We got our hands on the iPad and we have been playing with it. It has been very amazing so far. There were a few disappointments and we have finally made our decision. So let’s check out how good the iPad is and let us help you conclude if the iPad is worth buying.
What is the feel?
Like every other Apple product the design is minimal and smart. I feel that they could have been more innovative, in regards to the design. Like the iPhone, it has the Home key at center just below the screen and you can put it to sleep by using the button on the top. A brilliant new feature on the Apple iPad is the Rotation Lock key, which is a slider button located above the volume keys, and when switched on, it stops the accelerometer from doing its job. It is very portable, easy to use and the touchscreen is as good as it should be.
Moving on, let’s talk about the touch keyboard which is one essential part of the device. I first checked out the keyboard in portrait mode and it was very annoying, especially because you need to type using your thumb. (or maybe it is because my palm wont stretch a lot). On the other hand using the keyboard in landscape mode is quite easy to use and serves the purpose.
Watching videos or movies on the Apple iPad was really annoying. The new resolutions are no good on the iPad. I recommend that all the videos which you want to watch on the iPad should not be greater than 720p and should have a resolution of 1024 x 567. Anyways, you can select your own preferences this is just my own personal suggestion. iTunes does its job the right way and the music experience through iPod is average and for better sound quality you have to depend on good earphones or headphones. The built-in speaker is not very powerful so, you may require an add-on speaker to enjoy the sounds.
The Real Apple iPad.
The best thing about the Apple iPad is the variety of apps which are available for it. The first app which I checked out was the WSJ (Wall Street Journal) app, it took a bit of time to load the day’s news but when I finally checked out the news I was quite excited while going through it. Second, I checked out the Marvel Comic app, again brilliant and really awesome to read comics. The safari experience on the iPad was also lovely but the lack of Flash support is very noticeable. Now, the biggest problem about the iPad is also the apps, well basically the fact that you have to pay for them and this makes it an expensive device.
Apps are the life source of the iPad without them it is seriously of no use. Obviously you still can lie down on your comfortable couch and surf the internet, but that’s it. On an average you may end up paying $3 – $5 per app and some basic apps which you would need on the iPad Social Media apps, Online Video Services app, Document Viewers/Editors, etc. These are just the basic requirements other than this you would be interested in games and other entertainment apps which would again increase the cost of the device.
The Bottom Line.
I totally disagree that the iPad is a must have. If you have an iPhone you can enjoy most of the apps on it and stay very satisfied. However, if you regularly travel a lot along with you laptop or netbook, the iPad can be a good option. For being entertained by an iPad, I would suggest you purchase it if you save a few extra bucks every month, which you can spend for purchasing apps. I have to say that the iPad is much better than what I expected it to be, it very smart, helpful and entertaining. However, it is much costly than what it seems to be. Yes, you have the option of getting it jailbreaked but that is a completely different discussion.