Cheap Apple IPad MB292LL/A Tablet (16GB, Wifi)
Money well spent
I
have owned my 32gig wifi iPad for about 3 months. I don't believe
there has been a day where I haven't used it. Saying that I can't live
without this product would be a bit much, but I can say I wouldn't want
to. I use it for many purposes, but mainly entertainment. Movies are
gorgeous on the screen, games are great and there are some games with
incredible graphics that look amazing.
I can't compare it to a kindle, cause I never used one, but in can
say reading is great on the iPad. The screen makes it so you can read
in the dark, on the flip side, you can't really take it outside in the
sun unless you get a shaded area, even then it's kinda hard to see the
screen.
I've seen a lot of reviews saying it's a bigger iPod touch, which it
is, but that's what I love about it. I owned the iPod touch for about
a week and sent it back cause I didn't find it that great. When the
iPad came out I thought it looked perfect because the size is perfect.
It's a bit on the pricey side, but well worth it. If you have the money, get this thing.
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Cheapest Apple IPad MB292LL/A Tablet (16GB, Wifi)
Better than netbooks, by far
I
have a love/hate relationship with Apple. I like a lot of their
products but also detest a lot of their business practices (like only
allowing one retailer besides Apple to sell the iPad). I initially
refused to buy an iPad because I, (like many others), felt that it was
limited and basically a larger screen iPod touch. Truth is, it's closer
to a netbook than an iPod touch.
Before buying the iPad, I tried a netbook, the Asus T91MT to be
exact. The ASUS was a little cheaper than the iPad 32gb wi-fi that I
eventually bought. However, I couldn't do anything with the ASUS. It
would freeze whenever I ran Flash (supposedly the huge advantage of
netbooks over the iPad) and the Atom processor was just ridiculously
slow. the T91 had a touchscreen, but most of the touchscreen apps were
so slow and choppy, it was practically useless. I basically had an
expensive paperweight. I returned it and planned to buy an Asus 1201n,
but Asus recently replaced it with the slower single-core 1201pn, so I
was left with no attractive netbook options.
Meanwhile, I played with the iPad a few times in a store and still
wasn't convinced. Then my brother and his wife both bought iPads and
showed me the true true capabilities. That finally tempted me enough to
bite the bullet and try the iPad. I am so glad that I did. Although
it is lacking in some areas (lack of printing and lack of Flash
support), it outperforms netbooks in practically every other area. I
bought this as something to have when I don't need the full power of a
laptop. I would never claim that this will "replace my laptop" because
in it's current form, the iPad cannot do that. I do not even know if it
is an adequate replacement for a netbook used for business or academic
purposes, because at some point, you're going to need removable storage
capability and printing. I think of the iPad as more of a tweener for
folks like me. However, if you primarily surf the web, read email, post
on social sites, read e-books, and play an occasional game, this is
perfect for you. It can also help you stay organized, type a letter,
create music and artwork, manage your bills, and much more.
Yes, the lack of Flash is a bummer, but the reports of "most web
sites having big empty white boxes where Flash should be" are greatly
exaggerated. I actually encounter that more on my Windows PC, running
both Adblock and Flashblock in Firefox, than on the iPad. A lot of
sites are optimized for the iPad, like when I go to my favorite sports
site for example, the video starts playing immediately just like on a
regular PC. No content is (noticeably) missing. Sure, there are some
sites that rely heavily on Flash and won't work quite as well, but I
find web browsing on the iPad acceptable.
The speed of the iPad is so much better than the netbook. I love the
instant response, especially when booting from sleep. Booting from a
full power-off takes about 10-15 seconds, still considerably faster than
any Windows machine. The iPad has a gorgeous screen. Youtube videos,
including HD, play crisp, clear, and smooth. Most games (excluding the
poorly written ones) run smooth and fluid. Picture browsing is pretty
fluid as well. I don't worry about multitasking because I seldom need
it on this device. Also, the upcoming iOS update will address that
issue. Besides, even though the netbook could multitask, it was a
struggle. The more demands I put on the Atom processor, the slower it
would respond. So, it was a wash.
I opted for wi-fi on the iPad because I have a Droid smart phone and
already pay monthly for on-the-go 3G access. I can't justify paying
additional money for 3G if I already have a device like a Droid or
iPhone. If I want to travel with the iPad, I'll just make sure I load
all of my movies and items beforehand, at least until I get to the hotel
or any other location very likely to have wi-fi. Speaking of
on-the-go, the iPad has an outstanding battery life. I go several days
between charges and I do a healthy amount of web browsing and game
playing.
The iPad is not without cons. It can get a little uncomfortable
after extended periods if you're holding it versus allowing it to rest
in your lap. Unfortunately, a lot of apps (especially games) work
better in a two handed grip. I also prefer e-ink readers like Kindle to
the iPad's bright glossy screen. Although the iPad has Pages (which I
own) and a virtual keyboard, I prefer typing lengthy letters (or items
like this review) on a regular keyboard/computer. I don't want to buy
the keyboard stand for the iPad because that kind of defeats the purpose
of why I bought the device. I also wish the iPad had a camera for
video chat. This thing would be perfect for Skype video calls and such.
My love for my device notwithstanding, the iPad is not a perfect
device. I had to exchange it a week after purchase due to a speaker
problem. The initial replacement was a brown box unit that had very
visible dust under the screen, light bleeding at the edges, a stuck
pixel, and it dropped wi-fi so bad, it couldn't even play a Youtube
video without freezing. I checked and discovered that the replacement
unit was manufactured in the first week of April, whereas my original
iPad was manufactured at the end of May. So I do believe there is
validity to the complaints of some of the earlier iPad purchasers
regarding these issues. If I was "lucky" enough to get an iPad with all
of these issues present, it's not hard to fathom a lot of iPads having
one or more of these issues. I subsequently returned the brown box unit
and received another retail boxed unit as a replacement. The retail
unit was also manufactured in late May and, like the first retail unit,
had none of the issues of the brown box unit.
My last few gripes are the lack of a card slot (to save and load
files and pictures more easily), and the ball & chain relationship
the iPad (and all other mobile Apple products) has with iTunes. I would
much rather be able to load pictures, music, and movies without having
to go through iTunes to do so.
The iPad is a device that creates its own class. When I just want
to grab something and get on the Internet, read my email, update
Facebook, or play a quick game, it's the perfect device. It's not
overly complicated and doesn't have to be. Anyone in my house can pick
it up and use it with no difficulty. It doesn't run Windows or OSX
applications but that's not why I bought it. If I need a full-blown
computer, I'll use one. And I do still use my computers quite a bit.
But I significantly cut down on their usage because the iPad can do most
of the things I need to do. Besides, there are some really cool iPad
apps out there at great prices. If you're looking for a nice efficient
alternative to your normal PC for basic computing tasks, it can't be
beat. If you're a light user who needs little more than Internet access
and simple day to day apps, it probably could be your only computing
device.
I wish Apple would lower the price to make the iPad more competitive
with netbooks. I also wish they would make it more universally
available, so people don't have to overpay or drive far distances just
to buy one (the closest Apple store to me is nearly 20 miles away). Oh
well, like I said... love/hate.
Netbooks had their day, but the truth is, if they are to survive,
someone has to create an OS optimized for the slow Atom processor. It's
obvious that the Atom is just too slow to run Windows, especially Win
7, as comfortably as the iPad runs iOS. Truth is, iOS and Android
devices will exterminate netbooks unless either Microsoft invents a
modern-day version of something like Windows CE optimized for Atom
processors or someone else invents something similar. I'm a Windows guy
but I will support the most useful product, regardless of brand.
Currently, the iPad is a better option than all but the cheapest of
netbooks. The cheapest netbooks can still compete because they have
appeal for those on a tight budget or those who just don't want to spend
a high amount on an iPad or regular laptop, which is in the same price
range as the iPad.
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