WMpS review the iPad

Apple has come a long way after creating their first tablet computer, the ‘Newton MessagePad 100’ back in 1993. After a multitude of rumours and speculations, Apple has finally released the iPad. With the launch of the iPad deemed the biggest in Apple’s history, the iPad is guaranteed to provoke envy in those who have not yet got their hands on one.

Unprecedented UK demand meant that there has already been supply problems and the launch was even put back until the 28^th of May while Apple managed to manufacture enough units to satisfy over 3 million sales in less than 3 months.

The Wi-Fi only version starts at £429 for the 16GB and goes up to £499 for the 32GB and £599 for the 64GB. If you want the 3G model you can expect to add another £100 on the price. We have been lucky enough for one of our team members to let us get our hands on their 32GB Wi-Fi version.

Those who already have a smart phone and a laptop may be questioning the purpose of the iPad when they already have an internet enabled universe. So here we have a review of the iPad’s good points and bad points which will hopefully help you decide whether it is worth splashing out on or if you should stick to using your smart phone and laptop.

The good points

I personally love the iPad! Not only is it very attractive, it is also very portable – and yes I have tested and it fits perfectly in my handbag when in its case! For me, it has revolutionised the concept of a tablet computer with it being an all in one entertainment system hosting email, books, notes, games, movies, images, calendar and much more at the click of a button.

So here we have the good point of the iPad from our marketing team’s perspective:

• It is sleek and small; with a crisp 9.7 inch LCD screen (1024 x 768) that makes the most of convenient web browsing.
• The fingerprint resistant and scratch resistant glass is very appealing as fingerprints are one of the most annoying things on a screen.
• The glossy black bezel surrounding the screen minimises the touch screen being activated accidently when handled.
• It is the simplest design with one touch button on the front yet it is cutting edge.
• Unlike the average desktop machine that can take up to 20 minutes to boot, it is amazingly fast to start – Literally the press of the button and you are ready to go.
• The navigation is great, allowing you to organise your favourite applications onto different lines or pages.
• The touch screen is fun to use and is sensitive to fingertip contact with up to eleven fingers. This feature is great for the whole family especially when showing images or playing games with the younger generation.
• The one thing that annoys many of us laptop owners is the horrible ever-present buzzing from the fan. With the iPad there is no distracting fans buzzing away and it never seems to get hot – not even after 4 hours of continuous use.
• The battery life is fantastic. I personally think that Apple’s claim that the built in lithium polymer battery can last for 10 hours is an underestimate.
• The iPad can easily sit on the arm of your chair, in the kitchen on a recipe stand (a feature which I am yet to test) or even in your bag.
• It tucks away safely in a standard notebook case so unless you feel the need to buy the Apple case, a simple own brand notebook case would easily do the job and keep it safe.
• The multi touch gestures such as when you open a photo album through pinching the images is a fun feature; allowing us to preview the album to take a sneak peek at the contained photos.

• The screen rotating lock switch is a good feature which allows you to read content while lying on your side without having to rotate it to landscape mode or balance it to prevent it rotating itself.
• One of our favourite features of the iPad is the iBooks. This is great when used with the antiglare screen cover. iBooks give you a gateway to your very own virtual library! You can even slide your finger across the screen to turn the page which is purely futuristic.

• Video viewing is fantastic on the iPad. HD content downloaded from iTunes looks spectacular. The image is incredibly crisp and the sound is fairly good too.
• Most iPhone apps are compatible with the iPad through simply syncing your iTunes account you can import all of your existing content and not have to worry about reinstalling all of your favourite games.
• The split screen calendar is a brilliant feature; great for organisation and letting you interact with your schedule rather than having a boring old paper diary deep in the bottom of your bag.

• The iPad is designed to be held and take everywhere and it could not feel more sturdy and portable.

The not so good points

Like with everything new in the world of computing, the iPad does have its flaws. Here is a selection of the less positive features of the iPad:

• The iPad weighs in at just 680g which does seem really light. Despite this, a few members of our team did notice the weight in their hands after holding it for a while. This has created concern over whether the iPad is suitable as a hand held device or whether it would be best teamed with the stand that can be purchased for it.
• The keyboard is difficult to touch type on as you have to flip to another screen to view the numbers on the keyboard.
• The lack of built in GPS on the Wi-Fi only model makes it tricky to use location services. Instead, it pinpoints your location through the use of coordinates from Wi-Fi hotspots.
• The iPad has no built in camera, saying goodbye to video conferencing on your iPad.
• There is still no flash ability so unfortunately I could not access my favourite clothing shop River Island on the iPad. Unless Apple resolves their problem with Adobe, this is probably something that Apple users are just going to have to get used to.
• Although iPhone apps can be scaled to fit the larger screen, they become extremely blurry as interpolation attempts to stretch a single pixel across two virtual pixels.
• The main point about the iPad that seems to deter people from purchasing one is the price. Can people really justify spending a minimum of £429 to own Apple’s latest invention?

While it does have its minor glitches, the iPad is definitely the best tablet style computer yet to be made. Perhaps it is not ready to replace the conventional laptop but I personally don’t think that is what the iPad has been designed for. The iPad is fun, portable and great to show off. However, a laptop would still be my choice of device for working in word, excel, Photoshop etc.

As quoted by Steve Jobs, the iPad is something that really could become ‘a part of people’s daily lives’. Rather than impatiently waiting for your laptop to boot so you can check if you have the winning lottery numbers; all it takes is a simple click on the iPad and you are there. Or what if you then decided that you wanted show your friends your photos from your latest holiday; the iPad is the much easier and portable option.

Clearly the iPad has some aspects that we love, and others that we think definitely need work. Is it the ultimate browsing machine, or is it simply a lot of money for a lot less features than a laptop? Or are we actually entering a post-PC era? Either way, one iPad is currently being sold every three seconds and people are already excited about what could be the iPad 2.0.

Here’s what everyone else around the office thinks

Neil: ‘I got the ipad with the initial intention of putting a lot of web and server administration apps on it and also using the web browser for such purposes aswell and easy email client.

I was attracted by the long battery life and the ease of use and instant on. Instead of the 10 minutes a normal computer takes to boot up, along with the slow downs and the various administration tasks that are required on a Windows machine, it’s nice to go to a website without having Firefox not responding. I can just pick it up and go, plus with it being a closed system hopefully security won’t be a issue.

I will also place music, games and photos on it for times I want to relax. I imagine that it will become my primary email and browsing machine.

It does have a few bad points at the moment; it needs more universal apps from the iphone making bigger for the iPad e.g. facebook and amazon. The price has also increased for apps over the iphone with very few making universal apps available. Multitasking is more of a issue on this machine then the iphone so ios4 can’t come soon enough.

Meghan: ‘I think it looks nice but I am not sure that it has a practical use for me.’

Emma: ‘I think it is a little bit heavy. I was excited to see what it would be like and test all of the features that it has but I think I need get used to owning an Apple product and I plan to upgrade my current mobile to an iphone first!’

Alex: ‘I like the iPad but I do not understand what it would be used for.’

Clare: ‘In my opinion the iPad is a nifty gadget with no substance behind the ‘fun’ aspect of it. It’s got two main functions, first it’s a reader & game player; but it’s too bright to read from, doesn’t ‘feel’ like a book and is heavy to hold up. Second, it is an organiser and file store; but it’s big and heavy to carry around and doesn’t use folders so isn’t that organised. So really it’s a glorified iPhone and not quite as good as a Mac. It’s stuck in between, but not in a good way.’

Wei: ‘I am very impressed by this super charged iPod Touch and its mobile computing capabilities. Although it is more like a piece of art than a practical device for day to day life, it definitely takes mobile computing to an entirely new level. I am looking forwards to seeing further developments in the iPad and tablet PC market in the near future.’

Tom: ‘The iPad certainly is a good looking piece of kit, as with all apple products the aesthetical feel of it is very pleasing and the technology at its core is also quite impressive. The problem I have with it personally is that I can’t see what it delivers in terms of user experience that isn’t already widely available in one form or another. I am afraid I see it as a cleverly marketed, nicely packaged lifestyle product rather than something technologically ground breaking that provides users with amazing features.’