The Apple iPad is something of a misfit. Like an iPod touch with a glandular problem, a complicated pricing scheme, and a name that will fuel weeks of late-night comedy monologues, the iPad may have a rough road ahead of it. Fortunately, we're fond of misfits. More importantly, we're fans of disruptive technology -- and for all the snickering, jaded, eye-rolling comments the iPad will get, it is going to change the way we think about mobile technology beyond the smart phone.
The iPad is expected to be available in the UK in June or July. It will come in three capacities, all with Wi-Fi as standard. Specific UK pricing hasn't been announced, but, in the US, the 16GB version will cost $499 (£310), the 32GB will cost $599 (£370), and the 64GB will be priced at $699 (£430). Adding 3G to the package will set you back another $130 (£80). That means the most expensive iPad will set you back $829 (£510).
Apple has announced a new kind of data plan in the US for the iPad. Americans will pay $15 (£9) a month for 250MB of data or $30 (£19) for unlimited data, pre-paid with no contract. We'll have to wait and see what the UK networks come up with to tempt us when the iPad comes our way.
Super-sized iPod touch?
The iPad measures 190 by 243 by 13mm, and weighs 680g. Held in your hands, its dimensions and heft give it a natural, magazine-like feel.
The display is a glass-covered, grease-resistant, LED-backlit, 246mm (9.7-inch) capacitive touchscreen that uses IPS (in-plane switching) technology for above-average viewing angles. The maximum screen resolution is 1,024x768 pixels, so 720p videos can play at a crisp, native resolution. Video output is possible using a dock adaptor, but HDMI isn't supported and the output resolution is limited to 480p. Below the screen is a home button that looks and behaves exactly like the button found on the iPhone and iPod touch.
Matte aluminium wraps around the back and sides of the iPad, tapering slightly around the edges. If you've ever held one of the latest unibody MacBooks, you'll know exactly the kind of feel and finish that the iPad's aluminium has. Unlike the polished chrome of the iPod or glossy plastic of the iPhone, the back of the iPad seems less likely to show fingerprints and wear. Like any Apple product, though, expect to see a boatload of cases and screen protectors for the iPad by the time it launches in the UK in the summer.
The buttons, switches and ports around the edges of the iPad will be familiar to any iPhone owner. A 30-pin dock connector sits on the bottom, along with a small integrated speaker. A volume rocker button and mute switch sit on the right side, and a screen lock, headphone jack and pinhole microphone sit up top.
Under the hood, there's a 1GHz A4 processor of Apple's own making, along with 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 and a compass. Battery life is rated at 10 hours.
Features galore
Where to start with the features? First off, let's be clear that the iPad is running a version of the iPhone OS (version 3.2 on the model we handled), and not a version of Apple's full-blown Mac OS. Aside from a few new features, such as the iBook Store, and a handful of interface tweaks to take advantage of the larger screen, the iPad operates very much like a scaled-up version of the iPod touch.
Apps that have been around since the iPhone's birth, such as email, photos, notes, an iPod, calendar, contacts, maps, YouTube and the Safari Web browser, are all installed on the iPad. Each of these apps, however, has undergone a makeover to suit the iPad's larger screen size. For instance, apps such as contacts and calendar now offer a split-pane view, allowing more content to spill out onto the screen. The iPod app now looks and behaves like a pared-down version of iTunes, complete with multiple library views, and the capability to create both standard and Genius playlists.
The most impressive app makeover by far, though, concerns Apple's photo app. Instead of a static list of photo albums, the iPad's photo app displays collections as miniature stacks of images that you can unfold, browse and manipulate with a stunning fluidity. Unlike on the iPhone or iPod touch, the photo app is also used to power a photo montage that will kick in when the iPad is docked in a charging station, essentially behaving like a digital photo frame. Two dock accessories were shown off at the iPad launch event that allow you to directly import images to the iPad via an SD card or direct USB transfer. Contrary to our predictions, the iPad does not include an integrated camera, such as the one found on the iPhone 3GS or iPod nano.
There's a store for that
Storefronts for the App Store and iTunes Store are included on the iPad, along with a new iBook Store for ebooks. Existing iPhone and iPod touch users will be glad to know that the iPad is compatible with the majority of existing apps. Because these apps are designed for the smaller screen of the iPod or iPhone, you'll have the choice of scaling them to fit the iPad (causing some pixellation) or displaying them at their original size, surrounded by a black border. Developers are already hard at work creating new apps that are optimised for the iPad's larger, higher-resolution screen.
Media fanatics have all the iTunes download options afforded to them by the iPhone and iPod touch, including music, podcasts, TV shows, movies, iTunes U and audiobooks. We had some hope that Apple's iTunes LP format would be compatible with the iPad, but that doesn't seem to be the case, although compatibility may still be forthcoming.
And then there are books. With the growing popularity of ebook readers, such as the Kindle, it makes sense that Apple would stake its claim in the portable-reader market, too. The iPad doesn't offer the paper-like E-Ink technology of its competitors, but it does include an attractive, iTunes-style storefront for ebooks and an intuitive touchscreen interface for manipulating virtual pages. At launch, Apple was mum with details surrounding the pricing and selection of its iBook Store, but it's a safe bet that the king of digital music and video sales will not tread lightly into the realm of digital books.
iWork
The iPad marks the first time Apple has released mobile versions of its iWork suite of productivity applications, including Numbers, Keynote and Pages. Each app will be sold separately for $10 (£6) each, and will be compatible with the desktop version of the Mac application suite.
For the most part, Apple is pitching the iPad as a casual computer for the living-room couch, so the iWork angle seems like an odd fit in an otherwise fun-focused device. The portability of the iPad may make it popular with the business-presentation crowd, though.
What's not working
Aside from the cringe-worthy name, the iPad has more than a few hurdles to overcome. Price is a tricky issue. Viewed as a streamlined laptop, the iPad's US base price is certainly attractive. That said, the new iPod touch provides many of the same features in a form that is infinitely more portable. The availability of 3G models for an extra outlay, plus monthly data charges in the US, gives the product another dimension, but also doubles the number of prices and configurations for consumers to consider.
Size is a problem. As laptop-toting tech journalists, we've become accustomed to slinging our computer around in a messenger bag, but, for many people, it either needs to fit in a pocket or sit on a desk. Personally, we see the iPad as more of a living-room computer than a computer we need to worry about taking out and about, but, as a new kind of product, people will have different ideas on just how and where the iPad fits in. For some, the in-between size of the iPad will be a deal-breaker.
Outlook
The real test of whether the iPad will succeed or fail hinges on the product's capability to bridge the gap between your smart phone and home computer. In fact, for the iPad to get any traction, it needs to first prove that there is a gap between your mobile phone and home computer. For savvy smart-phone users already juggling multiple computers, it's tough to justify an extra computer in your life -- no matter the shape, size or price.
Really, it's the casual computer user that will see the biggest benefit from the iPad -- the kind of person who doesn't own an iPhone or a laptop and would be happy to browse newspaper stories over morning coffee, if it didn't mean sitting at a computer desk. If you love showing off your digital photos but detest using your home computer to organise and display them, the iPad and its photo-import functionality and large display may be just the ticket.
Gamers may want to get in on the action, too. After two years on the market, Apple confidently declared its iPod touch a gaming device last September, with the advent of the company's third-generation model. Once game developers sink their teeth into the larger screen and faster processor of the iPad, there's a good chance it may become an even better platform for the app-style games that have become so popular on the iPhone and iPod touch.
Additional editing by Charles Kloet