With all the buzz surrounding the April 3rd release of the Apple iPad, I like many of people was wondering what exactly is the iPad meant for? Upon these thoughts, I decided to take a look around the net and see what I could come up with. The iPad is essentially the big brother to iPod Touch line, an iPod Touch on steroids. It can also be compared to the iPhone because a AT&T is offering a data plan for the iPad although you can simply use it on Wi-Fi if you would like. The news paper will be offered daily to iPad users for the price of 17 dollars a month. The iPad sports a 1GHz A4 processor basically meaning its going to move pretty fast and smoothly. It also features an integrated compass, built-in microphone, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, stereo audio output, built in speaker, accelerometer and ambient light sensors. Many people say well, if the iPad is basically just an oversize iPod Touch, why should I buy it? Although they maintain similar functionality and appearance, there are numerous differences. The operating system featured on the iPad is very similar to the iPhone's meaning many of the same apps are present on it but they have been revamped to completely take advantage of the iPad's larger screen. The 9.7-inch screen offers far more space than any iPod Touch or iPhone. This will make it more effective to read e-books and newspapers. Apple has created iBooks, an e-bookstore specifically for the iPad. It features a virtual bookshelf with content from five major publishers. The books will be readable in both landscape and portrait mode with variable text sizes. It also has just been revealed that users will have access to 30,000 classic books for free through iBooks. Apple is also reworking their iWorks application featuring word processing, spreadsheets and keynote presentations for the device for the price of 9.99. This is basically Apple's version of Microsoft Office. The iPad does sport many pluses but now I will take the time to get into the negatives. If you compare the iPad to similarly priced low-end laptops and netbooks, the iPad can't compete. The main reason being is because the iPad can't run common full-fledged applications such as Microsoft Word. The biggest downfall with the iPad is that it suffers the same problem as the iPhone & iPod touch lines in that it can't multitask meaning it can't run multiple apps simultaneously. Another downside to the iPad is that its screen causes more strain than a standard dedicated e-reader such as the Amazon Kindle. The iPad Wi-Fi version launches in the U.S. on April 3rd followed by the Wi-fi and 3G capable edition dropping later in the month. The iPad's price depends on how much memory & what type of connection you purchase. The Wi-Fi only version will start at $499 for 16GB of memory, $599 for 32GB, and $699 for 64GB. The Wi-Fi and 3G version will cost $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB, and $829 for 64GB. You can get a full fledged Mac Mini computer for less than most of the iPad models. Pre-orders began March 12th. It will be interesting to see how Apple works to make the iPad a must have device and brings new cutting edge features to it. If you are interested in purchasing one, you can pre-order a Wi-Fi version from Apple.com or reserve one for pick up at any Apple Store.
-Terry
