Underwhelming. That was the general consensus when Apple revealed their "revolutionary" iPad Jan. 27 in San Francisco.
The disappointment isn't unreasonable; rumors were spreading throughout Jan. about a brand new Apple tablet, and when Steve Jobs scheduled a keynote address, imaginations spun at the potential for this new device. However, hopes were dashed when we essentially received a large iPod Touch with e-book compatibility. Now that some time has passed and we can take a more objective stance, let's quickly look at the redeeming factors of the device against its shortcomings and see where Apple can go from there.
Positives
Just like all of Apple's products, the iPad is a sleek piece of hardware that's easy on the eyes. It measures 9.56 inches by 7.47 inches with a depth of 0.5 inches, and weighs in at 1.5 pounds (the 3G model weighs 1.6). This attests to its portability, making it a smarter choice than laptop to take on the go (unless you have a lot of typing to do). The device comes with a microphone, a built-in speaker, an accelerometer similar to that in the iPhone and iPod Touch, a virtual keyboard, 10 hour battery life and support for video up to a resolution of 720p. The screen itself measures 9.7 inches diagonally and showcases its visuals in the same bright, colorful quality we've come to expect from Apple, which - if you excuse the inevitable smudges - is a good deal more attractive than the "virtual ink" of Amazon's Kindle.
In addition, Apple has announced that nearly all of the applications on the App Store will be compatible with the iPad. This backwards compatibility means that you won't have to repurchase apps that you've bought for your Touch or iPhone; the apps can be transferred over for free along with your music, photos and videos and can be viewed in their original scale or magnified to fit the screen. While some apps and games may be harmed graphically by upscaling the visuals at the same resolution, there will be a few others (such as crosswords and Sudokus) that will be easier to control with more real estate to manipulate on the screen.
One of the main selling points of the iPad (and perhaps the primary reason for its release) is its compatibility with e-books (Apple's are called iBooks) and its competition with Amazon's Kindle. You'll be able to purchase books as easily as you would purchase music on iTunes and have them transferred to a digital bookshelf in your iBook app. The books themselves are displayed in detailed color, can be read while holding the iPad horizontally or vertically, and are manipulated with the same finger swipes that have become second nature to you. Reports show that the iBooks should cost between $10 and $15 for bestsellers, but here's hoping that Apple implements some sort of textbook rental program for college students like you and me.
Negatives
Unfortunately, Apple missed a huge opportunity with the iPad by omitting the option to multitask, and it may be enough of a reason to hold off until they release a model that allows this feature. With a device so much larger than the iPhone or iPod touch, it would seem more than reasonable to allow multiple apps running at once. The iPad is supposed to be a replacement of a laptop or a netbook to an extent, and at the moment, the productivity for the computers outmatches Apple's tablet simply because of their ability to multitask.
You should be able to have your Twitter app, your Facebook app, your e-mail and an Internet browser all operating at the same time; a computer's Internet browser is able to do this easily with tabs, and it's something we've grown accustomed to. The iPhone and iPod touch got a pass because - aside from being quite small - these devices are used intermittently while waiting in line or riding a bus, not for hours on end. The iPad is being advertised as the way to view pictures, videos and the Internet, but until it can view all three at once, it'll continue to be outranked by the common computer.
One weakness that Apple downplays in their products is the inability of their portable machines to use the Flash plug-in in the Safari apps, and the iPad does nothing to rectify it. Flash is what runs most interactive applications on the Internet, including Facebook games such as Farmville, Mafia Wars and Scramble. Without the plug-in, the games are inaccessible, and has Apple seems to have no immediate plans to change this.
Another minor quibble is the absence of a camera on the hardware. Combined with the Skype app, Apple had the potential to essentially bring science fiction into your hands. The mere thought about having a video chat with a friend while holding the image of their face in a sleek tablet gets me giddy with anticipation. I have no doubt Apple will add on a camera in one of their future iPads, but its absence here is a disappointment.
Moving onward
As they have in the past, Apple is sure to improve the hardware with each new product - and there will be many. The machine itself is a fantastic piece of technology, and the potential is still there for it to be one of the best ways to view multimedia and the Internet, but for serious users, the inability to multitask will cast a giant shadow over the iPad. Talk to me when this problem is remedied, Mr. Jobs, and you'll have yourself another sale.
Anthony Gerhart is a sophomore computer science major.
