iPad Passed The Test

Right, I will admit it—I was properly skeptical when Steve Jobs stood on stage back in January waving around what looked like a massive iPhone. "Who needs this?", I thought. "It is just going to be another expensive Apple novelty." Well, after six months of using one every single day, I have got to admit: I was mistaken.

The Initial Skepticism

Remember the launch reception earlier this year? The tech forums were full of collective groans:

• "It's just an overgrown iPod Touch!"
• "You can't even make phone calls with it!"
• "No Flash support? Half the web is broken!"
• "£429 for a sofa web browser? You're having a laugh!"

And truth be told, some of those criticisms still have merit. But here is the revelation: for what it actually aims to do, the iPad is remarkably brilliant.

Why It Actually Works

1. The Reading Experience

Remember all those dedicated e-readers companies were trying to sell us? The iPad instantly made most of them feel like yesterday's technology:

• iBooks: Decent typography and page turns, if a bit pricey.
• Kindle App: Works seamlessly with an existing Amazon library.
• Digital Periodicals: Newspapers and magazines are beginning to look genuinely sharp.
• Longform Web Reading: Instapaper and Safari make reading articles on the sofa far more relaxing than staring at a hot laptop screen.

2. Email and Everyday Web Browsing

• Mobile Safari on a 9.7-inch display is leagues ahead of tiny phone screens.
• Typing short replies on the software keyboard is surprisingly fluid once you stop trying to touch-type.
• Complex web applications like Gmail and Google Docs render with desktop-grade clarity.

3. The App Ecosystem

This is where Apple pulled ahead of every potential competitor:

• Thousands of iPad-native applications appeared within months.
• High-definition games like Angry Birds HD and Flight Control demonstrated the power of the capacitive glass touch display.
• Creative tools like SketchBook Pro proved that tablets could be creative canvases, not just consumption devices.

The Battery Factor

Here is the most impressive aspect: the battery genuinely lasts the full 10 hours Apple promised. The standby battery life is phenomenal—you can leave it on your bedside table for three days, pick it up, and still have 90% charge remaining. Compared to the noisy fans and two-hour battery life of standard netbooks, it feels like an entirely different category of personal computing.

The Honest Shortcomings

The device is not without its genuine annoyances:

• No Flash Support: Major video portals and interactive websites still present empty lego brick placeholders.
• No USB or Native File Management: Transferring PDFs and documents without emailing them to yourself remains needlessly awkward.
• No True Multitasking: Switching between Safari and a document requires closing and reopening apps (though iOS 4.2 promises to address this shortly).
• Weight: At 680 grams, holding it one-handed while reading in bed gets tiring after twenty minutes.

Who Is It Actually For?

Apple has already surpassed three million units sold. The audience is broader than typical early adopters:

• Business travelers who want to review decks and answer email without lugging heavy laptop bags.
• Avid readers and digital news subscribers.
• Everyday family members who find standard desktop operating systems intimidating.

Wrapping Up

The iPad is not going to replace a full workstation computer for serious software development or heavy design work. But for casual reading, correspondence, media viewing, and travel, it has fundamentally transformed personal computing.

If you understand its limitations and appreciate its focus, it is easily one of the most refined pieces of consumer hardware released this decade.