So after very little consideration and based solely on emotion I picked up a 16GB WiFi iPad. I knew it was going to be an exciting new mobile product and would be on the forefront of opening up lots of people to the idea that there is a world beyond the mouse for machines other than phones and PDAs – and a new mobile world beyond phones and PDAs.
What I wasn’t expecting was to want one really badly as soon as I saw it. I got this huge wave of possibilities and freshness and knew I was going to get one. It’s everything the Apple aesthetic calls for. Sleek design, great build and feel, of course- it’s electronic umami. The interface is familiar to anyone with an iPod touch or iPhone, and fairly intuitive for those new to touchscreens and Apple.
Video and pictures look great. I’ve found a bunch of nifty apps and books for both me and my two year old daughter. With so much of the focus of the attention on the iPad being related to it’s worth as a mobile work device it’s easy to forget one of the iPad’s biggest strengths is as a book reader and content provider.
It’s just so well done and the stuff out there for the iPad is a whole world above a plain text reader. It also does a whole host of things via apps that none of my other devices can do. Nor could they, really. The touchscreen makes so many things possible since it is essentially infinitely configurable- and therefore your interface and experience are as well. Like I said, possibilities….