iPad Review – the Future of Computing?
Let’s get this out of the way: the iPad is more than just a big iPod Touch, and I’m going to write my entire review on it. Yes, I’m one of those who thinks that the iPad may just be some sort of new device that defies current definitions of what a computer could or should be. Is it perfect? Of course not. But it is pretty damn cool, and I think you’ll see, it’s potentially the perfect fit for you.
I know my review certainly isn’t the first, nor will it be the last, and because others who write reviews as a living have come before me, I’ll follow my usual direction of giving you a review of what it’s like to actually use the iPad instead of focusing on benchmarks. Of course, when you review a product that’s difficult to categorize, it’s bound to take more words than usual, so please bear with me if this runs a little long. I promise I’ll keep it as short as I can.
If you’re reading my review, I needn’t bore you with technical specifications, so instead let’s just jump right in and look at use cases for the iPad. However, if you insist, then look at Apple’s iPad specifications.
This is going to be a review in three parts: 1) The intangible; 2) The real world; 3) The problems. Without further ado let’s get this going.
1) The intangible
There seems to be three common use cases for the iPad that people are projecting, whether they have one or not, and I’m going to cover each one and address whether that is what the iPad really is.
1. The iPad as a laptop
I think this is perhaps the most common assumption about the iPad, that it’s a laptop replacement. It isn’t. That’s not to say that it couldn’t be for many people, but it’s most definitely not a laptop replacement. The lack of USB ports and a physical keyboard as well as the anemic, at least compared to a laptop, processing power, means that anyone who does more than the standard email, browsing, music, etc. tasks will be unsatisfied. (We’ll talk hardware options later.)
Yes, under limited circumstances or modified expectations it could be a laptop replacement, but the iPad really isn’t designed to be so. I, personally, could take one on a trip and be just fine with it, but I don’t need much more than an email client, a good web browser, and something to play games on.
2. The iPad as a personal media player
Clearly the iPad is suited to this task, but to limit it to such tasks would be almost criminal because it’s so much more. While there are certain UI issues with the iPod player and the lack of Flash means no Hulu, it’s remarkably capable in this capacity, buts it’s much more than a giant iPod. However, as a video playing device, it’s excellent, limited storage aside. The large, bright, vivid screen combined with the comfortable form factor makes the iPad, hands down, the best looking portable video device on the market.
3. The iPad as “something else”
Exactly what that something else is hasn’t been entirely determined yet, but it’s that “something else” that I’ve been using it as and where I’ll focus much of my review. Much like Andy Ihnatko, it is my contention that the iPad really is something new and different. Steve Jobs was right about that.
There have certainly been tablets before and other smallish devices (netbooks, anyone?), but none have had the grace or ease of use that the iPad has in excess. Ignoring all of the aesthetics (which are beautifully simplistic), this is a device that was made to be almost an extension of your hand.
Holding the iPad in one hand while navigating with the other is natural. It’s like the first time you used an iPhone and realized how intuitive, slick, and useful it was, only this is an exponential experience because the extra screen real estate greatly enhances the presentation. The amount of polish that has gone into making everything fast, responsive and visually pleasing is just short of insanity. Something as simple as rotating the iPad and watching it as it almost instantly changes its orientation to match is enough to make most people gasp in awe.
At this point, I have almost stopped using my MacBook Pros entirely, except for those instances where I actually need more than what the iPad can provide. The iPad goes with me to work, and when I get home, it’s the computer I grab to catch up on the day’s events.
Need to check email? Its integrated in a very good email client that, while not perfect, is very usable and hits almost all of the requirements for email on a portable device (OS 4.0 will bring a unified inbox, at which point, I think almost everything will be covered then). Managing multiple accounts is a breeze thanks to the large and clear UI.
Browsing the web on the iPad is everything it is on the iPhone, only, again, exponentially better because of the large, beautiful screen and faster processor. Using your finger to scroll a page or click a link makes using a mouse feel like something you’d expect to see a Neanderthal do. It is, quite simply, a natural experience and works exactly as you’d expect it to.
Playing video is as simple as touching the screen a couple of times and then sitting back to enjoy the vibrant display. Music is much the same, and while the iPod app could use more functionality (cover flow, a “Update all podcasts” button), it just works. There’s no considerable loading time like you’d see in older versions of the iPhone or iPod Touch, the videos just start playing.
Gaming, of course, is a huge market for the iPhone and the iPod Touch, and just as it can be a wonderful experience on those small devices, gaming on the iPad is a wonderful experience. The larger screen allows for much prettier graphics and more complicated games while the beefier hardware similarly allows developers to outdo what they have already been doing on the iPhone.
Even content creation is possible thanks to a variety of apps that are available in the App store. I’m writing this review in Pages, a cut-down version of its bigger brother on the Mac. I’m using the onscreen keyboard to type, and with the exception of that one program, I’ve spent no additional money to make this possible. And even then, I’m sure I could use something else, some free app or another to do this very same thing.
So I’m checking email, browsing the web, playing videos, music, and games, and all on this somewhat oversized handheld device. I haven’t even begun to talk about iBooks and reading on the iPad, which, unsurprisingly, is also done well (perfect? I think not, but good).
So is it fair to call this a giant iPhone when the experience it provides far exceeds what the iPhone is capable of? Does that really capture the elegance of the iPad? I say not.
For some, it’s going to be impossible to understand just how the iPad really is something cool and useful. Some people are coming in with a negative perspective or unrealistic expectations, and for them the iPad may never be anything more than an overpriced toy. For others, however, the iPad really is just short of a magical device. There’s an intangibility to the iPad, to using it, that words just can’t describe. You really must use one to truly understand why it is going to change how we use computers in the future (and hasn’t it already?).
The iPad truly is a new device, something that really is somewhere between your smart phone and a laptop, and something that most people could take with them and do work on, and certainly, consume media on because you can do it better on the iPad than almost anything else. And oh how it does it so well.
2. The real world
I’d be remiss if I didn’t discuss some more technical details, but I promise to keep it short.
The display is bright and readable at extreme angles, and just about the right size for most of the tasks you can throw at the iPad. The large screen makes the landscape virtual keyboard usable for touch typists, though its likely too wide to be used by thumb typists. In portrait mode, however, it might be just about the right size for that style of input. Should you find virtual keyboards unacceptable, a Bluetooth keyboard can be connected to the iPad as can a keyboard dock thus giving you a proper keyboard (which is almost a necessity if you intend to do any editing in Pages).
The battery life, which Apple claims to be 10 hours, is a safe estimate. Though I’ve not done a 100% to 0% torture test, namely because I don’t have 10 (or more) hours that I can spend babysitting the iPad to test, the claim seems accurate. Other reviewers have rated the battery life at closer to 11 hours, and my varied use supports that possibility. In general, I can expect to lose just about 10% of battery life in the course of an hour. It remains to be seen if some of the more demanding games may draw more power, but for everything else, ~10%/hour or less is pretty darn close.
While there is obviously no multitasking (or limited multitasking if you include playing music in the background), apps open and close quickly. The interface responds immediately to touch and is perhaps even more sensitive than the iPhone. With the exception of a few third-party apps, everything, including the video player, Pages, the App store and iTunes store, all open quickly and without drama.
In spite of all of the computational power being used, the iPad doesn’t seem to generate any heat. It’s really quite startling as even my iPhone will get uncomfortably warm after streaming audio for an hour or so or even just using it talk upon, but the iPad only seems to get heat from being near something warm, such as a person’s legs or hands.
Conclusion
I’m fairly certain when I review something the conclusion is almost unnecessary since I make it very clear when I like, or dislike, something. So, in case I haven’t been clear, the iPad is a winner. It may not be exactly what you are expecting, but I think that given a chance, it easily eclipses expectations. It’s not without its imperfections (see my gripes below), but it feels like something out of the future. Will it go on to be as successful as the iPod? That may be difficult to say, but considering how many people are rushing to make tablets based upon the success of the iPhone and in anticipation of the iPad, it looks like it may be.
3. The complaints
The biggest problem I have with the iPad itself is that the keyboard is so damn buggy. Yes, I’ve typed every word thus far on it, and while it works fine 95% of the time, there are far too many instances where it replaces words with something that makes no sense. For instance, I typed “say” in the paragraph above and it replaced it with amysara or some such. Really? What the hell?
I’ve also typed “test” and seen it change to “eel.” I just typed “seen” and it changed it to “den.” Clearly, there’s some bugs to be worked out, or else I’m just hitting keys without realizing it.
I alluded to some other gripes, including a seemingly incomplete iPod app that doesn’t even have cover flow (yes, cover flow sucks, but it would look really good on the iPad). This is just a missed opportunity for extra polish and seems like a no-brainer to include and to actually make cover flow useful for once.
A lack of actual tabs for Safari also seems like a glaring mistake. While you can have up to 9 windows open, you must touch a button and then touch the desired window to open it. Not a huge deal, but then you need to wait for that window to load because there’s no cache, and this seems like it could have easily been addressed with a tab bar since there’s room for it. Perhaps it’s a lack of system RAM or an unwillingness to use system storage as a disk cache, but it’s a missed opportunity.
Perhaps the most glaring problem at this time is that the App store is almost unusable on the iPad itself. It is, quite literally, impossible to browse the store. Nowhere is there an option or a button that allows you see to see all of the apps that are available. Instead, you’re presented with “hot” or “featured” apps or the top X apps. You can search, of course, but browse? Not possible. That’s one area where a proper computer is necessary right now.
Related, the App store is chaotic right now. App prices for the iPad, compared to those for the iPhone, are 2, 3, 4, even 5 times as much or more than what is sometimes the exact same app, graphics and resolution aside. It took time for the iPhone app store to settle, and it looks like it’s going to take time for the iPad one to as well.
One final thing to keep in mind that I’ve not seen much discussion of is ergonomics. Everyone talks about how easy the iPad is to use, and it truly is, perhaps unprecedented in that department, but the ergonomics are terrible.
Yes, it is only 1.5 pounds, but 1.5 pounds in one hand holding it for an extended length of time is fatiguing. Worse, because it’s a single screen and not a screen attached to a keyboard via a couple of hinges, your fingers and eyes go to the same place. While that may not seem like an issue it is once you factor in the weight.
Typical usage for the iPad would be someone sitting down in a chair or on a couch and surfing the web via Safari. While this is fine for a short time, after a while, the strain of using the iPad on your neck becomes worrisome. Since the iPad has to be held, and it’s unlikely anyone is going to hold it straight out in front of them for any length of time, the natural position is to hold it, angled, on your lap. This is downright terrible from an ergonomics perspective, and I can say that my neck hurts thanks to looking at this thing.
The stupid part is that it hasn’t stopped me from using the iPad. Instead, I’m trying to find a better, safer way to use it. Now, for instance, I’m on the couch, feet propped up on the coffee table, and the iPad is resting angled, via the Apple case, in landscape mode. It’s not perfect, but it’s not as bad on my neck this way.
So, chiropractors and doctors, get ready, because you’re going to have a whole new slew of patients.
Everyone else, enjoy your taste of the future. These complaints, compared to actually using the iPad, really are minor and it’s certainly worth getting in early to see what computing may be like years from now. If nothing else, it’s only going to get better in the autumn when the OS gets updated.
Ed. note: 2271 words were typed and edited upon the iPad while the final draft was edited upon a MacBook Pro. When it comes to editing, a computer is vastly superior thanks to the standard keyboard.
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