The tech world has been caught up in iPad buzz for months now. With fake images, speculation based on domain name registrations, "leaked" advertisements, patent investigations, and comments from various tech and media CEOs, all of which have built quite a stir around the latest "creation" from Apple. But now that the iPad has finally been released, how does Steve Jobs' 'magical' and 'revolutionary' device stand up to the hype? What is the purpose of this device and will it succeed?
The iPad is a tablet computer developed by Apple Inc. It is similar in function to an iPod Touch, with nearly eight times the display area and five times the number of pixels. It will allow multi-touch interaction with print, video, photos, and audio; connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi and, on certain models, 3G; and will run apps designed specifically for the iPad as well as most iPhone OS apps. The device will have an LED-backlit 9.7-inch (25 cm) color IPS LCD display and uses the device's multi-touch screen to provide a virtual keyboard in lieu of a physical keyboard. The iPad is to be released in March 2010 (WiFi-only models) and April 2010 (WiFi + 3G models).
My first impressions of the device are largely positive. Apple has once again built a product that looks good and feels great in the hand, and the familiar user interface, borrowed from the iPhone and iPod touch, is perfectly suited to the bigger screen. The iPad whizzes along, opening applications, re-sizing web pages, and zooming in and out of maps almost instantaneously.
It comes preloaded with twelve applications – essentially multi-touch versions of existing Mac software such as iPhoto. However, owners can also download third party apps – both specially designed for the iPad and those already available for the iPhone. People with both can synchronise their apps between the two devices.
Despite the vastly superior resolution, when compared to the iPhone, the iPad is just as responsive (or may be even more so) than the iPhone 3GS. The overall 2D graphics speed is very good, there's no question about that. Because it is so fast, the user interface responds right away to input, which makes the user feel in control. The web browsing works really well. Just imagine an iPhone / iPod touch, but faster and with a big display.
The iPad is simply the best tablet ever built, a very interesting device with a very good user experience. It is a lovely device that gadget fans will love, but I'm not convinced yet that it offers enough.
The iPad is a large iPhone, a great device to draw your inspiration from, but perhaps you should not buy it now and wait for the second or third-generation versions.