| 25 July 2010
Even though I initially had a hard time swallowing its price tag, I bought an iPad a few weeks ago. I bought the cheapest version (16gb WiFi-only, $500) for two reasons: I don't plan on storing large amounts of video and music on it, and since I have an iPhone there's no way I'm paying for a 3G plan twice. For the first week I struggled to find a place for it in my gadget library - when would I use this iPad and not my iPhone or computer? - but once I finally worked out the iPad's strengths (and weaknesses), it's become an essential part of my day. Here are five reasons you should want the iPad, and five reasons why you might want to pass on it.
The Good:
1. Netflixing. Sure, you can watch Netflix on your laptop (and soon on your iPhone), but there's nothing quite like watching it on the iPad's nearly-10-inch screen. Being able to prop it up in bed without a bulky laptop keyboard around or squinting to see everything on the iPhone is quite an experience. And the app itself is basically the same as using netflix.com, as opposed to the PS3/Xbox 360/Wii neutered versions.
2. Comics and eBooks. Meet Stanza, your new best friend. This free app allows you to download free (pre-1924, uncopyrighted) eBooks directly within the app, but also add eBooks you find on the internet. In other words, if you know how to find free eBooks on the internet (and if you were able to find this well-hidden website, then you are definitely internet-savvy, my friend), you can add them to your Stanza library easily. Stanza will also let you organize and add cover art to all of your books, creating an impressive and beautiful eBook library. I've already read three books during my daily commute to work these past two weeks, which is more than I read in the six months before that. Plus, you can add comic book files to Stanza (cbr, cbz, pdf, etc), although the $8 ComicZeal v4 does a much better job with comics. Granted, you can get both of these apps on the iPhone, and I've personally been using ComicZeal for years, but it's a whole different experience on an iPad. Reading a whole comic book page at once is so close to the real thing that it's exhilarating - especially considering that I can store hundreds of comics and eBooks on my iPad at any given time.
3. Browsing intimacy. It may sound silly, but as long as I don't have to do any huge amounts of typing, I'd rather browse the internet on my iPad than on any other medium. Physically touching each link forces an intimacy with each website that I hadn't even experienced; and its large screen puts the iPhone's full-brower to shame. It's hard to explain, but it's really fun. Other apps like Twitterific (free) and my RSS reader app Reeder ($5) are now also my preferred methods of reading, because of the intimacy factor.
4. Jailbreaking. Jailbreaking is way easier on an iPad than an iPhone. All you need is a version of iTunes that's older than 9.2 and iOS 3.2. Only two apps interest me - SNES and NES emulators - and both cost around $5 each. What makes this process totally worth it is that they both connect to the Nintendo Wiimote through bluetooth - in other words, you can play any NES and SNES game on your iPad using a Wiimote for about $10. If you're like me, you hate using touchscreen control pads, and using a Wiimote is an easy and awesome fix. Plus, the iPad's processing power results in smooth, lag-free gameplay.
5. Battery life. I've accustomed myself to the iPhone's nightly-charging ritual, so when I realized that I only have to charge my iPad every couple of days, I was ecstatic. It's a great feeling knowing that you can take your iPad around all day and not have to worry about battery life at all.
The Bad:
1. Wi-Fi issues. My iPad drops the Wi-Fi signal every time that I lock the screen, and most of the time it forget's my Wi-Fi network's password, too. Basically, I've left my Wi-Fi in a permanent clipboard/copy state, so that I can paste it in about 10 times each day. This effectively renders my copy/paste mechanic useless, which is really annoying. The latest iOS update (3.2.1) is supposed to address this issue, but I can't update lest I lose my jailbreak.
2. Smudge city. This thing attracts more smudges than Pamela Anderson. I bought a protective screen which greatly reduces the finger factor, but it's still pretty bad. Basically, you have to either hide it from the sun or have a microfiber cloth on hand at all times.
3. Paying twice for apps. I hate that so many apps have an "HD" version and then charge as much as 5x more for the iPad app than the iPhone app. Can a higher resolution really be that much more costly for developers? Many have created apps that work on both the iPad and the iPhone, which is great, and I wish everyone did that. As it stands right now, the iPad App Store is a bit of a rip off.
4. Sparse icons. I don't know why Apple decided to simply make a larger, sparser version of the iPhone's layout for the iPad - I don't exactly know how they could make it better, but I know that it can be done. The icons are simply too small and it makes the whole app navigating experience feel underutilized. I would like to have an iPad exclusive homescreen layout.
5. Lack of decent iPad apps in the App Store. Maybe I'm spoiled by the thousands of iPhone apps out there, but the iPad App Store, by comparison, is pretty underwhelming. This will probably change in time, but for now it sucks.
The Ugly:
Other people's assumptions. When I tell people that I have an iPad, it's automatically assumed that I'm some elitist Apple fanboy. I do like Apple, but I didn't buy an iPad out of blind faith - I bought it because I was sick of squinting at my iPhone and I have a 4+ hour daily public transit commute to work. And besides the new Amazon Kindle costs almost $400, with only a fraction of the features that an iPad has - yet no one assumes that Kindle owners are Amazon fanboys. Sure, the next generation of the iPad will probably be way better than the one I have now - just look at how much the iPhone has improved - but this iPad version is working out just fine, regardless of the fact that I'm an early adopter.
Correction: apparently the new Kindle is only $189. I swear to bejeezus it was $400 when I wrote this article.
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