This week, the biggest news in the tech world was the unveiling
of the new Apple iPad. The iPad is a tablet
computer that weighs 1.5 pounds and is 9.56 x 7.47. It has a 9.7 Inch LED-backlit
glossy Multi-Touch widescreen display. Many
early reviews have labeled the device as just "a really big iPod Touch".
Apple has had a long history of dealing with initial bad
reviews. When the iPhone was first introduced many bloggers said the phone
would never catch on. It is now one of the most popular smart phones on the
market.
The basic model available starts at $499 and comes equipped with
Wi-Fi technology and 16 gigs of memory. On the high end there will be a model
with Wi-Fi plus 3g cellular and all the way up to 64 gigs of memory. There will also be a data plan available from
At&t starting at $15 a month for 250 megabytes of data and $30 for
unlimited date.
One of the biggest advantages of the iPad is access to
nearly all 140,000 iPhone applications. It
is the applications that will make this such a sought after gadget to own. That combined with the iTunes store can help
make this the must own piece of equipment.
Students will love the iBook capability,
and with color and built in illumination, it is a competitor for the Kindle,
Amazon's wireless reading device.
There is a built in keyboard with keys larger enough to type
with. One can even purchase an external keyboard that also functions as a
kickstand and keeps the iPad upright as you type. Word processors and
spreadsheet programs will be available as well.
Now to the down side:
The iPad, at least in this version, doesn't support Flash. This
is a huge problem because so much video on the internet requires flash to play.
Adobe has already responded
to the lack of Flash in the iPad. The
good news is the iPad will not be available for sale until April, so maybe
Apple will include Flash by the release date.
Another problem many people will encounter is the lack of
multi-tasking. In other words, only one
application can be running at a time. This will be frustrating to many people who
are used to being able to have an unlimited amount of windows open on their
laptop. It is already hard to imagine the person who
must be able to check their Twitter and Facebook accounts while simultaneously
writing a document and watching a YouTube clip, enjoying this machine.
Finally the iPad is missing too many components that make it
comparable with a standard laptop. Besides the keyboard, there is no built in
webcam, which makes fully enjoying Skype impossible. It also cannot be hooked up to a TV and there
is no SD card slot.
Personally for some students I believe the iPad may be
something enjoyable if not useful. The
eBook store is a really good function. There are also many applications available
that students of all disciplines will take pleasure in. The size makes it an easy item to carry and
the price is as affordable as many laptops on the market.
For the online business professional, in this present form
it does not seem like a wise choice. The lack of multi-tasking alone makes it
impossible to conduct commerce at a decent pace. Not having Flash is also a
disappointment. Without full access to the Internet, one might as well be using
a PDA. Hopefully some changes will be
made before the release date.