Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 249
 Apple does it again by defining and filling a niche with beauty. September 4, 2010
Jim Gerdy (Chicago, IL)
After using the iPad for a few months I agree with the predominant points I see here, that this is a nice device, a pleasure to use, with some drawbacks (single threading and speed) and a Kindle competitor, but not a Kindle killer.
I would add that in my experience typing is a big concern. I like to type on mobile devices so one of my first concerns was whether I could use the virtual keyboard. I was pleasantly surprised that the keys, in landscape mode, are just in the right place and I can basically touch type. I did buy the dock with its real keyboard but don't use it. The screen keyboard is very effective for me.
Another pleasant surprise I got is that, while I agree that this is not the end-all for e-reading (vs. the Kindle and such), it is outstanding for video. With streaming services such as Netflix it can be a nice TV and movie viewer for a single viewer or even two people.
Finally the reason I gave it four stars rather than five is because I am a heavy user of my iTouch and the iPad doesn't add a whole lot to the experience. For me I measure the value of the iPad against the iTouch which I had been a big user of for over a year before I bought the iPad. The iPad does offer the touch typing that I can't nearly match on the iTouch. I can only thumb-type (at best) on the iTouch so the iPad offers a real writing experience against the clumsy iPod typing experience. But otherwise the iPad just doesn't get a lot of use for my set of apps because of size. I have the iPod with me all of the time and the iPad is larger so I only use it at home as a lightweight laptop substitute.
In summary I'd say Apple made a good, very appealing product. I would recommend it to an Apple fan or someone who wants an outstanding web browsing and video experience. A particular strength is the browser which has the legendary multi-touch interface in the iTouch plus the better screen real estate. I would say it is the best plain browsing experience I have had on any device. Kudos to Apple for wedging a product in that in-between category against laptops and netbooks.
 Its not just a Big iPod September 3, 2010
Ismael E. Gerena (Seattle, WA USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Of all the negative press I have herd, the only one I can agree with is the 'Over Priced eBook' and maybe it is, but I have tried the Sony ereader, and I have a nook, but the ipad trumps them all for one reason, I can read in bed...
I can also read PDF's off of Drive By RPG and others.
I cant beat that.
IPAD rocks September 3, 2010
Robert N. Copeland
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Very happy with it especially during my business calls. I use in it in place of a daytimer for notes, follow-ups, and emails.
It works for me!
 have had for several months - BUT September 3, 2010
gbear12
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
I had the small Kindle; returned because I read fast enuf was changing pages 3 to 4 times a minute. Got the big K2. Loved it and still have it. Got the iPad as soon as the 3G 64GB model was available. Later I got the big new Kindle - much better than the old - so I have all 3 - 2 big Kindles and the iPad. Have used the iPad for several months.
It has great potential but one very great weakness. It is TOTALLY dependent on the Apps written for it. I had essentially wanted it for notetaking - really, a simple minimal database. No such luck. Even Apples apps are relatively useless - poor instructions, very limited usefulness, no decent import/export ability.
The best app is a FREE one - Kindle's reader for the iPad !!! - in many ways this is a better reader than the Kindle's because of the touch screen - for a real reader the scroll feature at the bottom of the page (which allows you to scroll swiftly through a book or pdf converted to a book) - is practically worth the price. Also you can set a small font size, and use the 3-finger enlarge tap followed by finger-spread to get EXACTLY the size you want. In the kindles, scrolling is very awkward and slow. In fact the only time I use the Kindles any more is in bright light or to read newspapers (subscribe to the NYT, Wa Post, and Shanghai Daily - none of which is available on the IPad. I read them at home at breakfast and when I leave for work only the iPad goes with me.
It is amusing that Apple's own reader is so bad. After buying a couple of novels thru Apple I learned to forget it and get only Kindle books. The 2 page spread on the Apple (the horizontal feature of the reader) is like the rest of the apps - designed for adult children with very limited abilities. Bizarre. However, Jobs/Apple know their market and I understand why they do it. What Apple makes SELLS. Which just means there are a lot of buyers, not that the products are useful.
The next best app is the Wall St Journal - which shows what COULD be done. I don't see how this could be improved. Pricey but worth it to me. The magazines available are either uninteresting (like the mag - I forget the name - which had the interview with the US general in Iraq who wanted to be fired - the mag is well executed for the iPad but uninteresting to me except for the above interview. That general is a smart cookie - he got out clean.
I did buy Paris Match for one issue just to see what COULD be done - FANTASTIC, gorgeous, beautifully executed - and all in French, which I don't speak. If they ever get an English version I will sign up instantly - but since the French don't want English or American customers, never happen.
I have tried other Apps and apparently they are mostly toys and games for adult children with limited intelligence and attention span. Even the ones titled "get things done" and "productivity" are mostly junk written for adult children with limited intelligence and attention span. (I don't think I am very smart, btw - but these apps - ugh! - blech - who in the world could benefit from them ? )
So, for me, the iPad is basically a reader for Kindle books. I enjoy it but it is almost useless for anything since there are no usable apps I can find. Be careful - they all claim to be great - read the CRITICAL reviews first. GoodReader seemed to work but is so clumsy I took it back off. Keynote, Photos, WSJ, USA Today, BBC News, Evernote, and the NYT Editor's Choice are all worthwhile but thats about it for me.
Calendar works as a reminder. Notes, Contacts,Safari, Pages are all so limited as to be useless.
What a shame. It could be so great with usable Apps. And Paris Match and the Wall St Journal show what COULD be done. If Apple upgrades the iPad so 1) 2 or more programs ran at once, and 2) it was easy to copy from one app to another and 3) easy to import/export - it would BEGIN to reach the potential claimed for it.
Must buy LCD Wipes with purchase!! September 2, 2010
Sean Bailey
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
**this is my first Apple product to own** I purchased the 32GB wifi version of the Apple Ipad. I did not purchase it for any other reason than for entertainment purposes, and for that it fufills everything I expected of it. I'm happy that I did not purchase the 3G version, because it was simple to tether to my 3G cell phone for free. Simple couple steps that saved me a couple hundred dollars. Also purchasing a ton of apps, and putting almost a thousand songs on the built in Ipod I haven't needed to think twice about the memory. Unless you download tons of movies, I wouldn't suggest to anybody purchase anything bigger than the 32GB version. I've come to realize most of the complaints that you hear about the Ipad are easily worked around (multi-tasking, flash player, etc).
Pros:
(1) the USER INTERFACE(!!!) is something that no "ipad-killer" (which by the way, you know you're with the right company with every other companies product is advertised as a "Ipod killer".. "Iphone killer".. "Ipad killer"..) haha, I mean lets be real, no consumer cell phone has ever "killed" the Iphone, Ipod, nor will any consumer product kill the Ipad nor come close.
(2) the WOW FACTOR(!!!) everytime you're in public with this bad boy you'll get a ton of "ohhhhs" and "ahhhhs" which is definitely cool.
(3) fast, responsive
Cons:
(1) expensive, but the cool factor helps
(2) expensive
(3) kind of stuck to the Apple world of Apps unless you jailbreak your device. not suggested, but i've never had any issues with my jailbroken device.
(4) 70% of App Store apps are paid versus 30% of Android Market apps
All in all, I love my Ipad. Wouldn't take it back for the world! ENJOY!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 249
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