I’ve had my iPad for a few days and compiled a Pro’s and Con’s list as part of my review. I’ll try to be subjective but keep in mind that this device has been hyped a lot and may come across more critical than normal.
PROS
– Sexy, slick device — Apple is great at that. They always have been. They, again, have nailed it!
– Fast! — the iPad is very fast and responsive. I would say it feels faster than my 3GS.
– Screen is crisp, bright and vibrant — while the screen is not great for reading books, it is excellent for watching videos and playing games! The pixel density of the screen is probably the best I have seen to date — as is the viewing angle.
– Bluetooth keyboard support — Apple is finally allowing you to pair a bluetooth keyboard with the iPad. This alone makes it easier to write emails and surf the web than the iPhone.
– Loud Speakers — the speaker on the iPad is LOUD!
– Multitouch Screen — the screen is very accurate and responds well to the touch.
– Amazing Battery Life — this is one of the most impressive aspects of the iPad. The battery life lives up to what’s advertised!
– Love Native Apps — I find myself using services (Twitter/ABC) more because they offer native iPad apps versus hitting their website via the Safari browser. I’ll take a nicely designed iPad app over a web page version any day. However, there are some services that lose functionality in their native app. This is bad, but not the fault of Apple.
CONS
– Device is too BIG — too big to take with you all the time. I would have liked a small notepad (7″) sized iPad.
– Device doesn’t feel right in the hands — while it’s solid and looks good, it’s slippery and weird to hold. The nook is the right size and the arched rubberized back feels soft and “warm” to the hand. The iPad feels cold and fragile. Which, I believe, if you drop, will do a lot of damage to the iPad, as well as mar it’s elegant aluminum finish. I should also mention, the Apple case does change the feel and makes it a lot better to hold. However, it does add $39 to the price of the unit.
– Screen is too reflective — it makes it unusable at times. When will Apple make anti-glare glass cool?
– Screen smudges — when the unit goes to sleep, you can see tons of fingerprints and swipes all across the screen. Apple doesn’t even provide a cleaning cloth with the iPad like they do with all other devices they sell.
– Poor eBook Reader — screen reflections and brightness doesn’t make reading enjoyable. I still prefer my nook over the iPad. Shows you that a good single purpose device can beat a multipurpose device.
– Does too many things — really this is a con! Maybe it’s just me and my A.D.D., but I can’t sit in one single application for a long time because I feel like I should be doing a lot of other things instead like; twitter, email, iPod, youtube, ABC Player, or surf the web. I make the analogy to reading a book while someone else in the room is watching TV. Sure, I can continue reading and ignore the TV, but the temptation to watch the TV always wins me over. If I’m reading an eBook on the iPad, I feel like I should be watching a full episode of Lost instead.
– No accessible file system — you can’t place PDF’s in a folder and sync with your computer. So you are stuck buying apps that may offer a solution. In the case of PDF’s, the OS natively support them, however, there is no native reader… one solution is to email the PDF to yourself and access via the mail client. Hacks like this make the iPad frustrating and unusable.
– Cost too much — at $499 for the low end unit, it’s too costly to justify for what it offers. It does less than a netbook — $299 is what it should cost.
– Apps are expensive — maybe we got spoiled with FREE and .99-cent apps of the past. Buying all the apps I’d need adds up quickly.
– Lack of native apps* — using iPhone apps on the iPad are painful. While compatible, scaling makes them look pixelated and floating in the middle makes it hard to hold the device and navigate. * This should be a temporary con as more developers release updates to their apps.
– OS was design for the iPhone screen size — you can really tell that the OS was designed for a smaller screen. When you navigate on the iPad you find placement of the home button too far from the navigation bar. Your hands are constantly moving around the screen. The use of screen gestures could solve this problem in the future. What works great on the iPhone causes UX issues on the iPad. Apple did an excellent job with the iPhone implementation and designed the interface for that sized device. Refactoring the interface to support the larger real estate feels like an after thought.
– Weak WiFi reception — the signal is not as strong as my iPhone or MacBook Pro. Why?
Overall, I think the iPad is “good”. The quality of the device is excellent. Battery life is superb. There are a handful of apps (ABC Player, Myro Control) which I love using. I would rate it a 6 out of 10 whereas the iPhone is a 9 out of 10. I’m having a hard time seeing how people will use the iPad daily. If I didn’t have my home automation control software, Myro Control (iPad version coming soon), I’d probably not use it as much because I always have my iPhone with me and when I’m at work or home I am near my MacBook.
I’d love to hear how you are using your iPad…
