So I picked up my iPad at the University Village Apple store moments ago and am using it for this post. Some immediate impressions:
Bigger than it looks in photos. That’s actually good. I was worried it would be too small.
Grip surface is matte with fairly good purchase, better than naked iPhone anyway. One clever touch: The Apple logo on back is grippy. Makes a nice anchor for your hand holding onto the iPad. Whoever thought of this deserves a bonus!
Keypad is not quite touch-typeable right out of the box anyway. Maybe I’ll adapt once I’m more familiar with it but the touch keys added to the flatness of the screen make it a bit tricky. I’m moving along fairly well hunting pecking but would prefer touch type of course.
Comes 90 Percent charged out of box, that’s good.
Performance is fast so far but it’s early in the game and I haven’t tried YouTube yet.
The main keyboard lacks a colon. I’d rather have the colon than, say, the exclamation point, yes I would!!! Wait I take it back!
I’ve been writing about this device for years, particularly after net books began catching on. Finally something for folks like me who want the net book functionality but not the cheap junk that netbooks are. [Note in above link how Jobs used to say Apple couldn’t build a netbook that wasn’t “a piece of junk for under $500.” The iPad’s starting price: $499.]
I particularly think the iPad is well suited for mobile blogging. I’ve long wanted something I could slip in and out of my backpack and was light enough not to matter. So far this is the real deal! (There’s that exclamation point again!)
I was worried I’d be disappointed by something right away but no gotchas yet. More later!
We picked up the 32gb model for our daughter this morning (it was her birthday last week and we had one reserved for her). I have to say, I’m impressed. The sensitivity and speed are better than hoped for, the screen is excellent, and overall it’s just a fun, fun device to use. If I can find an app that serves my Photoshop needs for minimal processing on the fly, I’d consider purchasing one to replace my 13″ MacBook Pro.
Alan@EcoVelo
Paul, I’m a huge Apple fan, I have the phone, the pods, the computers, the stock. I want an ipad whether I need it or not. And now I’m jealous that even if I buy tomorrow, I’d be only the second cycling blogger to have one. Failure again.