Is the Apple iPad the Best Gadget Ever Made?
2010 has been the year in which the smartphone has come of age and the concept of tablet computing has been revitalised. Arguably there is a single firm behind these two achievements and you would be hard pressed to claim that anyone other than Apple has a right to label its iPhone and iPad range as two revolutionary gadgets. However, 2010 has also been the year in which 3D TV has become a reality in the home and further developments in 3D handheld technology has brought about the launch of the first 3D camcorders and digital cameras. This means that people who enjoy photography over tablet PCs are probably less impressed with the iPad than others. To help you decide where you stand, it is worth analysing the capabilities and functions of the iPad.
The iPad is a little over a centimetre thick and at its heaviest is roughly 730 grams, which means that it is appealing to the eye and easy to hold for extended periods, providing you have the option to rest your hands at a convenient angle. Holding it aloft unsupported will certainly cause some strain after a while. It is available with Wi-Fi connectivity and 16GB of onboard storage in its cheapest iteration, while the most expensive model packs 64GB of storage and 3G mobile network connectivity as well as Wi-Fi. This latter feature allows you to slot in a microSIM card and take the iPad out and about while using 3G networks provided by mobile operators to surf the internet.
The iPad is very much focused on providing a browsing experience that surpasses that which is available on any other gadget or home PC. It essentially turns the internet into a magazine style portal, which is as convenient to browse as a paperback whilst still giving access to media and content which desktop users enjoy every day. You can use the iPad to subscribe to newspapers and magazines, with many offering content and articles free of charge via dedicated apps, while others require small subscriptions which usually cost a lot less than purchasing a physical copy of a daily paper.
The iPad is not all about news and information, as it is also about gaming and productivity. The App Store, which is powered by iTunes, brings across the hundreds of thousands of apps which are available on the
iPhone, as well as tens of thousands of bespoke, high resolution apps which are only on offer to iPad users. Popular games like Angry Birds get a high definition update, while streaming media from your favourite sites also feels natural, as the display can be set to automatically rotate depending on the manner in which you are holding the device. Comic lovers have flocked to the iPhone because of the growing library of titles which can be viewed in high quality on its crisp display and the touchscreen interface means that interactions are always intuitive.
The iPad may not stand up to the argument over whether it is the best gadget ever made, as this might easily be attributed to the
i Phone or iPod ranges. However, it is easily within the top ten.