The Apple iPad Tablet is being touted as the best way for users to enjoy the web, email, photos, and video on a portable unit. The unit is essentially a giant iPod touch measuring in at a 9.56 by 7.47 by 0.50 inches.
Apple iPad Tablet: Features
The Apple iPad Tablet weighs in at 1.5 pounds and offers a 9.7 inch LED-backlit IPS touch-screen display that has a 1024×768 resolution. It comes with the iPhone OS 3.2, which is a tweaked version of the iPhone operating system designed to run on the iPad’s larger screen as well as to work with all the new applications. However, for some reason Apple haven’t tweaked the OS to be able to multi-task. 
Just like the iPhone, and probably the main feature that sets this unit apart from a netbook, is the lack of a physical keyboard. The keyboard is on-screen but iPhone users who have had trouble with the unit’s keyboard will be pleased to note that the iPad’s keyboard is much larger and easier to use. While not meant for word processing, the well spaced keys make it a viable, portable solution for those who would prefer to have a lighter portable unit for note taking and similar activities.
The Apple iPad comes with the Safari browser and web surfing is quite impressive and fast. The screen is big enough for one to be able to see whole web pages at a time without the need for zooming out or scrolling back and forth.
The unit also features a Mail application that allows for easy set up of email accounts and offers most of the popular systems from Microsoft Exchange to Gmail and Yahoo Mail. The Apple iPad comes with another eleven preinstalled applications, namely Calendar, Contacts, Notes, Videos, Maps, YouTube, App Store, Safari, Photos, iPod and iTunes. The Maps application offers users the ability to locate virtually anything in any area they wish, from restaurants to bars and stores, and it even offers driving directions between two different locations. It essentially acts like a GPS unit, sing Wi-Fi triangulation to position you on the map.
One of the best things about the Apple iPad has to be the number of third party applications that will allow users to customize their experience.
The Apple iPad can be used to read books and offers a great experience with color illustrations and turning pages looks completely realistic. It also offers the ability to bookmark any section or word a user is reading and then look up the bookmarks in a list sorted by date. It also features a very intuitive search function that will allow users to find anything they wish in a book or the closest approximation.
Regarding multimedia content, as was to be expected, videos and photos look quite stunning on the large screen. While it isn’t a substitute for an HDTV, it is quite amazing for a portable unit.
Apple iPad Tablet: Pros and Cons
Consumers who purchased the unit are extremely pleased with its performance in terms of multimedia content. The biggest complaints were regarding Safari’s lack of Flash support as well as the lack of a camera for video chatting.
Overall, consumers were pleased with their purchase of the Apple iPad Tablet as they found it to be a useful device that can replace a laptop for certain tasks.