Ok, we have the Apple iPad. But i’m not impressed

With Apple’s touch tablet displayed yesterday by Stevie himself, I happen to be a little bit disappointed. After so much hype was created around the product, by Apple but also by all the gadget sites around, i was expecting for more. And although Steve considers it “magical, fenomenal, amazing” (in the unveiling video below), it actually isn’t.

I’m not saying the iPad doesn’t have its strong points, like all Apple devices do:

• looks pretty nice and build quality is top notch
• comes with a capacitive 9.7 inch multi-touch display (LED backlit and IPS panel)
• it’s pretty light (around 1.5 lbs ) and battery life is good (10 hours of play, a couple of weeks in stand-by)
• good connectivity: Wi-fi + Bluetooth and optional 3G + AGPS (with Compass and Google Maps)
• iBook feature for reading electronic books that can now be bought from the nw books section on iTunes

Apple iPad with capacitive 9.7 inch display

And there are some more. Official specs can be found here. However, one can’t stop noticing the iPad is after all just a bigger iPhone. It’s a nice gadget to have around for web-surfing and multimedia activities, but… In fact, the biggest draw-point of the iPad lies inside: the OS. Similar to the one on the iPhone, this one still doesn’t support multitasking, so there’s no way of running multiple applications in the same time. And of course, there’s no USB, no card extension slots, but there’s a hefty price tag. And I particularly consider the 4:3 form factor disturbing, i was expecting for a wide-display on this gadget.

Prices for the new Apple iPad

Speaking of prices, iPads start from $499 (for the 16 GB version with no 3G) and go up to $829 (for the 64 GB version with 3G). It’s cheaper than the predicted price of $1000+ , but still, for these figures, will compete with quite some capable mini laptops from Asus, Dell or HP. And while the iPad might be cooler, those are way more practical.

All in one, the iPad is one the first touch tablets to be officially announced, and Apple will start selling it from March, with the 3G version coming in April. Till then we’ll have plenty of time to read reviews and opinions about the device and find out if it’s worth it or not.

Overall, just an oversized iPhone

I won’t say more for now, but stay tuned for more updates on this subject in the following weeks. I’m just curious though, what do you think on Apple’s new iPad?

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Tags: Apple, Apple iPad, capacitive touch display, touch tablet

Last updated: January 28, 2010 | Published: January 28th, 2010 | See the comments or add yours!