Winnipeg Free Press - May 27th
AFTER delayed initial shipments of Apple’s newest device internationally, Canadians can finally get their hands on the much-hyped iPad tomorrow without resorting to road trips to the U.S. or shipping them to friends south of the border.
Don’t get too excited, though: Apple is already reporting shortages of the both the Wi-Fi and 3G model, and if you didn’t preorder your device in early May, you might be out of luck for a couple of weeks.
Currently, iPads are outselling Macs two to one, with the Cupertino, Calif.-based company selling more than 200,000 devices a week in the U.S. alone. I have had my iPad for about three weeks now and I am already using my laptop less. Overall, I have been pleased with the performance of the multimedia driven device.
Here are some things you should think about if you are planning to pick one up:
THINGS I LIKED ABOUT THE iPAD
1. Super easy to set up and integrate your contacts, calendar and email accounts.
2. One of the places the iPad really shines is as an e-reader. While it will never replace the tactile feel of a book, Apple has done a great job in making you forget you aren’t actually reading a book. The iBook store offers a reasonably priced, wide selection of titles. Even though a Canadian version of the store launches tomorrow, you still might want to set up a U.S. iTunes account and pick up some gift cards on eBay or on your next trip to the States, as there will be some items you won’t be able to find here in Canada. It’s easy to do and opens up a world of Apps and books you can’t buy from the Canadian store. Even if you already have a Kindle or prefer Amazon’s book selection, you can download a free App that will let you read Kindle e-books on the device.
3. The interface is very familiar to anyone with an iPhone or iTouch, but still very intuitive for someone who has never picked up an Apple device before.
4. If you were worried about the battery life of the iPad, you have nothing to be concerned about. Even with heavy use, you should be able to get 10-plus hours from the device.
5. Although early criticism centred around the fact that hybrid device was built more for consumption than creation, Apple’s iWork suite (Numbers, Keynote and Pages) are surprisingly robust and can handle most of the tasks even a power-user would throw at them. The device is also easy to type on, once you spend a bit of time breaking those proper typing habits you picked up over the years.
THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE ABOUT THE iPAD
1. If you plan on doing a lot of reading in natural light, you might want to pick up a Kindle. The iPad is almost impossible to use outdoors.
2. One major pain is that the device does not support Flash video. What this means is that from time to time you will come across video on the web that you won’t be able to view. With Apple and Adobe in a full-on war of words, I can’t see this changing anytime soon.
3. The iPad doesn’t currently support multi-tasking, which basically means you won’t be able to listen to streaming audio while reading your new e-book. While this obviously improves battery life, it can be frustrating at times.
4.The iPad has no front-facing video camera, which would have allowed you to video chat with your friends on Skype, Google or iChat. With the new iPhone rumoured to have a front-faced camera, it is a shame they didn’t include one in the iPad. Obviously this was done to keep costs down and give you a reason to buy the 2nd-generation version.
5. No HDMI out. It would be nice to be able to plug the device into a TV.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 27, 2010 E5
