admin
And so, the Apple iPad has arrived. Probably the most hyped gadget since the iPhone, we've bagged one for a test.
Apple
doesn't manufacture category-creating products. Rather, it looks at an
existing consumer electronics category, studies what the competitors
have fouled up, and then releases a piece of gear that makes everyone think it's created an entirely new product category.
The iPod did this with portable audio players. Half of East Asia was selling MP3 players before Apple ever got in the game, but now the word iPod is a synonym for any little gadget that spits out music and, er, podcasts (another Apple-fied term for something that already existed).
And of course the iPhone has improved upon the basic mobile phone concept so dramatically, we can't even fathom buying a phone without serious app support, be it of the Apple or Android persuasion.
Yesterday,
Apple's latest god-gadget hit American shores to erase all memories of
Microsoft OS-laden tablet PCs - devices that addressed a legitimate
consumer need (casual, lazy, couch-bound computing) but left most
people frustrated with a stylus-driven handwriting recognition system.
Oh, make no mistake: The iPad works. It works beautifully. It's not a perfect tablet computer, but the very implementation of the iPhone OS and its clever data-entry scheme - virtual keyboard, multitouch gestures and all - turns the iPad into an immeasurably more usable device than any Windows-based tablet PC.
The iPad is also sleek and portable, sports a palpably speedy processor, and dines on battery power with the appetite of a strung-out celebrity ingénue in emotional distress.
That's the iPad's hardware story - but hardware isn't even half the story. Indeed, what really makes the Apple tablet kick ass are the apps that have been optimized for the platform.
We'll explain in detail shortly, but for now we'll just state that the extra screen real estate afforded by the jump from iPhone to iPad opens up a bold new world of user-interface opportunities.
While UK pricing for iPad apps has already hit the App Store, there's still no definitive word on exactly when the hardware itself will arrive. We have, however, secured a 32GB, Wi-Fi-only American unit. We've run it through a gauntlet of intense activity, and can now draw conclusions on where it triumphs and where it leaves us wanting.
Apple
doesn't manufacture category-creating products. Rather, it looks at an
existing consumer electronics category, studies what the competitors
have fouled up, and then releases a piece of gear that makes everyone think it's created an entirely new product category. The iPod did this with portable audio players. Half of East Asia was selling MP3 players before Apple ever got in the game, but now the word iPod is a synonym for any little gadget that spits out music and, er, podcasts (another Apple-fied term for something that already existed).
And of course the iPhone has improved upon the basic mobile phone concept so dramatically, we can't even fathom buying a phone without serious app support, be it of the Apple or Android persuasion.
Oh, make no mistake: The iPad works. It works beautifully. It's not a perfect tablet computer, but the very implementation of the iPhone OS and its clever data-entry scheme - virtual keyboard, multitouch gestures and all - turns the iPad into an immeasurably more usable device than any Windows-based tablet PC.
The iPad is also sleek and portable, sports a palpably speedy processor, and dines on battery power with the appetite of a strung-out celebrity ingénue in emotional distress.
That's the iPad's hardware story - but hardware isn't even half the story. Indeed, what really makes the Apple tablet kick ass are the apps that have been optimized for the platform.
We'll explain in detail shortly, but for now we'll just state that the extra screen real estate afforded by the jump from iPhone to iPad opens up a bold new world of user-interface opportunities.
While UK pricing for iPad apps has already hit the App Store, there's still no definitive word on exactly when the hardware itself will arrive. We have, however, secured a 32GB, Wi-Fi-only American unit. We've run it through a gauntlet of intense activity, and can now draw conclusions on where it triumphs and where it leaves us wanting.
Posted in: iPad
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment