Reviewed the iPad at the Apple Store.
Note: I don´t have a iPhone or smartphone as the text/screen is too tiny for my eyesight and big fingers.
Likes:
Bigger screen a plus.
Useful for a road tripping (need the internet NOW!) getting instant on/per month 3G connection in out of the way places (except North Dakota, Montana area where AT&T has no service). AT&T is already providing better options for itś 3G laptop connect card for laptops. Hopefully they will allow people to buy the laptop connect device, then ala carte monthly service like on the iPad. Until then, the iPad is better.
Dislikes:
Heavy, slips out of single hand especially if sweaty, two hands holding creates sore muscles after a time, needs propping up with legs raised, afraid of dropping the device, especially if falling asleep while reading. (Note: with a laptop it has itś own built in stand, thus I can keep it on a table next to my chair when reading and if I fall asleep it doesn´t fall)
Glossy screen, hard to read in many brightly lit environments, needs a darkened environment to see the whole screen clearly.
Low storage capacity, will get filled fast requiring frequent hookups to a computer for loading and off loading content like the iPod Touch, price for storage capacity not good at all. For large content carriers, this could be a issue.
Note: I have 14GB for about 4,000 photoś and 47GB for about 8000 songs which woudn´t leave much left over for movies, TV rentals, e-books, Apps, etc on a 64GB iPad. Content grows over time and syncing takes too long to be doing it on a low capacity device. I rather use a iPod Classic with 180GB of storage or my MacBook Pro with 500GB of storage instead.
Cumbersome interface, web sites are not optimized for the bigger finger stylus. Lotś of accidents.
I found the interface required a lot of learning, it wasn´t intuitive, I had to guess around touching parts of the screen to find out what did what. I was always looking for the menu bar a the top like on OS X to find out what all my command options were.
Requires a computer to operate, means dragging a laptop on long trips for updating or adding or removing content. (Note: I took most of those 4,000 pictures on just one trip!)
Typing is terrible, if your used to touch typing and keyboard shortcuts, requires dragging a keyboard along. My longer middle fingers kept touching the keypad, it required me to elevate my hands in the air slightly above the device, it grew tiring very fast as I couldn´t rest my hands or fingers on the keys.
Screen gets dirty fast from fingerprints, possibly prone to micro scratches. Requires a table or apparatus to hold the device for hands free, laptop is better ergonomically
All iPad software features is available on laptops already and are either much superior, a lot more choice, free versions etc. No ¨must have¨ feature or software the iPad has that laptops don´t.
Lack of Admin/root level control without ¨jail-breaking¨ the device, can´t install security or network monitoring software, can´t run software outside of the App Store
Safari hasn´t been very secure as a browser lately, lack of plug-ins to provide additional security, not many other browser choices (Opera Mini)
No Flash support, meaning most video and games on the net will not work with the device, also making it hard to use the device at sites when one needs Flash, understandable as the device isn´t powerful enough to handle Flash. But still a lot of the web uses it.
Problems reported with Wifi and overheating issues in the sun, hot environments
One 30 minute TV show on Netflix or YouTube over 3G eats up one´s entire 250MB allotment under the $15 a month AT&T plan. Apps reportedly are and suspect AT&T in the future will have to resort to throttling users under the $30 a month unlimited plan. So likely no movie a day or any sort of extensive YouTube video watching via 3G. Just plain web surfing and emailing, e-reading etc.
In conclusion
In my opinion if your a tech buff that won´t mind monitoring your childś iPad, then this is the device for them, itś safe and controlled for the most part.
I feel a lot of people are going to buying a iPad without realizing a computer is required or have to use their computer to monitor the iPad.
In my opinion if you want your child to reinforce touch typing behavior, or they deal with a lot of content, then a laptop is a better choice.
I think the 3G iPad would make a good spare, in vehicle computing device, although itś pricey. If AT&T would adjust their laptop connect card to be able to sign up via remote for per month charges, then this would be even better.
The ergonomics of a laptop are hard to beat. Real keyboard, monitor holder, larger storage, open device, customizeable etc.
The iPad is, entry level speaking, cheaper than a Mac laptop, but one will add to it and bring itś cost up to one anyway.
In my opinion the iPad is no answer to a cheap netbook, rather it will spur people into either getting a MacBook Pro or a Windows netbook at the expense of Appleś MacBook line.
Because the iPad requires a computer, it drives itś cost up even more and limits itś adoption.
I think people were looking for a open, standalone Mac tablet with decent storage. Not a closed, computer dependent, larger screen iPod Touch with poor storage capacity.
The iPad would make a good device for those without a lot of demands, can live within itś restrictions and the App Store ecosystem.
A educational or limited media consumption device, yes. A media creation or business tool, no.
In my opinion the iPad is a rich boy tech gimmick, most people don't need one, just want one, it serves little purpose. It can be easily broken and not a safe choice for children. This comes from a 20 year plus Apple veteran who usually adopts quickly to new Apple tech. I see little purpose for this device other than very simplistic use for some.
Note: I must add the 15" high resolution matte screen MacBook Pro is a very, very nice machine, even better than the previous versions. Spin it around on the Apple store table and it doesn´t reflect a single thing. SWEET!!
