Apple iPad is the next big thing from Steve Jobs

I’m a fan of Apple. I own several iPods, Macbooks, an Apple TV, iPod Touch and iPhone 3Gs. So not a surprise that I would pre-order Apple’s latest and greatest, the iPAD.  

Leading up to the iPad’s release I was very excited. Not just about another Apple device, but to discover what Steve Jobs has created to change personal computing. So far I haven’t been disappointed.

The minute you open the box and turn it on you see an amazing display. The colors are bright and surprisingly warm. Photos and videos jump off the screen and are able to be viewed at any angle. Like the iPhone – the iPad has a glass screen which means you are going to have fingerprints and smudges on the screen at all times, but these are only noticeable when the device is turned off. When turned on, the brightness of the screen cuts through any film on the display and all you see are sharp, clean images.   

As you begin to use the iPAD you will notice a few things right away. First it’s really fast. Moving in and out of apps, opening programs like safari, mail or calendar happen instantly. Secondly, the battery life. With an advertised 10 hours of battery life and 30 day standby I was skeptical. I have never had a device (notebook or iPod) that has lived up to its claims of battery life, but this time they surpassed it. I average about 12 hours of use before I recharging and that includes watching movies on the Netflix app and listening to music – which normally drain a battery faster.

Also, as you hold the iPAD or set it on your lap you will notice it does not get hot. There are no fans kicking in and you won’t find yourself moving it off your legs to avoid burning your thighs.

One of the major concerns that I have heard from people that are considering the iPAD is the keyboard and how hard it will be for them to type on. Those looking to replace a laptop are especially concerned and with good reason.  I find that I only like to type on it in landscape mode. It is easier to place your hands and landscape gives a closer feel to a full size keyboard. Like the iPhone the first few days are uncomfortable but then it is very natural and you find yourself typing as fast as you would on a external keyboard. And with auto-correction you really find yourself being okay with spelling things wrong on your first pass knowing that when you hit the space bar the iPAD will make corrections

How do I use the iPAD in my everyday life? At work I use it for my notes in meetings, my daily calendar and appointments, and we’ve incorporated the Numbers and Pages apps into daily use for spreadsheets and word processing. Say goodbye to the planner or PDA. I also find myself using the iPad email to view and delete mail that I only need to be reading and not responding to while in the office. At home, the iPad sits on my coffee table and it’s all I use to surf the web, read email, check the weather, etc. Since buying the iPAD I rarely boot up my notebook on weekends.  

I’m a believer in this technology. Some argue that the technology in the iPad already exists within laptop computers and the iPod Touch/iPhone and that’s true. But the ease and accessibility to your information and applications will make this device stand apart from the rest.

— David Breen