First Look: Apple iPad Tablet Computer? TV? eBook Reader?
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I've been working with the Apple iPad tablet on and off since Saturday evening when the UPS man dropped it off at the office. I'm not going to say "this changes everything", but for a lot of people this will be a more significant device, I suspect, than it at first appears. I'm going to log my observations in the first week here. We'll do a complete critique later when we've had some time to experience more media on the iPad and we've distanced ourselves from first impressions.
1. The iPad itself isn't that impressive as a packaging exercise. After you've seen the iPhone, you've seen this. Sure, it is Apple sleek, but nothing more. The proportions aren't especially endearing, and the size isn't obviously "right". Coming from regular Kindle use, you immediately notice that the iPad seems heavy. It isn't so much raw weight (24 oz.), though that's part of it, but the iPad is wider than the Kindle so it torques your hand when you hold it. After two days I conclude this is minor, but an imperfection nonethess.
2. The iPad screen initially impresses with vibrant colors and a sense of high resolution. The screen is 1024 x 768, so it is sized to be just adequate for typical web sites. You can rotate the screen to portrait or landscape mode, as you can with the iPhone. Most of the interface is straight from the iPhone as well. iPhone apps run on the iPad and there are 'new for the iPad' apps as well.
3. I spent some time comparing the iPad to the Kindle for reading experience. As background, my view is that the Kindle is an unqualified success for book reading. It isn't as strong for magazines or newspapers. But a key to the Kindle is that you can read for hours and be happy. Basically as happy or happier than you are with a paper book. So, I did a 2.5 hour reading session of a book I started on the Kindle, but continued on the iPad (the Kindle app for iPad allows you to move back and forth between devices and sync to the last page you read). I'd say the iPad is perfectly usable, but you do hit the eyestrain point on it before you would on the Kindle. For my eyes, 2 hours was about what was comfortable. The font edges aren't as crisp on the iPad, reflections are a bigger deal, and your eye does more work to figure out where to focus. Still, the iPad is perfectly usable for long reading sessions.
The Kindle has it all over the iPad outdoors. The backlight on the iPad is overwhelmed by sunlight, whereas the Kindle's reflective screen exploits the brightness. In low light the iPad might have an advantage, but the Kindle is perfectly usable there. In darkness (e.g. airplanes at night) the iPad would be fine, the Kindle requires some light.
4. Television on the iPad is impressive. I downloaded the ABC iPad app and watched an episode of Grey's Anatomy. The images were high quality, and have roughly 1024 x 576 resolution. The compression used didn't seem problematic (not a lot of motion here though) and the streaming was seamless. Being able to hold a TV in your lap changes the game vs. laptop or desktop viewing in my couch potato mind.
5. The iPad doesn't support Flash. This reduces the functionality of many sites, but it hasn't bothered me a lot. However, media (like our Winding Road digital magazine) that runs entirely in Flash is crippled. That's no fun, but I'm betting that many of these products appear in an iPad app soon. In a related "let's make simple things hard to balance out the hard things we made simple" vein, the iPad lacks an Adobe Reader app for PDFs. There are other apps that will handle this, though.
6. Battery life is excellent. I've read books, surfed the web, looked at apps to my heart's content and the iPad can go for a few days of moderate usage. This would change if I were using it as my primary computer, but I don't think that is its assigned role. I've left the WiFi enabled all the time and I would now say battery life is in the same range as the Kindle with wireless off. This strikes me as an important achievement, and I'm starting to view the weight as almost a plus.
7. The instant on feature of this OS is a big deal. For "just pick it up and do a small task" sorts of work a laptop, with 30 second to 3 minute boot time simply doesn't cut it. And see the point above about battery life. No PC is in the iPad's league there.
More commentary and news about tablets on our new sister site, cleverly named Tab!ets:
http://tablets.avguide.com/
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Comments
I've spent a couple of days with my new iPad, and I think the above observations are about dead on: Book reading and video are the two applications in which the iPad excels. I bought the iPad primarily to use as a client device for web applications I'm developing, not necessarily for it's other funtions, so keep that in mind for the rest of my comments.
Overall, I like the Kindle slightly better for reading long-form, text-oriented works - novels, etc - while the iPad is obviously better for more graphically-oriented content - NY times, kid books, etc. The high-gloss screen and slightly blurry text are definite irritants, though. (I've noted my Mac notebook has the same blurry text problem relative to my Windows machines - why?)
Video is great - if the content you want to watch happens to be in a form the iPad supports. Unfortunately, this excludes most online video (no Flash support), and basically all file formats other than Apple's MP4 format, unless you go through the trouble to convert them through your desktop iTunes app (not an option for DRM content). If you get most of your video content through the iTunes store, Netflix, ABC, or some other Apple-blessed source, this won't be a problem. Personally I tend to watch movies and TV shows on the flat screen with my wife, and sports by myself. The iPad would be great for MLB and NBA streaming video, if only they were supported.
(Edit: I just discovered that there is an iPad-specific app for MLB streaming - it looks impressive, and I'm trying it out. No iPad-specific NBA app yet ...)
Web browsing, considering all the hype from Apple and industry press, is not nearly as impressive as I expected. First, there's the lack of Flash support mentioned above. Most of the sites I frequent (largely News, Sports, Blogs, and Tech sites) have lots of embedded video, and by far the majority of that video is in Flash format. This alone is enough to cripple the experience for me. Second, there is no equivalent of tabs in a desktop browser. I constantly use "open in new tab" when following linked content, allowing me to continue reading the page in question and then review the linked documents after. This workflow doesn't work on the iPad Safari browswer - you have to chase the link right away, or risk forgetting about it. Then you have to come back to the referring page through the back button or a kind of "visual history" page provided by iPad Safari. This "workflow" feels clunky and retro, exacerbated by the next issue: The browser performance is quite a bit slower than I expected, based on preliminary reviews. Page rendering is certainly faster than on my iPod Touch, but seems slower than any of the laptops or netbooks I have on hand, although I've not yet run any instrumented tests.
(Edit: I continue to be mystified by this. Farhad Manjoo, in his Slate review, says Web pages load "instantly". I certainly could not use that word to describe my experience. Perhaps I'm having some variation of the Wi-Fi connectivity issues many people are complaining about on the iPad forums?)
The on-screen keyboard, due to the larger scale, is much easier to use than on an iPod touch or smart phone. Nonetheless, the lack of tactile feedback makes typing slower and more error-prone than with a physical keyboard, so much so that I would not use this machine for email or other text editing without the external keyboard (which hasn't arrived yet
Beyond that, the UI interactions are every bit as clever, cool, and sexy as advertised. If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, it's very similar, only bigger, faster, and obviously easier to see. One part of the user experience that has to change, though, is the use of the iTunes desktop application as the only gateway to the world outside of the iPad. iTunes is now long in the tooth, and it shows. It's a clunky, unintuitive, resource-hogging way to get content onto the device. Imagine: in order to start using the iPad, I first had to register it - through iTunes. And not my existing, 9.0x iTunes, the new 9.1 version.This meant downloading 110 Mb of archaic bloatware from apple.com, then waiting about 10 minutes for it to install (what the heck takes the install so long?), then waiting for it to "update" my 15K-tracks iTunes library from the previous version (about another 15 minutes). Half an hour later, I get to register my device! If you're going to position this as the next generation of computing, you have to untether it from the boat anchor of the previous generation.
Preliminary conclusion: this almost certainly won't replace your Laptop, Netbook, or Smart Phone. But it does do some things so well that you might love it anyway. Make sure you try it out in person to be sure.
"I've noted my Mac notebook has the same blurry text problem relative to my Windows machines - why?)"
Because your windows machine is most likely using normal antialiasing (if cleartype is off) whereas the mac and iPad are using coloured (subpixel) antialiasing. I hate it (possibly because I am red-green colourblind).
Another pointless gadget designed to get money out of the gullible consumer’s pocket and into some corporate monster. Why would you want to watch TV on this little screen? Don’t you watch enough of this shit on big screens? Read electronic books? Well I have been involved in technology far superior to this, not to be considered backward and old-fashioned, but to date the experience that a real book gives me, and I have heard enough people agreeing with me eventually, no bloody iPad or Kindle or any other eBook can compare to, the feel of turning a paper page the smell of the paper makes you appreciate the written word, at least if it could have been used by the blind, but obviously the market are gullible people that need to have an iPad as if they suffer from menstrual symptoms. What the heck, people will queue up to shell out $$$$$ just so they can say “oooh I have an iPad”. As ScottB said in his comment, it won’t replace a laptop/notebook/smartphone or your development workstation but still some people have to have it all the same.
it's not just a reader...
it's a platform for software developer to turn to iPad into what you want it to be.
It's an avenue, a new way for small start-up software company/basement tinkerer's way to get product to customers, and thru the process of submission of an app, ensures quality control compliance for 3rd party developers; in turns raises consumer satisfaction. All this through iTunes.
It's more than mere specs of the iPad that is the issue, its if Apple/iPad has the power to influence/tap into creative nature of human endeavors.
Nothing you can buy matters at the end when you check out, and you don't need any of it. The question is, do you have the disposable income to buy something you can really live without.
Kinda silly thought: No one needed/wanted to Tweet in less than 140 characters until Twitter was invented...
(same can be said with the first personal computer)
Fool. Don't buy one then - for you, problem solved. You gonna get bent because others want to buy one? lol@you. BTW, I don't have an iPad either.
It's pointless to chastise people for their preferences. First of all, I don't own an Ipad or a Kindle specifically due to the cost of the device. However, I can appreciate the convenience of accessing the materials with less effort than the traditional visit to the library or the store. There are other advantages that the digital media offers that the printing lacks. I certainly appreciate the touch and feel of the traditional book but availability and the weight quickly convinces me to go the digital way.
Think of it this way, the unjustified spending that you denigrate may have been the source of your next employment.
No offense, but your comment seems to have more to do with your issues than the IPad.
The I - pad for us people with only one usable arm and limited strength due to M.S.is going to be a necessary and cost prohibitive expenditure of money. some of us have the finances to afford to but the rest of us will now find that the drop in price of the Kindle will be greatly appreciated. I am glad that Amazon has lost their monopoly and can now sell their reader at a decent price.
Reggy
Reggie, you are exactly correct. That is the "corporate monster", referred to above, doing what it does best: it's called competition in the capitalist system, a good deal for all.
I'm surprised you think the Kindle is fine in low light. I often take mine to a restaurant if I'm working late and don't want to deal with cooking at home. I have to bring a book light with me or I can't read it. The iPad's screen should be better in this regard.
On the other hand, I do find the iPad's weight to work against it for comfortable reading, at least until somebody comes out with a sleeve that affords a better grip. It's too bad that they couldn't have made the weight distribution such that the iPad was heavier at the bottom (near the button) and lighter at the top, which would help the comfort a lot. But, it would have hurt the landscape usability, so I'm sure they had to make the best compromise there.
Re: low light and Kindle -- I suppose it depends on what amounts to "low light". In my comment, I was thinking of a nearby table lamp in a living room at night, a nightstand light or the overhead light on an airplane at night. I think your example of a restaurant (some at least) is helpful. To stick with my original scale, I might call that "very low light", and there the Kindle doesn't work very well. Nor, in my experience does paper, though undoubtedly paper has higher contrast. The iPad is superior there.
To continue the scale:
Medium light (e.g. residential windowed room in daylight): Kindle and iPad both work well
High light (e.g. outdoors in shade): Kindle is fine, iPad usable
Very high light (e.g. direct sunlight on screen: Kindle is fine, iPad difficult
AVGuide webmaster and general drudge
Nice, but it would be more useful if you could prop the screen up on your lap or table with no hands, perhaps by anchoring it to a keyboard unit. that way you could also type while watching the whole screen and not smudging it up. And, some more memory and a hard drive. A few more USB ports....and voila, a laptop!
There are many accessories makers who offer such props. But, as you perhaps suggest, making this into a laptop really isn't the point. You probably either love the ability to consume media and do light computing in a comfortably relaxed seated position or you don't care. If the former, the iPad and other tablets are a big deal. If the latter, you're mystified by the hype. Horses for courses.
AVGuide webmaster and general drudge
Apple will force industry to adapt HTML5.
Doesn't matter what the negative feelings are for the non-flash support, sooner or later everyone will agree, no plug-ins is a good thing.
I wrote a long comment when this review first hit. Unfortunately, the spam filter ate it when I subsequently edited a couple of points - the third time the spam filter has done this to me in the last couple of months. Something has to be done ...
Anyway, short version of my comments on my new iPad: I agree with all of Gadgetman's positive observations. I have pretty mixed feelings overall, though - I don't like the built-in iPod music app, I found the web browsing experience really underwhelming, and I hate having to use desktop iTunes to manage iPad content. I'm hoping Apple will feel enough pressure from users to open up their app store to competing "core" apps like browsers, music players, and synchronization/file management tools.
avi - get a life. you know nothing about technology from reading your post. you should get rid of any computer you have and go back to pen, paper, and calculator. who would watch flicks on this device? anybody who fly's on a plane, commutes on a train/bus to work, etc... for reading books, i think it is very good. we have a kindle 2 and i prefer the ipad. i have 2 friends with kindles and once looking at the ipad, they will be selling their kindles. viewing technical pdf files in color looks great. viewing other documents (even kindle books) works just fine.
IMO, this is a game changer for most people. what do most people do on a computer? surf the web, you-tube, facebook, email, chat, play games, maybe do some documentation, play itunes, etc... all of this you can do on the ipad and more. your hard core gamer or developer will not like the ipad, but that is a small % of the people who use a computer.
this thing is quick, has 'n' wireless speed, nice keyboard (when needed), and the battery seems to be big enough for at least a days worth of activity.
the biggest drawback for me is the lack of multitasking which will be fixed in the next OS release.