4 Reasons Why Some People Aren’t Crazy About iPad
Many waited in line for the release of Apple’s ‘revolutionary’ tablet PC, the iPad. But many, too, shrugged their shoulders with indifference and dissatisfaction over the fact that this almighty device would not deliver on its promise. Well, these two opposing views clearly show how polarized people are with iPad. Let us take a look at a few things that make iPad a not-so-hot item for some.
iPad 2.0 will be available soon, so why bother?
This is a big issue. The currently released iPad is a big disappointment for many and that doesn’t help much with Apple’s efforts to make its newest tablet PC a big hit. Whether the disappointments of the general public – techies, mostly – are justified or not, it still hurts Apple’s sales. It still, in many ways, discouraged quite a huge number of people from buying the product.
But on top of this issue is the expectation that Apple will release a new, upgraded version soon. (Maybe this time, iPad will come with a built-in camera.) People would rather wait for the upgraded version, which many expect will offer a substantially improved version of its predecessor. Following this line of thinking, people would rather wait for one full year or two than dole out their more than $500 on a device that will soon be replaced.
It doesn’t support Flash.
Ok, big deal. Apple seems to have a thing for Adobe’s Flash, a standard on the web. Flash is what most websites and rich media are built with. It’s the program that runs videos, audios and games that have saturated the online world. But Apple seem not to like it. The company prefers a more stable, less vulnerable to hack platform. It prefers its own HTML5. It only makes perfect sense that all Apple’s products – iPad included – runs on this platform and not on Flash.
What most people don’t quite get though is that nearly all websites on the internet use Adobe Flash. For the end users, this means that when visiting websites using iPad’s browser, Safari – glorious and beautiful as it is – there would still be some problems that may be encountered. Big problems. No Hulu and HBO for now, buddy.
No built-in camera. Na ah.
Before Steve Jobs formally presented iPad to the public, everyone thought it’s a no-brainer that Apple will attach a camera to the device. Apparently, iPad doesn’t carry one and there seems to be no clear indication that iPad 2.0 will have one. For now, iPad can’t be used for taking snapshots of yourself or for making video calls over Skype or YM.
You only get to multitask when running Apple’s native applications.
iPad runs on iPhone’s OS, fine. What is not okay though is that the same limitations on iPhone are experienced with the iPad. Say goodbye to multitasking.
If you are a regular user and if you see iPad as nothing more than a sophisticated, multifunctioning multimedia player/toy/laptop hybrid, it won’t be much of a problem. But if you live your life online, you’ll be stumped. There is no way you can listen to iTunes while making a video call using Skype.
Do You Enjoy Reading? iPad Has An App For That
Probably one of the more popular features of the iPad—aside from its multi-orientation interface—is its accessibility to hundreds of thousands of apps. These programs have been specifically designed to run on the iPad; there is zero possibility to find it anywhere else, except on the iPhone and iPod Touch. The applications cater to a wide range of categories, including entertainment, business, games, education, and sports. Practically anything you can think of has been prepared for by Apple engineers and third-party developers. Whatever your need, there’s an app for that.
One useful application offered on the iPad is an e-book reader called iBooks. The size of the iPad screen is ideal for reading; there is no squinting necessary to view text displayed on this device. Most of the technical aspects relating to the readability of the material can be adjusted such as its brightness, text size, typeface, and background. The background lighting can be dimmed according to the user’s preference and this is especially useful for reading at night since nocturnal reading becomes unbearable when the screen is too bright.
Moreover, text size and font styles can be altered to suit the user’s needs. For some odd reason, we all have quirky preferences when it comes to font styles. There are people who just simply could not stand neither Times New Roman nor Arial; sometimes, they find it easy to read huge blocks of text displayed in Helvetica or Palatino Linotype. Text adjustment is definitely good news for those who like to read lengthy novels.
Another wonderful feature of the iBooks app is its capability to render superb graphics. iPad’s crisp screen and high-speed memory allows images to appear as you read it without waiting for the image to complete. It makes graphic novels and illustrated books better appreciated.
Incidentally, Marvel Comics has its own e-book reader app on the iPad, which means the Marvel experience is easily accessible via a simple download! The images can be enlarged or minimized by simply pinching on the multi-touch screen. It is also easier to navigate and browse the pages of Marvel’s comic books by tapping the thumbnails.
In line with further reading, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times have also created an app exclusively for the iPad. While it is not exactly a great replacement for a physical broadsheet newspaper, it provides as easy, “tap-worthy” access to news as you need it.
These applications are available on the not-so-subtly named marketplace App Store, which can be accessed on a specialized app on the iPad. iBooks is already included in the device once you purchase it, while the Marvel Comics app can be purchased on the App Store or through Amazon. Currently, Amazon still holds the record of offering more and better titles more than any other e-book seller. The user has the option to preview the books or comics before buying and as a lucky iPad owner, you can also order Marvel Comics in print to add to your collection.
