My iPad Preview
As some of you may know, I'm quite a techie. I'm a special type of techie though and that's the special and coveted (hopefully someone will hire me soon in HK 
) business techie. I wrote the Quintessential Guide to Exchange Server 2003-2007 connectivity, I was a Windows Mobile specialist for years, I practically coined the term Mobile Device back in the 1990s. Those of you that have heard of any of those know that I'm all about real-world results so I'm going to cover Apple's latest device: the iPad. I'm actually previewing it today because I wasn't really doing a whole lot except for follow ups for jobs.
First, you should know that the iPad is not a feminine hygiene product. It's actually a pretty nifty looking slate of glass and metal. My previews/reviews are normally based on real-world information and testing that I've done personally. They are also highly opinionated so if you're expecting impartial reviews, you're not going to get one. The other aspect that I cover in my reviews is one of a normal human being that actually uses technology on a day to day basis. If you're a casual user, or a full blown techie, you may disagree with my opinion. Lastly, I'm not an Apple fan boy so don't paint me as such. I just believe in the best technology to either be efficient or to turn a profit. Feel free to let me know your comments below. I'm breaking up the preview into several logical parts since that's my MO and we'll start.
Physical Device:
Exterior:
The iPad has the dimensions of 243mm x 190mm x 13.4mm and is approximately 0.68kg. While this may seem pretty light for a device such as this, compare it to similarly functioning items such as the Archos 5 Internet Tablet which runs Android OS and also a Viliv S7 which runs Windows 7. The Archos 5 is 143mm x 79mm x 10.4mm and 0.182kg which is a much smaller 5 inch screen tablet that does almost everything that the iPad does. This is close to a 0.5kg difference between the 2 products which puts usability and size comparisons a little off. The iPad is nowhere near pocketable and the Archos 5 is nowhere near the capability of the iPad. The Viliv S7 on the other hand is 230mm x 143mm x 26mm at approximately 0.83kg. The size of the Viliv S7 is more similar to the iPad yet it's about twice the thickness. The Viliv S7 is a full Windows 7 netbook which has a lot of capability but comes up slightly heavier than the iPad. The iPad is pretty much a middle performer on the dimension and weight when compared with the Archos 5 internet tablet and the Viliv S7 netbook/UMD.
The iPad is made out of aluminum and glass. While these materials are highly recyclable and the iPad is "green", both materials make up for the weight of the device. This, I feel is a positive thing since the iPad will feel much more solid than the Viliv S7 which is primarily plastic. The solid feel of 0.86kg in your hands will actually feel quite substantial without fatiguing your wrists since I remember using an OQO 02 which was at least 2.5lbs in my hands with the extended battery. Anyone using an iPad will definitely feel that it's a good balance of weight.
Interior:
The iPad has an A4 ARM based processor clocked at about 1Ghz. The A4 is actually a combination processor which not only provides core processing but also graphics processing as well as a memory controller. In plain english, that means that it's essentially 3 processors in one. This does not necessarily make it faster or slower than the 2 machines that I'm comparing it to. You'll see this in my section on speed and performance. One thing you'll notice immediately is the inclusion of only 2 ports: the 3.5mm headphone jack and the 30 pin connector slot. If you're planning on charging anything via USB or connecting anything via USB to the iPad, you are SOL. The iPad is a mobile device and is not meant to do that. Only the Viliv S7 that I mentioned has 2 USB ports on it. The iPad also comes with WiFi 802.11N as well as HSDPA if you spring for the 3G model. This means that you'll be shelling out USD$130 extra just for the 3G hardware. Most devices are WiFi now but not that many mobile devices are 3G unless they are smartphones. The iPad also comes with a large 1024x768 pixel IPS multitouch display. Jeez, Apple really turned on the marketing for these specs. Basically, the screen is a standard LCD display with LED backlighting just like all the current laptops. IPS stands for In-Plane Switching which is fancy talk for a double transistors per each pixel. While this method costs a little more than standard TFT LCDs that you find in most pre 2009 screens, it gives wider viewing angles and overall less battery consumption (but not enough to really matter). The resolution is what is called standard XGA resolution which is not even a wide screen format with a 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio. This means that when you're watching wide screen movies, you won't be able to see FULLHD content the way it's meant to be seen and you'll see two black bars enveloping the movie. Is this a bad thing? Nope, not at all because both the Archos 5 and Viliv S7 sport lower resolution screens that are standard TFT LCDs. You get a much better bang for your buck with the iPad. Now compared with full laptop screens, you'll find that the resolution is considerably less but it's a mobile device. You don't need the extra screen real estate.
Speed:
So here's the thing about speed: with a mobile device, the amount of time it takes for you to take out the device and boot to usable condition is the only thing that matters. It doesn't matter if you're taking notes, in a meeting, checking your schedule, checking your e-mail, replying to e-mail, or making a business deal. Time is money and that's what we're looking at here. The Archos 5 uses an 800Mhz ARM A8 Cortex processor which is not by any means slow. It's actually quite fast and allows for excellent processing capabilities. The Viliv S7 uses an Intel Atom 1.33Mhz Z520 processor which is faster than the base clock speed of the iPad. What you're not seeing here is overall speed. It's great to see the clock speeds but what does it mean in real life? Well, I'm about to reveal to you the secret of the tech industry. The fastest device to usability wins in hardware but may not always win in the marketplace since there are so many products. The definitive winner here is the iPad. I'll explain why. The Archos 5 is an Android device which has instant boot as well as a fast processor. It does however have a graphics part on the chip it uses so it can really do some great speed when comparing it to the iPad. In fact, it should be almost the same speed. The iPad beats it in pure clock speed though so that's why the iPad will be faster to process a spreadsheet, calendar, or e-mail. The Viliv S7 is a full Windows 7 device which means long normal boot times of over 2 minutes. By the time you get it ready to take a note, you'll already have missed it. Even if you're coming out of sleep mode, that still means a 25-45 second wait for the unit to warm up. While overall processing speed is stronger, you'll end up not being able to use it since there is no instant boot.
Battery:
Battery life has always been a concern for mobile device users. This has been true since the first laptop was invented. Normally to get somewhat realistic battery life estimates, we take the listed battery life and multiply it by 75%. In this case, we get about 7.5 hours for the iPad, 5.5 hours for the Archos 5, and about 7 hours for the Viliv S70. Considering that netbooks and anything Windows 7, Windows XP, Ubuntu, or even Mac OSX based take boot time, the battery life for those devices get hammered pretty badly.
Overall, it still seems like the iPad makes much more sense for the average consumer since they can get through an entire 8 hour work day with it. While it would need to be charged every night especially with WiFi use, it’s not such a big deal. If you’re comparing it to a device such as the Kindle, while you do get substantially less battery life with an iPad, it’s overall less bulk to carry with you on a daily basis. Alton Brown on the Food Network taught me that unitaskers are normally the first things you get rid of in your kitchen and the same applies to tech in your life. The multitaskers will always be more effective in your life than a unitasker.
Screen:
This section will be short. The screen of the iPad is definitely good bang for your buck compared to the prices of the Archos 5 and Viliv S7. Not only are you getting an IPS screen which has double the capacitor count of a normal LCD, you also get a large high resolution multitouch screen which isn’t on the other units. The multitouch screen is a double edged sword. On one end, it’s a quick input device without the need for extra hardware, on the other end, it can be a pain to type on if you need tactile feedback. As any typist knows: you NEED tactile feedback to know that you’ve typed the key. This is something that Apple doesn’t seem to be very keen on. I know for a fact that for touch typists, they can make do with haptic feedback on the multitouch keyboard. This means that the device would vibrate a little every time you tap a key to let you know that you typed it. Apple may want to follow suit since not everyone will buy a bulky keyboard dock to carry around with them. I personally use a Bluetooth keyboard on my iPhone 3GS so it’s a breeze to touch type virtually anywhere. In any case, the large multitouch screen is a good selling point and is worth the money. You’ll get more done in less time with the screen. Regarding movie playback, the screen is just adequate for watching movies and content but I feel that when compared to similar sized objects, it’s about as good as you’ll get right now for the price you’re paying for an iPad.
Connections:
Sammy asked me “what connections?” when I asked her about the connections on the iPad. Apple has made the damn thing so close to an iPod Touch that there are very few connectors. Honestly, not having USB on a product this size is a weakness because I could potentially charge or connect an iPhone, iPod, digital camera, digital camcorder, or thumbdrive to the iPad. Yes, Apple made card reader adapters for the iPad but we don’t know how well they will work yet or how the implementation will be done. I would have liked a replacement for my Macbook Air in the iPad but it may never get there. We may have a new multitouchscreen Macbook Air before the iPad replaces it. While this was a smart move on Apple’s part to not cannibalize the Macbook Air market, I think overall it will haunt them for the next 2-3 years.
Software:
One of the most important parts of the iPad is the software. Yes, iPhone OS is pretty stable now and yes, all the apps for iPhone OS are great. The iPad software is a derivation of the iPhone OS. It’s simple, it’s easy, and with some jailbreaking, it will be more powerful. Why not use a full OS such as OSX or Windows? It comes down to battery life, speed, and usability. The iPad OS is made for mobile use already. It’s also not too taxing on the hardware which is important because you want your applications to tax the power of the iPad, not the main system. Could it use a little bit more spit and polish? I would say yes. Put support for USB, a webcam, and a file system and you’ve got yourself a very powerful tablet that could beat out EVERY netbook and MID on the market today. Does it matter that it’s not full laptop software? I would say not really because the purpose of the iPad is a mobile system to do things quickly. Core tasks in your day are mostly taken care of with the iPad and while you have tons of people bashing the OS on the iPad, I have to say it’s a better choice than a full laptop OS.
Conclusion:
To conclude my little preview of the Apple iPad, I have to say that it will be a great mobile device that will be out in 30-60 days. I think it has potential to be so much more in the coming years. I think that instead of waiting, people should use the technology that will be available this year. It’s never too late to live life richer, faster, better, and greener. Is it the tablet that will be the end all of end alls? Nope, but I think people that end up with one will be very happy with the performance and the next models will build upon this year’s success. I’ll update this preview later with a review when I get my unit. I may be even more surprised with added functionality but if it doesn’t turn out well, you’ll also be hearing from me.