Apple Releases iPad: Impressive (kind of)

(Engadget hands-on iPad)

A couple of days ago I threw together a little analysis of the up and coming Apple Tablet (released today as iPad). My pricing prediction (starting at $499) was spot on, as well as the concept image I chose to display in the article, and the overall goal Apple had in mind when designing this product. I'm quite satisfied with the shear power they've managed to pack into this thin device, but I have quite a few qualms with Apple's decisions. Check out my thoughts after the break.

Perhaps the Pixel-Qi screen technology a device like this needs is not ready. I really hope to see this in the near future (and this in the next decade), because the real benefit of an e-reader is the ease at which one can read the screen without eyestrain and glare. The backlight of traditional LCD (even LED backlit panels) not only results in eyestrain and headaches, but slows reading by up to 300 WPM for fast readers. The only benefit (besides some pretty animations) of reading a book on the iPad over an iPod Touch or iPhone is a larger screen. I personally supplement my Kindle 2 with Kindle for iPod Touch, and love the way the devices sync together so I never lose my place reading even when switching devices.

The internet experience on the iPad however, is unparalleled. It's basically a super fast/ super responsive iPhone with a large screen. The browsing experience is incredibly polished, and with 10 hours of battery life, and the new mobile iWork suite, you can enjoy a long and productive day.

Unfortunately the thing doesn't run OSX (it runs iPhone OS 3.2), and there still is no multi-tasking capabilities, so you can't really replace a 13" Macbook (or even a netbook) when it comes to portability and productivity. It should be noted though, that iPhone 4.0 may bring multi-tasking, as this is where Apple needs to be heading to compete with other smartphone platforms.

Turtle-neck'ed Steve with "The most important thing [he's] ever done."

Where is the camera? Prior to the iPad's release, there was much anticipation that Apple would include a front facing iSight for video conferencing capabilities. It's like the iPod Touch 3rd Generation deja vu. It seems Apple's custom (PA Semi) chipset is powerful enough to support this kind of implementation, although I wouldn't count on great battery life while chatting.

Flash support? None. Not much else to say about that.

You can't watch the video and not be a impressed. Someone seeing this 10 years ago would probably have a seizure. The user interface is gorgeous, the screen is gorgeous, the animations are gorgeous; I think you see where I'm going here. Would I recommend this device to a college student? Probably not. There just isn't enough practicality for that purpose; it definitely cannot be used in place of a laptop or desktop. Overall, Apple played their cards well to develop a beautiful and equally powerful device, but it's certainly not geared towards the hardcore tech savvy, or the hardcore reader, or college student. McGraw Hill's rumored educational content may still be in the works, but so far Apple has nothing to show in this regard.

Apple will surely sell a bunch of these, but I think, like the Macbook Air, the iPad will be a commodity for the rich rather than a necessity for the 21st century gadget geek.

Check out Apple's iPad video here.

Want the keynote? Watch Steve do his thing here.

Update: Here are some expert opinions from the folks at engadget.

Update 2: Check out Walt Mossberg's interview with Jobs.