It doesn't matter whether you believe the hype ...about this device or not. After having purchased one because I was curious, (fully intending to re-sell it immediately) I slowly began finding myself using it more and more often. I can't part with it now, even though I really can't afford to keep it. It is an integral part of my family. Here's why: 1) My work is all on the web. I like to check in on that stuff - but I don't have to boot up a computer to do it. I mess with Facebook some, I look up sports highlights (ESPN app is great with video tidbits too) and news. All of this I can do with a thin little screen which always seems to have battery life no matter how long it's been since I last charged it. 2) Apps. Let me say this now - physical magazines and newspapers are dead in 10 years. You install the app for your latest magazine and it's on your iPad - open within a few seconds and be looking at the latest USA today or Wall Street Journal.. take it with you on the plane or train just like the paper. Read a book, have a library with you.. big screen with changeable font sizes for people with bad or tired eyes. Watch a movie (or 3 before your next charge). 3) Learning tool. Not only for adults, my kids won't stop asking for the thing. It makes sense, a 2 year-old can pick up the iPad and by using his own intuition (touching, tapping, pressing the single button) he has it figured out all on his own. I gave in and bought a couple games and learning apps for toddlers and the kid is drawing pictures and e-mailing them to his Nana. Let me say this also- there is no single piece of technology that is more interactive and interesting to a small child. Directed appropriately, I think this is a major breakthrough for child learning. Think about it.. what's the toughest thing kids have to learn about starting on a computer? It's the mouse and the keyboard. Those days are over. Ok, so it's a glowing review- but I think with this unit you are peering into the future here. There is a time and place for sitting in front of a big screen and hammering out some text (like right now for me), but I see this as the next major movement in personal technology. It doesn't replace your computer, but it will make you use it a lot less than you do now.
It feels right to hol...d the internet in your hand. It looks right to not have a mouse on your screen and just tap a new link with your finger. • It's awesome to use the iPad like a Wacom tablet for your Mac or PC. It even has the potential to be a wireless extended display or secondary display for your computer. • The onscreen keyboard looks great. • Many people complain that the iPad (and iPhone/iPod Touch) can't do Adobe Flash and that its a deal breaker. Flash is CPU hog and is very poorly implemented - it's an "in" for viruses and is a way for advertisers to sneak annoying ads on you. The iPad (and iPhone OS 4.0) are essentially forcing webmasters to move to more standards compliant HTML5 video and animation - a good thing! • The iPad opens us up to iBooks (an eReader app/implementation) - amazing - way better than the Kindle - even though you can also have the Kindle experience on your iPad too! • The 3Gs has a 600Mhz processor and seems snappy compared to the 3G or 1G - but the 1Ghz CPU in the iPad is lightening fast - everything is perfectly smooth! • In my first week of ownership I've noticed battery life is nothing short of awesome - 10 hours one time, 11 another. • The iPad also supports hardware keyboards (dockable and bluetooth) • Because an iPad uses standard iPod sync & charge cables, accessories are easy to find. The iPad makes a great first, second, or even third computer. It will become my main internet device and "eBaying" device ... I used it to type this review. If you're not an early adopter of the iPad I'd wait to get the 3G version. You don't have to activate it, but it'll be nice if you ever wish to. But don't forget that you can activate the iPad Wifi on ANY cellular carrier by getting a contract with ANY cell carrier and getting a 3G to Wifi Router such as the MiFi or Cradlepoint router!
eh, it's an ipad. nice i suppose if you are a trendy per...son. does everything a laptop does but is much thinner and more portable. processing power is more than you'd get out of a typical netbook so thats a plus. downside is that it's only going to run a modified version of the iphone OS. so, no windows dual booting, and no linux. touch screen is nice, using gestures and on screen keyboard to navigate your way through your files n such. just make sure you have a microfiber cloth to clean your oily (natural oils in everyone's hands) fingertips off the screen. the unlocked 3G is a big bonus, as i plan on using this abroad... mainly in south africa but also europe. previous versions have been locked to the US only making it impossible to get a 3g connection anywhere else. but this one gets it so that's nice. ultimately, this product new or used, is terribly overpriced for the computing power you're getting out of it. im looking forward to other companies making their own versions of this, and improving upon this model. perhaps even allowing us to change the OS to something more preferable.
The IPAD is great! The size of a piece of paper, just a little t...hicker, I have all my favorite music, videos, pictures, and books. I am able to take notes and prepare powerpoint presentations. I can go online and check email or do all the normal online stuff that one would do with a computer. For serious writing you do need the optional keyboard. For office work it will not replace a desktop computer but for most away from office activities it is ideal. Hopefully the price will come down, but even it it doesn't it is worth the price to me. If you shop around you can often find small discounts, and often you can find new and used IPAD for sale. I love my IPAD and those that I know that have one loves theirs as well.
pros: Good design and quality, and the software is sleek..., fast, supersmooth and stable.(And as usual for ios, the software is thought through) Batterylife is very good, easly matches the claimed 10hrs with constant usage. The display is very good also, better than the 3gs. Ios for ipad offers a lot of nice features vs the iphone. Cons: As with other ios devices you are stuck at using Itunes for syncing/adding content. And as usual the video supportlist is extremely small, so you are usually forced to convert files. Ios for ipad obviously doesn't have the same upadaterate as the iPhone. Ios for ipad is still at 3.x, update to 4.x will come later in spring, almost a half year later than the iphone. No usb input or memorycard reader No camera And why no sms and call app on the 3g version? Conclusion The few letdowns there are doesn't really do much, cause the good things on this thing are ...Really good. All in all this is a great device. Not really a musthave thing, but if you like gadgets you'll love thisone.
