Stop the Noiz

iPad Score Card

Frank Fox - 2010.01.29 - Tip Jar

Popularity:

Tweet this article. Short link: http://bit.ly/b7qKTE

Steve Jobs has unveiled the iPad.

Did Apple delivery everything I expected? Not quite, but darn close. A camera, a hard drive, and a Mini DisplayPort would have been nice. I am a gadget nerd, so I would have liked the extra features.

Watching the demo, I see most of what I do with a laptop built into the iPad. With the attachable keyboard, it could replace 90% of my laptop needs. I like typing on the bed, and a physical keyboard is the better choice for me. If my wife didn't already have a laptop, an iPad would definitely be on our list of things to get.

Overall, I'd have to say the iPad turned out to be just what I expected.

Feature	Got it	Comments
tablet, not netbook	X	Jobs talked a lot about this decision
no built-in keyboard	X
anywhere Internet connectivity	X	3G
full Internet browsing	X	"best web browsing experience"
AT&T to remain exclusive partner	X	Sorry Verizon
custom computer chip	X	1 Ghz Apple A4 CPU
battery-friendly processor	X
iPhone App Store	X
multitouch input controls	X
motion sensors	X
onscreen keyboard	X
ebook reader	X
developers have new market	X	60 days before iPad is available
iTunes: music, TV, movies	X
news, book, and print industries	X
$500 price	X	lowest is $499 for 16 GB, no 3G
larger screen	X	9.7" definitely bigger than the iPhone
cheap hard drive	-	failed, Apple is up selling based on memory
optional pen/stylus	-	fingers only
fantastic drawing tablet	X	good artist can still make it work without a stylus
no DVD	X
no Blu-ray	X
Mini DisplayPort	-	one of those Apple imposed limits
1/2" thickness	X
tapered thin edges	X
good battery life	X	10 hours
integrated battery	X
video camera like iPod nano	-	no hard drive or camera, no need for video
cameras one area that Apple limits	X	Apple showed their thinking here
data in the Cloud	?	still has MobileMe
stream media from the iDisk	?	not sure how iWork get files
office app that uses touchscreen interface	X	iWork
Grand Central Dispatch	?	no word yet
OpenCL technology	?	no news
beats a single-core 1.6 GHz Atom	?	videos looked responsive, so maybe

Recent Stop the Noiz Columns

Apple Now Sees Microsoft as Less Evil than Google, 03.10. With Android threatening the iPhone's dominance, Apple views Microsoft and Windows 7 Mobile as the lesser threat.
Making the Computer Even More Personal, 01.25. Portability and wireless networking make computing on the go easier and more personal than ever.
Apple Saves Everyone Money, 01.21. Before the iPod and the iTunes Store, CD prices were increasing. Now they're on the decline, but still not as low as iTunes prices.
Toshiba Passes Apple in Unit Sales, Not Profits, 01.15. Toshiba saw a remarkable 71% growth in unit sales to pass Apple for the #4 spot in the US market, but Apple is far more profitable.
More in the Stop the Noiz index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Lisa, Jan. 1983 - The ancestor of the Macintosh had a mouse, a graphical interface, and a $10,000 price tag.
Group of the Day: Unsupported OS X is for those using OS X on unsupported hardware.
March 22 in LEM history: 00: Macs and digital video - 01: My Performa - Fun at CompUSA75 Mac Advantages - 02: Don't try this at home - History of portable computing - 04: Prolong battery life - 05: Symantec's ravings spread FUD about OS X security - 06: Picking a Power Mac G4 - France and the end of DRM
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

Best 13" MacBook & MacBook Pro Deals, 03.22. Used 1.83 GHz, $570; 2.0, $599; 2.4 GHz, $889; refurb 2.26, $849; new, $900 after rebate; Pro, $1,119 a/r, 2.53, $1,399 a/r.
Best Power Mac G5 Deals, 03.22. 1.8 GHz single, $399; dual, $445; 2.0, $609; 2.5, $724; 2.7, $799; 2.3 GHz dual-core, $669; 2.5 GHz Quad, $799.
Best AirPort Deals, 03.22. Refurb AirPort Express, $79; new, $95; refurb dual-band AirPort Extreme Hub, $129; new simultaneous dual-band, $168.
Best Intel iMac Deals, 03.17. Used 17" from $600; 20" from $750; 24" from $825; refurb 21.5" nVidia, $999; new, $1,099; refurb Radeon, $1,299; new, $1,399; refurb 27" 3.06, $1,499; more.
Best G5 iMac Deals, 03.17. 17" 2.0 GHz, $380; 1.9 GHz iSight, $479 shipped; 20" 1.8 GHz, $509 shipped; 2.1 GHz iSight, $549 shipped.
Best Time Capsule Deals, 03.17. Close-out 500 GB, $140; new 1 TB, $279; used 2 TB simultaneous dual-band, $400; new, $455. Shipping included.
Best iPad Deals, 03.16. 16 GB iPad, $499; 32 GB, $599; 64 GB, $699; 16 GB with 3G, $629; 32 GB 3G, $729; 64 GB 3G, $829. Free ground shipping.
More deals in our archive.

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2010 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.