Apple iPad

Monday, February 15th, 2010

I originally wrote this on Thursday, January 28, 2010 and it was posted over at my original blog and still is, but I wanted to re-post it here to have some content up in the blogging section other than test posts.

I figure that everyone and their brother will be writing about Apple’s newest product, the iPad, today. I figure, I haven’t written a blog entry in a long time so since I am an iPhone and Mac user as well as an Apple fan, I’ll try my hand at it. Let me first state that I am not, in any way, a journalist or an expert on Apple products, I’m just a guy, like everyone else, with an opinion.

I’ve watched the Keynote from yesterday once already so I already have some opinions about the product but let’s do this with the Keynote, that way I’m not jumping around everywhere.

First Impressions

The iPad. First off, and I know I’m not alone on this, what a name. I know there are plenty of jokes going around the web about this — “iTampon”, “iMacsyPad”, “Does it come with wings?” Now, I’m not in marketing, but I can’t believe that Apple couldn’t land on a better name. At least they could’ve come up with a name that wasn’t close to iPod.

The device looks brilliant. Thin, sleek, and sexy, just like all other Apple products. At first glance it’s looks like a giant iPhone or iPod touch. The home screen is exactly like those devices with the exception that you can add a background image to the home screen. I’ve also noticed that the application icons rotate when the device is rotated, something that I wish happened on the iPhone.

Web Browsing

The web browsing experience appears to be exactly what it is on an iPhone or iPod touch except a bit more responsive. Scrolling is smooth, zoom in and out by double-tapping or with multi-touch gestures. However, when Steve Jobs was navigating nytimes.com I noticed that Flash is not supported. Booooo! If this is supposed to be the best way to experience the web I think that all parts of the web should probably be supported.

Mail

Checking email looks like it couldn’t be simpler. Depending on how the iPad is rotated depends on if you can see your Inbox with your messages. Typing looks like it’s a breeze and auto-correct is standard just like on an iPhone.

Photos

Photos? Really? Who cares? I use iPhoto as a photo library so I if I want to actually use them later, like to print, I can. I rarely ever use my Mac just to view my photos. I guess for moms or dads this feature could be really nice for viewing photos, but other than that I just don’t see a use for it.

iTunes

Only if iTunes will work while you surf the web or do something else on the iPad will it be beneficial. How many people use their Macs and iPhones to just SIT and listen to music. 9 times out of 10 if I’m listening to music I’m doing something else at the same time.

Address Book, iCal, & Maps

The address book is of course good to have when composing an email. I haven’t thought of a good use for iCal on the device. Sure you can add/edit events then have them sync to your iPhone and Mac, so I guess that’s good. The best thing about Maps is StreetView. Period. If I want to know where something is and how to get there I’ll use Maps on my iPhone so I can put in my pocket and be on my way.

YouTube & Videos

This seems to be a great reason to have an iPad. Currently I watch a lot of movies on my MacBook Pro while I’m in bed and after a while that Mac tends to get hot and heavy (though not sexually hot and heavy) while sitting on my lap. Having a device small and light enough, but not as small as an iPhone, to do this comfortably would be great. However, this brings me back to Flash support. If I’m not watching a movie that’s stored on my MacBook Pro then I’m watching from Hulu or Netflix. I don’t see those two websites working on the iPad.

Tech Specs

½” thick
1 ½ lb.
9.7″ touch screen display
1GHz Apple A4 processor chip
16GB-64GB Flash Memory
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
Accelerometer
Compass (who needs that on the iPad??)
Speaker
Microphone
30-pin connector so it fits all other Apple connectors
10 hours of batter life (I’ll believe that when I see it)
A month of standby battery (who cares)

Gaming

It’s looks like the iPad, like the iPhone, will be yet another revolutionary gaming device. With the introduction of the the iPhone came a brand new way to play hand held games. I think with more screen real estate developers will take advantage of this again.

iBooks

Other than surfing the web, watching videos, and playing games I believe the number one use of the iPad will be for reading. If I could carry the iPad or a 300 page novel in my bag for reading when I travel, I’m choosing the iPad. It does so much more than just let you read. If I finish reading, I can then do anything that has previously been mentioned or I can purchase another book to read and get started immediately. Steve Jobs mentioned that this will be a great device for text books as well. I can’t agree more. My wife has purchased thousands of dollars worth of books while in veterinary school over the last 4 years. I’ve seen her take over 50 lbs of books with her when leaving the house. If this device had been around years ago, and those books were offered as eBooks I think she would have traded all those pounds of paper for something that weighs less than two pounds. Plus, as an eBook, video and sound can be embedded making the learning experience much more intuitive and fun.

iWork

iWork has been built from the ground up for the iPad. Everything you can do with iWork on a Mac you can now do with your fingers on an iPad. Each application will be $9.99 each from the AppStore. That makes presenting pretty easy, but it seems like in order to print anything you’ll have to export the file then print using a Mac. Sounds like a pain in the ass to me.

Data Plans

There will be two different 3G data plans provided through AT&T (blah). The first is a 250MB allowance for $14.99/mo, the second is an Unlimited allowance for $29.99/mo. The best part about this is you can turn it off and on with the iPad itself and there’s NO CONTRACT. The worst thing about it is it’s AT&T coverage. However, the 3G models are unlocked and can be used on any network which tells me that Verizon coverage for Apple products may be on the horizon.

Pricing

Of course because of the different iPad options there are different pricing options. Pricing begins at $499 for the 16GB WiFi only and goes to $829 for 64GB models that have WiFi & 3G. Because there’s no contract, there’s also no subsidiary pricing. IT would be nice if that were an option though. Purchasing an iPad for $200 or $300 with a 2 year contract sounds more appetizing to me.

Overall Impressions

My thoughts about the iPad are mixed. I think it’s a great device and I believe that it’s going to pave the road for future computing, however Apple has a lot of work to do. The first thing is listen to consumers. Why is the iPad missing a camera? IT would make a great home video conferencing tool. Why is it only offered on AT&T network? Where’s the Flash support? Where in the Hell is multi-tasking? Why can’t a user make this device their own without jail-breaking the device? Has Apple learned nothing from working on the iPhone? The answer to that question is “yes”. Unfortunately, because consumers love Apple products despite their short comings, people are still going to continue to purchase their products. Since Apple will continue to make money despite complaints and other feedback they’re going to continue to lock their products up. I’m glad that it hasn’t happened with their Macs yet.

The iPad has potential but for now I’ll save my money. I think that the iPad is nothing more than a glorified iPhone without voice capabilities. I have an iPhone, it fits in my pocket and does everything I need for it to do. I have a MacBook Pro, it does more than I need it to do and I take it with me almost everywhere. If I owned an iMac or MacPro then I’d consider the iPad as an in between, something I could take with me when traveling or laying in bed. The real potential that I see the iPad having is in the eBook market as an eReader. Also what about as a remote control? Yes, I said it. Remote. Control. Not you’re everyday remote control, but one of those fancy ones that controls every aspect of a house. You know what I’m talking about. Developers could really use the iPad to their advantage on that. The most potential I see the iPad having is in the creative industry. The iPad is just a few steps away from being a Wacom Cintiq. Myself along with designers everywhere would probably jump for joy if it came to that. But until the iPad is transformed into an honest to goodness touch screen laptop, don’t hold your breath.

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