Apple IPad - The Good, the Bad, the Not-So-Flashy

The Apple iPad has already generated enough buzz and excitement to be given the label: "Best Technology Release of 2010". And the year is barely three months old. A lot can be said about the hype generated by Apple and it's legions of followers who created the buzz about this new form factor in the technology horizon. But is the iPad truly innovative? Or is it all just lip-service? Let's take a closer look at the elegant beast.

The Good
The Apple iPad is a beautifully designed piece of technology that beckons you to use it. Nay, I say it seduces you from across the room, even when it is in its box you can feel its unearthly pull on you to go to it... turn it on even if just to look at it.

When you are sitting or otherwise leisurely inclined, the iPad is a great size and shape to hold. The brilliant screen displays crisp eye catching color and the updated iTunes feature-set works well if you want to sit and listen to some tunes while surfing the web, catching up on your e-mail or even reading a book from the iBookstore or Kindle reader. The video player also makes watching iTunes movies an enjoyable experience whether you are using the headphones or built-in speakers. And, what's more, the battery life is fantastic -- easily enough to watch more than one movie on a single charge while on a plane or car ride.

Surfing the web is easily accomplished, if not a little diminished. Safari on the iPad is nice but not fantastic. The addition of Opera to the App Store promises to be a welcome addition to the iPad once it is available. One thing that cannot be lost here is the speed. The iPad is extremely fast as everything it does. Whether you are checking out pictures in iPhoto, surfing the Internet or bringing up a movie, the iPad brings it all to you very quickly.

Much has been made about the "blowing up" of iPhone applications on the iPad's larger screen. However, overall it was found to not be an enormous ugly issue. Most apps that were tested, while not perfect, looked acceptable including many games. Will the iPad become the next gaming platform? Doubtful, but it holds its own.

The inclusion of iWork for the iPad is a great thing! It does legitimize it a little... but just a little.

The Bad
Just like the "blowing up" issue, much has been made about the lack of Flash. It's not a good thing. Surfing the web ends up being something you do on another device if you can, and only on the iPad if you have no other option. Sure, you can use many sites without an issue, but there are so many sites that show the blue question mark cube that it is more than annoying. It's a problem.

No USB ports. Being able to plug a flash drive into the iPad would be a great thing. As it is, your only option is to plug it in just like an iPod to your computer. This furthers the idea that the iPad is nothing more than a big iPod. And in many ways, it really is just a big iPod... a bigger, better iPod for sure.

The iPhone OS is a hinderance. I can't say how much better the iPad would be running OS X. I can't say it because it doesn't do it. But if I would run Microsoft Office instead of iWork it would go a long way to selling me on the iPad. As it is now, I have a lovely MacBook Pro that has Office 2008 and iWork on it. I used Keynote a for awhile and ended up just using PowerPoint and office. Why? Because its better, that's why. I know what you are thinking. Microsoft Office 2010 promises to be available as a web based cloud application, so it will work on the iPad. No, it won't. If Flash doesn't work what makes you think the Office Web plug-ins will? Apple really missed the boat by pushing the iPad away from the idea that it is a computer and towards the idea that it is an "Internet Appliance" because those have failed time and again in the past. The iPad won't fail, it will succeed but the iPhone OS will limit its success ultimately or the iPhone OS will evolve to be closer to the feature set of Google's Chrome OS and less like Android.

The screen is certainly beautiful... inside. But take it outside and it is nearly impossible to read whether you are in direct sunlight or sitting inside a moving train. The glare can be unbearable at times and is annoying most of the time.

I know complaining that there is no camera isn't new either. And while I'll admit I would almost never use it. To sit in front of the iPad and stare at it, you expect there to be a camera. I mean, heck... the iPod Nano has a camera!

The price... I mean wow. $499 for a 16GB WiFi only model? I understand that when you take it all into consideration there is no real competition for the iPad at this point and Apple is carving out the niche but $499 for a device that only works on WiFi, won't show half my websites and has no external expandability? That's something.

The Competition
Well right now, there isn't any. The iPad certainly does not displace or compete with laptops in any way. It doesn't do the things cell phones do since it cannot make calls or text message. And in spite of all the "it's going to replace netbook" hype, it won't. There's no way the iPad will replace your netbook unless you don't use your netbook for anything besides web browsing... oh.. and you never visit any flash based web sites.

But be wary my friends! Competition is coming and the biggest kid on the block that I can say without reservation will actually hit the market is the Hewlett Packard Slate! The device promises to be less expensive and offer a broader range of features including a real operating system with full web browsing capabilities and Microsoft Office. If the HP Slate is what it promises to be, it would be an iPad killer. Notice I said would. It won't be because the mystique of Apple will keep the iPad going for a while, just like Apple TV is still around.