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1 Feb 2010

iPad - My View

There's a fair deal of discussions on Apple's new iPad. After ranting about it on Twitter for a bit, I've decided to move my tuppence worth of opinion to my blog. I'm known to be technically challenged, so this is my 'layman version' of a review, from a layman (woman) who has not seen or touched the iPad (no pun intended).

Frankly, I've seen more of a negative response to Steve Jobs' new gadget, than excitement. I can see why. Touted as a go-between of the Apple Mac and iPhone, I'd have expected it to have some of the best features of both. Days after it's launch, it's still not clear whether it was meant to be a computer or a phone... or just a reader. Brilliant!

It's definitely not a phone. You cannot make calls, cannot SMS (sending text messages via Gtalk or Yahoo does not count - by the way, does iPad allow that) and do all those 'phone'y things. So, it must be a computer.

Ok, let us see.

Cannot multi-task. Whoa whoa whoa!! I love my Nokia 5800 series. I can talk to my friend (speaker-phone), while I send a text to someone, while an email loads in the background. So, the iPhone does not have the provision but wait, the iPad is supposed to better than an iPhone, yeah? Like an engadget review said, "All this power and very little you can do with it at once."

Does not have a USB drive. I need to connect to a PC to download music, photographs. Wait! If the USP of the iPad was the big screen (compared to an iPhone) for better reading, photographs, music, etc, should it not atleast have a provision to download all of these?

No CD drive. Hmm. I can watch videos and listen to music but I need a computer to get them first. I need a PC to even convert my music to a format the iPad will play back for me.

If I need to connect to a PC for everything, why do I need an iPad? It's definitely not compact, so don't try telling me that I can transfer my stuff into the iPad and carry it around.

good e-book reader, bigger screen, better reading. How about I just plug my computer to a large screen LCD TV, lie in bed with a mug of hot chocolate and read? I like that better. An even bigger screen, even better reading! Alright, alright, it feels like a real book. Still, not enough. I'm a real book reader any day, so I wouldn't want to buy this one, just for the 'real' experience.

Does not support Flash. Somebody's blog I read explains that this was probably intentionally left out and that SJ would come up with a buy-your-pictures-from-the-iStore idea like the iTunes. Until then, what? Did I mention I like free pictures?

No iChat. No comments. But the iPhone has... ok, ok, no comments.

What did I forget? Oh yeah. No camera. Really? Why? The cheapest mobile phones come with a basic camera these days. Laptops don't advertise webcams as a special feature anymore - atleast not as a selling feature - it's just got to be there!

I don't buy that iPad is a hero just because there are customers lined up in front of their stores. Like another fellow-blogger indicated, it appears to be a case of Apple fans shelling out upwards of $500 dollars just so they can say they were one of the first to own one.

It's thin but guess what? Not light. It's tilt response is good. Guess what? My Nokia 5800... Okay, I won't go there again.

All said and done, it's probably not the world's worst bet. I mean, there are some nice things being said about it (even though I can't see it or be convinced). It costs $500 and above. If people are still buying it, either they are excessively rich or see something in it (Tell me! Tell me what you see and please don't say big screen).

If you are planning to buy an iPad and can't decide, here's my verdict. Don't buy it. Just give me the money. I promise you it's money better spent ;-)

5 comments:

  1. Aha... so this was why you were looking for that link. But your version of a review of it is good.

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  2. Just read in another blog (the number of them on this topic alone!!!) that iPad has a 10hr e-book reader standby whereas Kindle would last a week without a charger. Well...

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  3. I am not very impressed with the iPad either...I bet it will have tons of glitches too. I'll wait for the 3rd or 4th generation.

    Great review!

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  4. I am sure Apple will come up with a better one in the next release ;) I prefer waiting whenever a new apple product is released. They only get better!!

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