The Apple iPad has just been released in the U.S. This is the WiFi only version, the 3G version will go on sale later this April, 2010. The Apple iPad, for now, is a USA-only release. The BBC reports that the queues for the new Apple iPad were “considerably smaller” than for the iPhone in 2007.
So, we don’t have it yet. We don’t even know when it will be out (hopefully before June this year, if not sooner). But that doesn’t mean we can’t use the power of the internet to find out everything we need to know about the Apple iPad. To start off, here are a few things Apple didn’t tell us about the iPad (first, a caveat – for the most part, these are personal opinions culled from the web; as such your experience with the device may vary. Please wait for our review, if you are looking for something more obective. With that in mind, do read on):
- The Apple iPad innards. iFixit report that the Apple iPad has 512MB of memory. The A4 chip is actually three layers of silicon in one delicious sandwich: the processor layer surrounded by two modules of RAM; each 2Gbit or 256MB. Note, however that others are reporting 256MB of RAM. The jury’s still out on this one. The processor is twice as fast as the iPhone 3GS, but we already knew that. All in all, this beast packs a lot of power
- Battery life seems to be longer than the 10 hours advertised by Apple
- The Apple iPad uses a more powerful 10W power adapter. For us PC guys, this means that the Apple iPad won’t charge while connected and switched on to our PCs. To charge it via USB through PC, the Apple iPad will have to be in sleep mode – which means no screen, which means no “charging” indication. Very strange. Those with high-power USB ports should be fine – this includes the latest Macs too.
- Some people are reporting poor WiFi performance. This might be due to the aluminum casing of the Apple iPad – although this shouldn’t make a difference. However, note that the 3G counterpart will have a plastic window at the back and its WiFi performance should be better
- Others are reporting that sites with lots of images fail to completely load on the Apple iPad
- It’s heavy. Duh. At 1.5 pounds (~700 gms), you will be feeling its weight soon, especially if you plan to hold it with just one hand and sans support. For those with an iPhone: there might be a relearning involved here.
- This one might also sound a bit duh but the official Apple iPad case won’t allow you to dock the iPad (you can use the USB cable provided with the Apple iPad to charge it though). You need to remove the case in order to dock the system. Perhaps a no-brainer but we would prefer not to juggle with a case to dock something
- Reading comics and e-books is a joy on the screen. We can attest to the at least a part of this: the new Marvel comic app does a great job of displaying comic books; especially through its panel view. Moreover, the screen of the iPad is only slightly narrower than a typical comic width, the screen is also slightly less tall
- iPhone apps don’t look too hot doubled-up on the much larger screen of the Apple iPad. Although, games look fine. Check out this video for a look at Space Invaders: Infinity Gene, Canabalt and Street Fighter IV running fullscreen on the Apple iPad
- Tethering the iPhone (or any phone) to the Apple iPad is not officially supported. Although, if you have a jailbroken iPhone and MyWi, then you can use the phone to tether to the Apple iPad
Here are a few photos of the Apple iPad in action, courtesy of sportzhead.
.jpg "A Hulk comic running on the Apple iPad")
And here are a few images showcasing the official Apple iPad case, courtesty of acksman.
Now for some photos comparing the Apple iPad as a comic book reader, with a paper comic book; courtesy of Seth C.
