So... I've had the iPad for one day now since Tom gave it to me as part of the 1-week user experiments he will be conducting over the coming weeks. Hopefully through these experiments we will be able to find legitimate business uses for the iPad instead of using it as a glorified mousepad (which only works somewhat using the silicone cover).
Disclaimer: Any typos on this blog post is purely the result of typing on the iPad's digital keyboard and is not a reflection of my typing ability or my ability to spell.
Overall, my first impression with the iPad has been unimpressive. There definite are good features to the device, which I'll describe below.
- The stuff on the screen is rendered beautifully. 100 points for presentation.
- The battery life seems to be decent. At least it should last for a day under heavy use, because from wheat I've seen the iPad can run for even longer than the iPhone on a full charge.
- I've started playing with Numbers, and my initial thought is that the spreadsheet program for a mobile device is pretty powerful. However, the real determination of how useful it is will be dependent on whether the iPad can become a laptop replacement for some people.
- The ebook reader is really sweet, and the backlight isn't so bright that it hurts your eyes when you're reading. My wife is in love with this feature and is infinitely glad she didn't buy a Nook when that device first became available last Christmas.
Most everything that was sweet on the iPhone is sweeter on the iPad like Mail, Calendar and Contacts. But still...
I wish Safari for the iPad was a full-blown web browser with support for ActiveX controls, Flash and other rich-media technologies.
I wish Safari for the iPad had scroll bars for editing text in text areas.
I wish the iPad could sync with the iPhone to share pictures and notes.
I wish Calendar could be used to check room and invitee availability when scheduling meetings.
I wish Apple would release a scratch-protection cover for the iPad so that I'm not so paranoid about scratching the glossy touchscreen.
I wish there was an easily accessible file system browser like Finder.
I wish there was a Caps Lock key on the digital keypad.
I wish there was an apostrophe key on the same screen as the rest of the QWERTY keys.
I wish there were Chinese (Traditional) input options on the iPad like the ones they already have for the iPhone.
I wish I could write some kind of code for the iPad, using the iPad.
I wish I didn't feel like Bart Simpson in repeating these "I wish" phrases.
