Apple has finally launched its much hyped and very secretive tablet computing device. Named the iPad, this device has a 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touchdisplay with IPS technology. It weighs a modest 700 grams and comes with Wi-Fi and is 3G (optional) capable.
I personally haven’t used it yet but based on the tech specs and videos available as well as my own experience using an iPhone and MacBook, I am quickly providing an "opinion" below. The tech specs can be sourced from apple.com/ipad/specs/ . Concisely though it comes with a custom Apple designed 1GHz chip, a claimed battery life of 10 hours of surfing on Wi-Fi or watching a movie and 132 ppi resolution. It also comes with a host of ancillaries, like a charging dock, a physical keyboard, camera connection kit and all apps usable with the iPhone which will only grow with time. Now that we have got the jargon and geeky details out of the way, here’s my two cents about the device. If you compare it with the iPhone or a laptop, it will always fall short because it is too heavy and big to be carted around in your pocket and it does not have a camera either. It is too stripped down for you to comfortably write detailed reviews like the one that you are reading right now or make snazzy presentations to impress your boss or that hot co-worker. It does not have a USB port nor does it support multi-tasking.
What it does offer is a paradigm shift in how we access traditional media like newspapers, magazines, books, TV, DVD players, musicplayers, GPS devices and even photo frames. Most of you have a PC/Mac at home. What do you do with that 13"/14"/21" monster that occupies space, needs to be perpetually plugged in (especially annoying if you have a laptop with a geriatric battery)? If you are like me you probably surf the net, chat with buddies, watch movies, listen to music. I am sure you do not read reviews on Mouthshut.com at home when that can be so much more fruitfully done at the office.
You probably also have a TV, a DVD player, a subscription with Tata Sky+ or that useless joke endorsed by SRK, umpteen newspaper/magazine subscriptions and 4 books placed in a cubbyhole that you call your library. Now what if you could put all of this together in a 10" big device, weighing as much as the latest hard cover from Dan Brown. You would be able to take it to your car, your dining table, your bedroom and even the bathroom (this just for us guys) and read anything, watch anything and pretty much listen to anything. I see that you are getting interested now. Those of you who have owned an iPhone, will say I can do all this on my iPhone and to them I say of course you can do all this but have you ever? Lets face it, irrespective of how attractive and big the iPhone screen is, you would still prefer to do all the activities captioned above on devices custom made for these applications. The almost 10" screen on this device is sufficiently big for comfortable viewing of youtube videos and the occasional movie, the newspaper that sometimes does not arrive at time and the book that you have misplaced after paying almost 600 bucks for it. It does not come with a remote and you do not necessarily have to share it with your wife/sibling/parent or offspring while you are using it which makes it very personal as well. What do you say now? A little expensive at $500 to $830 depending on memory configurations but then this is a lifestyle device!
The obvious is out of the way so lets talk of alternative applications now:
1) You can have one perpetually plugged into your car’s charging dock as a GPS device/DVD player.
2) Restaurants can use it for ordering.
3) Play games with and against buddies (think gaming groups forshoot ’em ups involving all your friends).
4) Chat with your bf/gf in the classroom without the tension of 75p per SMS.
5) A high tech teaching device as well and I am just getting started here!
Of course it could do with a camera, a USB port, a physical DVDdrive, a mouse, integrated physical keyboard, better battery life, a toaster, microwave etc. but then why would be pray to God for something better?