There are two ways I could write this Apple iPad review: the pessimistic way or the optimistic way. For a device that has polarised the gadget community as to whether it is the "second coming" or merely "sucks", the thing that both approaches have in common is a chance to cause a debate.
So is it worth the fuss? Will you be lured into buying the iPad and then after a couple of weeks never touch it again? By now, if you're really curious, you will have scoured the Internet and read numerous opinions on what the iPad, is, does, where and who it is for and probably a whole lot more. Now you've ended up here looking for the definitive answer.
So is it worth the fuss? Will you be lured into buying the iPad and then after a couple of weeks never touch it again? By now, if you're really curious, you will have scoured the Internet and read numerous opinions on what the iPad, is, does, where and who it is for and probably a whole lot more. Now you've ended up here looking for the definitive answer.
To give you a quick background on where I am coming from on this one, I use a MacBook Pro for work, I have an iPhone, I am not an Apple fanboy. I use those devices because I believe they are the best devices on the market that empowers me to do what I need to do for my job.
What this review isn't either, is one that looks at all the apps available. With 3,500 already out and the number growing daily we could go on forever. Here we've focused on the device as it comes out of the box. Visit our iPad Apps homepage for the latest news and reviews.
So where does the iPad fit into all this? Well it's a facilitator. Put simply it's a sheet of glass and metal that allows you to do stuff that you can already do, just in a different form factor.
It's not a device that is designed to be bragged about from a hardware perspective. You just don't care about what processor it has got, or what RAM it has or what drives the graphics. You care about how much stuff you can store on it and whether it allows you to do the things you want it to do, be it surf the Internet or watch a movie.
What this review isn't either, is one that looks at all the apps available. With 3,500 already out and the number growing daily we could go on forever. Here we've focused on the device as it comes out of the box. Visit our iPad Apps homepage for the latest news and reviews.
So where does the iPad fit into all this? Well it's a facilitator. Put simply it's a sheet of glass and metal that allows you to do stuff that you can already do, just in a different form factor.
It's not a device that is designed to be bragged about from a hardware perspective. You just don't care about what processor it has got, or what RAM it has or what drives the graphics. You care about how much stuff you can store on it and whether it allows you to do the things you want it to do, be it surf the Internet or watch a movie.
So from a non tech-perspective it's pretty, shiny, and yet at the same time the design is incredibly vapid. The minimalist design really is just that. You'll get a volume switch, a screen locking switch (it stops it auto orientating), power and home buttons, as well as a headphone jack (strangely at the top when held in portrait mode with the home button at the bottom), a mic and little speaker which does surprisingly well. The iPad is connected to your computer (which you will need to activate it) via Apple's standard 30-pin dock connector. There is no SD Card slot, no USB or HDMI sockets to connect it to a camera or TV. An SD card accessory will be available from Apple at the end of April.
In the box you get a connector cable and power pack and that's it.
Interestingly it's not a standalone device. You will need a computer to sync it with. This isn't just a case of buy this and nothing else. You will need a computer, an iTunes account, and even if you plan to dump that computer soon after you won't be able to get the OS 4.0 update promised until the Fall.
Out of the box and the 9.7-inch screen doesn't just dominate the front, it is the front. The back is brushed aluminium, the same as the MacBook range which between the two give it a sturdy, solid, and heavy feel in the hand.
At 680 grams (1.5lbs) it's certainly heavier than a Kindle or a Sony Reader and not one that we would like to hold one-handed for any real length of time (like 5 minutes). If you want to find out at home what that's akin to, it's less than a regular bag of sugar, more than a tin of beans.
The glass screen is tough, not to slam a nail into it, but akin to the iPhone. Scratching will be a problem if your iPad is going to meet the real world. We would recommend purchasing a case straight away.
Get outside and that viewing that glossy screen in the sun, and you might as well be holding a mirror. The web, with its predominately white background is fine, but a dark movie is going to be impossible to watch.
In the box you get a connector cable and power pack and that's it.
Interestingly it's not a standalone device. You will need a computer to sync it with. This isn't just a case of buy this and nothing else. You will need a computer, an iTunes account, and even if you plan to dump that computer soon after you won't be able to get the OS 4.0 update promised until the Fall.
Out of the box and the 9.7-inch screen doesn't just dominate the front, it is the front. The back is brushed aluminium, the same as the MacBook range which between the two give it a sturdy, solid, and heavy feel in the hand.
At 680 grams (1.5lbs) it's certainly heavier than a Kindle or a Sony Reader and not one that we would like to hold one-handed for any real length of time (like 5 minutes). If you want to find out at home what that's akin to, it's less than a regular bag of sugar, more than a tin of beans.
The glass screen is tough, not to slam a nail into it, but akin to the iPhone. Scratching will be a problem if your iPad is going to meet the real world. We would recommend purchasing a case straight away.
Get outside and that viewing that glossy screen in the sun, and you might as well be holding a mirror. The web, with its predominately white background is fine, but a dark movie is going to be impossible to watch.
The OS is virtually identical to the iPhone. You get a home screen, a series of tiles with apps on them and that's it. There is no multitasking yet, that feature will have to wait until the iPhone 4.0 OS comes to the iPad in Autumn 2010, and if you've seen an iPhone (who hasn't?) then you'll be right at home. Like the iPhone and iPod touch there is a thin bar at the top of the screen that lets you see your Wi-Fi strength, the time and battery status.
On the Wi-Fi front we've not experienced the Wi-Fi problems found by others on the Internet, using it on three different networks at our own home and at others. Wi-Fi performance appeared to be similar to the MacBook.
On the Wi-Fi front we've not experienced the Wi-Fi problems found by others on the Internet, using it on three different networks at our own home and at others. Wi-Fi performance appeared to be similar to the MacBook.
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