Unboxing the iPad !
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Packaging, one of the major qualities of Apple products. But isn't the box a little too thick for a 0.57" only iPad ?
Unboxing an Apple product is always an experience. Packaging is one of the many details that proves that Apple is not a "traditionnal" company. A very classy packaging... but not so "environment friendly", as paperboard and other plastic materials could have been reduced 3 times..
No instructions coming with the iPad, but this little 1 page sheet detailing the major functionnalities of the tablet. The message is clear : iPad is a simple product, using only 4 buttons, no need of a massive operating manual booklet then. And the result is positive, the iPad is very easy to use, especially if you already own an iPhone. Using the iPad is like a sweet sensation of mix, you easily handle the device while feeling a sensation of innovation.
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iPad : let's take a closer look
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Let's strip the iPad gently...
At the bottom of the device, we find the usual connectivity, but be careful, iPhone/iPod chargers can't charge the iPad, but, according to the Apple Store staff, iPad charger could charge any Apple device.
Just a little bit smaller than an A4 sheet, the iPad measures are 24 x 19 cm. It is pretty thin with only 13.4 mm. It weights 680g only and this unusual format makes it quite hard to handle at first, and we had some difficulties to find our marks. iPads are going to slip, that's for sure, so a protection is highly recommended. The model proposed by Apple offers to place the iPad in vertical and horizontal positions, perfect for watching videos or diaporamas.
Only two accessories are in the box : the USB cable et the power cable.
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Discovering the iPad interface !
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The main page of the iPad : sober and sweet. The first sync with your computer will ask for iTunes 9.1 update, and offer pretty much the same possibilities as those offered by an iPhone. the iPad dock is larger than the iPhone's, and up to 6 applications can be placed there.
The iPad OS comes preinstalled with several languages.
Regarding its speed, we can clearly feel the benefits from the new A4 processor. Everything is faster, more reactive, and makes the global use of the tablet very appreciable. We just felt a little weakness concerning the Wi-Fi connection, which is very effective near to a hotspot, but becomes highly unstable when being a little bit further. Lack of sensibility or simple manner to increase battery life ?... In case of weak Wi-Fi signal, it is pretty hard to keep a good and stable connection and even to catch it sometimes.
The Wi-Fi configuration system is easy and fast, thanks to the large keyboard.
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iPad : the AppStore revisited
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The AppStore has been remodeled for the iPad, and is very pleasant to use. Visiting the AppStore through the iPad and its 10" screen is so comfortable, that doing the same thing with our "tiny" iPhone seems just weird now... The iPad fluidity is just excellent and very intuitive. A true success ! The iPad will probably seduce a lot of non Mac-users. Warning, the good times of free apps are quite over, and most of the apps proposed are meant to be bought.
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iPad battery life, Apple's challenge
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With its huge screen and its permanent Wi-Fi connection, sure that the iPad's battery life was a redundant and very discussed issue, even long before it was released. But Apple seems to have achieved a fantastic job, and our iPad went through our strong treatment, reaching without any problems the promised 10 hours of use for a charge.
As promised, the iPad comes with its iBooks application (which was not pre-installed on our version). After its winning tandem iPod/iTunes, Apple could just reiterate such kind of success with electronic litterature this time. The iPad's large and beautiful screen finally gives users an excellent experience for electronic book reading. Amazon's Kindle will clearly suffer the comparison, but Amazon already announced a dedicated application for the iPad.
If browsing the web with an iPhone can quickly become a nightmare, iPad handles web surfing with perfection. The browser is extremely fast, and thanks to the Wi-Fi "n" connection, web pages load quite instantaneously. Still, with its large screen, we can now read a website in its standard view, without having to burn our eyes...
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To buy the iPad or not to buy the iPad ?
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Since the Apple iPad is within our hands since a couple of days now, it seems clear that in our opinion, the iPad is intended to everybody, and each person will make a good and personnal use of it, thanks to the iApps choice. If Apple had integrated a built-in webcam, the iPad could have without any problem replaced totally a computer, especially for people who use it only for web browsing, communicating and emailing. For now, this lack of webcam definitley is the major problem of this iPad...but it is highly believable that Apple will elaborate a "new" iPad in the future, with increased possibilities and an integrated webcam.
Regarding the iPad's retail price, it is almost cheap... but its new AppStore and eReader functions can make the bill raise significantly, by buying some books and TV shows in order to watch and appreciate them, comfortably installed in a sofa or a bed.
What we liked :
- New tablet format
- Large screen
- Battery life
- Fast and very accessible interface
- User friendly
- Safari's speed
- Comfort : web browsing, photos, videos...
- Choice of applications : iApps, books...
What we disliked :
- No webcam
- Wi-Fi weakness
- Hard to handle...
- Big breaking risks (fall...)
- Screen not bright enough for outside uses
- Quite cheap, but too many paying apps...
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More pictures of the different iPad Settings pages
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