Apple iPad Review

Apple has announced their iPad, and even though they didn’t send us a test unit (like some sites they consider larger or better ), here is our review.

Let me start off by saying I am not an “Apple Fanboy” or anything of that sort nor do I hold a grudge against Apple for any particular reason so this review is completely unbiased.

The Apple iPad basically looks like a giant iPod Touch or iPhone which is what I am sure a lot of people think when they see it and was what I originally thought, well… it isn’t. It is A LOT better than anything Apple has released for quite a while. Let’s start off by looking at the specs…

Height:  9.56 inches
Width:  7.47 inches
Depth:  0.5 inches
Weight:  1.5 Pounds
Screen:  9.7 inches
Screen Resolution:  1024 x 768 | 132 Pixels Per Inch
Capacity:  16GB / 32GB / 64GB
Processor:  1GHz Apple A4
Supported Audio Formats:  AAC / MP3 / WAV / AIFF / APR
Supported Video Formats:  M4V / MP4
Supported Documents:  JPG / TIFF / GIF / DOC / DOCX / HTM / HTML / KEY / NUMBERS / PAGES / PDF / PPT / PPTX / TXT / RTF / VCF / XLS / XLSX
Languages:  English , French , German , Japanese , Dutch , Italian , Spanish , Chinese and Russian
Video:  VGA Adapter / AV Composite | H.264 720p 30 frames per second.

So as you can see it is A LOT bigger than the iPod Touch. The main advantage to this is viewing websites in normal screen resolution which makes for a better Internet experience. Another thing different is the wide variety of formats it can view. It can view more Audio and Video Formats AND it supports tons more e-mail attachments including multiple types of images, HTML files, PDFs, text files, and various Microsoft files such as Word and Excel spreadsheets. This huge array of supported files makes it so easy to interact with files online and finish projects for work, school, or even websites. It also makes it easier to communicate and see what others have made.

Lets start out with the bad so we can end with the good. First thing that really disappointed me with this is that you cannot multitask. With such a BIG product you would think Apple would be able to cram in a lot more features (which they did) but most people, including myself, wanted multitasking which would greatly help out.

Another thing that disappointed me was that it didn’t include a camera. Stupidly many assumed it would since the 3rd generation Apple iPod Touch included one and this thing was so big that it must have a camera right? Well sadly the iPad does not include a camera which is almost understandable because of the large size of the iPad it may have been hard to use, still, it would have been a cool feature. It does have it as an accessory but it costs more and isn’t as easy as it would have been easier if it were built in but at least you can use it. The fact that you have to pay extra for an accessory that should be included and built into it is odd and aggravating.

Despite the iPad’s great video quality widescreen movies look terrible thanks to its 4:3 ratio screen. It’s screen is large and high quality. But that is pretty much the only downside as far as the screen goes. Most other applications and the normal menus and other things on there work just fine and without distortion.

The long shipping time is a downside to the Apple iPad. It takes 60 days for them to get you the WiFi version and 90 days for the WiFi+3G version. This is a very long time to wait so if you are planning on getting one the sooner you order one the better. Or you could just wait until the request is lower and you could probably get them much cheaper and faster.

The iPad also lacks a USB drive. With the huge amount of support for all these new documents it would have been awesome to be able to add files through a USB and vice-versa but Apple didn’t give us one. You can still transfer your music and videos through the same coord you have always been able to use but you can’t transfer any of your files but music and video through it. In Apple’s attempt to replace everyone’s laptop it is almost imperative that it have one. Sorry Apple maybe with the next generation.

One of the most depressing things is the requirement to sign up with AT&T. AT&T isn’t the best phone company and the fact that you require you to sign up with AT&T is a huge negative and will detract people away from the iPad’s other great features. Along with it you have to buy a hefty data plan which costs quite a bit of money. $14.99 for 250MB of data and $30.00 for unlimited data each is a monthly price.

The keyboard that is on screen the iPad is giant and unattractive. It isn’t hard to use by any means but it isn’t that bad. The keyboard accessory to plug into the iPad is much better which of course costs extra, unless you plan to be writing a paper on it or have some extra money after you spend that $829 on it you will probably just stick with it.

This next problem has been with Apple since the days of the iPod Touch. No Flash Player! C’mon Apple we have been demanding this since the Apple iPod Touch came out and we have gone through 3 generations of iPod Touches and now a totally new product and you still can’t give it to us? More and more the Internet is switching over to Flash so Apple’s products are becoming less and less helpful. Apple claims the Internet is moving along to HTML 5, this IS happening but is taking a lot of time and won’t be fully happening anytime soon. By the time this is finished happening Apple will have released a new project.

The major deciding factor for many people to buy the Apple iPad is the price. It is a great product but with all its downsides is it really worth the price? Some people don’t think so. Some people think it is very expensive for what it is offering, but it really depends on what you are planning to use it for and how much you will really use it.

The Apple iPad does not support the old Apple App Store. All those Apps you love on the old App Store for the iTouch are no longer there so you’ll have to wait for the new iPad App Store to fill up with new apps for it. Though shown by the commercial some of the new apps look really cool. They have some cool racing apps and other apps that are really cool with motion sense because the Apple iPad is so big.

Well now you have seen the major downsides of the iPad, but before you decide not to buy it read the upsides and that may change your mind. There are just as many good things as bad things if not more. Don’t let the pretty design effect your decision on it. Look at the specs and other things on it.

Something cool that they change from the iTouch (not the iPhone) is the built in microphone which is cool to make sound recordings and other useless things. I assume it will be used in some apps and voice commands on the iPad. It would be cool with a Skype like App to make phone calls or have voice chats with friends and family online.

A huge thing about the iPad is the speed. Everything loads instantly and is even faster than the iPhone 3Gs. Everything moves smoothly and quickly. Things have almost no loading times, apps open instantly, Internet pages load quickly, and movies take almost no time to open up and begin playing. This is a huge improvement from Apple’s products.

Viewing photos is a lot easier on the iPad than any other device. Just flick the screen and easily scroll through them, this of course isn’t a buying deciding factor but it is something really cool about the iPad that can improve your decision. Loading images onto the iPad is just as easy as viewing them. You can save images off the Internet just like you can on the Apple iPod Touch or you can load them off your computer using Itunes. You can also use Apps from the App Store to paint your own images on the huge screen which is a lot more easier and fun.

iBooks is a new application for iPad which allows you to read books. It has a nice menu of shelves with books on them. Just click on the book and you can open it up and easily read it. This a huge thing, the expensive Kindle is combined into the iPad really upping its value. You can purchase books, newspapers and magazines online and load them onto your iPad quickly, smoothly, and easily.

The responsiveness of the new iPad is amazing. Way better than that of the Apple iTouch or iPhone / iPhone 3G / 3G S. It responds to your every touch and thanks to its fast speeds there is no lag. You can also touch in two places at once and use them that way which is very helpful with apps and online to scroll in and scroll out.

Its size is large but fits comfortably in your hands and you never get theimpression that you are going  to drop it or break it, however the case helps you have a good comfortable grip on it, or that it is too heavy. However, it wouldn’t be the easiest thing to carry around like an Apple iPod Touch or iPhone which fits easily in your pocket. You would end up having to put it in some case similar to a laptop or probably more like a Netbook case which is a good and bad side to it. However this is the portability to be expected from a product that is this size.

The iPad has new better quality, 720p and viewing YouTube HD. H.264 and 132 pixels per inch. It has 30 frames per second which is pretty good. It has a LCD screen with a new, better protective coating over it so your finger prints won’t smudge it up as  much and it will be more resistant to scratches and smudges from your finger prints. The brightness on the iPad gets a lot brighter than the Apple iTouch or the iPhone and is great for the big size to make it easier to watch movies. Of course this probably sucks the battery life out pretty quick you can always have it set on a lower setting which works just as well as long as you are not in a dark room.

It supports WiFi which is a must but it could not have it because of all of the things it was expected to have but didn’t. Its WiFi is a little bit faster but nothing to get too excited about. Its wireless adapter allows you connect to WiFi networks free and easily. If they are locked with a WEP Key then you can just easily enter it and connect to the Wireless Network.

The battery life is greatly improved from the Apple iTouch and iPhone. It has a 10-hour battery life which is great for this type of product and a great plus if you are using it to replace a computer because that meets or exceeds the battery life of most computers. However, using it on full brightness with applications and Internet will probably tell a different story. In any case the battery should last much longer than your average iPod. Charging your Apple iPad will only take just overnight.

A VERY cool thing about the iPad is the accessories. It has accessories for a keyboard. It also has other accessories to play other stuff on it, including an Audio Video cord and a VGA cord to hook a computer or DVD player up to it. Even though it doesn’t have a camera it does have a camera accessory. These accessories connect right into the iPad. This becomes messy and unattractive when your are trying to use them especially if you are trying to use multiple accessories. It would have been a lot easier if they would have just made a USB port on the Apple iPad.

The case that comes with it is a very nice rubbery material that feels great to the touch. The look is not that appealing but it works well and feels great so you’ll get over it quickly. It slips slickly and smoothly onto the iPad and hugs it tight but is easy to pull on or off. It keeps the iPad safe from minor drops and dings. Mainly it keeps the back of your iPad free of scratches and smudges. Not that you’ll ever see the back because you’ll have the case on it.

The new apps that are coming out for the iPad can greatly help your decision. Even though they are dropping the old app store the new iPad has great potential for new apps. The large size is great for more realistic racing apps. It has 140,000 new apps in the new iPad App Store including a much easier to use FaceBook and many other of the apps that were in the old app store. It also has tons of new apps that are specifically designed for the iPad.

The Apple iPad has many great features but is also has some downsides. Overall it has great potential and for that reason it would be a great buy. It has all the features from the Kindle and Apple iPod Touch in it so it is worth a lot of money just for that. But it has tons more features built in and the fact that it has a 1024×768 screen which is the size of a normal computer is a huge plus. Also with the 64GB is has huge space for videos, music, and anything else you may want to put in it. It’s a great product for personal, business, and entertainment use. There are some really cool apps that are coming out for the iPad including a really cool realistic looking driving game. It is a little pricy but it has tons of features and uses. The potential it has is great so you’d be better off waiting for the probably coming 2nd Generation iPad.

Many people were disappointed at its likeness to the iPhone and Apple iPod Touch and its lack of expected features but it has lots of great features and many critics are impressed at it. However its lack of a USB and requirement to sign with AT&T is a HUGE drawback and will keep people away from it.

The Apple iPad seems to try to replace a laptop but with its lack of features basically it is just a laptop without all the features. If they try to like a laptop and more they might as well just make a laptop so people won’t complain about its lack of features.

Apple iPad 16GB – $499 | 32GB  – $599 | 64GB  – $699
Apple iPad  16GB 3G – $629 | 32GB 3G – $729 | 64 GB 3G  – $829