I woke up at 8am this morning and stood in line for almost an hour to pick up my reserved iPad. There were probably 100-150 people in line when I got there. I then spent the better part of the day downloading apps and putting the iPad through its paces. Here are my initial impressions with using the actual device:
1. Yes, it’s fast
Coming from an iPhone 3G, everything feels about 25% faster. Web pages load as fast as on my laptop, maps feel better than a laptop experience, and in general everything feels very responsive.
2. Browsing the web, reading text and watching videos are Class-1 experiences
I’ve changed my mind about content. The iPad is a better way to consume the web, text and videos.
Web browsing feels as good if not better than browsing on a laptop. It feels more like flipping through a magazine, which suits most general surfing.
I tried out 3 major free news apps (NPR, Reuters, and AP News). All look great, and are definitely superior to browsing their respective websites. The Marvel Comics app is also very well done. I sure wish we had iPads when I was a kid!
I also watched streaming video on the YouTube, Netflix and ABC Player apps. Both worked great. Hi-def video looks fantastic. Definitely like having your own personal TV.
3. Text typing is fine (for limited amounts of text)
A big concern of mine was how good the virtual keyboard would stack up. In a word, it’s functional. As good if not a little better than the iPhone keyboard for limited text entry. You certainly don’t want to be typing on it for longer than a couple minutes. One positive surprise was how well the landscape keyboard feels like a standard (physical) Apple keyboard. It’s almost the same size and shape. Typing with the Apple case in landscape mode works fairly well. However, it will not work at all if you have long fingernails.
4. It’s just the right size, but heavier than expected
The device itself feels like just the right size to be holding in the hand, and browsing with. However, it does feel heavier than I anticipated. My hand felt tired after holding it in one hand for more than 5 minutes. Works much better sitting down and holding it in your lap.
Overall, the iPad delivers as expected. It is a great content consumption device out of the box. Time will tell if it is able to build upon that base into other areas.