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Scott Bourne and Andy Ihnatko discuss Apple’s iPad and other tablet device that compete with the iPad.
PadPundit Episode 1
Host: Scott Bourne (www.scottbourne.com or www.twitter.com/scottbourne) & Andy Ihnatko (www.cwob.com or www.twitter.com/ihnatko)
Show notes by Bruce Clarke (www.momentsindigital.com or www.twitter.com/bruceclarke)
Welcome to inaugural episode of PadPundit with your hosts Scott Bourne and Andy Ihnatko. PadPundit is the show devoted to all things iPad and other worthy entrants into the tablet computing category. This week, Scott and Andy share their initial impressions of the iPad.
Discussion
Andy was at the launch event and actually had a chance to touch the device so Scott has some questions for Andy.
1. Screen Quality
The screen is excellent. Lots of contrast and punchy. Andy spoke with a photographer who had no problems with screen and is looking forward to using the device as a portable portfolio. When it comes to reading, while the specs for eInk are better than the iPad, I think that it’s a push due to the backlit display and anti-aliasing. Apple’s OS also does a great job of typography.
2. How about the refresh? On the Kindle for example, moving from page to page is slow.
It’s an LCD display and the interface is very fluid and liquid. It really feels like you’re working with paper pages. As an e-reader, I’m not sure anything will compete with the iPad.
3. Portability.
During the 45 minutes I had with it, there was a mixture of good and not-so-good. It’s very easy to hold and seems to be exactly the right size. It’s a good compromise between screen size and portability. The negative thing is that we’re really going to have to figure out what it will be like to carry this around day to day. I wasn’t able to see if it fit in the back pocket of my tactical pants like my Kindle DX so only time will tell us how easy it will be to carry around with us all day.
4. Stands & Cases
Apple has a custom case which can double as a stand. At MacWorld Expo last week, there were several prototypes of iPad stands and cases so I’m sure we’ll see a lot of this stuff on the market once it comes out.
5. A4 Chip. How significant is it?
It’s hard to say since I only have 45 minutes to play with it. It did seem very fast and very fluid to me. I think one of the ways they’ll compete with the sub $500 netbooks is by having a fast, portable device. That being said, I don’t know how well it will compare to something with a more conventional chipset in it. I wonder how much of the secret sauce is the A4 processor and how much is just brilliant engineering.
6. Does it make a difference that it’s a full system on a chip and do you think we’ll see this chip in an iPhone? If they add it to the iPhone would that undercut iPad sales?
Having the full system on a chip makes it run cooler and it uses much less power. They no longer have to work around limitations associated with chips they get from other suppliers. I’d love to see this chip in an iPhone but if we could get iPhones to work as fast and effective as this that would be great. As far as undercutting sales of the iPad, I don’t see that as being a big issue. The iPad can’t make calls like the iPhone but the web browsing experience on an iPad doesn’t compare to an iPhone so they are really two distinct devices with different use cases for each.
7. The first iPads to come out will only have WiFi. I have a Verizon MiFi so am I wrong in thinking that I will just be able to use that with the iPad to get online?
It should work just perfectly fine. There will be a couple of limitations with that approach. The first is that with the MiFi you’re limited to 4 GBs whereas the 3G when it comes out will be unlimited. I am also guessing that you’ll get more 3G life out of the built-in 3G than you will using the WiFi and a separate MiFi device. You also won’t be able to use location based services if you rely on a device like the MiFi to get online.
8. Apple seems to be positioning this as a content consumption device rather than a content creation device. Am I off on this?
I think Apple is trying to create an entirely new device that is more than just a good eBook reader.
Final Thoughts
Andy, as someone who has actually touched and used the device, let’s wrap this up by summarizing your thoughts on the iPad.
I think this has a chance to be a truly trans formative device and is the first computer since the Macintosh that upsets the current paradigm. This is the first time we’ve seen something rethink at the operating level, how we interact with a device. The proof will come a year from now when the applications are out and the general public are convinced.
Scott: There is reason to be hopeful but we’ll have to wait until it’s released and see if Apple delivers on it’s promises.
Wrap Up
Subscribe to the Podcast in iTunes and be sure to visit the web site for news, updates, and lots of information. You can also follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/padpundit and have the chance to win an iPad. If you have questions or comments, send them to padpundit@me.com.
Scott Bourne is at www.scottbourne.com or www.twitter.com/scottbourne
Andy Ihnatko (www.cwob.com or www.twitter.com/ihnatko)
Show notes by Edmonton Photographer Bruce Clarke www.momentsindigital.com or www.twitter.com/bruceclarke
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This post sponsored by the Digital SLR Store