The much anticipated Apple iPad was released today to lines of eager customers. The iPad was announced in January and hype has been up since. The iPad boasts features such as portability, e-book integration, as well as gaming capabilities. Apple executives have described the on-screen touch keyboard as easy to use; however, critics, especially bloggers, say it is not good for extensive typing projects. Customers purchasing the iPad have reasons that include everything from excitement over the e-reader features to a loyalty to the Apple brand.
Some customers even report that they have little knowledge of the device but are purchasing it based on the brand and hype. One customer says that he doesn’t know what he will do with it but that he “can’t figure out how to use it if I don’t have one. ” The iPad weighs in at about 1. 5 pounds and has a 9. 7 inch screen. It currently connects to the internet solely via Wi-fi but later in April, there are plans to release a version that allows users to connect via AT&T’s 3g network. The iPad already has an extensive application availability and works similar to the iPhone and iPod touch, only with a lack of calling capability.
The iPad is about 3 times the size of an iPhone and is still smaller than competing netbooks but, slightly larger than its e-reader competition the Kindle. Another feature similar to the iPhone is the iPad’s lack of a physical keyboard and integration of an accelerometer, which allows gamers to tilt the device to control what’s happening on the screen. While the iPad has an abundance of appealing features, I find it hard to want to join in the hype and rush out and buy one. In my research of the product I find it has an undeniable appeal but, it just doesn’t appear to be practical or necessary.
The iPad has some major downsides including its inability to load flash pages and perform some tasks. It offers applications for basic word processing and office tasks but, at a price of 9. 99 each. The iPad also appears to be more of a trend than a staple. The idea of a tablet PC is great; however, when you take into account what you are sacrificing in capabilities for portability it seems the cons outweigh the pros. Personally, I have a blackberry, laptop, desktop, iPod, Wii, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS and PS3, and I can’t seem to find a place for the iPad.
I find the touchscreen intriguing; however, I have devices that do everything and more than what the iPad is capable of so other than having the latest technology I just can’t find a reason to purchase one. In conclusion, there are several ways I think Apple could improve the iPad so that it has greater functionality. They are on the right path by introducing models that include the ability to connect to AT 3G network but, I think they should open this to other providers and not limit users to AT.
Another improvement would be a seamless integration of Flash capability, the ability to upgrade (which most Apple products don’t provide) the system without purchasing a new one. Also, they might consider marketing them with some pre-installed basic computing programs such as word processing tasks that most users require. It seems to me that they have marketed the iPad as a novelty more than a feasible option for computing needs. References Griggs, B. , & Sutter, J. (2010, April 3).
First iPad buyers excited, curious – CNN. com. CNN. Retrieved April 3, 2010, from http://www. cnn. com/2010/TECH/ptech/04/03/apple. ipad. sale/index. html? hpt=T1 Mintz, J. (2010, April 3). Apple fans eagerly touch and swipe first iPads – Yahoo! News. Yahoo. Retrieved April 3, 2010, from http://news. yahoo. com/s/ap/20100403/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_apple_ipad;_ylt=AiNqwtEZRxScSZu_q7tsVxQjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTJpYWJhaThvBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNDAzL3VzX3RlY19hcHBsZV9p cGFkBGNwb3MDMQRwb3MDMwRzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3J5BHNsawNmdWxsbmJz cHN0b3I-
