A warning: This is a long post. It’s about a product in which you may have no interest, in which case please read no further. You may have already decided it is not for you (hi Lloyd!), in which case please move along. There are no jokes and the only thing that gets photographed naked is the iPad.
I’ll freely admit that I spend too much of my life on the computer. My computing time has built up over years, and now I find that, if I am at home, I am more than likely sitting in front of a monitor.
Reading and writing e-mails, maintaining this site, browsing the web, watching the endless stream of TV programs and movies that arrive on my hard drive, processing photos, playing games; there’s no shortage of time consuming activities to fill the time while I wait to die.
I suppose I should mention that is not all I do. There is the taking of photos, windsurfing, radio controlled cars, and of course, hanging out with my wife. But at home time usually means computer time, especially as my beloved likes to spend her time at home playing Farmville, Fishville, Cecilbdeville etc.
Problem is, being at the computer means sitting in an upright chair, with my hands manipulating a mouse and keyboard, whilst staring ahead at a monitor. It’s not natural. If god (insert imaginary friend of your choice at this point) had meant for us to sit like that he would not have given us comfy chairs,sofas, bean bags and beds. My situation is worsened by the fact that the computers sit in a small room in the back of the condo, which usually has to be air-conditioned due to the heat coming off all the equipment.
When I retired I had visions of coffee on the balcony in the morning, browsing the web and checking my mails from a reclining chair. Didn’t happen. Tried it with a laptop but I couldn’t read the screen, it was a bastard to operate without a proper mouse, and the heat burned my legs and turned me into a sweaty mess. Same problem trying to use a laptop while pretending to watch the TV from the sofa. If you want to use a computer you really need to sit at a table.
And there’s the problem. Many people spend a high proportion of their home time on a computer, which means being stuck in an upright chair rather than lounging in comfort. And lounging in comfort is what we should be doing when we’re at home.
Given current technology, if you want to do “serious” computing, such as photo processing, video production etc., then you need processing power, which means weight and heat. You need screen real estate, and you need the precision afforded by a mouse or similar pointing device. But most of the people, most of the time, don’t use their computers for these sort of tasks. They browse the web, they chat on-line, they read and write mails, they watch videos and listen to music; they consume more than they create. What if we could be freed from the constraints of having to use a traditional computer while sitting at a table; and could instead sit anywhere, preferably in comfort, and do these things on a portable device that was easy to operate wherever we chose to sit. When Jobs announced the iPad, he shared the stage with a small table, and an easy chair. The message was clear, the iPad is intended as the comfy chair companion for those times when we don’t want to do “serious” computing.
And does it fulfill this role? Let’s take a look.
Take it out of the box and you have a slab of aluminum with a sheet of glass. An on/off button, a volume control and switch to lock the orientation. Holes for headphones interface/charger and loudspeaker. And the big button on the front panel. Solidly made. Not heavy, but it feels substantial. Look closely and it is perfectly put together. It may say “Made in China” on the back, but they have done a good job in screwing it together, in as much as there are no screws visible anywhere.
Turn it on, and there is the first “oh fuck” moment. The screen is beautiful. It’s an IPS panel, which means it looks equally beautiful from any viewing angle, important if you are wanting to share some photos or a movie with a special someone. The colours are vibrant and text is ultra-crisp. It’s also very glossy which helps things look wonderful in a good light, but also makes it very reflective which is not a good thing all the time. I think a matte finish might have worked better, especially when it comes to masking finger smudges; of which more later.
Pick an application by touching an icon. It starts immediately. Press the big button to go back to the main screen. Pick another application. Try looking at photos and scrolling them. Second “oh fuck” moment, this thing flies. Scrolling is so smooth and the screen is so responsive to touch. There is zero lag, nothing to frustrate your navigation. It feels faster than a desktop because there is no mouse to move around, everything is available at the touch of a finger and it responds instantly.
Try the web. Manipulating the internet with your fingers IS different; it immediately feels like the right way to be web browsing, not fiddling around with a mouse. It’s another “oh fuck” moment, albeit of a more profound nature. This really is how we should be interfacing with the wide wide world of web.
But if fingers are better than a mouse, how do we manage without a “proper” keyboard? Quite well as it turns out. In landscape mode, the iPad keyboard is almost full size. I am typing this post on my iPad and at the beginning I was hitting the wrong keys quite regularly, but now I seem to have adjusted and I rarely make a misthaake. I wouldn’t write a novel on it, but for a lengthy blog post it is fine (and I am sitting comfortably, thanks for asking).
The geeks have been quick to point out all the things it does not have or does not do, but they are missing the point. The iPad has been ruthlessly designed to ensure that nothing gets in the way of a pleasurable user experience. The screen is gorgeous, it’s fast, quiet, runs for ten hours or more between charges and is cool (as in, not warm) to the touch.
For those who need to do more, there will be more powerful tablets along soon, with endless sockets, Windows 7 and endless flexibility to do whatever you want. But they run the risk of offering increased functionality at the expense of being slower, heavier, with inferior screens, weaker multi-touch, worse battery life and more heat. But if they can match the iPad user experience and offer me the chance of doing more things that I would actually want to do in my comfortable chair, then I will have an iPad for sale. But I don’t see it happening.
Is it perfect? Of course not. On the hardware side I think it is close to ideal. Personally I have no need of a camera, especially one that, given the viewing angle, is likely to give a good view of my extensive nose hair. I don’t want a USB socket (and the device is too thin to accommodate one without making a gaping hole, and what would I put on the other end?). Some people have complained that the headphone socket should be on the bottom and not on the top. Here’s a tip; turn it upside down, it doesn’t care which way up you hold it. My only real complaint is the ease with which the screen gets covered in finger marks. If fingers are the future, then some serious development work on screen coatings is required. In the meantime, a wipe with a damp cloth is required a couple of times a day.
It’s early days for the operating system. Everything works and works quickly, but it needs time to grow away from being an OS for a small device (iPhone/Touch) to being an OS for something bigger. Give it a year and it will be more mature (I hope). Right now, there are a number of compromises and workarounds required. For example, moving this article from my iPad onto my computer took more steps than it should have done. Having discovered the magic of Pandora radio, I am now looking forward to multi-tasking which is coming later in the year.
As for Flash, it doesn’t run it and it never will. I have turned off Flash on my desktop, it consumes an inordinate amount of CPU and memory. If it was running on a small device it would kill the performance and the battery. The only time I missed flash was on the BBC news sites; but the BBC application for the iPad runs Flash-free video. Best of all, if the iPad ran Flash, she who must obeyed would claim it to play Farmville etc., and I would have to buy two. So Flash can fuck off.
It’s early days for iPad applications too. Given that it has only been on the market for three weeks, there is a surprisingly large selection; but over the next few months I am sure there are going to be some amazing offerings as developers explore the possibilities of the iPad. Meantime, here are some that I like: * Airvideo* - Point your video collection on your computer to this application, and it will convert and stream any video file to your iPad. The conversion happens while it streams, so there is no waiting, no need to prior-convert the file and then load it onto your iPod, just select what you want and then watch it. And videos look so damn good on this screen (another “oh fuck” moment). So now I can watch Dexter in the toilet if I want to (and I did, just to prove a point).
iBooks - Never considered reading a book on a computing device, but the iPad is a similar size and weight to a book, so why not? The free book provided is Winnie the Pooh, with the original illustrations and still one of my favourites. So I read that again. There is also a Kindle application which has more choice in the bookstore, but the reading experience is not so elegant (yes, that is a page being turned in the screen capture below).
*Goodreader *- Takes most file types from almost anywhere via wi-fi and presents them for reading. Great for PDFs.
Time Magazine - I have high hopes that some of my favourite magazines, which cost a ridiculous amount once they get to Thailand, will available on the iPad. I gave an issue of Time a try. Not bad for a first effort; with quality photos, embedded videos and even some clever adverts which make use of the different views you can present in portrait and landscape.
BBC - well presented overview of the news, broken down into various sections, again with supporting videos and photographs.
The Elements - It’s expensive, but if you want to show off what the iPad is capable of, this is the one to buy. Choose an Element (Erbium, Carbon etc) and find our more about it than you would ever wish to know, with animated everything and detailed information from Wolfram Alpha. Great for students, and anyone who wants to show off their iPad.
Epicurious - Good reviews and free, had to have a look. Downside is that it is a cookbook, and if I wanted something cooked I would ask my wife. But then I found it did cocktails too. Just select one or more ingredients and it presents you with a list of possible cocktails. And of course you can take your iPad into the kitchen to read the instructions while you prepare the lethal concoction. Then go to the web and look up hangover cures.
F1 application - Wrote about this on the iPhone. Works even better on the big iPad screen. For the Chinese GP I had live BBC coverage on one screen, tweets from the pit wall on another, and the F1 application running on the iPhone and iPad; F1 geek heaven.
*Cogs *- Yes, of course I got some games. I enjoyed Cogs on the iPhone, looks and plays even better on the iPad, even if I am just as useless at solving the puzzles.
The screen shots above look good, but they look even better on the iPad, and they are sitting there waiting to be pinched, scrolled, zoomed, animated. The only way to appreciate just how good this thing is, is to use one. Preferably not for ten minutes in a shop; but with a web-accessing, application loaded version in the house of a friend with a really comfortable chair and (optionally) a cup of coffee. Relax and play. The device disappears and it is just you, your fingers and whatever is on the screen. Nik from my condo came down for a look yesterday. I gave him a quick demo and then put it in his hands. He had a few “oh fuck” moments and then announced he was off to Bangkok to get one.
This is the way we should be consuming media. I have no idea whether Apple will win the battle of these devices over the next few years, but I do believe the concept has a future and that the iPad is a quality first attempt. Whether you want one in your life is for you to decide. I have decided I do.
But I am bit disappointed in my iPhone now. All the applications I used last week and thought were rather wonderful, now seem a little crap. The iPhone, it’s just a small iPad.
Written on my iPad from a comfy chair.
Comments 🔗
2010-04-21| Billy saysExcellent review from the couch, just glad you don’t get paid for this stuff or I might have to ..
Tom is totally sold on it and has saved up enough of his pocket money, he can’t wait ….
2010-04-21| Camberley saysI’m going to have to stop reading your blog. Its just gets too bloody expensive.
2010-04-22| FUMF saysI note from another post you mention the price is 23.5K. I presume that is from Pantip? You don’t have a contact number for the supplier there by any chance? I can’t be arsed going there and the wife probably wouldn’t let me anyway due to paranoia about the protests - so I’d like to call to see if they can deliver to me.
2010-04-22| Spike saysMBK 4th floor is the place to go.
Mine came from TJ Phone, 087-987-9107
Good luck!
2010-04-22| FUMF saysCheers - just gave him a call - “price go up liten bit sir - now 24.5K”. It will be my first apple product, but from what you’ve described it sounds great. Oh - and he does deliver.
2010-04-22| Spike saysUse the Contact section of this site to email me if you want any help getting going with it.
2010-04-22| roman169 saysVery professional review - thanks for your effort. Waiting for the red, yellow, no color shirts to vanish and then off to MBK!
2010-04-25| Craig saysFine Review, Thanks for diving in and leading the way! Pity you do not have an amazon link from your site so that you can pick up a commission for sales. Or however it works.
You certainly deserve it. Best review yet.
Cant wait to sit in your comfy chair :)
2010-04-25| Spike saysEvery time I use it, I think “this is exactly what Craig needs in his life”.
2010-05-03| Craig saysActually - It is better than I thought, however to really hit the spot, would be great if it had pressure sensitive touch. Then I could bombard the world with truly bad finger paintings.
I can see tablets and direct finger control, being more popular for graphic apps in future. 3D rotations and sculpting with fingertips.
Painting with fingers is very natural, and with zoom in and out being so easy - detail will not be a problem even for the fattest of digits.
It makes sense to remove the mouses and keyboards - if you can think faster than you can type, (I cant even at 20 wpm) then keyboards are not the future anyway.
2010-05-03| Spike saysI thought your two minute doodle with Art Studio was most impressive. Here’s a demo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDXe_wsk9bc You need a pogo pen rather than your finger!
2010-05-12| Rudolf Devilbiss saysI recently lost over 60lbs and went from size 42 waist to a 34. Exercise was a huge factor, but I would have to say what we eat and when is a more crucial factor. I try to eat 5-6 smaller protein-rich meals with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Also, I eat my biggest meal of the day in the morning and taper off with subsequent ones throughout the day. This helps get the metabolism going and keeps the appetite under control. Obese people often eat less than I do, except they skip breakfast, chug sugary sodas all day, snack on greasy carb-laden junk food and then gorge before dinner and up until bedtime. By doing that, you are essentially telling your body to store fats and metabolize foods at a slower rate.
Oh, I see you have deleted the link to my website selling weight-loss products. Fuck it, I’m off for a burger.
2010-05-12| Mack Dubourg saysThis IPad thing is definitively looking awesome… all the specific features etc… nevertheless now I read this, I immediately do not like it in almost any respect. I’m a incredibly owner of an iTouch (2nd Generation) and I think this particular thing has upgraded considerably when compared to the earliest generation. And therefore it will always be far better, but don’t forget that … In no way purchase a product from Apple when it’s only 1 year out there, they’ll enhance it even so they often change step by step to acheive increase sales utilizing their company goods… Extremely smart people :-)