The latest electronic gadget launch is today. The Apple iPad will be available in the Apple stores today and that means lines of people will be waiting to get inside to get one. You may be in one of those lines right now reading this.
The iPad is a lot more than a new product from Apple. The iPad is different from anything else out there right now. The iPad is a completely different class of computer. It is not a smart phone like the iPhone, in fact it is not a phone at all. It is really an oversized iPod Touch at least in the way it is being introduced today. The iPad is an internet friendly device where one can surf the web, send and receive emails, down load music, books, video, pod casts and a lot more. It runs most of the apps available for the iPhone and iPad touch. This means it can be used for games, entertainment, learning and on and on just like the iPhone or iPod touch. The thing to know is this model of the iPad must be some place where WiFi is available to actually connect to the internet.
What this means is in order to do a lot of the cool things that the iPad is capable of you will need to be in range of WiFi. WiFi is really short range wireless with a maximum range on average of 300 feet. That is fine if you happen to have WiFi at your house or where you work or where you are. It is certainly possible to download music, some books or some movies or other media and material and then take the iPad to the park or with you in your car or on a plane and get a lot of use out of it. This is probably “enough” for a lot of users. There certainly are a lot of iPods out there that people use everyday and really like.
To me the really interesting iPad is the one coming out in a few weeks. There are really two basic models of the iPad -the one with WiFi only and the one that will be out very soon. This model iPad has 3G abilities. So what is the difference? The difference is actually huge. 3G is the ability to connect to AT&T wireless data services and so the iPad becomes more like the iPhone with this model. 3G runs on AT&T cellular services so the iPad is able to connect to the internet anyplace where AT&T cellular service is available. Like the iPhone it will connect to the slower Edge service. Edge works but it is not very fast – sort of like using dial up. You can send and receive email and do fairly well web surfing. The exciting thing is really 3G, it is not available everywhere mostly in big cities and along interstate routes. 3G is fast, not as fast as cable or DSL broadband but fast enough to be useful.
So what does this mean with the iPad 3G and why would you want to pay more for it? The ability to use 3G means that the iPads ability to connect to the internet is greatly expanded. You are no longer limited to WiFi. The iPad will work anywhere that AT&T data is available and it will work really well where 3G service is available. That means at the park, out in rural area, in small and large cites. AT&T data like all cellular services will not work everywhere but it will work at an ever increasing places. Go to AT&Ts site and take a look at their coverage maps. At the very top is a link – Coverage Viewer. Click on that to see what coverage is in your area. Just put in your zip code and you will see various shades of yellow and orange. This will show you if AT&T is available at all. Below the map is a very important button – 3G/Mobile Broadband Coverage – Click beside the blue box – this will show you where 3G is available and where the iPad 3G will work.
Because the iPad is not a smart phone there is a major advantage – Apple and AT&T have teamed up in a way so that you do not need to sign a 2 year contract like you do with most cellular services. You can buy data use as you need it. There are two rates depending on usage and no contract. You can turn on (pay for) your data service when you need it and turn it off if you are not using it. The data rates are really reasonable and that at least to me is a major advantage. All of the price information is of course on the Apple site. I am not going to get into all of that here.
Apple is very proud of this new product and rightly so. The iPad is not a laptop, it is also not an iPhone or iPod. It is somewhere in between. The iPhone is amazing. You can put it in your pocket and do so much more than you can with a cell phone. I am able to post on my blogs, Twitter, Facebook and other places from my iPhone, get email and go on the internet and a whole lot more.
The iPad is larger than a smart phone, that means it will not fit in a pocket – it will fit in a purse but I am not willing to carry a purse just so I have a place for the iPad. I am certain there will be carrying cases and car mounts available for the iPad to make it easy to “lug” around. It is much smaller and lighter than a laptop, so if you are like me who pretty much always lugs a laptop around there will be a size and weight savings.
The iPad may very well replace a net book. Apple has made a version of iWork for the iPad, that means spreadsheets, word processing and presentation software. Those are the main things besides email and web surfing that people do with laptops particularly when they are out and about.
So am I in the line waiting to get an iPad? No I am not, I am really glad that a lot of people are in line to get one. That means people will be using this new product and very shortly there will be reviews and reports about what people think about this new product. Apple has a great history of having products that just plain work right out of the box on the first day of introduction. (I got my 3GS iPhone from AT&T delivered to me the first day it came out and really like it. Of course the 3GS is the third generation of iPhones and so a lot of changes had been made since the very first iPhone.
Before I even consider the iPad I do want to see the early reviews — does this thing work and how well? Are there any initial problems or glitches, and most importantly – what do people actually think about the iPad?
In my case clearly I am really interested in the iPad 3G with the ability to connect to the cellular data service. So while I will be watching the reviews and comments about the iPad, I will be waiting for the 3G model to come out and then I will not buy it right away. I want to again see what users comment about.
I do know for certain that with the iPad introduction I no longer have an interest in a net book. It will not and cannot replace my laptops (yes I have more than one laptop and sometimes travel with more than one). I have been looking at net books, several of my friends have, use and like them a lot. They are small and light and very convenient – the net books do not replace a laptop or desktop but they are easy to travel with and you can do a lot with them, so to me a net book would be used in addition to a laptop or desktop. The iPad is the same – it is in addition to a desktop or laptop. For some people it may be enough just like for some people the net book is enough and may be the only computer they need.
Will the iPad replace my iPhone? No way – the iPhone is always in my pocket. The iPad may be a replacement for always lugging around a laptop. To me the thing I like about the iPhone is that it is instantly on. I do not have to wait for an operating system to boot up. This is major disadvantage to laptops, desktops and net books. Boot it up, get Windows running (or MAC OS) – open up the application be it word processor, email or internet browser. I actually come into my store every morning and while my computers are booting up go to my iPhone and check the news and weather, my email, Twitter feeds, RSS and Face book feeds while the PCs are booting and getting ready for the work day.
Should one get an iPad now or should one wait for the next version? That is always the question with a new product. The first iPhone was pretty good, and I am glad I did not buy one then. The second iPhone was a lot better and probably would have served my needs, however the iPhone 3GS had everything I needed and a lot more so I got one the first day it came out.
Will Apple bring out an new iPad in a year or so – of course they will. Will the new model have advancements and really attractive changes – that you can be very certain of. Does the iPad being introduced right now have enough to justify buying it now instead of waiting for the next generation of iPads? That is the real question and everyone will have a different answer. To me I have to ask myself does the iPad have features and abilities that I can use right now – in other words is this something that I would really use. What is missing and what will Apple add to future models. What will be added is something that only Apple knows. To me one of the biggest missing things is a USB port. Were a USB port available I would probably be standing in the line the day the iPad 3G is available. Apple has certainly gotten my attention with the iPad to the point that I can see it as something that I would really use – probably a lot. One of the things I want to check out myself is can I really type on it. At first with the iPhone it was really difficult for me to type on – I could do it with the touch screen but it was slow going and I made a lot of mistakes. I have gotten so that I can actually type fairly well on my iPhone – it took some practice is all. I am actually as fast on the iPhone as I am on something with keys like a BlackBerry. The iPad does have available a dock with a real keyboard – the question to me is that something I would need or want to carry around or can one actually type on the touch screen. The bigger screen will make it easier -the question is can one touch type on it. I am looking at the iPad as something that can replace my always carrying my laptop, with its power cord, having to find power to plug it in; and all of the stuff that also are needed for the laptop that are in my laptop case.
I am looking forward to a trip to one of the Apple stores in a week or so to have a hands on look at the iPad. I am also looking forward to the review and comments that people getting the iPad today have.
Tags: Apple, apps, iPad, iPhone, iPod, iPod touch, laptop, netbook, portable
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