technological Review: Apple iPad
Thanks to my dear friend Victor could not wait for the launch of the iPad in Spain (out late May
worldwide) and has been purchased "online" I could use for a few hours Apple's new product: the iPad
.
hardware All my interest in seeing the iPad was summed up in one word
A4. I wanted to see how the ARM processor designed and built by Apple. This chip contains a processor
Cortex A-8 and a graphics processor
Power VR SGX 535. The design of the Cortex A-8 is old, but has several notable improvements over the original design: increasing frequency to 1GHz bandwidth of the RAM doubled compared to the original design and increased cache. Ie is an old
(something new) present in many devices: Pandora
, Pre Palm, iPhone, etc.
The casing is metal (aluminum I think) and I consider it difficult to sustain without suffering slipping. Imagine seeing the iPad fall from your hands to the ground. You would be a face of horror.
has no external communication ports except the port owner of Apple, Bluetooth and WiFi. This is a mistake because you can not do simple things as
- Print. Skip
- files from a USB memory.
- Plug a USB keyboard.
The multitouch screen is
and glass. Do not try to keep it clean as it is filled with fingerprints and grease from your fingers. That, coupled with the brightness of it, will make web sites you have a spectacular appearance in
iPad. Seriously, it is difficult to read in bright spaces and
is not a device designed to read books or to perform tasks requiring stare without suffering the same tired own LCD screens. A defect qu
and it seems quite serious iPad is that 'heavy', added to which is difficult to get traction in its casing makes the iPad enjoyment, when we use it, not just energy potential but the "fate" to hit the ground. We assume that this weight is due to the battery that allows you to run for 10 hours
uninterrupted.
The accelerometer does not make sense in this device except for "adapting" the display of our position and in a few applications. I've said before that the iPad heavy, so it is not normal that a user is moving, (as the "fear" to him to the ground) but that it will land on your thighs, hands, or table. Then why What does the accelerometer?
software operating system is the same as the iPhone (in fact, the iPhone application can run without any problem.) And therefore, no multitasking
(yes, in the year 2010). Of course, the operating system saves the state of each application to close it so it appears to have several applications open at once.
app store has many programs (many free) and supplemented with iPhone applications. For example, there are applications for note taking, reading comics, listening to music, 3D games, etc. One point in favor of this device
is the large number of applications available for it .
The web browser renders regular Web pages with ease, but pages that are high in Javascript slow the page load. For example, Lord Of Ultima does not run correctly on the iPad.
Obviously, we know that the device is
Flash, making some pages can not be seen, or are impoverished enough. Most video sites (like YouTube) offer applications in the store or video viewing systems alternative (based on Quicktime, for example).
know that for an application to run on the iPad, must have the blessing, sometimes whimsical Apple, which no longer an incentive to seek alternatives.
Finally, we note that the software is highly optimized for specific hardware, operating system is not "real one" and that this is a proprietary software product where
the installation of any application is to be monitored Apple .
money valuation Extremely expensive, would not advise anyone to buy this tablet does not have standard connections to the outside (as might be USB). And whose price is higher than many laptops lower-middle range.
What niche?
I wonder what is the use that can give this tablet?
thought I could be a substitute for a computer and also had features of a tablet, but given the limitations of software and hardware is not so.
On the other hand, would be useful to use as a traveling companion and to share files with friends and acquaintances, but due to the closure which is printed with this product, we can not.
In the era of electronic books would be useful to read books without getting tired. Because bright LCD screen, can not. In
Ultimately,
is a product without clear purpose without niche. What many would term "design
whim, very nice, with a very careful design, but very functional.
In his blog, The Silent Number
, Danny Piccirillo
refers to several alternatives cheaper and of better quality than the iPad. In my opinion the best is the tablet
ADAM Notion of Ink, which offers
technology called electronic ink Pixel Qi. The specs are impressive, we hope that its price will not exceed $ 500 (and not make the Eurodollar conversion).
Updated : Pixel Qi is not electronic ink but without retroilumniación LCD.