Happy Easter! Well the iPad came and over the past day and 1/2 I have spent alot of time getting my arms around this device and playing with the different APPS from my short list blog post. So initial impressions?
I have to say that I just love this thing! In fact on Saturday I ended up doing a USTREAM.TV video for around 800 viewers for just over 3 hours on how iPad performs and demonstrating APP’s and answering direct questions. The iPad feels nice in ones hands, albeit that at 1.5lbs over extended usage I did feel it get a little heavy in my hands. The earlier reviews concerning battery life are correct, in my experience using this all day that the battery kept going with WIFI on and being used non-stop for well over 11 hours! The screen is just drop dead gorgeous and movies that I looked at from Digital Copies such as The Dark Knight looked like they were in 1080P!
So what about the APPS? Well from my short list posting this past Friday, I have started to create video demonstrations to show how they look on iPad. Here are my first two and over the course of the next several days this list will continue to grow.
If you have questions about the iPad, please feel free to leave comments and I will do my best to answer your questions.
Well.. here we are the day before the official launch of the magical and revolutionary Apple iPad, and the technology, consumer electronics, and financial industry segments are all abuzz over Steve Job’s latest creation. Will it live up to the hype? The major news sources like Time, USA Today, WSJ, PCWorld have all sung praises to “the next era of computing”.
But what about the applications, great hardware is meaningless without great software to empower the user. Yesterday Apple launched the iPad portion of the APP store and from browsing the store; here is my must have short list to at least start off with tomorrow when my iPad gets delivered.
Skeeter’s Short List
Apple Keynote – The ability to show my presentations quickly along with editing on the fly will be just awesome!
Apple Pages – While I would not envision writing long documents, the ability to update proposals, tweak contracts, etc will be invaluable.
iBooks – While I love my nook & Kindle, I believe the added capabilities that iPad will bring to books will make reading fun again.
Marvel Comics – Ironman and Spiderman coming to life in full delicious color… oh my
USA Today - Can’t wait to see the full of color USA today come to life
LogMein Ignition – One of the best APPS on the iPhone period. You can fully control both Windows and Macs with it. Need I say more?
WSJ for iPad - Have you seen the screen shots – looks like the paper?
ABC Player - Lost and Modern Family on demand? Coolness!
Mirrors Edge – A really fun and gorgeous game on the consoles, well see how it performs on the iPad.
Check back tomorrow (morning I hope) for an unboxing video and then over the weekend I will report back with my initial impressions on the iPad along with initial impressions on my short list!
While pondering about the Apple iPad and having numerous conversations about this “magical and revolutionary product” the big questions that people always ask me is “How much memory should I get? ” and “Should I order it with 3G”. Well the first question to me was pretty simple – Memory. From my perspective while 16GB is just not enough – the cost of the 64GB unit just pushes this device in my humble opinion to a price point that is just too high! In addition to my price concern, I carry a 32GB iPhone have 339 songs, 33 videos, 190 photos, 82 Apps and still have over 8GB of free space! So what I have learned from my first iPod days is that I really don’t need to carry my entire library with me all the time! Thus 32GB just “feels Right” and practical to me for storage.
WI-FI + 3G or Not?
Well I have to say my initial reaction was YES you need 3G, however the more I thought about it the less I thought of having to add $130 to the cost of an iPad and then spend either $14.99 or $29.99 a month, contract or not for 3G data access! So then it dawned on me that there was another option albeit more expensive, it would provide me 3G access on my iPad plus a whole lot more!
Enter Verizon’s MIFI 2200 or Sprints Overdrive app Wireless Hotspot! In case you are not familiar with these devices they are pocket sized, battery powered, portable WIFI hotspots that allow up to 5 devices access to the internet over the 3G/4G wireless networks! Currently you can buy the Verizon MIFI 2200 from Verizon for $59.95, and the Sprint Overdrive for $99 with $50 mail in rebate. Of course both devices assumed a 2yr contract for service with both carriers offering “unlimited” 5GB per month data plans at $59.95 per month.
I was able to do some extensive testing with both of these devices to determine how well they really did perform with normal usage, at least with my laptop and desktop computers. These tests were conducted around Rochester, NY so Sprints 4G network was non-existant, meaning all tests were done within Verizon & Sprints 3G EDVO Rev a. Network. I found that both units from a download speed persecutive were very close to each other in multiple tests and web page surfing user experience. Utilizing an internet speed test site – SpeedTest.net I found that wireless download speeds ranged from 1.0 – 1.3 mbs down and .150 – .350 mbs upload speeds. The Verizion MIFI 2200 usually bested the Sprint Overdrive almost every time by 10%, not really anything you noticed when surfing web pages or watching YouTube videos. What was surprising to me however was the speed comparison when the hotspots were directly connected to my laptop via the included USB cables. With the Sprint Overdrive the speeds did not change, however the Verizon MIFI just took off with speed testing improvements such as 1.7 – 1.9mbs down and .350 – .550 mbs upload speeds! Beyond the speed testing you could easily see that web pages easily loaded faster under this configuration as well. Bottom line: Verizon out performed Sprint, at least in Rochester, NY with no 4G coverage at the time of this blog posting.
Alternative Approach
So think of this approach from this perspective; add $130 to the cost of my iPad, then plan on spending $29.99 per month for unlimited data access OR get one of these instant hotspot devices which will give you hotspot access for not just your iPad, but your smart phone, Laptop and 2 other internet hungry devices! The long term monthly cost (assuming 2 year contract) is certainly more then the iPad data plan however again in my humble opinon you get more capability then buying a WI-FI + 3G iPad!
If you ordered an iPad I would like to hear your comments about this device. I will be sharing my unboxing and thoughts on this device over the coming weekend in both blog posts and video. Hope to see you soon!
So here we are March 12th and the Pre-orders started today at 8:30am EDT with various Mac News, Rumor sites and technology analysts reporting that based on their estimates that these puppies were being ordered at an astounding rate of 25,000 units per hour! Is that number really accurate? I doubt it, but it certainly fuels the fever pitch which is something that no tech-company other then Apple, Inc. can garner in the computer industry.
So I have to admit my first reaction to this device was somewhat underwhelming and comparing it to an overgrown iPod Touch was easy to do. So you can look & listen to your photos, music and even movies on iPad and YES they will look nicer then on the iPhone 3Gs but that is not very compelling to me. Now Apple reports of 150,000 existing apps that are all just ready to be loaded on your iPad. Ok, but I already have them on my iPhone. Maybe I could put them on my iPad… but again not very compelling. Next up comes a 9.7 inch web browsing experience in your hands. I can see it being a great experience, but not enough to make me put my laptop away. The productivity apps like email, calendar, google maps are OK but, I have them on other devices. So what remains are really two functions/features which are iPad specific. It is in these two areas that get me excited. If you have not seen the Apple Keynote, it was these same two areas that got the most reaction from the audience in what otherwise was a very subdued keynote.
eBooks and iWork Apps, and Games
Where I see the biggest potential is with Books and Periodicals. With a device such as the iPad a users experience can now combine text, audio, and video into a very engaging and intimate experience. Of additional interest to support this, Barnes & Noble announced formal support of an B&N iPad App to read and access their bookstore! So I have to believe Amazon will not be far behind! Penguin a publisher in the UK showcased upcoming books that provide the kind of intimacy that will revolutionize peoples reading experience. While the video below starts with children’s books, it gets really interesting when they get to the fiction, travel guides and star charts!
Custom iPad Apps like Keynote, Pages, and Numbers will allow me to have enough power in standard business applications that I could easily leave the MacBookPro at home. With iPad I could teach my Social Media classes via Keynote and respond to email, and work on proposals with Pages and Numbers. I believe that these applications are just scratching the surface on what can be done with iPad specific applications! The last area that I believe has huge potential is the gaming marketing, but I will save my comments on that topic for a future post.
What is going to happen in 3 weeks?
New Version of iTunes – We can expect that right before April 3rd we will see the launch of a new version of iTunes. It will at a minimum it will incorporate the sync services for iPad, and add sections to the APP Store for iPad specific Apps. I would also suspect that a Book Store menu will appear in iTunes so you can not only purchase but backup purchased books to your computer. I for one hope Apple produces booking reading apps for your iPhone, Mac & PC like both Amazon and Barnes & Noble have done with their e-reader devices.
Guided Tour Video – I also suspect that before the end of this month we can expect to see an Apple Guided Tour of iPad that you can watch to learn more about this new device along with several How-To documents on the use of particular apps or settings.
Another Commercial – We have already seen the first commercial for iPad, thanks to the Oscars but I suspect that another one will surface before the launch showing off more usage of the device.
Revamped Apple Store – Finally on the evening of April 2rd if you happen to live near an Apple Store, expect the windows to be covered so that the window displays can be all “iPadded Up” and a section of the store carved up for both demo units and a plethora of accessories for iPad.
No iPads! – What you won’t see are any iPads in the store before April 3rd. Apple unlike other tech companies (thinking Gateway & Dell) knows that you don’t tease your consumers with “Oh Look” check out my new sexy gadget/computer but sorry you can’t buy it now or get it here approach!
Well you might be wondering well am I getting one? – You Bet!
Between the potential with iBooks, iWork Apps, and Web Surfing I see great potential and opportunity from this device. In fact I pre-ordered the iPad 32GB WIFI model at 8:34am this morning, with an order Acknowledgement back from Apple at 9:04:06!
What you can expect to see and read here over the next three weeks:
Updates and comentary on the iPad and aforementioned predictions
Unboxing Video on April 3rd
Comparison of iPad to other e-Readers such as Nook and Kindle
iPad as a replacement to my MacBook Pro
iPad for gaming
Will Apple’s iPad live up to being both Magical and Revolutionary or just another gadget looking to solve a problem that doesn’t exist? At this point I believe it is too early to say, but I for one see awesome potential here!
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While pondering about the
Enter 
pocket sized, battery powered, portable WIFI hotspots that allow up to 5 devices access to the internet over the 3G/4G wireless networks! Currently you can buy the Verizon MIFI 2200 from Verizon for $59.95, and the Sprint Overdrive for $99 with $50 mail in rebate. Of course both devices assumed a 2yr contract for service with both carriers offering “unlimited” 5GB per month data plans at $59.95 per month.