Critics dig the iPad

To buy, or not to buy? That’s the question of the week, as Saturday is the first day the Apple iPad will be available. Some educated guesses say that nearly 250,000 folks have already either plunked down at least $500 for one or gotten their names on the "reserved" list for Saturday purchase and pickup. Anyone ordering online now must wait another week, or so, for delivery of what promises to be a computing world game-changer.

Two of my favorite tech writers — Walter Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal and David Pogue of The New York Times — were on the early tester list, and published their iPad reviews this week. Pogue, who wrote today, did two reviews, one from the techie point of view and one from the perspective of a "regular" person. (Whatever a "regular" person is.)

The bottom line of all the reviews, including the cover story of the current Newsweek magazine, is that the iPad will be a hit. It will change the way people interact with information and it will be used in many ways.

I don't agree with Mossberg's thinking that the iPad is a notebook computer killer. The device still relies on another computer for printing, has no camera and doesn't play video in the Adobe Flash format, one of the most popular video formats on the Web. Also missing is a universal serial bus port for computing peripherals such as external keyboards, hard drives, printers or scanners. The iPad will make a great addition to an already robust home computing system, but don't expect it to be your only computer.

I love that nearly all of the more than 150,000 applications — or apps — created for the iPhone and iPod Touch will work on the iPad. Many have been enhanced to work even better on the iPad, so look for a robust App Store on Saturday. And it will only get better.

Some reviews predict the iPad will kill the Amazon Kindle and other electronic readers. I don't think it's a fair comparison, as the Kindle (I have one, and love it) does one thing really well: display text on a very easy-to-read screen. It also has a robust content store that delivers books and publications simply and quickly. (And cheaply. Many e-books sell for just $9.99.) The Amazon Kindle Store is a great example of how to do it right.

The iPad, on the other hand, appears to be a device that does many things pretty darn well. People who have tested it rave about the quality of the large, color screen and also gush about the processing and display speed. To my knowledge, all the reviews have been for the Wi-Fi-enabled iPad only, as the 3G version isn't due out until the end of the month.

The iPad screen is backlit, meaning it will be difficult or impossible to read in bright sunlight. The screen of the Kindle and other e-readers using e-ink technology, is front-lit. The brighter the light, the easier it is to read. Bring on the noon sun!

The Newsweek cover asks the question: "What's so great about the iPad?" Then answers it: "Everything."

The story by Daniel Lyons talks about Apple CEO Steve Jobs and his knack for creating gadgets people like to use. Apple has mastered simple, he suggests. IPad expectations are high, and justly so. This new touch-screen marvel is brought to you from the folks who gave the iPod and the iPhone. Did I mention the iMac? I'm on my third or fourth generation of those, too.

I flipped my Newsweek over to reveal a full-page back-cover advertisement for the Kindle. Pretty clever of those Amazonians to buy that spot. From where I sit, comparing the iPad to the Kindle is much like comparing television to magazines. They each provide entertainment in their own ways. Each also does a bit of what the other does. Last I looked, I had plenty of magazines and a handful of TVs in my house. Both do their jobs pretty well.

I have little doubt that Jobs and company have another smash hit on their hands.

I can't wait to see how Apple makes the iPad even better in version two. Maybe I'll even buy one.

Read the reviews:
Walter Mossberg:
http://ptech.allthingsd.com/20100331/apple-ipad-review/

David Pogue:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/01/technology/personaltech/01pogue.html

Newsweek:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/235565