After a year of patience and a failed launch-day trek to the Apple Store on March 2, I’m finally the owner of a new Apple iPad 2.
The iPad is Apple’s flagship “post PC era” device, but I’m not sure we’re ready to ditch our laptop shackles just yet. The magical aura surrounding my unboxing of the product was cut short when I pressed the power button for the very first time. As the screen began to glow for the very first time, I was quickly met with the “must connect to iTunes” screen- no cosmic intro video or helpful setup assistant here. This might one day become a post-PC device, but not without a digital tether to the machines of today. I hope that future versions of iOS will allow some onboard functionality without the need to first connect to iTunes.
Once the iPad synced all my stuff- photos, podcasts and apps, it was time to see if this tablet could really fit in my digital life, or if it would live as the evil middle child between my Macbook and iPhone.
If there’s one thing about the post-PC era the iPad demonstrates it’s that technical specs don’t really matter. The screen is bright, construction rigid, camera FaceTimeable- and overall the experience is speedy with great graphics performance. I don’t know the exact performance rating of the A5 dual-core chip powering my iPad, but if I did, it wouldn’t affect the overall experience. As more devices like the iPad come into our lives, I can see consumers relying far less on the hard-sell tactics of hardware specs instead concentrating on usability and overall value.
The iPad’s true potential lies in the wealth of applications available through Apple’s App Store. I downloaded my staples- Dropbox, Twitter, Weather, Amazon and Kindle. I was shocked how the iPad channeled my inner gamer with SimCity HD, Plants vs. Zombies, Words with Friends and Angry Birds Rio. The iPhone’s smaller real estate was never enough for gaming but the iPad is the Goldilocks “just right” size for handling and viewing. The new titles make perfect use of multitouch and old friends like SimCity that began as a PC favorite have been slickly translated for a touch experience.
Apple’s iBooks and the Kindle app are great additions. I spent the weekend reading Tina Fey’s BossyPants from iBooks and the experience was great. Unlike a paper book, I was able to set the font size, style and brightness perfectly. Highlighting and notes were great for memorable quotes. And a subtle trail at the bottom of the page let me know how long before the end of chapter and book, disappearing when not used. It’s amazing that each iPad can house thousands of ebooks, easily fitting an entire library inside the iBooks application. For minimalists and frequent movers, this should cut down on the volume of physical books we have in our lives. Of course, nothing iBooks offers can replace that old book smell or signed copy from your favorite author.
After a month of use, my iPad is chipping away at the time I’d spend on my laptop. I prefer my iPad for light browsing, socializing and media consumption- roughly 80% of the tasks I used my home computer for. With iOS 5 on the horizon, I hope Apple begins to untether iPad from the traditional PC. To be a truly next generation device, the iPad needs to stand strongly on its own and be ready to hit the ground running out of the box.
Alan Dodaro is the Business Development and Marketing Coordinator, working out of the Chicago office.
