I broke down and bought an iPad yesterday, even though I had my share of concerns about this first-generation, allegedly life-changing device.
After about 24 hours of playing with it, I have mixed feelings: For $499, it might not change my life, but in time, it could become a part of it. And, as the co-owner of an online media company, I had to see if and how this will revolutionize media.
The short answer, it depends.
For those who say the iPad is just a giant iPod Touch, that's both true and false. Indeed, the iPad isn't quite a computer -- it's lacking some very important features. On the other hand, its speed, its gorgeous screen, improved speakers and increased ability for real typing makes it something more than just an iPod Touch. In many ways, though, that's a compliment to the iPhone and iPod Touch -- the iPad just lets that amazing technology breathe on a bigger stage.
I've read extensive reviews -- both before and after I walked into the Mayfair Apple Store yesterday and bought the iPad. I'm not sure I'm saying anything that hasn't already been written, but these are my first-blush opinions, both as someone who uses a Mac at work for some fairly processor-intensive stuff -- and as someone who uses an iPhone to tweet, surf the Web and play with Apps on the couch.
The good
The screen looks great, and the audio is loud: The iPad's UI is a bit of a mixed bag. While the icons seem small and spread out -- like Apple just didn't give it a lot of thought -- the brightness and clarity is excellent. Unlike the iPhone, the speaker is loud and clear. The iPad also works equally well in portrait or landscape mode.
It's fast: It's way faster than my iPhone 3 GS, and for Web surfing, perhaps even faster than my MacBook. I'm sure it wouldn't be speedy running Photoshop, but that isn't an option, anyway. Apps do open very quickly, but I wouldn't use the adjective "screaming" to describe load time, as others have.
Battery life is incredible: I live blogged Brewers Opening Day yesterday, then fiddled with the iPad most of the night. I was still at 20 percent power after hours upon hours of usage. I can't imagine burning through the entire battery during a normal day of work.
Typing isn't too hard: In landscape mode, typing is relatively fast, particularly if you use your index fingers. As usual, the auto-correct feature is nothing short of amazing, and I had some success typing the correct way, like I learned in sixth grade. Unfortunately, if you are holding the iPad in your hand, you are probably using just one hand to type, which obviously slows you down considerably.
Most Web sites look great: We all know Flash isn't supported, but it didn't really become an issue in the first 24 hours of Web surfing. As a developer, myself, I'm not a huge fan of Flash, anyway, though as a company that sells Internet advertising as its primary source of revenue, I know most clients insist upon it. So from a publisher's standpoint, we might lose some money because of people visiting our sites with an iPad.
The bad
You can't use Google Docs: I didn't buy the iPad to be a $500 toy. I wanted to get some work done on it, too. At OnMilwaukee.com, we use Google Docs extensively to share internal content and to edit articles before they show up on the site. I was dismayed to find out that, upon launch, you can view Google Docs, but can't edit or create them (other than spreadsheets). Apple sells a proprietary word processing App called Pages for $9.99, but it doesn't interface with Google Docs (yet). And I don't want proprietary, I want to share in the "cloud." As usual, Apple is well aware of this ... and seemingly doesn't care. The spat between Apple and Google may prove to be the kind of limitation that could be a deal breaker for serious users.
Mail doesn't properly sync IMAP folders: Just like the iPhone, the iPad's native Mail program doesn't play well with "push." I break my e-mail down into folders, and while Mail sees those folders, it doesn't tell me if anything new is inside them until I open them. This pretty much renders the App useless to me. Fortunately, Gmail on the iPad works fine, but it's a shame that Apple's underpowered iPhone Mail app didn't get an important upgrade for this new device.
Form factor is awkward: The iPad is strangely heavy and slippery, and because of its curved back, it doesn't sit particularly well on a table. So, it feels weird propped on your lap, and it feels unstable propped on a table. I'm sure I'll get used to it, but its strange ergonomics seem to slow me down.
Fingerprints: Within minutes of using the iPad, it's smudge city. Basically, the thing will always look filthy. You don't really notice it when it's on, but when it's off, it's a reflective, oily mess.
No way to import photos or print: You have to jump through some minor hoops to import photos to the iPad and print anything out. Basically, you have to get photos off your camera and into iPhoto and iTunes on your real computer, then sync. There is a photo adapter coming out -- but it's not out yet. For working on the go, this is an extra, clumsy step that knocks the iPad down yet another peg for someone like me, who needs to post articles and blogs on the road. I haven't tried to print anything, but that looks pretty involved.
The weird
No camera: Even though I use my iPhone camera all the time, I'm not sure how much I'd use an iPad camera, since it's not like I'm going to walk around with this thing in my hand at all times. And as for video chatting, yes, that would be very cool. But I've used video chatting on my MacBook and iMac very few times. It's really not a big deal.
No 3G: At least not on the base model. But really, I can live with that. If I need to be online in a place without wi-fi, I have my iPhone in my pocket. This iPad will live mostly on my couch, in my office and at meetings.
iPhone apps aren't all universal: iTunes tries to sync all my iPhone apps to my iPad, but most aren't updates to be universal between the two devices. Instead, I was left with a bunch of apps on my new iPad that don't make any sense, like GPS and photo editing tools. I'm sure that will get better in time.
Pairing a keyboard is weird: I know what I'm doing with a Mac, and it still took me 10 minutes and several failed attempts to connect my wireless keyboard via Bluetooth. Eventually, it worked, but the process wasn't as smooth as Apple makes it out to be.
A tablet won't rescue print: No less than five people in the Miller Park press box asked me yesterday if the iPad will save their newspapers or magazines. And I said the same thing each time, "The device won't save print, only your publication can save itself." Yes, this is the first real replacement for a hard copy of a newspaper (i.e., you can read it in the bathroom). But just like the Web, if newspapers shun the iPad and don't monetize its potential, the iPad won't save them, it'll drive another nail into their coffins.
So, do you need an iPad? Probably not. Do you want an iPad? Probably, especially if you're the kind of person who's tethered to your iPhone.
With the exception of the phone and camera (and those are big exceptions), this tablet does everything your iPhone does, but better. Much better. And for the casual user, early adopter or media addict, you'll be very, very impressed.
Could you stand to wait for the next version? Definitely. But for $500, this is more than half of a $1,000 laptop. Yes, I have a bit of buyer's remorse, but as this intriguing device grows and evolves, I can imagine learning to love it, too.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
