The iPad has always seemed like a useless and elitist gadget to me, little more than an iPod with the biggest screen, and thatās it. I would never have bought it because it seems like a very expensive whim to me (488 euros for the cheapest version) and above all very difficult to classify it in any category of gadget based on its usefulness and characteristics. In fact, I still think the same, but now that I have one I can confirm that I am right in most of what I thought, but it also has a series of virtues that make it the most juicy gossip.
Is it worth it?
If I hadnāt won the iPad in a contest, I would never have bought it. It is a useful gadget to carry around, which can be carried practically anywhere. As it takes up little space, it is useful, for example, to take to conferences or when you know you might need a computer but donāt feel like carrying a laptop.
If you use the computer to watch Tuenti and Marca during television advertising, it is very good. If you donāt do that kind of thing, its usefulness diminishes quite a bit. On the iPad ** you can browse the Internet in a very comfortable way ** thanks to its large screen. I was one of those who said that 9.8 inches was shit, because it was barely as big as 3 iPhones combined, but it seems like an adequate size for reading or browsing the internet by touch.
Is it a computer?
No. The iPad is very difficult to classify and should not be considered a laptop. Perhaps it could be compared more to a Netbook in terms of the uses that I imagine people usually give them (I donāt think itās for much more than browsing or doing 4 nights). If you want a computer, donāt even consider buying an iPad because it is much more limited in all aspects.
Applications
Hay muchos programas para el iPad que molan, pero para disfrutarlos hay que pasar por caja casi siempre, puesto que a diferencia del iPhone, la cantidad de aplicaciones gratuitas es mĆnima. Si lo quieres utilizar de serie va a hacer lo mismo que una piedra, y si no tienes pensado conectarlo a Internet, igual. No puede vivir sin Internet.
I donāt understand why Apple decided to remove some of the most useful applications that come standard with the iPhone, such as watches, calculator or weather. They will know.
Technical Features
Connections
You could say that it does not have one, because it only has one for headphones (jack) and another for charging and synchronizing with the standard Apple computer (the same as iPods and iPhones). If you want a card reader or a USB you must buy an adapter, and if you want to connect an external monitor via VGA, too (ā¬ā¬ā¬).
WI-FI
Without an Internet connection, the iPad would be worthless, that is in advance. When I use it at home, it frequently loses the WIFI signal, although yesterday I updated to the latest version and theoretically these errors should be solved. Even so, it does not pick up weak signals where a laptop does, and many times you have to remove the case for this purpose (thatās what putting the antenna on the apple behind it does).
Battery
The battery life is amazing. It can last up to 10 hours with a moderate amount of effort (surfing the Internet) and 3 or 4 playing a video game that uses graphical power. The first time it seems to take longer to load and unload, but then the duration normalizes.
Games
Sin duda una de las funciones que mƔs me ha sorprendido del iPad es el provecho que se le puede dar en el terreno de los videojuegos (aunque resulta irreplanteable comprarse una consola de 500 euros). Su gran pantalla y su potencia lo convierten en un chisme ideal para jugar. Si a eso le sumamos que hay juegos bastante decentes (Monkey Island 2, Geometry Wars, etc) se convierte en algo muy jugoso.
Itās pretty cool that in car games the screen doesnāt rotate when you tilt the iPad, something I honestly didnāt expect and it makes them control very well.
Reading
The iPad screen has a lot of reflections, so I donāt know how annoying it is to read books on it. Obviously it is not going to be as comfortable as reading a regular book, but from what they say, electronic ink is better because it strains your eyes less.
Conclusions
The iPad allows you to more comfortably do everyday tasks such as reading the newspaper, watching Twitter or reading blogs from the deepest laziness of your cozy sofa. A whim that seems too expensive to me for 500 euros, so I couldnāt recommend buying it, because even though the use I give it is high, it seems like a totally dispensable gadget if you already have a laptop. If you earn a lot of money or have saved a lot with the sole objective of treating yourself, you can give it a try, but if you are a mileurist or less of a mileurist, consider that you are spending half of your salary on gossip to read the newspaper from the couch.