Techo-Nirvana Has Arrived: Introducing the Apple iPad, Part II
It's more a toy than a serious computer... but who cares?
In Your Humble Writer's opinion, Steve Jobs and his buddies deserve every cent of the billions they're going to make off the Apple iPad. I think I can speak for just about anyone who's either bought or played with one when I say that the iPad is, in fact, a breakthrough in computing.
That said, not everyone's happy with the iPad. Among the ubergeeks, the negative arguments seem to boil down to "it's too easy to use." Heaven forbid a computer should be user friendly!
Structurally, the only things that people seem to complain about are (a) the fact that the screen gets smudged with fingerprints (the bane of any touch-screen computer), and (b) the back is slightly convex, so it won't lie flat on a surface. Both problems are easily fixed with inexpensive accessories.
Plus, since the product is still new, the volume of software applications is somewhat limited; the same is true of the available iBook titles.
Many reviewers also have pointed out that you can't get much work done on an iPad. That distinguishes it from your standard tablet computer, certainly; but then, the iPad isn't really a tablet computer. It's a generalized entertainment platform that can also function as a computer if you need it to.
Still, let's look a bit more closely at those claims that it can't be used for productivity work. The fact is, it can. As one user points out, "Viewing my photos is amazing," and it's a fact that professional photographers are already using it as a portable digital portfolio.
As for that virtual keyboard, it's easy to get used to, and you can be typing incredibly fast in just a few minutes. Couple that with word processing and email software, and you've got productivity well in hand.
And let's not forget the e-reader functions. Let's say you're an editor and need to familiarize with a manuscript, or there's a scientific paper you want to review. Just download it to the iPad and off you go, without having to worry about dealing with a paper copy.
It's a sure bet that folks smarter than me will discover new and exciting ways to be productive with the iPad.
As one user told us, "I expected to love the iPad, but I'm actually shocked how at often we're saying 'Oh my Gosh!' and 'Wow!' This is so much better than I imagined."
We couldn't agree more. May you live long and prosper, Steve Jobs, and thank you for the Apple iPad.
And in case you missed it, here's Part I of our two-part series on the Apple iPad.