Well - this may be the most difficult review to write as it is a wonderful charismatic piece of hardware have ever held in my hands; and it may be the most disappointing deliverable electronic device ever sold!
I bought this device(IPAD wifi and 3G with 64 MB RAM) on 28th May, 2010 and used it extensively for a month till I realized I could not depend on it for my computing needs. Slowly its use has dwindled to a mere few hours in a week and that too to find out as how could I put it to use.
Let me start by listing the hardware and the software with its pros and cons. For detailed specs, please use the apple web site.
Device: Sleek body with minimal switches - a delight; Accelerometer and Ambient light sensor are great features to have on this device
Battery: Lasts for ever(10 hours or a little more) on one charge
Screen: Brilliantly bright LCD screen; delight to watch a movie or view photographs on it. kes a lot of fingerprints but easy to clean with a special cloth
Touchscreen: Very responsive and wonderful integration with the software; could not be better
Memory: Adequate for most of our computing needs
Camera: No camera and a big setback especially for people who skype
Audio: Good keeping in mind the size of the speakers
Ports: No USB ports; a big setback. One has to depend on a camera connector kit as a USB connector and that too for a limited function.
Wifi: Easy to setup and works fine.
3G: Needs a micro sim, which is not yet available in India(one can cut the larger sim to fit the sim tray); in use works flawlessly with any data plan. I have used vodaphone and worked fine.
Maps(GPS): Great feature and works very accurately; it needs a fast internet connection and edge technology available in India makes the loading a bit slow. Works great on 3G networks. Compass is a delightful addition.
Software: Uses iOS3 and totally inadequate for the device. iOS4 is promised this autumn and will have to wait and see how it functions. I have used iOS4 on my iphone 3GS and it did help improve the function of a mobile phone! No multitasking on this device yet.
Weight: Gets a bit heavy after holding it in your hands for more than 30 minutes.
Let me know review a few functions which anyone would like to use on a laptop or a netbook:
Word processing: Easy to use screen keyboard but needs a bit of practice. Cant use it on your lap for typing.
Web usage: Non availability of flash makes the web surfing a terrible experience. I routinely read my news on CNN, BBC and NDTV and my experience has been terrible. Not a dependable internet device as you would never be sure as to which page it could or would not load!
E Reader: Fantastic device in colour for book reading. Beats Kindle any day. A bit heavy for heavy readers.
Magazine reading: Makes magazine reading a wonderful experience. Not all magazines are available though! In India, none so far!
Photo viewer: An excellent device to vies your photographs;
Video viewing: A good experience; not yet HDMI and the video is only in a 16: 9 aspect ratio
Music: Just like your Ipod; wonderful listening experience. Ipod touch or ipod is more portable and thus ipad cannot be bought for just listening in to music.
Gaming: I am not much of a gamer, but what I read is that it is a wonderful device for gamers.
Printing: I have not yet explored this but what I read and going by my experience with the same OS on my iphone, it may be almost impossible to use a printer with this device.
Itunes and application store: Not yet available in India
Conclusion: To try and rate the iPad purely as a gaming or music or reading device is unfair. While it competes for these uses on all other devices - consoles and handhelds included - it’s cannot be pitched as a direct competitor to either a netbook or a laptop. As something intended to completely replace a small laptop as an entertainment media consumption device, the ipad "not running Flash" thing is definitely a set back.
There’s also the matter of price.$499 for the entry level device is steep. Yes, you get that smug feeling of owning a well-built and cool-looking device which is almost certainly Apple’s most impressive-looking yet, but in these early days of its life it fails to meet the demand of a regular laptop user. When it’s cheaper, it’ll be a clinch.
Love Apple, or loathe them, they’ve made a compelling case for a device to consume media and entertainment with that’s elegant, easy to use, and which serves up beautiful looking content. The potential it represents, is endless - and even over the course of its first three months on sale, I have read some phenomenal ideas. It’s clear that the iPad will be a disruptive force in the computing space, and for that it should be commended. As a user, I would not recommend you to buy this device to replace your laptop - not yet!
PROS: Gorgeous 9.7" touchscreen, elegant design, gorgeous user interface, and runs softwares faster than any other iDevice.
CONS: It’s expensive, and regardless of your feeling about Adobe’s Flash, the fact that the iPad can’t run it is inconvenient; the lack of camera is jarring and no multitasking makes the experience of using it nerve racking. Not yet available in India.