Apple iPad Review (PHOTOS, VIDEO): Tablet Is 'Fast,' 'Beautiful'

*See iPad pictures and video below*

Can the new Apple Tablet live up to the hype? We've got some early iPad reviews to help you decide.

UPDATED 1/28/2010 2:39 PM ET: Before you go along with Steve Jobs' claim that the iPad is 'magical' and 'revolutionary, take a look at the 9 WORST things about the Apple tablet

UPDATED 1/28/2010 8:10 AM ET: Check out our list of 13 things you need to know about the Apple iPad.

UPDATED 1/28/2010 8:06 AM ET: CNET writes that the Apple iPad is 'just ahead of its time.'

CNET explains,

No one should actually buy this iPad--between its inevitable first-generation bugs, fulfillment problems, and buyer's remorse over added features and price drops, it's heartbreak waiting to happen. Try to think of the iPad as, like, a proof of concept. A concept car, even. A work in progress, really.

Their suggestion is that rather than view the iPad as something between a laptop and a smartphone--something people have potentially little need for--Apple should position its new device as 'the actual replacement for paper.'

UPDATED 1/27/2010 5:25 PM ET: The biggest criticism of the iPad so far has been its name.

Features and capabilities aside, the web and Twitterverse are abuzz with snide, incredulous, and critical comments.

'iMaxipad,' 'iPeriod,' and 'iTampon' were trending topics on Twitter shortly after the iPad announcement (see screenshot below).

Fast Company observes,

But it was the females in the crowd who read more into Apple's menstrual pun. They seemed to think Apple's name was indicative of a male-helmed team oblivious to the fact that they were pushing an insensitively-named product. "Surely no women were involved in naming it the iPad" was a widely-reTweeted sentiment. Another: "iPad: Proof not enough women work in the Apple Naming Department."

UPDATED 1/27/2010 5:08 PM ET: Engadget and TechCrunch have posted videos of the Apple iPad hands on. See them below.

* * * * *

Wired has a full rundown of the iPad's features.

Some highlights:

• The tablet is 0.5 inches thick and weighs 1.5 pounds.


• It has a 9.7 inch display with 1024 x 768 pixel resolution. It also has capacitive multi-touch that's similar to the iPhone.


• The iPad will have 16 GB to 64 GB flash storage.


• It includes speaker, microphone, and accelerometer so you can use the device in both landscape and portrait mode. There's also a compass.

So far, Gizmodo has the most thorough hands-on look at the iPad.

What do they think?

Apple didn't really sell this point, but it's the single biggest benefit of the iPad: speed. It feels at least a generation faster than the iPhone 3GS. Lags and waits are gone, and the OS and apps respond just as quickly as you'd hope. Rotating between portrait and landscape modes, especially, is where this new horsepower manifests in the OS.

Gizmodo also names the iPad's 'fatal flaw:' its internet browser doesn't support Flash.

Many on Twitter greeted the iPad with a 'yawn,' comparing the new Tablet device to an oversized iPhone.

If you're wondering whether to give up your iPhone for an iPad, check out Engadget's handy tablet that compares the cost of 3G on an iPad vs. iPhone.

Check out photos and pictures of the iPad below.

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Comments

[agusjazuli]

01:23 AM on 03/28/2010

Has ipad can be the best device in this era? it all depends on the interest

[EzineArticles]

11:39 PM on 03/15/2010

iSlate could be a PR disaster waiting to happen.

If there were any delays, how long would it be before iSlate became Is Late ?

Technology Articles: http://www.vnrao.net

[K J Illy]

03:19 PM on 02/09/2010

im gonna sell my body for the iPad since apple took all my cash to keep up with the new iphones that come out every freakn week !

[apple ipad tablet]

12:55 AM on 02/07/2010

see more Clip at http://allappleipadtablet.blogspot.com

[apple ipad tablet]

12:54 AM on 02/07/2010

Cool and modern product ^-^

[dajuice]

05:44 PM on 02/01/2010

Hilarious...

www.mrcreative.com

[Oleg1]

09:51 AM on 01/31/2010

Reality. IPad is not a book reader. It is a multi media.-blah-blah---a b.astard child of various "I" devices. Electronic Ink paper-- the only sane way to read e-books.
Amazon-Kindle can permanently "retire" allc competition-- simply lower its base model price to $99.
Use printer/cell phone pricing model--cheap devices, expensive ink.

[fuelie]

05:15 AM on 01/31/2010

I'm told that flash is not used because it isn't a secure technology to use, and is a resource hog so using flash would decrease the 10 hour up time to possibly 7 or 8 hours. HTML5 is claimed to be a better future technology that apple is supporting.

No one seems to point out that this is the first color e-reader so it will obviously use more power than a B&W Kindle E-reader. Does anyone really want to go back to the 1940's of B&W TV or the old days of B&W newspapers and magazines?

The IPAD is definitely a forward thinking device, an implementation of the mid '60's sci-fi TV series, Star Trek, in which CPT Kirk is often seen reviewing and signing orders on a tablet device. The IPAD could be used in hospitals to replace the hard-copy doctor's and nurses notes for each patient in their rooms. No more illegible scribbling that can result in making mistakes.

So yes, to me, the IPAD is ahead of its time, a fulfillment of a sci-fi device just like nuclear subs are the fulfillment of Jules Verne's sci-fi dream of an undersea boat that was powered by the power of the sun.

[wilray]

11:54 PM on 01/31/2010

Was Captain Kirk signing it with his finger? The iPad does not accept stylus input unlike the UPS man and the Fedex guy.

[Jean Baptiste Durand]

04:22 AM on 01/30/2010

Geeks are dead. Go to the gym now!

Geeks are not happy.
They think the Ipad is not good enough…blablabla

Back in 1984, I remember with extreme precision what the (then IBM PC and Mainframe) geeks said “This thing- the mouse- is ridiculous”, “a black and white screen with black lettering is insanity”. It’s a toy”, “IT WILL NEVER WORK” etc.. blabla

It’s is all about this again. People want to protect their skills to control the machine with some sort of exclusivity over mere mortals, giving them some sort of “I’m superior” state of mind.

So they don’t like at all when something stupidly complicated becoming simple.

Maybe the first computer as simple as a modern car.

The Ipad is the computer for mothers and grandmothers. period. it will replace everything.

The time of the stupidly complex personal computer is over.

Women have an advantage over men : they have a purse (to put the Ipad) and they do not play the game of showing your technical musculus.

The time when you could say “Lady, call me and I will come to your home to save your bugged down PC” is OVER, guys.

Women will not need us anymore for the car, for the drilling machine, for the PC.

All those “Bill Gates” looking guys that could get some sex apeal from their knowledge of computer tuning. ah ah. Go to the gym now!

http://futureofmagazine.wordpress.com/

[urnumbersix]

05:07 PM on 01/30/2010

Good one. I agree totally.

[GoDogGo]

12:23 AM on 01/31/2010

It amazes me that people still see "complex" as better than seamless and simple. Personally, they can criticize this 24/7. All I know is that this is exactly what I've wanted since I first turned on an iPhone.

Simple. Is. Powerful.

[m a x]

11:56 PM on 01/29/2010

sure, if your idea of 'cutting edge' is a gigantic version of an iphone without a camera.

[GoDogGo]

12:28 AM on 01/31/2010

Who cares about "cutting edge"? Really, is that why you buy tools? It's a simple machine for the couch and cafe. And why would anyone need a camera on this thing? You have one on your camera and a webcam is silly for a tablet (which is in your hands). It's simply different from a laptop.

[sicbus]

07:49 PM on 01/29/2010

"CNET explains, No one should actually buy this iPad--between its inevitable first-generation bugs, ..."
Absolutely! No one should buy it so that there won't be a second generation.

Stick to using a writing pad, note pad, memo pad, legal pad, or scratch pad, sketch pad, or even a drawing pad.

[FelipeLeones]

09:11 PM on 01/29/2010

Yeah. The same goes for that "Internet" too. I think there is a place for you in Amish country.

[ilouie]

03:34 PM on 01/29/2010

Gonna put my 2 cents in here. I don't think people get Apple. Here's my take:
1. The iPad's first version will pay for their R&D. Apple is one of the only companies whose brand loyalty is so strong it guarantees their first version sales no matter what.
2. It will sell BIG because it is focused solely on media and will therefore win the loyalty of media giants.
3. Apple will add all/most of the things people desire after R&D has been recouped. This will also build momentum.
4. The iPad is not about the 'fastest' most 'powerful' processors, etc. It is about focus: It's a simple. clean, interactive media delivery system and it will carve out a new niche.
5. The name thing is more a reflection of society than about this product. "Pads" have been around for years in the PC world without this silly connotation. The issue will be dropped.
6. Apple sells better outside the US. The US has an Apple phobic reaction. The company you love to hate. But Europe and Asia love it. Americans have trouble with elegance, always have.
Love the comments tho! It's great to share our views.

[topypunk]

02:40 PM on 01/29/2010

No flash= NO buy APLE!!! Get with it already !!

[JuergenHartl]

02:08 PM on 01/29/2010

What is so ahead of time?
An outdated processor? There are phones with faster processors.
Low storage space? The cheapest netbook has more.
Multi-touch? Has been around for quite some time.
Tablet format? Has been tried - failed before.
Locked in technology? Apple always done it.
Single tasking? Wow!

Ok, it looks cool, but ..
500$ for an underpowered, feature missing tablet?
Maybe iPad Gen.3 will get it right.

But, nonetheless Apple will be making a ton of money on this.

[WontonTiger]

02:40 PM on 01/29/2010

I totally agree. If you want something that looks awesome, and satisfies your practical needs, this Lenovo should do the trick. This is the coolest thing I've seen in a while.

Check here for more...
http://lemonlimedesigns.ca/blog/apple-tablet-i-rather-lenovo-ideapad-u1

[princeofthecity]

04:29 PM on 01/29/2010

+1

[tehixe]

02:02 PM on 01/29/2010

If Apple has a "naming department," I'll eat my hat. Seriously, they just take nouns and prefix a lowercase "i." A chimp could be trained to name Apple products.