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Weekend Open Forum: Is the iPad for You?
If anything, the iPad announcement has opened the door to discuss once again the future of personal computing and whether the Tablet form factor will finally reach the masses. Sitting between the iPhone and a full-fledged laptop according to Apple, from the looks of it and the software environment it is based on, the iPad is a giant iPod Touch/iPhone with some enhanced functionality that take advantage of the larger screen and added processing power.
Apple wants to challenge the netbook which in spite of its obvious shortcomings -- many of which have continuously been addressed -- has been selling incredibly well and remains a trend of innovation and growth in the PC market.
Fueled by the popularity and success of the iPhone, the iPad doesn't reinvent the wheel like the smartphone did a few years ago, but it builds upon its strengths while inheriting some of its biggest flaws like the lack of multi-tasking and the closed environment that seemed more forgivable on a cell phone than it could ever be on a real computer.
However, given Apple’s impressive track of success, I wouldn’t dare to call off the iPad this early in the game. The company has showed an amazing ability at marrying the proper software with its own hardware, a feat almost impossible to duplicate in the PC world. The iPad pricing ($499-$829) caught more than one by surprise, but that’s not to say it’s cheap. In comparison, a last-gen netbook like the HP Mini 311 that sells for $400 carries an 11.6-inch display, Atom/Ion combo, 160GB HDD, USB/HDMI connectivity and will run any kind of Windows software you throw at it.
Ultimately it’s you, the early adopters and consumers, who decide to pay or not for such a device and what use you make of it.
Is the iPad for you, why or why not? Discuss.
User Comments: 81
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Summary for Ipad: It's suck.
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The ipad looks good. but i won't buy it, because i have a macbook..
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there is a headphone jack. I agree that apple gadgets are overpriced but ... please.
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Here are some reviews of ipad:
Safari on the iPad seems fairly similar to the mobile version for the iPhone. What's great though, is with the added surface area, pull-down menus no longer hide the content, as they do on the iPhone's 3.5-inch screen. The tool bar takes up less overall "visual" space too. Typing on the large virtual keyboard is effortless in both landscape and portrait modes; given the large screen, there's plenty of room between keys. One major bummer: Like the iPhone version, this iteration of Safari doesn't support Flash, so there'll be no Hulu-watching-at least not for now.
The iPod is also a fantastic upgrade from the iPhone or iPod touch. Playlists, Genius Mixes, and Videos all appear in a left-hand margin just as they do in iTunes, with a window in the middle displaying the content. Whether you're watching video or just viewing album art, the screen is sharp, bright, and the accelerometer is extremely responsive. Video playback is offered in "full HD," but it doesn't fill the entire screen in this mode. You can tap on the screen, and the video will fill the entire display, but you leave full HD mode.
While the first incarnation of Apple's iPad is truly impressive, its best features are yet to come. We have no idea what future iPad apps are in store for us, but just about the entire print industry is banking on this device to be its second chance in the digital world. And game developers seem to be salivating at the screen's size and full multi-touch surface. What we have already, however, is pretty darn good. We'll put the iPad through its paces in our lab when it is released in late March. Check back for a full review.
audio of ipad is not really satisfied,video quality is good...
ipad video conversion is mixed up,find solution here:
http://softseeking.com/prodail.aspx?proid=82
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you are right. but I want one, lol!, but will wait till the price goes down, well too expensive at the moment...
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you are right. but I want one, lol!, but will wait till the price goes down, well too expensive at the moment...Given that this is an Apple product, what is the likely hood of that...? And please don't point to the iPhone, as that was already priced twice what it was worth when it was released.
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