What the Apple's iPad Is, and What it Isn't
Well, I guess it depends what you're looking for. The iPad is definitely a multimedia powerhouse, demonstrating the ability to play high-quality games and HD movies with ease. It also has no shortage of media to play, with access to the whole YouTube library, plus a bunch of movies and shows available through iTunes.
It also looks like the e-book reader we've all been waiting for, incorporating ease of use, a full color touchscreen, and a built in bookstore. Also, with the New York Times showing off their native iPad app at the presentation, we all know it's just a matter of time before other newspapers follow in their footsteps.
But to fully understand the iPad's place in the computing spectrum, you can't just look at what it has. You also have to look at what it doesn't have.
Like a webcam for instance. Even the cheapest netbooks have one. While you will be able to buy one separately, not everyone will want to carry one around. In this world of Skype and Video messaging, a webcam is a glaring omission on a device of this type.
How about Flash? At the presentation, Steve Jobs navigated to the New York Times Web site and ignored the big blue placeholder that popped up where the Flash graphic should have been. Now that blue block may not bother you on a little iPhone screen, but on a ten-inch screen, it's quite annoying. That needs to be fixed. Do I really want a $499 device that can't play Hulu videos? Especially when I only have 16GB of storage?
That brings me to my next issue. 16GB of storage? That's not a lot, especially for a device that you are touting as multimedia device. Movies and music will fill that space very quickly.
Last but not least, is multi-tasking. Jobs bragged about the speed and power of this device, and by all accounts, it is very fast. So why limit users to one app at a time? Again, even a $200 netbook can multi-task. My $500 wonder tablet can't? I'm sure that will be a deal-breaker for some.
Granted, people have complained about some of these same issues with the iPhone, and yet it still sells like hotcakes. But when you increase the scale of the device, then expectations will increase as well. Does this iPad meet those expectations? I guess only time will tell.
Sources:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/live-from-the-apple-tablet-latest-creation-event/?sort=newest&refresh=0
http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/27/the-ipad-a-media-machine-that-opens-up-a-new-front/
http://www.apple.com/ipad/
Published by Paul Cash
Paul Cash is a freelance writer and citizen journalist based in New Jersey. He is a unrepentant Gadget Junkie and Music Lover who spent 10 years working in Consumer Electronics. Paul currently writes a blog... View profile
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