So currently there is a ton of hype on this magical and revolutionary piece of hardware called the iPad. Before its advent though it was criticized almost as much as Sarah Palin. However, when it was finally released people got to play with its revolutionary functions that have all been done before but simplified.
Review:
The iPad is definitely an innovative machine that is taking user experience for common tasks and glorifying them into something that looks much more on the futuristic side of things such as the internet, music usage and a home entertainment controller. However older devices such as a laptop can do everything the iPad can do save all the apps but an iPad cannot do everything that a computer can. Lets break down the machine altogether.
Hardware:
The screen is the most notable tool on the device and is completely gorgeous. The color and saturation of the blacks and whites is very breathtaking. The manipulation of the programs, pictures, etc., is just downright fun. Apple has by far destroyed the competition with the most intuitive touch screen available. It is about as thin as an iPhone and is extremely easy to carry around from place to place. The A4 chip makes traveling from app. to app. a breeze and quickly loads with a single touch. The buttons are a mirror image of the iPhone and iPod touch except for the screen lock switch. The mono speaker is actually much more powerful than expected.
Software:
Of course the iPad uses the iPhone OS which has its advantages, and no matter how much I would have rather had a touch version of Snow Leopard I have to deal with it. The Apps are pretty basic so far. Just big brother versions of the iPhone apps. However with time I’m sure the apps. will become quite spectacular, especially with 4.0 OS coming out with the new gaming network and so on.
Something to comment on about the calender app that makes me really pissed off is that when you want to make an event on a certain day, you cant simply just touch the day that you want it to occur on. You have to press a plus button in the corner and then pick the day in a small window. That really makes it more difficult and turns me off from even using the calender.
Final Words:
The iPad, in a nutshell, is a great, complete luxury device. A completely luxury device. However, if someone asked me what to get first a laptop or an iPad, I would in a heartbeat say a laptop. They can do more and are more powerful.
Don’t get me wrong the iPad is a very cool piece of technology. However with its limited amount of functions there isn’t much worthwhile to do on it. I’m sure that eventually it will be quite amazing in future iterations. But right now the hardware is being used as a money sucking device for the outrageously priced apps. Choose a laptop first, but if you have the money to blow, why not get one?
Score: 8.0/10