Well, well, how far has it come? The new iPad 2 will be released tomorrow in Europe, and I'm planning on buying one. Basically I want to buy it for my girlfriend, who has actually an iPhone 4, and uses it for everything, mainly internet, even we have so many other possibilities to go online in the house

She likes to read the news almost about every hour, and check some smaller things, so she uses the phone, and doesn't go to the "PC" room. I thought it would be a nice idea to have an iPad then, because she would have a bigger screen and all that stuff, don't want to go in too deep now.

Anyway, I think that it is a nice piece of hardware, and she's familiar with the apple apps world. So perhaps I will consider in buying one, mainly for her, but I could also use it with some apps, like the new GarageBand f.e. or some neat games.

I know that Harrison will probably try to convince me now and tell me to wait until some other tablets are released
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That is where you are completely wrong! Ha!

I quite like the iPad, and I don't think any other tablet PC has yet been able to match it, yet alone beat it. The closest yet is still the Samsung Galaxy Tab, but its screen is much smaller, it feels chunkier, and it is basically still just a large Android (Galaxy S) phone with the same apps. And I don't think any Android tablets will beat it until Honeycomb (Android 3.0) is released later this year, which is a specifically Tablet based version. Although later this year Ice cream Sandwich (where do they get these names?) will be released that will combine 2.3 and 3.0 into a unified OS, making Android 4. Only then I think we will start to see the iPad killers coming out.

The only thing I have against the iPad is the price, which is quite mad. I would never pay over £500 for a device like this. £300 and it would be a good alternative to a laptop. But for a seemless experience iOS on the iPhone and iPad is hard to beat. Being a fixed platform means developers know the screen size, CPU, GPU and everything they are to expect to encounter about the system, so the software is more polished and works. The disadvantage of Android is its multi platform approach, because like the PC market developers are not developing for a single hardware platform, but have to take into account different screen resolutions and hardware power.

But that isn't it say the iPad isn't flawed, because it is greatly. It feels quite restricted compared to other systems. Locked down by Apple, with you only able to purchase and download through the App store and iTunes. It has no menory card slot so you can't just add extra storage space, or copy files. You are therefore stuck with the model you buy. The smaller 8GB and 16GB versions are not really worth it, but the 32GB version is very expensive. I also don't see the point in just getting the WiFi version, as having 3G is a huge advantage to take the iPad with you when you travel, but the WiFi + 3G version is really expensive, and it required a smaller micro sim. Also I don't think the Ipad 2 is really that big an update over the original. Faster GPU and dual core CPU will see developers able to produce better software, but still no memory card slot, and the new cameras are really bad quality (I read they are identical to the last gen iPod nano cameras), and facetime is still restricted to WiFi only. There is rumour that a new version of Facetime for 3G/4G networks will be rolled out in the distant future, maybe with the iPhone 5 later this year that will work over 3G networks, but that won't be compatible with older hardware... and I bet Apple try to say it is some revolutionary innovation, when in reality most smart phones have had 3G video calling built in for years! And iOS still doesn't support Flash!

Personally I would suggest you waited 3 months before buying. The reason is Apple's current share situation. An stock analyst downgraded Apple's stock last week which saw the companies value lose something like 24 Billions over night. The reason for the downlgrade was due to analysts saying the IPad market was slowing down, due to saturation. If that is true then Apple will most likely cut the price soon.

Something else to consider is getting the original iPad instead of the new iPad 2, once it is released. The original will fall in price. And whilst the new one has the faster CPU and cameras, the old one still has an identical screen, resolution and will support and run all the same apps.
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Probably. After all, it is Apple.

I wonder where the but is.

Ah, here it is.



I think I tapped a couple of buttons on an iPad screen once in the local Apple store. I must be losing touch, because I really don't have a clue what it does differently from a Windows/Linux/Macintosh system. As far as I can tell, it just looks like an enlarged version of one of these new fangled SmartPhones.
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Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!

Yes Stephen, you have guess the correct answer to "so what is an iPad?......no like, really, what is the point?"

Your prize? Common sense! Woo! go you!
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you've been thinking about the 'old' galaxy tab new one is based on honeycomb, cheaper and thinner than the iPad2.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/22/s...nner-than-the/
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Nice, I hadn't seen the new Tab. When is it being released in the EU?

Regarding Steve's comments... when I first saw and tried the new tablets I thought exactly the same "what is the point". However, they do have their uses and I think they will eventually replace the laptop as the computer on the move. Laptops are still fairly bulky and heavy and with smartphone OS and tech getting more advanced all the time, the tablets are starting to offer features laptops can only dream of.

For me a tablet PC is the ideal device if all you want to do is check the news, weather, read some websites, check your email or look up something. They are also great devices to look through pictures or watch some videos. No good for productivity, where a real computer still is ideally required, but great for content. I would much rather use a tablet PC sat on my sofa than a laptop, and can't think of a single thing I would use a laptop for, that a tablet wouldn't be good for.
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Do these tablety things have handwriting recognition, like a Newton, or do you have to use an on screen keyboard?

Just wondering, because I do use my computers, both desktop and laptop for typing.
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Not built in, but third party developers have added it for their own apps.

Take a look at:

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Good point sir
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I use my phone for this sort of 'content consumption' a LOT, the immediacy of just having it close to hand and not having to get the lappy out the drawer and wait for windows to boot is really appealing. My wife is quite keen on the ipad, we may end up getting one (there is a chance we might get given an older version when an associate upgrades to the ipad2).

As an aside, when the iphone came out (there were smart phones before that, obv, and you could substitute that for iphone in this bit of text, but maybe not so many that really grabbed the attention of the general public) I remember saying something along the lines of 'why would I want something like that? I don't need internet on the move, and I can check my emails on the computer, and I already have an ipod'. Then I got one (two in fact, to unlock and flog on ebay) and during testing realised how handy it could be. Now, I use my iphone all the time, and would feel quite lost if I didn't have access to that sort of info on the go.

In fact, it's amazing how reliant I have become on the internet in the last few years. When we moved, there was a phase where we didn't have data allowance on our phones, nor readily available internet at home. The feeling of being disconnected took me by surprise - it wasn't very nice at all.
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