix is coming soon for you guys, sit tight).
Web, and Email:
The main factor that separates the iPad from a traditional laptop or netbook is its lack of a physical keyboard.
They went with a bigger version of the iPhone keyboard, and the keys are nice and big, and properly spaced. You realize the use for that bezel around the screen during typing. It is there so that your palms don’t unintentionally touch the screen while typing. Is it comfortable to type on? Yes it is, as I am writing this review on it using the Pages app. It takes a bit of getting used to, but eventually you adjust.
The hardest part is getting it at an angle that is comfortable. For that, there is the Apple-made iPad case. It looks like a journal, or notepad, and allows you to use is as a stand; keeping the device at an angle by propping it up. I’ve also purchased the $69 iPad Keyboard Dock for even faster, and more natural typing.
Browsing in Safari is impressive- and very fast. Facebook, and NYTimes were a pleasure to browse through. It supports a Bookmark tab, and tabbed browsing. For example, when you click the window icon at the top, you are presented with all of your open windows, just tap and choose. Many sites have gone iPad-friendly, making the experience much more natural for touch.
Setting up email accounts in the Mail app is a breeze, much like it is on the iPhone. It supports Exchange, MobileMe, AOL, Gmail, Yahoo, and Other (POP, and IMAP servers). I love how the iWorks Suite integrates with the Mail app. For example, if I view an email with a Word file (.DOC) attached, it will give me the option to “Open in Pages” at the top-right. Same with Excel attachments, giving me “Open in Numbers”.
Using Microsoft Exchange in Mail, I was able to easily access my corporate e-mail and have it “pushed” to the iPad. My calendars and contacts were also synced over very easily.
Apps:
The iPad comes preloaded with the following 12 apps:
Contacts, Notes, Maps, Videos, YouTube, iTunes, App Store, Safari, Mail, Photos, and iPod.
However, the iPad has almost infinite potential due to the very large number of third-party developers developing for the platform. While not as big as the iPhone’s app selection, developers will fill up this void in no-time. Lots of existing apps are being ported over to the high-res screen.
Gaming on this thing is really something special. You have so much real-estate, so things aren’t crammed together like they are on the iPhone at times. Missing from the default apps are: Clock, Stocks, and Calculator. I found this strange at first, but after some thought it seems as though Apple is leaving them out so that it can bring them to us in Widget form. That could be why iPhone OS 4.0 is coming in the Fall for the iPad instead of Summer. There could be an OSX style Dashboard in the works!
iBooks:
Sorry Kindle, but you have some competition. The screen is bright and colorful, making illustrations more pleasant to the eye; but may also make them tired due to the backlight. While it doesn’t sport E-Ink like the Kindle does, it’s not too bad.
Page turns look and feel like page turns. There is a great bookmarking system where you can bookmark a piece of text, and go back to it at anytime using the Bookmarks page. Need to look up the definition of a word?- just highlight it, and select the built-in dictionary function to check.
The iBooks store is growing at an amazing pace. Many publishers are bringing over their library to Apple in order to tap into the enormous and growing user base. If you need an E-Reader, this is a serious alternative to the Kindle. I would recommend the Kindle over the iPad only if your primary use for the device would be for reading e-books.
Otherwise, you are getting much more extras with the iPad. For the price, you are getting a massive E-Book library, a media device, and a tablet computer with a huge App selection- heck, you can also download the Amazon Kindle app off of the AppStore to read your Amazon collection on the iPad (smart, Amazon, very smart!)
Verdict:
In my life, the iPad has taken the spot as the device I will be using for many of my day-to-day needs. The laptop/desktop is now used for more serious work such as running this blog, and graphic design.
I do have the WordPress app on the iPad, but it is somewhat limited at the moment. It is missing some key features such as copy/paste; so until WordPress updates their app to fit my needs, I’ll stick to the laptop.
Although many computing features are missing, I’m positive that OS 4 will slowly fill in the gaps starting this Fall. Apple must be working on a fairly different flavor for OS 4 on the iPad. We should see more sophisticated multitasking, widgets, and more. Why else would they make us wait until later this year? For now, my needs are met with the help of Cydia. I am very excited to see what developers do with this device over the coming months.
I wouldn’t say that you should rush to the Apple Store and pick one up yet. But if you have some extra money to blow on it, go for it. Given the high resale value of Apple products, you can sell this next year and pick up the new one. If you need a laptop replacement though, I advise you to wait for future updates.
3 comments May 26th, 2010
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