Part 3 of my iPad (32GB, WIFI, iPhone OS 3.2) review:

• General Review
• List of Areas for Improvement
• iPad for Consumers (here)
• iPad for Business Users
• iPad for Photographers
• My Current Favorite iPad Apps

(9/29 Update: Parental preparation and then adaptation has kept me from finishing this series on the iPad.  Once home life stabilizes in a few months I may try to wrap it up in some fashion…)

It is no secrete that Apple produces products for consumers (Steve Job indirectly admits this in the first paragraph of his Thoughts on Flash letter).  And the iPad is a wonderful consumer based computing platform.

Notice I didn’t say computer but rather computing platform.  It’s different enough from your current desktop/laptop that you can’t really compare the two (though we try because this is our current point of reference).   For the consumer, the person who primarily needs or wants to consume information/entertainment, the iPad is a great platform in which to do it.

It fits in your hands, you use your hands to interact with it, and applications are only starting to take advantage of the user interface.  It truly makes the information on the Internet more personable to you.  Each week there are more iPad specific information consumption applications that become available.  Whether your reading email or a book, browsing the web or the current news, watching a movie or a streamed TV show the iPad makes consuming content more enjoyable.

The iPad is an application platform, which means that the best way to consume content on it is through applications that take advantage of it’s unique capabilities.  Luckily, for content providers, these applications essentially pull data from their existing websites and just display it in a new, more personal, context of the iPad application.  So all a company like ABC, BBC, NPR, or the Wall Street Journal needs to do is build an App that talks to their existing websites.

This is why the issue of Flash not running within the iPad’s web browser becomes a less important topic.  Viewing content through the existing web sites of these content providers gives the consumer a less than optimal viewing experience on the iPad.  Most websites aren’t designed to truly take advantage of the iPad’s unique interface.  Over time they may eventually be able to take advantage of the interface, but not yet.  While supporting flash would give the iPad users more content options, Apple would rather have those content providers build an App for their content.  That’s the trick of any new platform, they only become successful if the platform provider can convince, or force through fear of lost potential market of consumers, others to build on top of it.

The fact that the interface is intuitive and hands on makes a more ideal platform for new or hesitant computer users…like elderly parents.  The self-contained nature of the iPad means less plugs and wires to go wrong and confuse a less savvy user.  I’ve heard of many iPad users who let their parents use it and had a hard time getting it back.  I honestly think that my mother, who currently doesn’t use the computer at all, would actually use the iPad (next time I’m home for a visit we’ll find out…).

The only downside to the iPad for consumers is that need for a another computer to activate and backup the device.  This should really be an optional step for syncing media to the device only.  If this was the case, I think there would be more people possibly using the iPad as their only computer…like my Parents.

A case for the iPad is a must.  After using my iPad for 3 weeks without a case, I finally got my back ordered Apple iPad Case and it makes a huge difference.  The ability to stand the iPad upright to watch a video or to prop it more upright in your lap is a must.  The non-slip surface also helps keep the iPad in the right spot on our lap for the most comfortable use, not to mention protects the iPad.  I recently also came across the Moleskine inspired DodoCase which I found really appealing.  The hand made DodoCase is made like a book and contains all natural materials to encase the iPad in a cover that looks more like a journal than. It was either my penchant for Moleskine journals or the thought of wrapping my high tech iPad in all natural materials that made me order one.  Check back in 4-6 weeks for a review.

Part 2 of my iPad (32GB, WIFI, iPhone OS 3.2) Review:

• General Review
• List of Areas for Improvement (here)
• iPad for Consumers
• iPad for Business Users
• iPad for Photographers
• My Current Favorite iPad Apps

So while working on the iPad, there are a number of small gotchas and issues that I found and have documented here.  The hope is that these items may help other iPad users/prospective customers as well as (ideally) be found by Apple and corrected in the future…thought I’m not holding my breath on the latter.  I may add to this list over the next few weeks as I continue to find additional stragglers; I’ll add a date to the items I add after the original post.

(May 7th, 2010 Update:  I added to my list based upon my time using the iPad at a 3 day technical conference…)

Issues & Areas for Improvement

• Mail Doesn’t Cache: If you are not online there is no way to do things like delete or move email since the mail app doesn’t cache changes locally, tries to connect to server to do change in real time. (exchange/does cache for imap, though it complains about not finding server later).
• Mail Has No Setting to Auto Download Attachments: this would be nice to have especially when you are using the iPad offline while traveling.  We can only hope that there will be a setting for this in OS4 to do this in the background.
• No Airplane Mode: Unlike the iPhone, there is no simple switch for an airplane mode to disable the wireless. This mode should start to force caching and cancel all network related warning messages.  Blame here can also fall on the applications as well, they shouldn’t always assume a network connection and throw error messages when you launch the app.  Lack of this mode is even more confusing considering the 3G version of iPad.
• No System Usage Data:  was planning on monitoring a full battery drain by resetting the usage stats, but realized that there weren’t any.  Not critical but it would have been nice to have (especially for the 3G version). I hope to see this get added in any updates for the 3G version.
• Notes App: not sure why, but I always had a problen activating the keyboard when I would jump into notes and the keyboard was hidden.  Touching the note to edit it didn’t always seem to bring up the keyboard…
• Pop Up Menus: This is a very nice usability enhancement to the OS.  There are many more places where it needs to be used for easier access to applications and there are times when data entry pop ups become unusable when the keyboard is visible and you are filtering a list (try clicking on an address or phone number in an email and then try adding it to an existing contact that you need to look up…)
• Numeric Lock Code Keypad Need to Randomize: unlike an iPhone’s small screen, the large screen on the iPad can make it easy for someone to see your lock code if it’s only numeric (the iPad pops up a numeric keypad automatically when you set a numeric lock code).  Making the keys change their layout randomly would be a nice added security measure to prevent someone from seeing your number pattern.  NOTE:  I recommend everyone to set a lock code on their iPads for security; my employer requires this and once configured exchange to connect to their email system I was forced to set a code.
• No Way to Sync clock on iPad with Internet Time Sources: I quickly noticed that my iPad and my Mac/iPhone clocks were off when alerts from iPad would go off just a minute or two later than my other devices.  Sadly, no way to automatically set the clock using an internet based time source.
• Email Still Doesn’t Support Meeting Invite Standards: This is 2010 already!  Anyone who has spent a few days working for a company who uses Exchange and deals with conference calls knows that the location field often contains a phone number or web meeting address (except apparently Apple Engineers).  Yet the iPad OS still doesn’t automatically turn those fields into clickable links. This has been infuriating on the iPhone and sadly the iPad doesn’t do any better.  This is another item that I hope gets changed in the OS4.
• Calendar Invites Don’t Cancel Meetings Correctly:  Another modern day business use case that is glaringly not handled.  When you get an meeting cancellation (and you click “cancel”) the iPad’s calendar doesn’t actually delete the meeting. This can be very confusing for busy people who depend on their electronic calendar to run their lives (or allow others to schedule meetings in their lives).
• Email Synchronization issues to IMAP Accounts: I still have problems (just like with the iPhone) of IMAP email accounts syncronizing correctly.  I’ll read eamil on the iPad/iPhone and delete messages, etc.  When I go back to my main computer and check that IMAP account, the messages are still there (even when they are gone from the iPad/iPhone).
• Alert Pop-up Messages are Disruptive: It would be nice to have a less disruptive alert message when you get a calendar invite or have a meeting alert go off.  The dialog in the middle of the screen is frustrating when you are engage in some other application (like watching a movie!).  It would be much nicer if there was an option to have a small message in the title bar or a self canceling alert in a corner.
• Web Sites Incorrectly send you to Mobile Version of their Site: I’m not sure if the iPad’s web browser can be differentiated by websites from the iPhone browser (I assume yes), but a number of sites default to their less functional mobile version of their site when I connect.  This is frustrating now that I have a larger screen to view the site.  Once of the biggest annoyances I found was with Google Reader and not being able to do certain things thru the mobile version of their site that I can do on the full version (like manage RSS subscriptions); even though I prefer using Google Reader using the mobile version on the iPad.
• There is No Front Facing Camera: While this is an obvious item, I feel this is so important that it’s worth mentioning.  For as revolutionary as the iPad is, it would have been even more so if it had a front facing camera to do video chat/video conferencing.  I honestly don’t see the value in a rear facing camera as the iPad is too big to be used as camera.  I find it hard to believe that the processor in the iPad couldn’t handle video capture (it does a great job with video playback).  I think it was a combination of legal agreements with the cellular companies and a product marketing strategy on Apple’s part.  I’m sure the AT&T can’t handle the iPhone data explosion still 3 years after it’s launch, and the added bandwidth consumption of video must scare them (as I think ahead to June release of new iPhone…).  But if there was a video camera, then how would Apple sell the next generation of iPads?  By putting the video camera in the next generation of iPads (based upon iPhone product releases, expected in 1 year), they have a second wave of customers who will swoop back in for more iPads.
• iPhone OS Really Needs a Centralized File System (at least on iPad): Currently all data and “files” can be stored at application level which makes sharing of files between apps and between iPad and other devices harder than it should be.  A OS based file system, ideally one that could be synchronized to the cloud (via mobileMe perhaps?) is such an obvious omission. (20100505)
• Quick Access to Key Settings:  there are a number of key settings on the iPad which you should have easier access to via the app (home) view.  The ability to activate airplane mode (oh, wait…), wifi network, VPN should be a quick finger motion away from where ever you are in the iPad. (20100505)
• Apps Have to Get Smarter at Network Syncing: Apps shouldn’t always expect a network, allow me to work without one and sync upon request or when the network is detected (or ideally in the background with the next version of the OS).  A great example of this is Evernote which tries to sync with the online service every time you open the app.  Which makes it unusable if you are offline and trying to use Evernote to do something like….take notes. (20100505)
• Adding Contact from Email Should be More Automatic: Why can’t the email packages pull out contact info from the email signatures?  We have been dealing with this long enough that this should be a standard feature by now.  For the iPad at least allow me to move the bubble-like contact add window so I can see the email message that the bubble window is floating in front of.  Currently it is a very cumbersome process that is not very user friendly. (20100505)

The iPad is primarily about media consumption, not creation. The potential is there for more, but it’s up to the apps and OS to still realize it. After 2 week of usage while at home, on the road, and at the office, this is the most succinct summary i have been able to come up with.

A little over 2 weeks ago I picked up a 32 GB iPad (WIFI only) after about 10 minutes of of hands on usage at one of my local Apple store. This was after a week of internal contemplation on why I would need one–most of this contemplate was triggered by an understanding of how much time I spend looking at computer screens daily and the recent San Francisco Magazine article Tech Gets a Time Out.  I also waited to give the typical Apple new product hysteria time to pass, but I’ll be honest that after a few minutes of use I knew I needed to purchase one though I couldn’t really explain why.  I have spent many an evening using the iPad at home, at the office, and on a week long trip.  What better way to learn the strengths and weaknesses of a new device than to use if as a replacement for your current device.

The iPad is not a replacement your current laptop. Especially if you consider yourself a power user.

I typically spend anywhere from 25-40 hours a week actively working on the computer (the cost of being a knowledge worker). This includes jumping between up to 15 different applications during a day.  Downloading files, creating files, saving files, sending files.  Huge amounts of typing.  The iPad alone (minus external keyboard) just couldn’t cut it as my only device.  I couldn’t go one entire day without needing to break out the laptop.  Especially when I needed to work on a file or when my hotel didn’t have WIFI available in my room…though the attention I got in the hotel lobby bar was more than usual.  🙂

[For the record, I did type at least half of all these reviews on the iPad. Eventually realizing that the WordPress App for the iPad didn’t support cut/paste!  So the second half and final editing was done old school…on a physical keyboard.]

While the user interface of the iPad is revolutionary, I believe that is still suffers from a few core issues that currently limit it’s potential as well as suffering from the typical 1.0 product issues.  Over the past weeks I have been collecting my thoughts about the iPad and will summarize them in this multipart review (each part will be posted a day or two after the previous):

• General Review (here)
• List of Areas for Improvement
• iPad for Consumers
• iPad for Business Users
• iPad for Photographers
• My Current Favorite iPad Apps

Now don’t get me wrong, if you’re not a power user the iPad may be a great secondary computer.  You just need to have another computer in the house to activate the iPad via iTunes.  And to back up the iPad.  Oh, and then there is the fact that the iPad only supports a single user…so it’s kind of hard to share between family members.  But, for someone who only needs to check a single email account and possible visit web pages (like my Parents), the iPad may be an ideal solution.  No more remote troubleshooting of wires and plugs with my Father after the grandkids visit and my Mother might even actually use it on her own.  (This was my backup plan when purchasing the iPad…until my wife confiscated it for 3 hours one night…)

It does take some time to get use to typing on the iPad, especially if you are a touch typist like myself.  I find myself constantly looking at the keyboard instead of the text that I’m typing.  If I look at the text, the lack of tactile feedback causes my fingers to drift causing mis-spellings that auto correction can’t even guess at or, even worse, I accidentally touch the text area causing the cursor to jump.  A colleague of mine indicated that some studies show that the fastest typers are on the iPhone/iPad keyboard once they get use to it.  If this is so it can only be at the cost of people completely giving up on typing what they wanted by letting the OS auto correct their mistakes to what it thinks they meant.  Not sure if I’m comfortable with that trend…

Ideally, if there was a OS level text to speach capability that applications could tap into, this would truly make me change my tune here.  While you can add a keyboard to the iPad, that’s just seems like a legacy boat anchor on this cutting edge device.  The ability to quickly enter data into the iPad with voice is something that I think we need to keep an eye out for in the future.

It is much more comfortable to use the iPad than a laptop, especially for doing stuff like reading email (not necessarily responding to email) and surfing the web.  You are truly holding the content in your hands and can sit more comfortably than with a laptop.  Typing on it is a bit more tricky, as I found it not really usable to put my feet up on the coffee table with the iPad in my lap for typing.  I needed the iPad higher up on my lap to type comfortably and it kept sliding down.  Similar issue when trying to type on the airplane, I found myself with the tray table down and me hovering over the iPad while typing. Though both of these will be different for each use based upon their build.  If you are watching something on the iPad, you will eventually want to rest it on something to give you hands, arms and/or neck a break.  This is where a easel style iPad case is a must have.   The best one appears to be the one from Apple, except that they seem to have under estimated the popularity of their case as they are sold out at all the Apple Stores I visited and back ordered on the online store.  Alas, I wait and suffer until mine arrives.

I did hear a unconfirmed rumor of a better case coming out in the near future, just not sure if that’s an upgrade of the Apple Case or a new 3rd Party one.

The iPad is a great platform for consuming media. Whether that is surfing your favorite (non-flash) websites; watching a streaming Netflix movie, one you have stored locally, or a TV show from ABC; reading your favorite news site, newspaper, or book, you can do it all beautifully from this one device.  Oh, and rumor has it there are some nice games for the iPad as well…

Again, the comfort factor for the iPad comes through here.  You have your own personal high quality screen.  A great headset and your good to go. I find myself walking around the house with the iPad getting caught up on news and blog reading.  And I have watched more Netflix steaming movies recently than I have the physical discs they send me.  The real risk here is how much time you end up spending staring at a screen.  Just like Crackberry and iPhone addiction, iPad addiction is sure to be on the rise.

It would be nice if multiple user support was added to the iPad in the future.  It would be good to be able to log into my own iPad view of apps, bookmarks, and email accounts separate from those of my wife’s.  Even at a lower price point, I don’t see buying a second iPad anytime before a new hardware version (with a front mounted camera) comes out.

Unfortunately, I have experienced the WIFI signal problem.  I get severe WIFI signal degradation on the iPad where I don’t with my Laptop.  After moving the home office out of the future nursery I installed an Apple Airport Express on the other end of the house to boost the WIFI signal and iTunes enable a stereo.  Amazingly, the iPad doesn’t seem to be able to pick up the signal or get handed off to the stronger signal of the Airport Express, even when I’m standing right next to it or connecting anew to the network in front of it.  This has been annoying at most and something I hope will go away when I upgrade my primary WIFI router to a newer model that fully supports 802.11N.

Net Net:  If you’re a consumer needing a new computer for just web access and email, the iPad should be seriously considered.  If you’re a business user and want the iPad for something more than attracting attention for the next few months at the hotel bar, think about what you really need your computer to do. Add a docking station/keyboard if you need to do any heavy typing.  Make sure you invest in an iPad case that can be used to prop the iPad up at different angles as this will make using the iPad much easier.  Just don’t expect the iPad to replace your primary computer just yet.  At least not until iTunes free iPad activation and cloud based backup of the iPad data becomes a reality.