Thoughts on the Apple iPad

Thoughts on the Apple iPad

1. It's good that it runs iPhone apps. Sounds like I can just transfer 'em right over to the iPad. Nice!

2. It's weird that it doesn't have a camera. Many of my favorite apps — The Best Camera, Le Petit Dummy, several "augmented reality" apps, and especially Evernote — make clever use of the iPhone's camera. The lack of a camera means you can't make full use of these apps — or have a Skype video chat — on the iPad.

3. It may not be a good traveling companion for me. A part of me had hoped the iPad would let leave my laptop home when traveling. But when I travel, in addition to blogging, reading, listening to music, and surfing the web, I like taking and sharing photos with folks back home. But since the iPad has no card reader or USB ports, there's no way to move photos from my digital camera to the device. 

Update: Engadget is reporting that Apple will sell an optional kit allowing a card reader or digital camera to be connected to the device. Maybe I can leave that laptop home, after all. 

4. I'm not sure what this means for the Kindle. Apple says the iPad will run "most iPhone apps." Will the Kindle app be one of them? If so, it's possible that I could sell my Kindle and access my Kindle books solely through the iPad. Even then, I'd be stuck reading Kindle books through the Kindle app, and iPhone books through the iBook app. Messy!

5. I like the keyboard dock. They really should have made one of these for the iPhone. 

6. I'll believe the battery claims when I see 'em. Jobs claims a month "on standby" and ten hours of active video playback. My first thought: heavy 3G or GPS use can drain my iPhone battery in thirty to forty-five minutes. Will the iPad fare better? 

7. No 4G? I live in one of the very few cities in the US with 4G coverage … and I still don't have a device that lets me make use of 4G's faster speeds. (And with no USB port, there's no way to hook an external 4G modem up to the iPad — until Verizon makes a 4G MeFi card, of course.)

8. How hot will it get? My iPhone gets hot as a fireball when using 3G or GPS features for an extended period of time. If the iPad behaves the same way, it better come packaged with a lap-pad!

9. Do I even need an iPhone now? My iPhone is great for apps, but, as a phone, it sucks (mostly because of the expensive, unreliable AT&T service). If I have the iPad for running apps, maybe I could drop my iPhone for a much cheaper, much better basic phone (and cheaper, more reliable service from someone other than AT&T).

10. Predictions that this would be a "big iPhone" were wrong. With no support for Flash or multi-tasking, it's really just a big iPod Touch.

1. It's good that it runs iPhone apps. Sounds like I can just transfer 'em right over to the iPad. Nice!

2. It's weird that it doesn't have a camera. Many of my favorite apps — The Best Camera, Le Petit Dummy, several "augmented reality" apps, and especially Evernote — make clever use of the iPhone's camera. The lack of a camera means you can't make full use of these apps — or have a Skype video chat — on the iPad.

3. It may not be a good traveling companion for me. A part of me had hoped the iPad would let leave my laptop home when traveling. But when I travel, in addition to blogging, reading, listening to music, and surfing the web, I like taking and sharing photos with folks back home. But since the iPad has no card reader or USB ports, there's no way to move photos from my digital camera to the device. 

Update: Engadget is reporting that Apple will sell an optional kit allowing a card reader or digital camera to be connected to the device. Maybe I can leave that laptop home, after all. 

4. I'm not sure what this means for the Kindle. Apple says the iPad will run "most iPhone apps." Will the Kindle app be one of them? If so, it's possible that I could sell my Kindle and access my Kindle books solely through the iPad. Even then, I'd be stuck reading Kindle books through the Kindle app, and iPhone books through the iBook app. Messy!

5. I like the keyboard dock. They really should have made one of these for the iPhone. 

6. I'll believe the battery claims when I see 'em. Jobs claims a month "on standby" and ten hours of active video playback. My first thought: heavy 3G or GPS use can drain my iPhone battery in thirty to forty-five minutes. Will the iPad fare better? 

7. No 4G? I live in one of the very few cities in the US with 4G coverage … and I still don't have a device that lets me make use of 4G's faster speeds. (And with no USB port, there's no way to hook an external 4G modem up to the iPad — until Verizon makes a 4G MeFi card, of course.)

8. How hot will it get? My iPhone gets hot as a fireball when using 3G or GPS features for an extended period of time. If the iPad behaves the same way, it better come packaged with a lap-pad!

9. Do I even need an iPhone now? My iPhone is great for apps, but, as a phone, it sucks (mostly because of the expensive, unreliable AT&T service). If I have the iPad for running apps, maybe I could drop my iPhone for a much cheaper, much better basic phone (and cheaper, more reliable service from someone other than AT&T).

10. Predictions that this would be a "big iPhone" were wrong. With no support for Flash or multi-tasking, it's really just a big iPod Touch.

Mark McElroy

I'm a husband, mystic, writer, media producer, creative director, tinkerer, blogger, reader, gadget lover, and pizza fiend.

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Who Wrote This?

Mark McElroy

I'm a husband, mystic, writer, media producer, creative director, tinkerer, blogger, reader, gadget lover, and pizza fiend.

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