The future of computing is here. The tablet computer that everyone’s been anticipating, the iPad represents Apple’s “most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price.”
Unveiled on January 27th to substantial fanfare after years of speculation and expectation, much has been said about the iPad: what it is, what it does, and why you should buy one. This is what I know about the iPad, and why I think it will be a big success.
Features & Design
The iPad is a large version of an iPod Touch or iPhone. It’s 7.47 in. long by 9.56 in. wide with a 9.7-in. (diagonal) glossy high-resolution LED-backlit widescreen multi-touch display that recognizes gestures like the iPod Touch and iPhone. Weighing only 1.5 lbs. and just .5 in. thin, the iPad is more portable and comfortable to use around the home or out and about than a desktop or laptop.
While a smartphone is still the most portable device, some activities like surfing the web, viewing photos and videos, and reading books and articles will be easier and more enjoyable on the iPad because of the larger screen size. Once you hold the iPad in your hands, you’ll never want to use a desktop or laptop again. I can see the iPad and the smartphone becoming the two devices someone uses the most on a daily basis.
You can check e-mail, browse the web, watch movies, listen to music, play games, read books, and view photos in either portrait or landscape mode. Just like on the iPod Touch and iPhone, you can access YouTube and other videos; your photos, iTunes music, notes, calendar, and contacts; and maps using its built-in GPS chip and compass. Battery life is up to 10 hours of active use or 30 days of standby.
Built-in Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and optional 3G give you all the connectivity you need to access the Internet. If you choose the 3G option, you will need an add-on no-contract 3G data plan from AT&T that you can purchase on an as-needed basis for $14.99 for 250 MB of data per month or $29.99 for unlimited data. A connector like the one on Apple’s other portable devices allows for syncing with your computer via iTunes and for connecting numerous accessories, such as a docking station, a keyboard dock, and a camera connection kit.
An important feature that elevates the iPad above just another large iPod Touch or iPhone is its ability to run Apple’s iWork productivity suite, which includes Pages, Numbers, and Keynote (similar to Microsoft Office’s Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, respectively). You can attach a real keyboard to the iPad if you prefer not to use its touch-screen keyboard.
You wouldn’t want to do much work on a smartphone because of its small size, but you also wouldn’t want to lug around a laptop or be tied down to a desktop when you don’t have to be. The iPad is the perfect solution for students and professionals. For anyone tied to Microsoft Office, I’ve heard that Microsoft is already hard at work on an iPad version of Office.
(See Apple’s “Introducing the iPad” video by clicking here on a district computer, or see the video below on a non-district computer.)
App Store & iBookstore
Perhaps the iPad’s best feature is its ability to access and use all the apps in Apple’s App Store, which runs to about 140,000 apps. In addition, Apple is starting up the iBookstore to go along with its new iBooks app, which will be not only an Amazon Kindle and a Barnes and Noble Nook competitor but possibly a product killer as well. You’ll be able to buy and read books from the iBookstore just like you can now from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
The difference is that the high-resolution, LED-backlit screen displays everything in sharp, rich color, so it’s easier to read, even in low light. Now reading really is like the real thing. You can virtually turn pages as you would with a regular book. For instance, when you turn a page in a book halfway, you see both the previous and the next page just like you do with a real book. I suspect that soon you will also be able to subscribe to digital versions of your favorite magazines and newspapers to read on the iPad.
Tech Specs & Pricing
The Apple iPad comes in six different models. The first three have everything described above except 3G connectivity. The 16GB flash drive model starts at $499, the 32GB at $599, and the 64GB at $699. Adding 3G capability means an extra $130 for each model ($629, $729, and $829, respectively). Already, however, rumors are circulating that prices may drop even more and that extra features like a camera may be added when the iPads are released in March. The iPad works with both Mac and Windows systems via iTunes syncing.
Big Questions
The questions I’m asking myself now are whether or not I really need another gadget in my life, and whether or not I should buy one now or wait until later?
Let’s be honest: desktops are slowly disappearing from our lives as laptops become our new stationary computers. Someday even laptops will be obsolete. With laptops becoming our desktops computers and more people carrying smartphones as their portable computer, a device like the iPad fills the niche between your laptop and your smartphone. I already use my smartphone more than I ever thought I would. Using a smartphone is faster at doing a lot of the things that I used to do on a computer, and it’s something that I have with me just about everywhere I go.
The iPad will be something you use around the house like you used to use your laptop, but something that is even lighter, more portable, and more comfortable to use sitting around in a chair or lounging on a couch or in bed. Anyone who’s ever sat with a heavy, hot laptop on their lap knows what I’m talking about. The iPad will also be easier to take with you on short trips and longer vacations and with Wi-Fi and 3G access you’ll always be connected. The iPad will be perfect for people who already like the idea of an e-reader. It will be perfect for people of all ages who want a simpler computer to use but who still want to be able to do all their favorite things. Trust me, once you see and touch the iPad in person, you’re going to want one, and you’re going to wonder how you could ever bear to use a desktop or laptop again.
As far as when to buy, I would wait until the summer and maybe a little bit longer before buying unless you really want one now or need to be the first on the block to have one.
I’ve been following Apple products for a while, and I’ve noticed that typically when a product is released, it’s still lacking some key features and functionality (take the original iPhone, for example, which didn’t have 3G capability). On the iPad, that missing functionality happens to be Flash, the web technology that allows you to see many of the videos presented on the Internet. Flash is a huge battery hog, however, and is frequently the cause of system crashes, so perhaps that’s why Apple has left out Flash on another of its products (it’s also missing on the iPhone, but that’s the case for several smartphones as well). You’ll still be able to watch YouTube and some other videos online and videos you have in your iTunes collection that you’ve purchased on uploaded yourself. I’ve already heard a rumor that Hulu is working on an iPad video player since its content is also presented in Flash. (For an interesting take on why the absence of Flash and a few other features is actually a good thing, check out “7 Things Missing from the iPad that Will Make You Love It,” recommended by school computer technician Larry Armstrong.)
So, if you can wait, it’s better to wait until at least the first revision or upgrade, since new features will surely be added. I’ve also already heard rumors that the price may drop on the iPad as well. Since I don’t need an iPad immediately (even though I’d like one), I’m going to wait until at least that first revision or upgrade before I buy.
The Future
Computing is becoming more mobile. Fewer people are buying desktops, more people are buying laptops, and more people are switching to smartphones. We want to be able to access our increasingly media rich and online lives from anywhere at any time. The iPad fits the niche that was created by netbooks a year or so ago.
In education especially, the iPad could make a major contribution to improving student engagement and achievement in school. Imagine a classroom where every student has an iPad that allows them to read textbooks with full hypertext, links to Internet resources, media, and supplementary materials included. The iPad would let students access the Internet, use office productivity applications, and help them to create media rich research reports, presentations, and videos. (For more analysis of the iPad’s possibilities in the classroom, check out “Measuring the iPad’s Potential for Education.”)
The iPad may not be perfect yet, but neither were the iPod or the iPhone when first introduced by Apple in 2001 and 2007, respectively. Look at how much these products have evolved and influenced other devices and at how much people use them now. Most people can’t imagine a world now without some type of mp3 player or smartphone, and I have a strong feeling that in another ten years most of us won’t be able to imagine a world without a tablet computer like the iPad.
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Thanks, Zachary! I can’t wait to purchase the iPad, but after reading your article, I think I’ll wait until late summer.
Pretty amazing…thanks for sharing!!!
If you will be lining up outside the Apple store (behind Zachary) for your iPad, here’s a buyer’s guide that might help you pick the right flavor for you: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/how-to-choose-the-right-apple-ipad-for-you/
And more (exciting) news about the iPad-as-ebook-reader: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/03/ipad-ebook-features/
Lots of information about and clarification of iPad features on Apple’s website, too.