When I get excited about some new tech or discover new things about an old standby, I tend to skip a few steps in the explanatory chain.
With the iPad, I skipped right to the end with visions of a practice and life unencumbered by logistic and administrative burdens and enabled by astounding new capability.
Now that the dust has settled, I think it might be helpful to take an unassuming look at how the iPad works, what it comes with, what it can do, how much it costs, and answers to a few questions that regularly arise.
Let's start with a few answers to some common questions.
Is the iPad a giant iPhone?
It's more like a giant iPod touch, but yes it is like a giant iPhone. The clearest difference is that the iPad does not have a phone or camera. I have heard some try to use this analogy as an insult but, upon reflection, most come around to agree that a large version of something outstanding is also likely to be outstanding.
I have been an iPhone user from the beginning, and think that since the App store launched and the potential uses of the iPhone came to light, it has been busting out of it's seams. In my view, some of the things happening on the iPhone required a bigger screen. Kindle for iPhone strikes me as a good example, e-books are great but reading a book on an iPhone is not my idea of relaxation. With iBooks on the iPad, I have lost interest in reading any other way.
What does the iPad run on? Is it compatible?
The iPad runs on the same operating system as the iPhone, iPhone OS. iPhone OS is designed to work with iTunes, Apple's music application (in Mac the word "application" is used rather than "program"- but they are the same thing).
In terms of set up, back-up and sync, anyone that has a ever used an iPod will already be familiar with using an iPad.
The fact that iPad runs through iTunes also answers the concerns about compatibility. iTunes is available for PC, and all PC users with an iPod are already using it.
The technical requirements for using the iPad:
For Mac Users
Mac computer with USB 2.0 port
Mac OS X v10.5.8 or later
iTunes 9.1 or later (free download from www.itunes.com/download)
iTunes Store account
Internet access
For PC Users
PC with USB 2.0 port
Windows 7; Windows Vista; or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 3 or later
iTunes 9.1 or later (free download from www.itunes.com/download)
iTunes Store account
Internet access
How much does iPad cost?
Apple has two versions of the iPad that relate to how it can connect to the Internet.
1. Wi-Fi Only
$499 for 16 GB
$599 for 32 GB
$699 for 64 GB
2. Wi-Fi and 3G
$629 for 16 GB
$729 for 32 GB
$829 for 64 GB
Wi-Fi means that iPad is able to join a wireless network.
3G is the data service provided by AT&T and the one that all iPhones use to connect to the Internet and receive email.
So how do you choose between 3G and Wi-Fi?
My initial thought was to wait for the 3G version, released about a month after the Wi-Fi version. However, as I have no measurable patience when it comes to new tech, my waiting period lasted a full two days.
Oddly, I am not terribly sad that I do not always have an Internet connection on the iPad.
I suspect it helps that I also have an iPhone and always have my email and a data connection, albeit on a smaller screen.
The other reason I'm not missing 3G too much, is that I have my iPad loaded up with quite a bit of content. There are movies, TV shows, music, audiobooks, and iBooks, the book reader app. If you read my post on GoodReader, you know that I also have thousands of pages of legal materials to keep me busy.
That said, I recommend getting the 3G enabled iPad if you don't mind the extra $129 up front and the optional monthly 3G service charge. AT&T is charging $14.99 a month for 250 MB of data or $29.99 for unlimited data. The good news is that there is no contract and you can start with the smaller plan and upgrade to the unlimited plan if you need to. According to Apple, iPad makes it easy to keep track of data usage and iPad warns about upcoming limits.
If not on all the time, turning on the 3G service might be nice for vacations or other special uses.
UPDATE June 3, 2010- AT&T has announced an end to unlimited data plans for new customers and instead is offering a tiered structure. Check out the new iPhone and iPad data plans.
Which size should I get?
That depends on what you plan to put on your iPad. I have 32GB and here is how mine is loaded up:
1933 songs
5 Videos (4- 42min TV shows and 1 Feature Film)
624 Photos
82 Applications (Including GoodReader with the many thousands of pages of PDF)
With all that stuff, I still have 12.5 GB available.
If you are primarily concerned with storing documents then any of the 3 models will have enough storage for a practically unlimited number of documents. There is about 65,000 pages of Word document in 1 GB. I have a 5000 page PDF on my iPad that is 27MB- according to my math that is about 185,000 pages of PDF in a GB. I think these numbers are big enough to satisfy most people most of the time.