Apple iPad 16GB

The iPad so far has split opinions right down the middle. – Is it closer to a netbook or an e-reader? Does it have word processing capability? If so, how would I type? What about entertainment? It’s a medley of questions for one of Apple’s great leap forward. And its purchase will warrant some serious thinking, when it does drop into Malaysian market.

Design

The iPad is a touchscreen tablet, with three models that connect to the Internet over Wi-Fi (16GB for USD $499 USD, 32GB for $599 USD and 64GB for $699 USD). And three that use a combination of Wi-Fi and AT&T's 3G wireless (16GB for $629 USD, 32GB for $729 USD, and 64GB for $829 USD, and a data subscription).

The device has a 9.7 inch diagonal screen, with a 1024x768-pixel resolution backlit by LEDs. Screen angles are very good, standing or sitting won’t affect the display of the iPad. The device’s dimensions are 242.8mm x 189.7mm x 13.4mm, about the size of a magazine.

The one we have on-hand is the 16GB running on Wi-Fi, the device is entirely touch based, and Apple has retained their button format for their mobile devices – a home screen button, a volume rocker and a unlock button.

The iPad has one additional button, the screen rotation lock, trigger it and the page you are looking at will lock to either horizontal or vertical orientation. It is a welcomed addition, especially if you use the iPad lying down, the onboard accelerometer has trouble reading the orientation.

The iPad runs on the same OS on iPhone and iPod Touch, and the iPad will be hands-on if you’ve used any of those devices. In a nutshell, the iPad runs apps, web browsing, email, maps, photos, music, video, YouTube, and the list goes on. The App Store built in the OS will act as the portal to buy and install apps.

The iPad on its own doesn’t make calls, but with apps like Skype and with native Bluetooth support, VoIP calls are supported.

The custom Apple 1GHz A4 processor has some power, but isn’t adequate when running apps – especially games. Battery life is impressive, perhaps owing to its larger size, but the standby time and use time is every bit as Apple claimed and more.

E-reader

The iPad marks Apple's first step into the world of e-book readers. The iBooks app (a free app), is an e-bookstore with bestsellers and textbooks. Just like iTunes, titles in the store are organised by popularity and by genre.

Preview a few pages before deciding on a purchase, and downloaded books will be arranged into a bookshelf. Reading in portrait will display one page, meanwhile landscape mode will show both pages. The text size and font style can be tweaked to your heart’s delight.

Comic book fans should rejoice at the Marvel app, the comic browser is a store and reader meshed into one. And much like iBooks, the titles are organised by genre, and writers. You can also preview before buying, and Marvel threw in a few choice titles for free as well.

It works similar to iBooks, flick a finger to the edge of the ‘page’ will turn your comic pages either forward of backwards. Double tap on each individual comic panel to zoom in, double tap to zoom out. Reading and browsing comics (free or otherwise) will require an account.

At 680 grams, the iPad is hefty, requiring a surface, something to prop up the tablet or a two-hand grasp for extended reading.

iWork

Remember when we asked whether this device bridged the gap between e-readers and netbooks, well Apple threw in iWork apps like Pages (word processing), Numbers (spreadsheets), and Keynote (presentations). It's the first version of the software to run on one of Apple's portable devices and makes full use of the iPad's touch screen. Each app is offered separately at $9.99 per app.

Working on the iPad, is a mixed blessing, the apps themselves are as full-fledged as their desktop counterparts (read: Microsoft office). The apps are capable of editing Office documents too.

The iPad is not the most natural tool for work output, even with the full virtual QWERTY keyboard - the largest one we’ve worked with. While it is intuitive, and does have huge keys, we still find a physical keyboard much easier and faster to work with.

Typing will require the iPad to be placed on a surface, or propping it up with one arm and type with a free hand. Apple does have hardware solutions - Apple's keyboard dock or Bluetooth keyboard accessory. Syncing documents to and from the iPad will require iTunes, and sharing documents around will be a pain.

To answer whether or not it will serve as a primary work computer – yes, if you are determined and patient enough to get use to the syncing and typing.

Multimedia

The iPad has iPod functionality, access to Youtube and a built-in Videos app to start off the multimedia functions.

HD quality videos are especially enjoyable with the iPad’s screen. Apple still limits the iPad with mpeg-4 formats, so convert those videos before syncing them in. Audio quality is no different from the iPhone or iPod, offering good audio quality. Throwing in quality headphones will improve your experience as well.

Photo albums are supported by multi-touch, every photo folder can be expanded using the pinch movement. The expanded thumbnails can be preview and tapping those thumbnails will blow the photos up to full screen. The photos can be flipped through.

With Apple’s strategy to turn its mobile devices into gaming platform, the iPad receives the same treatment. The app store has thousands of games scaled to fit the iPad. We tested out Iron Man 2 and Dungeon Hunter, and we enjoyed good graphics and response time from the iPad. There will be a sense of frustration when working the touch controls. But expect to spend an entire afternoon grinding away at the numerous titles available in the App store.

Verdict

When we were done with the iPad, we can’t answer what exactly is the iPad. But it will suit a multitude of needs, be it music, work or videogames. To justify buying one? Just take your pick. The one thing we can answer, it will be one of the most coveted and talked about gadgets of this year.