artsyHANDS is back after a three day downtime and we’ve got news for ya, Apple’s latest creation: The iPad!

The most important things first: it has a ~10″ screen, it operates like the iPhone (software-wise), starts at the utterly amazing (though eventually disappointing) 499$ and is quite fun to use, but has its fairshare of shortcomings.

We won’t be informing you of the specs and details. You can check out Redmond Pie and iThinkDiff for that! This post will enlist what’s good, bad and ugly about the iPad.

More ahead on the most exciting tech-story of the year!

Intro

The Acha

  • The User-Interface is very friendly. Chances are, your grandmother will be able to use it.
  • An amazing 10″ capacitative LED-backlit touchscreen that’ll make videos and photos pop.
  • Support for the more than 140,000 apps on the App Store. (i.e. apps created for the iPhone will work on it)
  • 10 hours of battery life on a single charge.
  • Starts at 499$ (16GB without 3G). Goes all the way up to 829$.
  • Very attractive design.
  • Supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
  • Will be available in March.
  • You can read books on it! So it’s an eBook reader too! Books can be bought from the iBookstore.
  • Typing on the touchscreen seems comfortable, provided you have a lap to rest it on.

The Bura

  • Still expensive when you really think about it. 16GB does not suffice when you consider that the iPad has to handle HD videos, songs, applications, documents, contact and photos. And we all know how quickly they eat up memory.
  • No webcam. Skype web conferences are not going to happen any time soon on an iPad.
  • 3G support will cost you an extra 130 dollars and it requires microSIM.  Neither of which is available in Pakistan.
  • No multitasking. You can only be in one application at a given moment.
  • 4:3 ratio screen. Meaning it’s NOT a widescreen, which is something unexpected coming from a company like Apple.

The Badsoorat

  • iPad does not support Adobe Flash. You won’t be able to watch video files on websites like Time.com or National Geographic. (Why Flash omission is significant)
  • iPad will get updated in 6 months with far superior hardware and software. (iPhone EDGE, anyone?)
  • NO USB port i.e. you won’t be able to connect your camera, external hard-drive, mouse or anything that uses the Universal Serial Bus! :/
  • All your data on the iPad will be managed through iTunes. That means you won’t be drag-and-drop or share files with other computers or download files from the internet (think: songs, videos, documents etc) and use them on the spot. It will only synchronize data with your computer ONLY. So you will have to connect your iPad to your PC and then drop files into it.

Public Opinion So Far

Personal Opinion

Having read many articles on the iPad from different websites like Engadget, Mashable and Gizmodo, I’ve come to a conclusion: the iPad is not the gap that bridges smartphones and full-blown desktops/laptops.

If it were an actual gap, it would have a webcam, it would support Adobe Flash for a full web-browsing experience, it would have more space to accommodate HD videos, it would read memory cards, it would be able to connect with your printer, camera, external HDD etc and it would be able to manage files without having to synchronize with iTunes!

In such cases, it just seems better to just consider going for netbook which does all that – and more; for under 400$.

You can get the functionality of the iPad with the iPod Touch, which is 300$ cheaper!

So remember, the iPad is not a large iPhone… it’s a large iPod Touch. ;)

Bottom Line: Netbooks are still better at bridging the gap between smartphones and laptops than the iPad.

Interesting Articles on the Apple iPad

Apple iPad first hands-on! – Engadget

The Anti-Hype: Why Apple’s iPad Disappoints – Mashable

Apple iPad starting at $499! – iThinkDiff

8 Things That Suck About the iPad – Gizmodo

Apple iPad Official Site – Apple

Questions for the Readers

  • What is your opinion on the iPad?
  • Are you going to buy one when it releases?
  • Do you agree with our list? Is there anything you would like to add?

Do let us know by leaving a comment!