iPad Review

So, I've had the iPad for just about two weeks now, and have gotten a lot of questions as to my thoughts on the product so far.  For anyone interested in knowing my humble opinion on the new device, here goes:

As a college student, I envisioned using the iPad as a highly portable tool to take to class every day and utilize.  My primary uses for the device so far:

• Taking notes in class
• Sending and receiving emails away from home
• Keeping important documents on my person to have at meetings
• Having my Google calendar accessible at all times - even when offline
• Keeping track of my expenses
• Reading books/textbooks
• Listing and reminding me about due dates for homework and projects
• Listening to music/podcasts
• Surfing the internet

I get occasional use out of the ability to watch movies/tv shows from Netflix, view google maps, read news articles, do crossword puzzles, and play the occasional game, but I wanted the iPad more for its functionality than entertainment value, and so far, it has met or exceeded my expectations.  There are already a great number of very useful apps created or modified (from the iPhone OS) to work with the iPad, and I imagine many more will be appearing soon.

Now, I know everyone will have different uses in mind, so let me reiterate that the iPad will NOT replace your primary computer.  It's not made to do that, and with its app-based OS, probably will not do that anytime soon.  It's not the most convenient system to type on, although there is a dock/keyboard out there that would probably make it comparable to typing on a laptop.  The iPad will let you play iTunes music or podcasts in the background while you use it for other things, but until OS4 is released in the Fall, it will not really multitask.  I haven't found this to be an issue at all though.  When you click the home button to close an app, you can quickly move to another, and then close it and move back to the first one without waiting for it to completely reload.  This process doesn't take significantly longer than minimizing a window on your PC to select another one, so it's nothing more than a minor inconvenience that I can't listen to Pandora while browsing the web.

As far as cost goes, it starts at $499 - basically the price of a netbook - and goes up to $829 (64gb 3G model).  The 3G model has yet to be released, but I decided it wasn't something I would need anyway.  I knew my primary places of use would be home and school - where wireless internet is standard - and paying another $40 per month was too much to justify at this point.  I sprung for the 32gb model which has a $599 base price tag, so after a case, stylus (a must for drawing/writing apps), and tax, it ran right at $700.  One of my biggest gripes with Apple in general is that nothing comes free when you buy the iPad.  Most apps are cheap ($3-$10), and many are free, but when you buy 5 or 6 at a few bucks a piece, it really starts to add up.  I've spent around $40 on apps, some of which turned out to be a waste, and some that were really useful and productive.  All-in-all, plan on spending at least $100 plus the base price to really get the most use out of your iPad.

Early adoption is not a route that I take for many products, but it was time to replace my aging laptop and iPod, so I did.  So far, I am very satisfied with the iPad.  I have a feeling these may replace MacBooks for most students in the next couple years because of the amazing portability and convenience.  It may not be the BEST for any one use, but its GOOD for many different uses.

Ups:
Portability, battery life, display size, speed, note-taking
Downs:
Price, no exporting to Excel, no Flash supported

My most used Apps (not included on the iPad):

• iBooks - Has a great selection of free books (mostly classics) to try out
• HW Mail
• iAnnotate PDF
• Pages
• Taska
• Expenses
• Duo Browser
• Netflix
• RealRacingHD
• Downloader