Finally, after months of the usual speculation before a much kept secret Apple product, was the announcement for the latest Apple i product, the iPad.  The lead up to the iPad, as with any Apple product, has been shroud with extreme excitement and the hopes that this could be one of the most revolutionary and successful products from Steve Jobs yet!

But now, since the announcement and release of product details, there exist a large number of more underwhelming responses to this tablet style device. Let us break the iPad down a little here.

Apple iPad Review

Is it Unique & Ground Breaking?

First of all, we have to ask, what is it that makes the iPad so incredible? What does it have to offer that no other device currently does? Well, the short answer is nothing. 

It can be an e-reader, an internet browser, multimedia device with the strong backing of the Apple Store, sure to be choc full of delicious iPad applications.  This may not sound like much, with the iPhone, albeit smaller, boasting these features and more.

It Has a Huge Screen

Yes, the touch screen looks nice and big, especially compared to the iPhone, with a more usable touch keyboard in terms of being closer to a proper sized keyboard. People speak of it regularly as being an oversized iPhone but underestimate the amount of extra potential to the iPad that its size brings to it. Increased screen real-estate opens up software feature potential.

Games

The games on the iPhone and iPod touch are already great for their size and a Smartphone, those made for the iPad will have far more scope.

Portability

Though the screen real-estate is significantly larger, the screen of the iPad remains not much thicker then that of the iPhone. It also looks very easy to handle weighing in at just 1.5 pounds (680 kgs).

Cost

The cost factor has actually created somewhat of a positive buzz with entry level iPads estimated at $499 US. This does not include the additional data costs one will have to pay for 3G, should your version of iPad have 3G.

A list of cons so far

• The battery last a reported 10 hours, not long enough for an international flight, though I would argue you shouldn’t be looking at any screen for this long
• No USB connection – the device will require additional apple converters to allow USB connection away from its dock
• No multitasking – the idea of browsing the internet while chatting to friends and family, maybe not such a reality at this stage, fixable perhaps with future software version
• No camera – so you can forget photos and videos over Skype or on the spot for email and Face Book
• No e-ink …What’s all this talk of the iPad being an e-book reader when it doesn’t have the “easy on the eye” or “close to a real book” appearance that the Kindle provides through e-ink.  It’s a coloured, crisp, LCD screen – period.
• No Flash multimedia support (Supports YouTube)

Better then a laptop?

By no means is the iPad a laptop alternative, it will not have the power, storage (very limited at this stage with the highest version at 64GB) or the support for applications used in business.  But I don’t believe that a replacement for laptops was Apples intention and this basic approach could suit the move towards cloud computing rather then hardware hungry software.

What is the iPad good for then?

Though to many the initial response to the iPad is how it lacks features found in other products, let alone adding anything new to the mix, the iPad encompasses the features which could really end up being attractive to a decent portion of the market. 

Being able to browse the internet, read media and published material, play games and chat with friends and family, all from the comfort of your lounge room, back yard, in the car or anywhere really (provided you have the 3G version, because there will be the first version released with just the Wi-Fi).

The large Apple touch screen and applications for the iPad could really enhance the user experience of these otherwise basic functions.

Digital Photo Frame

Now here is ONE of the uses of the iPad which does a much better job of the dedicated gadgets out there. The photo album capabilities of the iPad are far superior to any of those currently available on the digital photo frame market.

The navigation and features are pretty much like the Apple iPhoto software. If you’re not familiar with it, it is a fantastic way to sort photos into albums which can be sorted and searched by event, location, dates and even people using face recognition software. Combine iPhoto principles, digital albums modes, with iPad’s touch screen and you have a digital photo frame to be reckoned with.

Forward Thinking - It’s in the Cloud!

There must be something beyond and above the functionalities of iPad that at eye level we may not realise (just yet). iPad basic computing power seems to be designed to run applications on cloud. No more productivity tools like your Microsoft word resides in the actual computer. Think of Google Docs like, where you just use your web browser to use spreadsheet and produce documents. Think of watching video of as pay per view rather than downloading it in your computer. What’s needed now is the ecosystems of Cloud applications developers and vendors similar to iPhone apps althought some of them can be re-used for iPad and a very fast internet connection

Epic or Fail?

I do not think that the first version of the iPad will shine as bright as other Apple Products. But you know what; the iPhone did not spread as rapidly during the first release of the first version as much as the second and was under fire and negative scrutiny.

The second version will have 3G, making it truly portable. There will hopefully be some improvements that Apple will fix both in terms of hardware and software, the ability to multi-task, flash support etc. So unfortunately my answer isn’t too clear cut. It’s too early to tell, but I think the iPad definitely has a place in the market.

Despites the simple lack of functionality at current release, this is really the beginning of something HUGE - a computer designed only to run applications on the Cloud (i.e. Cloud Computing).

Revolutionary – YES. The potential to be a common product amongst future households – yes.

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