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Hands-On Impressions of Apple's New iPad

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Apr 12, 2001
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Engadget and Gizmodo have both posted early hands-on impressions of Apple's new iPad tablet, having had the chance to play with the device after today's media event in San Francisco.

Both reviews rave about the iPad's speed, calling it "blazingly fast" with no lagging at any point. Responsiveness of the system and applications, as well as loading of web pages, is seen as excellent by those who have handled the device. The 1024 x 768 screen is also well-regarded in both reviews, described as "stunning" with the ability to show small text "crisply".

Reports on the feel of the device are mixed, however, with Engadget calling it "not light" and "pretty weighty" and Gizmodo calling it "substantial but surprisingly light". Notable drawbacks experienced in the few minutes of testing include the lack of Flash, multitasking, and camera. Also noted is the lack of "razor sharp" graphics for scaled up iPhone applications, although it seems to be a decent solution to allow Apple to offer immediate full-screen compatibility for existing iPhone applications.

iLounge is in the early stages of putting together an extensive "first look" feature, but has already shared pricing for a number of accessories, including the basic dock ($29), keyboard dock ($69), and case/stand ($39). They also note that while the iPad was fast, there was a bit of bugginess in their time with the device.

From a gaming perspective, Joystiq similarly notes that the iPhone games "are scaled up and look like it", although the iPad does seem to allow for greater accelerometer sensitivity for iPhone games and also allows less of the screen to be obscured by the user's thumbs while gaming. Of particular note, Apple is planning to feature iPad games in a separate section of the App Store, leading to questions about whether users with both an iPad and iPhone/iPod touch will have to purchase two separate applications or whether developers will be able to find a way to "bundle" versions together for the two device sizes. In the absence of such a program, Joystiq wonders whether iPad users will opt to spend the money for the dedicated apps when their iPhone apps will be playable on the device.
Rating (1 Positives; 0 Negatives)



Article Link: Hands-On Impressions of Apple's New iPad
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2010/01/27/hands-on-impressions-of-apples-new-ipad/
Credit card at the ready.

As always, reality is a letdown after extreme baseless hype & hope.
Giant iPod Touch with 3G support - not more, but that's still a win to me.
 
When you rotate the iPad it appears to rotate the display with about the same reaction time as an iPhone. I wonder if that's as fast as the accelerometer works or if the software purposely introduces a delay so it won't rotate the display when you've made only a momentary turn.
 
Lack of multitasking is a real pain. Hopefully this will get fixed in a software update soon. Lack of a camera is worse, and will likely make me hold off. Maybe..... I really want something that I can use without wanting to pull out my laptop - if I'm on skype, I want a camera. Which will make me want to drag my laptop out, which defeats the purpose of having this product in my mind at the moment. Maybe a docking peripheral?? But not really adequate.
 
:p does it use the Pixel Qi screen?

Something I've been hoping for, despite my disappointment with today's event. I certainly enjoy their innovation.
 
No flash and front facing camera is a let down. I could see some video meetings going on with a front facing camera. It seems large enough to add one considering they have one in the iPhone. I guess they can't give us everything now.
 
This might be a stupid question but what is the button above the volume control where vibrate on/off would be on an iphone?
 
Game-changer. Period. End of story.

Developers will cream themselves over this. Apps will be much more powerful, intuitive, and capable.

It's missing a couple of things. Like every hit Apple product. Butt that's not what sells it. It's the overall experience.

We're looking at the future here. It's getting rave reviews from the industry. And the price is right, and not only that, these will be even cheaper in due course, a la iPhone.

Tablet-makers, start your photocopiers. Apple just hit another one out of the park.
 
looks good

When i first opened macrumors today, I was kind of horrified at what i saw. This thing at first look is very unimpressive...looks like a blown up ipod touch.
didnt like it at all.

I wanted a full Snow Leopard tablet. With a screen that wasnt surrounded by a bezel the size of a small child. :p

But the more UI i watch, the more im impressed at what they did with the mobile OS. Its very intuitive, the multi-touch is amazing on such a large screened device.

whether i'll buy one...i dont know. might depend on Canadian pricing with Rogers, as well as a hands on experience at one of the local Apple stores.
 
I was looking forward to this, but am so disappointed - no camera, and no thrills you do not get from an iPhone. This will NOT make it!
 
MacRumors said:
. Of particular note, Apple is planning to feature iPad games in a separate section of the App Store, leading to questions about whether users with both an iPad and iPhone/iPod touch will have to purchase two separate applications or whether developers will be able to find a way to "bundle" versions together for the two device sizes. In the absence of such a program, Joystiq wonders whether iPad users will opt to spend the money for the dedicated apps when their iPhone apps will be playable on the device.
Click to expand...

From Apple's SDK Page: "Developers can now start planning for universal applications, allowing them to take full advantage of the technologies found on iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch with a single binary."
 
thaprofessor33 said:
No flash and front facing camera is a let down. I could see some video meetings going on with a front facing camera. It seems large enough to add one considering they have one in the iPhone. I guess they can't give us everything now.
Click to expand...

I see what apple is up to now. No front camera in next generation iPhone.
Disappointing really.
 
jbuck777 said:
When i first opened macrumors today, I was kind of horrified at what i saw. This thing at first look is very unimpressive...looks like a blown up ipod touch.
didnt like it at all.

I wanted a full Snow Leopard tablet. With a screen that wasnt surrounded by a bezel the size of a small child. :p

But the more UI i watch, the more im impressed at what they did with the mobile OS. Its very intuitive, the multi-touch is amazing on such a large screened device.

whether i'll buy one...i dont know. might depend on Canadian pricing with Rogers, as well as a hands on experience at one of the local Apple stores.
Click to expand...

I felt the same way. But Apple gets you on the *total* experience. How everything is brought together.

It's genius. Apple took the iPod Touch paradigm and expanded it to encompass a total computing experience (minus only a couple of things.)

Genius.
 
i wonder if the chip is called A4 because it works on a 4:3 device the size of an A4 sheet of paper ?
Maybe they should have called the iPad the iFoolscap :p
 
I can't wait. It's not AS impressive as what I would like, but still very nice and shiny :D 64GB, 3G here i come!

RQPS said:
This might be a stupid question but what is the button above the volume control where vibrate on/off would be on an iphone?
Click to expand...

It is a mute button to quickly silence any audio.
 
Disappointing. This is a mega-iPod touch without the camera. Apple's eBook reader. There's certainly nothing revolutionary about making an iPod touch with a bigger screen.
 
What is a microSIM? is it just a sim card or something different? is it the same as the ones we use in the uk?
 
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