Apple iPad Review From Afar

So in case you missed it, on Wednesday Apple revealed and demoed their newest product, the iPad. The iPad is a tablet computer that Apple claims fits between your smartphone and laptop in your mobile devices arsenal, but I do not see it as such. In fact, I don’t really see it as a traditional “mobile device” at all.

I see the iPad as a device that will live within a home (and most homes have Wi-fi now so the need to spend extra on the 3G option is not an important one), shared by a family, just the way a television in the living room is shared. The device will live in a room or two of the household, all family members can input data into the calendar or contacts apps and having a centralized note system for the entire family is another thing the iPad could do. Personally, I cant wait to surf the web with the iPad while I watch TV, a task I currently do with my 14.9 inch HP laptop.

I have heard a lot of people say “The iPad sucks, it’s just a big iPod Touch!” well, that may be true in both design and functionality but, thats just about the perfect base to start with for a tablet computer isn’t it? Think about it, the iPod and iPhone both have incredible text rendering, an easy and simple interface and 140,000 apps an app store to easily customize your home screens. The iPad has taken that awesome formula and boosted it with the iBook Store, a faster processor, and the upgrading of all of the original apps that come with the 3.2 software.

As a musician, I see a lot of potential with the iPad. Essentially what it is, is a sheet of electronics that can be made to do anything you’d like and a few things I’d love to see are some apps that would easily integrate with DAW’s through midi for live performances. Imagine being on stage with an iPad, the screen is able to be arranged how you wish, faders on the bottom with any values set that you would like, in the top corner, a transport control for live loop recording to your DAW, and in the other corner a midi trigger pad with samples loaded and sortable by the iPad. Now thats something I would love to see and use.

All in all, I think the iPad is quite a neat toy at a very nice price (starting at $499) but nothing I have seen yet can give me any idea on whether or not I will want to buy it. I feel it is all going to come down to how it feels in my hands. It’s a beautiful device, and I don’t expect anything else from Apple, but it is a whole new category of a hardware so I really have no idea what to expect until I hold it in my hands.

On a side note, it was really fun to listen and watch the live coverage of the event from places like TWIT and Engadget, a lot of people would like to see Apple stream the events live on the web but I think its fun going to all the different site finding feeds, then watching them get shut down then moving on to the next site, its part of the fun I think.

Also, it was great seeing Steve Jobs back up there on stage. I really admire him for doing it his way, and I really believe the company and the products they have put out since his return have been so great because of him and his attention to the user experience. It was fun watching him up there on stage playing with his new toy, and you can tell he feels that way, that this is his and he wanted to share it with the world. Maybe it as just me, but out of all the events and keynotes I have seen where Steve Jobs demoed a new product, this was the first time I could see him really get lost in the moment. A few times I swear he forgot he was giving a Keynote and felt that he was at home playing around on his latest creation.