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iPad is perhaps not only the most hyped device in recent history, but is also a device that has caused great polarization among users. People can only either love it or hate it. What is so remarkable with this love-hate relationship with Apple’s ‘magical’ and ‘revolutionary’ tablet PC is that you can tell who love and who hate iPad.

On one side, the techies hate it. They hate the fact that it can’t multitask, that it does not have Flash, and that it’s just a gigantic version of the iPod Touch. They can tell you everything that is so undesirable with iPad – from its glossy screen that shows all the gross signs of fingerprints when turned off and the aluminum back that won’t make you feel comfortable when you place it on your lap early in the morning. They would even go so far as rant about the black bezel that is too wide to be attractive. There is absolutely nothing that iPad does that other devices doesn’t already do better. And to top all these off, iPad is nothing more than a product of systematic publicity.

While the techies complain about iPad, the online congregation of Apple product enthusiasts continue to clamor for the success that Apple has achieved through the tablet PC that promises to permanently change the way personal computing will roll in the future.

Multitouch screen – This is surely among the top reasons why non-techie users of iPad love to have it around. Although iPod Touch can be used with nothing but bare thumbs, iPad takes multitouch screens to a level no other product has reached before.

You can still play your favorite game applications, but this time, the experience is enhanced. Instead of constantly zooming in and out of the board when you’re playing scrabble, you already have the entire board glaring back at you. If you are driving on simulators, your screen resembles a car windshield more than it does with iPod Touch. If you love reading eBooks on your IPod Touch, you will find that the iBooks e-reader application of its much younger cousin offers you an experience almost similar with reading an actual book. Turn a page and you’ll find how much thought was thrown in to create an e-reader app that will give an almost the same feel as with reading a book. With a few modifications, of course. A single tap on an unfamiliar word can give you a dictionary definition online, for one.

When visiting a website, so long as it does not contain rich media contents made with Adobe Flash, you’ll have no problem. Other than that, the general experience of web browsing with iPad is simply, incredible. It’s fast, hassle-free, and liquid. It is, as Steve Jobs claimed, “the best browsing experience you’ve ever had”.

But not everything that is good with iPad is about its superb screen. People love the fact that iPad exceeds battery life expectations as well. Where typical laptops and portable DVD players can shell out up to 4 hours battery life, iPad promises you up to 10 hours of continuous use. No need for charging in between. But don’t take the manufacturer’s word for it. One independent review claimed that his iPad played 12 hours’ worth of movies.

And despite all these great things, iPad gives more. What more can you ask from a $499 Apple device?

Technology that’s revolutionary, unique, and breakthrough—such are the adjectives that were attached to the iPad as it was launched by Apple early this year.

Its launch was arguably graced with one the most massive marketing concepts since the iPhone. Apple has a way of making grandiose statements about their products that result to great commercial interest. Sure, there exists a considerable gap between the positive and negative feedback, but these only fuels up the interest that is surrounding the latest Apple ingenue.

A lot has been said about the iPad’s features and performance. iPad detractors have belittled its purported presence in the industry. Most of the comments belie on the gadget’s lack of special qualities to actually take over one of the more popular devices today.

It cannot take over the iPod Touch primarily because of the difference in size. The main selling point of the iPod Touch is its handiness. For a relatively miniature piece, the iPod Touch can store so much files and deliver outstanding performance. It can play movies, videos, music, and games. In addition to that, an iPod Touch can connect to the Internet through wireless technology. It is practically the best amongst the slew of music players that came our way.

It cannot take over the iPhone or any smartphone in existence. The iPad does not support SMS, which is an inherent characteristic of a mobile phone. Moreover, it cannot perform the most important mobile feature: voice calls and its advanced sister, video calls. It cannot make video calls mainly because it does not have an integrated camera. It has a detachable camera that is sold separately as an accessory. It sounds fussy, definitely not the kind of device you would like to tote every day.

The iPad cannot take over the ominous laptops, whatever brand is in question. A laptop is heavy duty; its clamshell design protects the screen. It has a keyboard and a mouse and provides various input and output channels such as USB ports, flash drives, memory card slot, CD-ROM and HDMI socket. A laptop is a one-stop device that will enable you to accomplish your tasks in one sitting. Most importantly, a laptop is designed to support multitasking by allowing the user to open and run more than two programs at once.

Although it does have a case, which again, is sold separately. The iPad case is dual purpose; aside from protecting the display screen, it also serves as an iPad stand. A keyboard dock accessory is also available for those who prefer the convenience of typing away in an actual, physical keyboard.

For sure, a lot of iPad supplements will be introduced in the future, like an external hard drive or a mouse. In a practical sense, would anyone really want a gadget that offers the same features as the existing gadget already does? Not to mention the existing gadgets that have all the features tucked in without the need to purchase one accessory after the other.

What baffles many is that iPad has no specific role to fit in, except maybe to fulfill the desire to look and feel cool. It seems to perform well at many of its functions, even threatening to beat the competition out of their own markets. But not good enough, many suggest.

It’s a good e-reader.

Depending on who you ask, the reading experience with iPad is either as good as, is better than, or is nowhere near comparable with other eBook reading devices. To many who have not read with Kindle DX before, reading on an iPad is an experience that can soon replace reading of actual books. With some thoughtfulness thrown in to the design and mode of reading on iPad, it is definitely an e-book reader killer. However, for those who have already read with a Kindle, comparisons can be made that may understate iPad a bit.

But then again, iPad offers great features that other superb e-reading devices doesn’t. Fast refresh, for one. Whereas Kindle DX offers the most convenient and perhaps the best reading experience with its slow refresh function – that is a slow way of navigating from one page of an eBook to another, page after page – iPad offers the fast refresh which can let readers jump from one section of the book to another. When reading fiction books, this isn’t much of a big deal. For those people doing their research work on iPad, this is as close as you will get to reading an actual reference book.

It’s a good comic book reader.

For better or for worse, iPad stands alone in allowing readers to read digital comic books without a problem. Most electronic reading devices, although performing well with nearly all files, don’t fare well with digital comic books. This is probably among the few places where iPad’s superb multitouch screen performs very well, without the need to compare it to other devices in the market because quite frankly, there is no point of comparison.

It plays video very well.

What is that glossy, multitouch screen for if not for displaying video files? From the very beginning, Apple has already made it very clear that iPad is geared to providing a medium for consuming all types of media files. Many believe though that the device is made for displaying videos. True, it is not big enough to compare with your gigantic plasma TV and even notebooks and laptops can do as well as iPad on displaying livestream TV, but it is portable enough to be carried around. And that’s exactly what you need when you’re just lying around, not wanting to be tied on a TV.

It’s a decent web-surfing device.

Decent-enough, that’s the operative term. iPad is a hybrid, it is a cross between a toy, a laptop, and everything else in between. While web-surfing is not its real forte, although Steve Jobs claimed that it has the capacity to give you “the best browsing experience you’ve ever had”, it can live up to Apple’s CEO’s claim. Except for the absence of Flash, it offers superb web-surfing experience over all.

Other than these, iPad is also a really good gaming platform. E-mailing is a different, nice experience. And you can actually do real work with it. And many more.

Apparently, iPad can do as many things as you can expect an Apple’s product will do while at the same time setting the standards higher for other developers to follow. Because iPad seems to be good at everything, let’s just say that it is a jack-of-all-trades device. At least for now.

The iPad. Well, it definitely is on a league of its own. There simply is no other device like it. It is revolutionary and is perceived to herald a new technology for personal computing. Just like its smaller twins – the iPhone and iPod Touch.

It took nearly ten years for an idea like this to come to fruition. Even the name has been debated on for years. Prior to Steve Jobs’ launching of the iPad, big fans of its smaller predecessors have come up with the names The Slate, Apple Tablet, and a couple of other guesses, only to be presented with a name that sounds like a Chinese parody of the iPod. And more disappointments soon came the way of iPad.

Among the most notable is that the thing is only a larger version of the iPod touch, as many argue. Many disappointed ex-iPad enthusiasts even went so far as create images of Steve Jobs presenting the Ipad, only in the picture the device looks like 4 iPod Touch taped together.

Maybe it’s the hype created for the device – it seems so hyped that no other device in recent memory can compare to the publicity it has received – or maybe it’s because people have expected so much. For one, they expected to have a device that performs way better than the one they already have – the iPod Touch. But then again, when a device carries an updated software of its predecessor with a few alterations here and there, it would be hard not to compare the two. But really, is there anything to compare aside from what has been already said? Also, is the iPad really just a larger version of the iPod Touch?

Hardly.

The user interface, itself, while for the most parts resemble those already available in iPod Touch has some additions that you can love, know and gripe about, just as you did with iPod Touch. For one, there is a small handful of new tools like Pop-overs or modals, tap-and-hold, split screens, toolbar drop-downs, cover flow, contextual menus and that famous virtual keyboard. All these user interface additions allow you to do more and go further with your iPad. That simply can’t be done with its smaller, older twin.

To top these off, the iPad, although not necessarily made as a real personal computer, is packed with applications like Keynote and Numbers that can let you do work on the go. There’s a lot more to like to this beast. It allows you access to engaging Apple-made applications and third-party applications, for example, many of which are applications that iPod Touch enthusiasts have come to love.

Still, iPad has some shortcomings that many people are justified to complain about. Huge shortcomings. For starters, iPad does not allow multitasking, although it allows multitasking for Apple’s applications. If you’re used to doing 5 things at the same time on your computer, you’re out of luck with this device, buddy. You can’t Twitter and open your email simultaneously. You can’t also hold a conversation over an IM app and run Facebook apps simultaneously. For some users who are used to doing things this way, iPad is a big disappoint. However, for the majority of users, this isn’t much a big deal. This is probably why Apple did not take long to ignore the problem.

See, while many people are disappointed with the close comparison of iPad and iPhone, it is still clear that the former is a revolutionary device that is not comparable to anything available in the market. And what’s even clearer is that the iPad is not a bigger version of the iPod Touch.

The commercial craze surrounding iPad gave us the impression that this nifty machine is small enough to trot yet packed with superior apps that would put an ordinary smart phone to shame.

Apple has made it a point, in fact, a selling point, that thousands of apps were designed specifically to iPad consumption. These apps range from the leisurely and educational to the business centered. At present, additional apps are still in the process of been developed to ensure that all kinds of processes are possible to be accomplished in the iPad.

Interesting apps are present in the iPad, which may not appear to be immediately useful, but to some extent, is on a good-to-know basis. For instance, there exists a table of elements app called The Elements that has absolutely no use for corporate individuals and just about everyone else. Unless we are still attached to academic Chemistry or have great propensity to create our own potions, the Table of Elements seems like a whimsical addition to iPad’s list of apps. But it does not hurt to find this app, for one, it could come in handy in the face of an alien take-over.

One useful app would be the Epicurious, a comprehensive indexed cookbook. The user could randomly search for a recipe by simply using one of the ingredients names as the search keyword. It will return a list of recipes that includes the key ingredient and the user can further narrow down the search by adding more key recipes.

Other lifestyle apps are offered too that can supplement the Epicurious app such as the Grocery IQ and Mcormick Recipes apps among others.

Games and entertainment apps have a wide array of selection from scholarly to mundane to high speed racing. Even the game apps have been specially redesigned for iPad. Gaming is such a great experience on the iPad because of its rich display, ultra fast processor and multi-orientation screen. The user can flip the tablet from portrait to landscape to better enjoy the gaming activity.

Scrabble and Soduko are two of the most popular educational game puzzles that were integrated into the iPad apps. Puzzle games such as Labyrinth, Monkey Flight, Traffic Rush, Superstar Chef, Bloons Light and more. For the puzzle addict, iPad sounds like a stairway to arcade/puzzle games heaven.

Racing games have so many incarnations in the list of iPad apps such as Real Racing HD, Asphalt 5, F1 2010, Fast Lane Street Racing Lite, Fast and Furious The Game Test Drive, Need for Speed: Undercover among others. There are about hundred of racing games to choose from.

The iPad owner can decide which apps to download on the iPad depending on his lifestyle or tastes. Everything is available on the App Store and almost all of it has been rehashed to adapt to the iPad’s specifications. With over a hundred thousand of apps to choose from, it would be impossible not to find one that will spark one’s interests.

From its inception, the iPad has been touted as a media consumer’s appliance. It is largely known for its flawless image rendering, video playback and vast storage space. Nonetheless, the iPad’s purpose does not begin and end on entertainment and leisure alone. It is also purposeful for business-savvy users who would like to experience Apple’s newest addition to its roster of technologically advanced products.

Apple is not entirely detached from Microsoft-based productivity programs; as a matter of fact, the iPad has built-in support for Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 and 2007. The manufacturer understands the proliferation of Microsoft’s Business Email service and would not let their users be left behind in business if they choose to go with an iPad.

The Microsoft Exchange support will enable push email service and will be made available to the user’s calendar events and contacts’ information stored on their Microsoft profile. It is also possible to manage specific calendar details, search global address lists and inbox messages through this enhanced software feature.

Security is of utmost importance on an iPad; at the owner’s preference, multiple complex passwords can be assigned to ensure that confidential information remain inaccessible to unauthorized persons. Data exchanged over-the-air or through the Internet can be encrypted to ensure security. Additionally, corporate communication over-the-air is highly protected by a certificate-based authentication process via Exchange and VPN. Even an unfortunate event such as loss or theft of the iPad will not leave important data vulnerable because information on it can be securely deleted through a remote command.

Specialized apps such as business metrics tracker, proposal reviewer, travel organizer, and flight tracker have been developed with the iPad’s business users in mind. Much like the enterprise edition of the BlackBerry RIM, Apple also hosts the iPhone Developer Enterprise Program. The difference of the iPhone Developer Enterprise from the Blackberry RIM is that the Apple-supported initiative will enable businesses to create their own specialized apps. Their very own apps will be shared to their employees and will be deemed proprietary by the client company.

Moreover, iPad profiles can be easily configured for businesses. Companies can set up their own profiles, complete with details such as VPN, e-mail, wireless network, and password and share it with colleagues on the iPad through Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or the Internet.

Most importantly, iPad supports iWork, Apple’s office productivity suite of apps that enables the user to create and browse documents, spreadsheets and presentations. These apps have been redesigned to complement the iPad’s multi-touch system.

Keynote slides can be presented, created, and enhanced through the touchscreen device. iWork’s mobile versions of Numbers and Pages can also be managed by tapping elements on the multi-touch screen. These documents can be shared in different ways; for instance, a VGA adapter can be used to connect the iPad to a projector to allow larger displays for a roomful of audience. Microsoft documents can also be imported into the iPad. Presentations, spreadsheets and text documents can be shared on a wider scale by uploading to iWork.com where the public can view these files.

To quote Steve Jobs, iPad is “the best browsing experience you’ve ever had”. A bold claim, definitely. But coming from a guy who knows his business well, his claim should be taken at face value. Or shouldn’t.

Let’s go over it again, iPad offers to beat everyone’s ‘best’ browsing experience. Best, as in the bestest best experience with web browsing. Well, anyone has had a bad day with web browsing. Sometimes, even the most powerful devices in the market can’t do as well as expected. So will this sleek, .5 inch thick iPod-Touch-on-steroids device give you the best one you will ever have?

Apparently, it can.

Web browsing experience with iPad is incomparable with other devices out there. It is simply incredible. (Dare we say ‘amazing’?).

Yes, it definitely is amazing. Loading websites is fluid, smooth, and fast. With a display screen that offers out of this world touch response, there are so many things you can do. Pinch sections of websites to zoom, scroll down to go to the bottom of the site, display the website in landscape or portrait display – think of anything you want to do with the website and you can do it with an iPad. All using just your finges. It is like discovering web browsing for the first time.

To top these off, you also have the usual perks you get from surfing the web with other personal computing devices like bookmarks bar, tab grid, and toolbar drop downs – all with marked, even spectacular improvement. But do all these give you “the best browsing experience you’ve ever had”? Well, not exactly.

The main drawback with browsing the internet with iPad – in fact, one of the main things people gripe about iPad in general – is that it does not support Flash, a web standard. Nearly all websites in the world use Flash to seamlessly insert rich media into the webpage. Rich media covers anything and everything from audio and video files, to online games. Entire websites are even made using Flash. Nearly all websites use it. Where there are video files or audio files in the website, there is Flash being used in there somewhere. And since iPad does not support Flash, and may not even consider using Flash, ever, this creates a huge dent in the web browsing experience that can be had with iPad. And while Apple has been quite successful in trying to replace Flash with its own HTML5, the websites that support this tool are probably fewer than 1% of all websites on the web.

So you see, there’s a huge problem. Even when Apple has taken web browsing to a newer level and even when Apple ensured that the device has nearly everything that is needed to enhance the experience of browsing the web, end users may still get a generally bumpy experience when surfing online. For an end user like you, you may never expect a perfect visit to many many websites. Certain elements of many websites may not work. And even if they do, they may not work well. If you love visiting websites that are fully supported with Flash, like HBO, for example, you may find that the website will not work on the iPad.

Quite frankly, this love-hate relationship with Flash is a major blow in the browsing experience offered by iPad. Even when surfing with Safari is weirdly brilliant, not being able to load some of websites’ contents may prove to be a very frustrating experience.

The first time I heard about the iPad, I thought it was a joke. I eventually discovered it was a real product so I snickered at the name; I thought to myself that it is a funny way for Apple to pun its own line of digital products. But then I realized that it is actually a very nifty idea for a product.

First, iPad is undeniably sticky—it sounds like Apple’s eponymous digital genius, the iPod, which has spawned a line of its own, starting from the classic edition to its more advanced babies such as the iPod Touch.

The most common reaction to those who have encountered the iPad for the first time is a mixture of surprise and pleasant confusion: ‘Huh? Did I hear you right? Did you say it with an eh or an ah?’ That is why it sticks to one’s mind because the moment you hear it, you start to think about it.

Next, the iPad lives up to its name—and I just do not mean the Apple brand. It is very literal that it is almost funny. I remember when I first heard about it, after I got over its pronunciation issue, I thought about its appearance. My friend told me that the iPad resembles a clipboard or a tablet, and I just could not believe that it was going to look like that. Somehow, we all got used to the fancy and metaphorical model names of gadgets that when we find something so bluntly named, it is just incredible.

The iPad looks like a homogeny of a slate, a thick pad of paper, a clipboard, a tablet, and a binder cardboard. One of its greatest features is that you can use it as if it really is a clipboard cradled on the crook of your arm. It works on a touchscreen interface, which eliminates the need for a keyboard or a pen, thus freeing the hands. However, unlike most touchscreen gadgets, the iPad is a multi-touch device: that means you can pinch, drag, and tap two visual objects on the screen with your fingers at the same time. It is a lightweight gadget at 68 grams and 13.4 millimeters thick.

Think of it as a giant iPod Touch with the ability to create documents via iWork, which is Apple’s office program that enables its users to create slide presentations, word documents, spreadsheets, and the like. The iPad can store and play music and videos through iTunes. It also has Wi-Fi capabilities; therefore, you can experience seamless Internet surfing, chat, and email.

An iPod will have you squinting at the screen to have a good look while the iPad provides a large enough screen to properly enjoy videos and movies.

Apple considers the iPad as its revolutionary project that will bring all other competitors to shame. We have yet to experience the lasting power of this magical product and its 150,000+ applications. It just made me think: how in the world am I going to use all 150,000 of them?

For most of the things we have heard about the iPad, its most popular feature is its tablet design. It sounds aesthetically centered, but beauty is just a secondary consideration when purchasing a gadget. The main purpose for acquiring a gadget is to take advantage of its ability to make the user’s life better, whether in business or leisure.

To the average consumer, features make or break the purchasing deal; besides, even if the buyer is not technologically inclined, he will find a way to get to know his newest object of gadgetry affection.

Internet on the iPad is handled by Safari; recently, they have approved the Opera Mini app. Safari is the fastest Web browser in the world, according to Apple engineers. No doubt about the source definitely, because Apple created Safari. Now, for some reason, they have allowed Opera Mini to be included in the App Store; however, even the app does not support Flash. To those who aspire to continue harvesting their FarmVille crops on the iPad: better luck next time.

The iPad boasts a crisp and advanced split screen-style email application. When the device is placed on a landscape orientation, it displays both the opened message and the list of emails on the inbox with a two-liner preview. Attachments and images are displayed by default alongside the text in the message. For some reason, the split-screen inbox reminds me of Outlook; I don’t know, I could be confused.

Graphics are highly appreciated with iPad’s vivid color display. It utilises IPS or in-plane switching that allows for an extremely wide angle so you can look at your pictures from various points and still get a good view. Same goes for viewing maps on the iPad; its spacious screen and interactive display will allow the user to manipulate and zoom the map for better resolution.

For persons who enjoy viewing and collecting photos, there are several ways to store pictures in the iPad. You can import photos from your digital camera or SD card using the iPad Camera Connection Kit, an accessory that is sold separately. You can also synchronize the iPad to your computer using iTunes and—voila!—you have successfully incorporated photos into your iPad.

Videos and movies are great to watch on the iPad for its wide screen effect and crisp display. The battery can run for ten hours so you can watch movies to your heart’s delight without having to deal with a blinking power indicator. YouTube has created an app specially designed for Apple computers to make up for the absence of Flash in the device.

Naturally, the iPad—like all other Apple computers—powers its entertainment and file sharing features through iTunes. This application will enable the user to share, download, and purchase media content such as music, videos, and photos.

Of course, the mother of all Apple apps is the App Store, where the user can purchase applications and content to be stored in the iPad. About 150,000 applications have been created and the numbers keep on growing as the iPad begins to respond to consumer demands.

Now that the excitement towards Apple’s iPad has now calmed down, people can think more clearly about the device that has received more hype than all other new devices in recent history combined. Naturally, there are some disappointed techies and ordinary end users out there who rant about anything from the lack of built-in camera to the fact that the device heats up in direct sunlight. And of course, there are always those who are eager to say everything that is good about Apple’s newest creation. So what really is the score with this ‘magical’ and ‘revolutionary’ device? Here’s our take.

iPad’s Shortcomings

It does not multitask. Well, this isn’t entirely true. iPad can multitask when its running its own applications. Multitasking stops when you begin running third-party applications such as IM apps.

For the most parts, this is bearable. Not many users complain about the fact that they can’t update their tweets on Twitter, while commenting on a post thread in a forum or Facebook and at the same time watching live TV and writing emails. This doesn’t seem to bother the majority of users. But if you are a techie, this is a huge disappointment. $499 doesn’t justify the device at all. Na ah.

It doesn’t support Flash. Apple has some issues with Flash. It’s unstable, vulnerable to bugs among other things. So the company is not supporting it, and will probably not, ever. Not that the company does not offer an alternative. It does. It is, in fact, pushing its own HTML5, which is recently making waves online. But with less than one percent of all websites have converted to HTML5. This poses some major risks of not being able to surf the web without a glitch. Well, not supporting Flash is definitely a bummer.

It doesn’t support a built-in camera. Prior to iPad’s launching, rumors have spread that it comes with a camera. Apparently, it doesn’t. At least not yet. And that definitely has caused uproar among disconcerted enthusiasts of anything that bears Apple’s logo.

It doesn’t allow users to do real work with it. Well, it does, only to a certain degree. Apple seems to have a penchant for eliminating documents and files within its power so it’s apps, apps and apps all the way. But it does offer Keynote, Numbers and Pages, which by the way are superb tools you can work with.

And the list goes on…

iPad’s Offers

From an ordinary user’s point of view, there is nothing that you can’t love about iPad. We won’t enumerate all the things that make iPad a very beautiful, all-around device here. There’s just so many, you may fall in love with it and want to marry it.

But maybe, just maybe, iPad’s detractors are looking for a perfect device that can do everything everyone could ever wish for. Or perhaps, they are looking at the device the wrong way. Many are taking the wrong approach to the device, comparing it with netbooks and laptops and other devices in between. Apple is perhaps trying to create a new device that is a hybrid yet performs at par or better than existing devices.

But for all its worth, iPad is definitely ushering in a possible future for personal computing technology and user interface.

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