iPad...a Disappointment or Success?? You Decide!

Each time apple releases a new product, there is a fanfare of advertising and interest. The iPhone had people waiting in lines around the block, the macbook air had everyone marveling at the thin, sleek design, and apples latest creation, the ipad, had the Mac faithful camping out just to get their hands on a product that was dubbed, “magical”. While Apple is great at generating interest and drawing big crowds for a products release, the real test comes after the hype dyes down. For instance, the iPhone became a huge hit while the macbook air struggled to live up to its press, and now it is time to see how the ipad fared. The initial sales were good, more than 2 million sold in the first two months. It seems no one could resist the sleek look of the iPad, and who could blame them. After reading dozens of reviews on tech sights and the online marketplace, I have yet to find one negative thing said about the iPads looks. So if you are looking for the latest tech fashion accessory, get down to your local apple store and buy, buy, buy. But for those of us looking for more than apple arm candy, the ipad does have its detractors. In fact, it seems people fall into one of two camps, they either love it or hate it.

Those who love the iPad rave about its brilliant and crisp screen, ease of use and portability. These people use the ipad primarily for light web surfing, checking email and watching videos. As for the people who hate the ipad, their main concerns are the price, lack of flash player, inability to connect devices, problems with file transferring and the need for another computer.

The information contained in the reviews sheds some light on what the iPad can and can not do, and who should buy it.

First of all the iPad is great at playing movies and surfing the web. Its quick sleep/awake feature means there is no time wasted waiting for a computer to start up, and with 3G it offers good directions and a perfect way to stay connected and supplement light computing needs.

That being said the iPad is not perfect. The lack of flash player is a huge drawback. Nearly every review complained that the iPad lacked the ability to handle sites that use a lot of media. That means anyone who watches streaming video or wants access to all the videos on sites like YouTube is out of luck. There are also some hardware concerns with the device. There is no USB or fire wire ports on the iPad which make it impossible to connect things like a standard keyboard, mouse, mobile phone or other device. It also means anyone who wants to transfer data to or from the iPad has to go through itunes. That can be tough and annoying. Finally, one of the biggest problems iPad detractors have with the product is the need for another computer to use it. While it may seem like a laptop killer, the iPad has to be connected to a computer to update and download new items like podcasts. In other words, The iPad must be regularly synced with another computer to function at its best.

We want to hear your feedback on this incredible advancement in the history of technology. Do you own an iPad? If so, what do you like/dislike about the iPad? What are your favorite features of the iPad? When the next version of the iPad is released, what features would you like to see implemented to the new iPad in the future?

We want to hear your feedback....the Apple iPad, Disappointment or Success?

Blog Posting By: Tyler Griffin, Creative Director - Mindshift Media

Written By: Brad Girtz - Mindshift Media Blogger