I have to say, I’m slightly disappointed with the iPad – but I will reserve full judgement until it’s released and I can go and see one at my nearest Apple store.
Why am I disappointed? Well, it’s the OS I’m disappointed with, I was kinda expecting a cut-down version of OS X to be installed on it so you could install OS X software on it. People keep commenting on how Flash isn’t on the iPad – well it wasn’t on my MacBook or Dell desktop, but I could install it if I wanted it and was expecting to be able to do the same thing with Apples new product but this doesn’t seem to be the case.
Before it was revealed, it was rumoured Apple was going to release a Tablet computer and the iPad is most definitely not a Tablet – Tablets are similar but have a ‘proper’ operating system. What Apple have done with the iPad is invent a product that is a cross-between an e-Book reader and a Netbook.
Just like what they did with the App-Store and the iPhone, it makes good business sense to do what they’ve done as something similar to the App-Store is on it’s way for use with the iPad.
The one thing that people seem to be getting confused about is exactly what use the iPad is. It is designed for people who browse the internet, read news websites, go on to social network sites, watch videos online, go online to quickly look something up, updating their blogs, checking their emails, reading e-books and many other use
What it’s not primarily for, is for creating websites, writing essays, creating large documents, photo editing, video editing or anything else that you really need a proper keyboard and mouse to do! I’m not saying you can’t do these things on the iPad (maybe when the right software comes along you can) – but it wont be as quick and easy to do than if you had a laptop with a proper keyboard and scratchpad.
e-Book readers haven’t really taken off yet and nobody really knows what to do with a proper full-size Table computer, Apple’s iPad is likely to either revolutionise this or put a stop to it once and for all.
Will the iPad to to e-books and Netbooks what the iPod did to MP3 players? Only time will tell.
