The iPad: The full story

The iPad is just such a powerful item in today’s world. It is so simple, has two ports, one speaker, yet it can do so much. It has so many uses, yet for some it is useless. Because of this, I’m honestly going to be all over the place with explanations. I’m going to try to begin with what the iPad is all about in terms of its use, place in the Apple line of products, maybe even its place in society. From there I will hopefully work my way into the actual hardware, how it is unique to other tablets, effectively what the iPad 2 is all about. Try and bear with me here, for I think any questions that you have will be answered.

Background
I’m going to start off with a little bit of background, you know, just incase you’ve lived under a rock since 2001. Apple has always been the multimedia leader for professionals, and in 2001 the market expanded. Compact disc players or CDs were the norm, but some people spent more money to carry around smaller devices called mp3 players. They played below average music quality and typically ran you at least $100. In October, Apple came out with the iPod. Although a brick by today’s standards, the iPod was a gem 10 years ago. It bolstered space of 5 or 10GBs of storage, allowing most people to store every song they owned onto it. The only real downside to the device was that it cost hundreds more than anything before it. At $300-400, the iPod cost a pretty penny considering CD players cost as low as $20. The iPod was effortless in setting up in that it automatically synced to your computer, so all you needed to do was rip(import) a CD and minutes later it was on your iPod with the rest of your music library. Other companies released devices fairly quickly with more features and were often less expensive. They would tote FM radios among other things, but none of their software or battery life could compete with the iPod. Apple introduces the iTunes music store, which completely revolutionized the way the world purchased music. Other companies followed such as Amazon, but nothing offered as many songs or a system that worked as well as Apple’s. These problems can be traced to the fact that Apple designs its own software and hardware, while other companies may make their own hardware but have another company design the software.
Soon the iPod came in a color screen, then could play video, and finally had wifi along with a touch screen. The transition from purely playing multimedia (music, pictures, and movies) to allowing you to make your own (take pictures and make recordings) gave Apple every perspective of the multimedia experience. I’ve played everything from “brick breaker” on the original circa 2001 ipod to Call of Duty Nazi Zombies on my iPhone. While Apple itself did not design the latter, it has seen every step of the way in graphics transitions; meaning they know what has worked, and what hasn’t.
The iPod touch was first released in September of 2007, and sort of started the whole tablet craze. This really was Apple’s first tablet; it is just very small in comparison to what a tablet is considered today. It can essentially do the same things as the iPad can do today using the same touch interface; play music, look at photos, go online, download apps, watch movies, play games, check email, calendars, etc. It was not until three years after the first iPod touch that Apple released the iPad. Apple had three years to see what people saw in the iPod touch to perfect the iPad. Think about the effective focus group of that.
First iPad
So fast forward to 2010 when the iPad is released. The initial reaction of many people was “It’s just a bigger iPod touch”. They were right. It had pretty much the same processor, maybe at an over-clocked speed, with a much larger screen. It wasn’t nearly as portable as an iPod touch, but it was available with 3G. The iPod touch started at $220, while the iPad started at $500. Think about how smaller less powerful versions of computers are priced. An iMac has a much bigger screen and much more powerful specs than a 15inch Macbook Pro, but because of the portability factor the Macbook Pro is more expensive. When looking at Sony Laptops, the extremely thin and light X class is $200 more than the much more powerful C and E classes. Is Apple using economics here, playing games, or are computers not a good comparison. It’s sort of combination here. When the screen is the focus of the machine, which it is not on productivity focus machines, the bigger the screen means a bigger price. Think the price comparison between a 20 inch tv and a 40 inch TV, it isn’t about the content that you can get for it is the same, it is about the size and how it looks.
The iPad is a toy. It is for recreational use, and while it can be used professionally with Microsoft office or similar productivity software, it really is mostly for fun. Is it great for looking and showing off photos, videos? Absolutely. Is it any better than other devices for social networking? Not really. It is much better than a tiny iPod touch for this kind of thing because the screen size can display a lot more, but a laptop will be much faster. The iPad makes things more fun because of the touch screen interface. It is going to be more portable than a laptop. Eh, I might have misused portable there. I’m not talking about how it will be lighter in your backpack; it is something that you can easily walk about the house while using. It is something that you can watch the latest episode of House with one hand while you are brushing your teeth with the other. For 99% of people, it is a toy, while the other 1%, this is the most advanced clipboard they have ever seen.
iPad 2
The newest iPad, the iPad 2, added two cameras for video chatting, a more ergonomic body, and a faster processer. On top of that, it allows the use of a fantastic new cover that Apple introduced with it. The first three things I mentioned were going to be obvious changes. The original iPad was fairly thin and was already pretty fast, so these new changes will really only be noticed if you compare the two side by side. Yes, if you are using higher end applications such as graphics intense games, this will be a welcome upgrade. Making it thinner just makes the iPad more fantastic. Fantastic? I loved the first iPad. Me describing it as a toy is a compliment; I love toys. Speaking of toys let me talk about the new cover. The new cover, is, well, amazing. I never thought I could think a cover is so useful. My iPhone is covered in the Otterbox light case because I’m a klutz and need to protect it, but it does not make my phone more useful. This cover is as well designed as the iPad itself. It connects to the iPad with magnets, similar to the Macbook power cord. When it covers the iPad completely, the iPad automatically goes to sleep. When the cover comes off slightly, it wakes up from sleep. That just makes actual use that much faster. The case can fold and act as a stand in two positions. One gives it the perfect incline for a good keyboard when using the iPad to type an email or something. Flipping the iPad the other way, the cover makes it almost vertical making it the perfect stand for watching a movie, TV show, or video chatting with someone special.
Conclusion
Except for it’s touch screen abilities for a few professional uses, the iPad is a useful toy. While it has many functional uses that make something like reading an online article easier than reading from a laptop. Am I saying this is a bad thing? No! As a guy I love toys. Is there anything an iPad can do that a laptop or an iPod touch cannot, nope. Basically what I’m trying to say is that no one NEEDS and iPad, just as no one needs a BMW 7 series. Is the BMW 7 series awesome? Yah, and so is the iPad; then again, the iPad is only $500. It is extremely well made in that it is light and its battery life is great. I see it as a perfect accessory for someone with a desktop who doesn’t already have the portability of a laptop. That way you can save the actual work for when you’re at your computer, and do the fun stuff like social networking and Netflix for lounging on the couch with the tablet. If you have a laptop, I don’t see a need for one. It is nice for using in bed when you don’t want to bring a serious computer for like an online magazine or something. If you have a laptop AND an iPod touch or iPhone, there is no good reason to get one. With that combination you have the best of both worlds. Don’t let me stop you though. If you have the disposable income to spend $500, go for it.
Photo courtesy of Apple.com

Posted in: iPad