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The much anticipated iPad has been presented by Apple and, overall, responses seem to be favourable. To me, the iPad as it has been shown is exactly what I would want. Ever since I’ve become reliant on the iPhone, I’ve been hankering for a device with the same functionality, but a bigger screen. A bigger screen for reading books and magazines and for browsing the web. And that’s really all there is to it: the iPad is an oversized iPod Touch with the possibility of adding 3G network services. The barrier to entry has been set to permit a good number of users to experience the device without having to spend a huge amount of money: USD 499 is not bad for a WLAN only device and in combination with a MiFi, the iPad can easily be taken on a road trip without worrying too much about wireless hotspot availability.

Some responses to the iPad announcement have indicated disappointments with the iPad. The lack of a camera is a frequent point that is raised. No radical change to the way the user interface functions. Lack of Adobe Flash support. To all these I say not important. For me at least. How long did iPhone users cope without the ability to cut and paste text? Quite some time. On a device the size of the iPad, a built-in camera would be handy but not essential. In my usage scenario, I don’t even video call using Skype or iChat when I’m on a decent Internet connection. Would I want to maneuver a 25cm x 18cm chunk of kit to take a photograph of something? Unlikely. It’s impractical and unnecessary. A change to the user interface would have necessitated a new operating system and possibly new applications. The iPad runs a flavour of the iPhone OS. All existing applications will run on the iPad, and newer applications will support the bigger screen. I have tons of applications I’ll simply be able to sync and run. The Zinio magazine reader will function, Amazon’s Kindle reader will function, as will all the photography apps (not requiring a camera) and games I have. That’s significant and means I can get going straight away without considering and learning a new style of interaction. Do I need Flash? I avoid that even when using a full-size desktop machine. HTML5 is a better alternative and existing content from YouTube and other sources is quite widely available for the iPhone without a reliance on Flash.

The battery life is significant even if real-world tests don’t meet up with the claimed 10 hours. 6 hours or more of constant usage would be great. A long standby time a great asset. But where the iPad breaks new ground is in its ability to connect to a Bluetooth or docked keyboard. Better still, Apple has also announced the ability to attach a camera or storage card using special dock connectors. The ability to add external devices and interact with them is now a reality. First promised a year ago when the iPhone 3GS was announced, we may finally see a slew of devices that may be connected to the dock connector to extend the usage possibilities of the iPad. With regard to the camera dock – suddenly editing a large image or creating high-definition HDR images without reliance on a notebook computer is a reality. Tons of applications are already available, and many more will take advantage of this – Photoshop for the iPhone OS may become a far more useful tool to many in this regard. With Apple having taken the lead in producing hardware interfaces, there is no doubt that other manufacturers will take the initiative to produce their own.

Apple’s online book store may compete with Amazon’s Kindle store. I have a Kindle and enjoy using it. The iPad means I will no longer use the Kindle. Not because I’ll necessarily purchase content from Apple’s iBook store. I’ll be able to read all my Kindle books on the iPad using the Kindle Reader. The iPad has a colour screen and is backlight. There is no way the Kindle can compete with that. Concerns about iBooks not being available immediately in countries other than the USA are of no concern: I’ve been using a US-based iTunes account for ages with full access to all content it provides. I’m able to purchase Audible books from the US store even though I don’t physically reside in that country. Similar access will be available to the US iBooks store. It takes a bit of obfuscation, and that’s it. Nobody’s really perturbed about that, least of all the guys accepting cash for their services.

The only reservation I have is the use of the micro SIM card instead of a standard one. It’s obvious that this is a lock-in to AT&T in the USA. The 3FF SIM (micro SIM) is about 50% smaller than a regular GSM SIM card. Instead of a 15mm x 25mm card the dimensions are 12mm x 15mm.

The availability of the 3FF micro SIM in South Africa is not yet known.

Apple has created a device that is instantly recognizable to millions of iPhone users the world over. It’s easy to use, provides a great feature set and is responsive. Migration of existing applications is a no-brainer, and the addition of special applications such as Apple’s own iWork for the iPad will lead to greater use of the device in areas where the iPhone previously couldn’t perform. The device will mature, and as it does, those features that irk users will be accepted (like the lack of cut and paste) and possibly rectified. The iPad is an appliance. Easy to use, limited in its functionality to enable it to perform at its peak. That’s the Apple way. In my opinion, the iPad in its current guise is the evolution of a new platform. Subsequent updates to the iPad will enable more features, better and more compelling applications and interaction with various external devices. In a similar way to the iPhone, the iPad will become widespread as its features are discovered by more and more users, possibly in specific vertical markets.

In my opinion, the iPad (at least on paper) is the device I’ve been waiting for. I can’t wait to get my hands on one…