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8 + 7 Facts You Should Know Before Buying An IPad (Part 1)

The launch of the iPad has seen a lot of interest particularly among technology enthusiasts. However, there is the danger of getting ahead of oneself to purchase an iPad without really understanding what it does and the problems or shortcomings you are likely to encounter. As a result, this article has been put together to take a look at some of the basic functionalities of the digital tablet computer in a bid to enlighten potential owners on what to expect in an Apple iPad. Current iPhone users may however be surprised at the amount of similarities between the iPhone and the iPad.

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  1. Applications: most iPhone apps will run on iPads although users may have to re-size them due to constraints in screen sizes.
  2. Multi-tasking: the newly introduced multi-tasking facility in iPhones, for third-party apps, will not apply to the iPad yet.
  3. Cost: the iPhone can either be cheap or expensive depending on who is buying it. Wireless iPads prices start from $499 (16GB)  to $699 (64GB) in the United States while prices in the rest of the world are yet to be announced. However, 3G iPads are slightly more expensive (+ $130) and require an additional data plan fee from your network provider.
  4. Display: the user-interface of the iPad is quite similar to that of the iPhone or iPod Touch. As a result, owners of those devices will find it easier to navigate the iPad.
  5. Internet: the iPad only uses Apple Safari Web browser which does not allow for tabbed browsing. In addition, users will not be able to watch Flash video and animation as Adobe Flash is not yet supported.
  6. E-Books: iPads have their own e-book reader called the iBook. The iBook makes it possible for readers to change text size and font, look up words via an in-built dictionary and view pages in colour on the iPad. Users can also access books made for other e-readers, such as the Kindle, via Apple’s iBook store.
  7. E-mail: iPad email works with a variety of top providers such as Gmail, Microsoft Exchange, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, AOL  and so on. Document and image attachments can also be viewed in full screen.
  8. Keyboard: Like in most mobile devices, the iPad’s virtual on-screen keyboard is not very practical for typing long emails or text documents. In addition, users cannot attach an external keyboard to compensate as the device does not have a USB port.

The next part of this article will discuss 7 other facts you should consider carefully before spending your money on the iPad.

Talking Point

Is the iPad’s lack of a USB port, multi-tasking and so on enough to discourage you from purchasing the device?

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14 Comments

14 Comments

  1. CouponWebz

    April 21, 2010 at 12:54 am

    The lack of USB port and incompatibilities with other applications are the things that keep me from buying. I guess the incompatibility issue may be resolved with updates, but the lack of USB port, well that’s a different story.

  2. Joel Caballero

    April 21, 2010 at 1:45 am

    Just to clarify, you can attach a keyboard. http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC533LL/A

    A little expensive that’s for sure. Also, if you own an Iphone, you’ll notice apps cost around twice as much.

    • Admin

      April 21, 2010 at 8:45 am

      Thanks for the contribution Joel. The iPad keyboard dock is certainly an interesting option inspite of the price.

      • Chris

        June 11, 2011 at 11:28 am

        I thought the keyboard was a pretty cool idea too at first. Now I am more and more of the opinion that if you want to emulate a laptop then you should use a laptop.

        I have a first gen iPad and I love it but I reckon it excels at things that laptops are not especially good at, like watching a movie in bed, or doing that quick look up, or chatting while watching TV etc. I feel less and less inclined to hook up a keyboard to it.

        …Now, if you want to talk about ultra-portable laptops then that is another discussion altogether 🙂

  3. Mobile Games

    April 21, 2010 at 2:31 pm

    well after reading this i am waiting for 3g ipad which gonna hit 30th of April.Not having a USB port is certainly a matter of concern for some.

  4. Tola

    April 22, 2010 at 2:29 pm

    I’m gonna start saving up for mine right about now! I don’t care what anyone say! 😀
    .-= Tola´s last blog ..The iPhone Bootcamp Scholarship Interview =-.

  5. Adrianne Izaguirre

    April 23, 2010 at 2:27 am

    Very informative article. I currently have the iPhone and am very excited because tomorrow I’ll be getting the iPad. I love the way it’s screen is so big – it’s like having a small laptop and I can see it better.

    Anyways, Im going to bookmark your site – you have alot of great info.

    .-= Adrianne Izaguirre´s last blog ..Google Sniper Review =-.

  6. NJ SEO Company

    May 25, 2010 at 7:07 pm

    The lack of a USB port is HUGE! I forgot to mention that in my comment to the 1 million iPads sold article. A mini usb port would be fine and would fit on the device but for some reason Apple decided not to include it. I know about the iPad dock but believe that the usb on that thing is only to sync the iPad to your computer. You still can’t attach periferals to the iPad itself like a mouse or keyboard. In a way, it makes sense because the iPad OS would not support these things anyway but it’s definitely something Apple should think about for future releases.

    • Admin

      June 27, 2010 at 8:55 pm

      Apple has a way of releasing features in bits, even if they already exist in other devices.

  7. Computers Smart Phones Technology

    June 16, 2010 at 1:22 am

    Is it true that iPad runs almost all of the over 150000 apps for iPhone and iPod touch?

    • NJ SEO Company

      June 16, 2010 at 5:05 am

      According to Apple:

      “If you already have apps for your iPhone or iPod touch, just sync them to iPad from your Mac or PC. They run in their original size or you can expand them to fill the iPad screen. And you can choose from over 150,000 iPhone and iPod touch apps in the App Store. iPad works with almost all of them.”

      http://www.apple.com/ipad/apps-for-ipad/

      • Admin

        August 5, 2010 at 1:52 pm

        Very true indeed.

  8. chuck

    May 12, 2011 at 3:09 am

    it’s really amazing to see how far the iPad has come in just a year, isn’t it?
    I’m still perfectly happy with my kindle + notebook but I probably won’t be able to hold out for much longer. there’s just something so sexy about the iPad. (*cough*marketinggenius*cough*)

  9. Janis Gagliardi

    August 16, 2011 at 12:21 am

    The screen size difference between the iphone and the ipad is a key factor in comparing apps. The apps will work pretty much the same except that they will appear bigger to fit the larger iPad touchscreen.

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