iPad: My Review
My experience with iPad so far:
- It feels heavier than it looks. At 680 gms, it is heavier than a typical novel and also Kindle (290 gms)
- Most of its weight is because of battery and the battery performs well. Like others, I am getting over 10 hrs of usage in a single charge
- Display is spectacular. The screen is perfectly responsive, colors look vibrant and saturated
- Web browsing is a pleasure on iPad. Scrolling is so easy - just nudge your finger that is touching anywhere on the screen
- I miss browser tabs. At any time, I have more than 50 tabs open in my Firefox. This is a classic example that reminds me that iPad is not a laptop replacement
- I hardly use web-cam on laptop so the lack of it on iPad is fine with me
- Photos look stunning on iPad. It can be used as a digital photo frame. Lack of USB port is an issue. So either you have to buy an expensive camera connector or transfer photos via PC or online storage like dropbox
- Reading is just awesome on iPad. Even after 18 yrs of active computer use, I can't get myself to read an e-book on laptop. I have to have the book in my hand and turn pages using fingers. iPad is very close (including the page turning part). Kindle is not. I got my money's worth just with this single feature
- Inbuilt apps like Calendar, Email, iPod, Notes etc work great as you would expect from a latest Apple product. Apple believes in imitating the real world in its user interface and I love that
- Keyboard is basically a bigger version of iPhone keyboard. Good enough for tasks like tweets, facebook, basic emailing etc but not heavy editing stuff. Remember that its meant to be a content consumption device not a content creation device
- Lack of multitasking is the single biggest limitation for me. Fortunately, next major firmware upgrade (OS 4) to be announced tomorrow is expected to bring multitask functionality to iPad
- And yes, I am experiencing WiFi issues with iPad like many people have reported. Haven't got time to work on it yet. This is an example of an issue early adopters may have to face
- It would be a great companion when on the go. Obviously, I see myself carrying it for every flight/train travel
- Its always on. So the time to get online is instant. Huge advantage in my experience
- Its generally believed that true strength of iPhone lies in the app store. And I agree with that. Developers have done wonders on iPhone platform. There's no doubt app store will be flooded with interesting, useful and maybe magical apps for the bigger screen. This is a huge plus for iPad against other upcoming tablets
- Kids will love iPad or any tablet for that matter. Touchscreen is without doubt the most intuitive way of interfacing
Who would I recommend an iPad at this point:
- If you are in the market for buying an e-reader, look no further. It's a very simple choice at this moment
- If you want iPod Touch and are waiting to see if iPad is a better choice
- If you own an iPhone and feel that iPhone OS is the better interface compared to desktop OS for a tablet
- If you are an Apple fanboy and firmly believe that there will not be a better tablet in the market till Apple releases iPad 2.0 next year :)
- If you are dying to own a tablet and are not willing to wait (I belong to this category)
And who should wait/not buy:
- If you don't feel the need for a tablet
- If you are generally very choosy when buying a gadget and will not buy next tablet for another 3 yrs. Needless to say, iPad 2.0 next year will be significantly better than current version. Same way, if your risk appetite with expensive electronic gadgets is low, better wait till it's tried and tested for a reasonably long period of time
- If you are Windows or Android fanboy (HP Slate, Notion Ink Adam etc look quite promising)
- If Web-cam is an absolute must for you
- If you own an iPhone and expect your tablet device to be closer in terms of functionality to a macbook than your iPhone
posted by abhishek @ 8:54 PM
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