For any that may have missed the media coverage of the Apple announcement, we at Glo-Networks would like to draw your attention to the new Apple product coming soon – the iPad. The device has long been rumoured and many have/had high hopes for it, so here are my thoughts:
The iPad is the Apple take on what’s called a tablet computer (a flat, slate shaped computer with a touch screen or stylus interface) and according to Apple the device will be “the best way to experience the web, emails, photos and video. Hands down.”, bold claims from Apple there. The device does look like it brings smart new direction to the tablet; however, it looks like a giant iPhone.
The similarity with the iPhone does not stop at the aesthetics of the device. Just like the iPhone it runs Apps (in fact Apple say that all iPhone Apps will run on the iPad) and just like the iPhone it is only able to run one App at a time, with no multitasking capabilities.
This seems a little underwhelming in my opinion, I love my iPhone and have sampled the delights of many a different App however one of my biggest gripes with the device is that in order to switch between active Apps they must, in effect, be closed and the next relaunched. The fact that the iPad, which is basically supposed to be a PC (albeit a flat, touchscreen PC that you can carry), cannot do two things at once seems quite a drawback.
Another complaint that has been raised against the device is the screen itself. Although it looks impressively bright and clear, the ratio is only 4:3, meaning all those 16:9 HD movies in your iTunes library will only cover a portion of the display! And although the screen is large the bezel surrounding it looks overly large also.
But let’s try to take a look at the positive for a moment.
The battery life is claimed to be 10 hours while surfing/watching videos/listening to music which does sound more than sufficient to keep you entertained on the commute to work.
It also has a book reader and a book store App, making it compete directly with the Amazon Kindle. Although the iPad looks like it will be more expensive, it does have a tonne of features that the Kindle is distinctly lacking.
In summary I’d say that the device does look the business and, if you are a looking to buy a book reader, is a veritable steal in comparison to the feature sparse Amazon Kindle. If, however, you are buying it to in lieu of a laptop, or even a netbook, there are products available that would likely fit the bill much better and for a lower price!
Will anyone here at Glo be buying one, I have my doubts..
