The new non-Magical Apple iPad!
Ok. So everyone’s talking about the new Apple iPad. But is it a good idea? What’s the fuss all about? Haven’t we seen it all before? Is it, as Apple claim, magical!
And if you’ve already been taken in by the Apple hype-machine and got an iPhone or iPod Touch, like myself, is it worthwhile you investing in yet another Apple product, line the pockets of Silicon Valley, just to keep in with the latest fad?
At it’s most basic, the iPad is a larger version of the iPod Touch/iPhone. So it plays videos, audio, games, carries apps and photos, hooks up to the internet and is an e-book reader.
Unlike the iPhone, it doesn’t have a camera and you can’t make calls on it.
So what’s the point?
I’ve got an iPhone and it’s great. It’s portable, I can do loads more than I could on any of my previous phones. I’ve had Nokia, Palm, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Samsung – there’s always been something about each phone I’ve hated – whether it’s texting, navigating, taking pics or even making calls. The iPhone went a long way to solve all of that.
So I can happily say, I’m very very satisfied – Apple’s done well here and that’s why the iPhone took the world by storm. Sure there’s improvements that can be made – is size one of them? Nope. I need my phone to be small, accessible, flexible and mobile.
So iPad isn’t gonna replace that, is it?
Right! Let’s have a look at the iPod Touch – I’m fortunate enough to have one of these as well. Does everything the iPhone can do except make calls and take pics. The main use for iPods is, and always has been, audio – playing mp3s.
Will a bigger screen make a big difference with audio? Not really.
Unless you’re watching video or browsing the internet. That’s where the iPad is more useful.
Instead of packing my portable, twin screen DVD player into my car, when I’m about to head off on a 6 hour round trip, south of the northern lands, I could just throw in the iPad, try to find some way of fixing it to the back of my headrest, then work out how to hook it up to the car’s audio system, have wires trailing all over the place.
Hmmm. Sounds like hard work.
OK. Scrub that. Let’s picture a sunny day, I’m taking a break from work and going out to lunch. I’ve got my sandwiches. It’s nice and warm outside (better make the most of it, cos it doesn’t last more than a week in this country!!) and I sit down to watch a video on my iPad, which I stuffed into my sandwich box in the morning (I did have to fork out a hefty £10 for a massive lunch box, just to get the iPad to fit!). I wipe off the crumbs from the screen and start to watch.
The screen is crystal clear, there’s no reflection from the blazing sun (18 degrees – lovely!) and I’m enjoying the video – struggling to hear the sound – but nevertheless, I’m gonna enjoy it! It’s my new iPad and I’ll find a use for it!!
Cynicism aside, I do think it’ll be good for video. And for gaming. Maybe even social networking. Why? Because these things thrive on bigger screens.
But it’s not enough. I want more!
Is the iPad a tablet PC? Nah, I don’t think so.
But that’s what I want it to be. That’s where the value is. A PC on the move – more portable than a laptop but with all the power! This is where I see things going. I can vision students carrying their iPads, preparing dissertations, taking notes; business people throwing away their paper minutes, agendas and reports, dipping into their email, making meetings much more informed and dynamic.
But the iPad is not there yet. It needs more features – being able to run an office suite, some creative work, editing on the move and publishing. It needs a more fully, functioning OS – not the iPhone OS, which, let’s face it, is a stripped down version of the beautiful and flowing Mac OS X.
The bigger screeen helps but the iPad needs more.
Personally I wouldn’t buy one yet because I know that Apple is probably already brewing the next version, complete with more functionality than the original – the same way they market all their products.
Sweeten the customers with a new concept, don’t put everything in at the start, get the money rolling in and the customers hooked. Then bring out another, more improved version that puts the last one to shame, meaning we’ve all got to go out and buy another one.
The iPad is good but not good enough – there’s not enough magic there yet. I’ll be waiting for the next one.
If you’ve already got an iPod Touch or iPnone then the reasons to get an iPad are blurred because you’ve already got the kit you need.
But what if you don’t have either the iPod or iPhone? Should you buy it?
Someone has to. It needs to be a success so that Apple will push it forward again and launch the one I’m waiting for – iPad 2!
All this technology 