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iPad Shows That a Big iPod Touch is Actually Pretty Cool
By Dave Peterson | April 3, 2010
It’s an interesting thing to watch a new device completely polarize the tech and gadget community well before anyone has gotten their hands on it. Apple’s new iPad did exactly this as soon as it was officially announced in January. Mostly, people cried out about what the iPad doesn’t have: Multi-tasking, a camera, and support for Flash video and websites heading the list.
There was also a consistent criticism that the iPad was nothing but a big iPod Touch. That’s really a true statement for the most part, but framing it as a negative neglects all that can be done with a big Touch. If I had to name a favorite gadget, it would probably be the iPhone. Apps have propelled it far beyond the platform originally released almost three years ago. Think about the iPhone or Touch, as they originally hit the market: They were pretty lightly featured, but they had enormous potential, and nearly two years since the App Store opened, developers continue to make them do things we wouldn’t have originally imagined. The smaller form factor device has a simultaneous curse/blessing: It’s small. That means you can put it in a pocket or purse and likely have it with you at all times. That’s fairly unprecedented for such a versatile information tool. But that small screen isn’t always optimal for use. Things like maps, photos, comics, and newspapers are all a bit on the difficult side to consume on that 3″ screen. All those things work wonderfully on the iPad’s 9.7″ screen.
Another thing that works pretty well is on-screen, two-handed typing. When the iPad is in landscape orientation, key sizes and spacing are almost identical to that of a Mac keyboard (with a reduced key set). Of course, there’s no tactile feedback, so touch typists are likely to be at a disadvantage, but those of us who never learned to type properly can finally feel vindicated. If you really don’t like the feeling of typing on glass, the iPad can be paired with a bluetooth keyboard, and it doesn’t have to be Apple-manufactured. I tested successfully with both an Apple Wireless Keyboard and a diNovo Edge keyboard, made by Logitech. Another physical keyboard option is the Apple Keyboard Dock, which has begun shipping, despite previous reports that it might not be available until May.
Apple says that almost all the apps available in the App Store will work on the iPad. Those that were written for the iPhone and iPod Touch show centered on the iPad screen at the same size as an iPhone screen. There’s a small “2x” button in the lower right corner of the screen that will double the image to fill the large screen. Unfortunately, there’s no pixel smoothing, so any angular lines look jagged. Apps that have been built specifically for the iPad, however, are generally gorgeous. One thing to keep in mind about iPad-specific apps, though: These were mostly written by developers who only had access to emulators, not working iPads. Some behaviors and the way the real unit uses system resources are likely to be different, and might result in some instability. I expect to see some fairly quick updates now that real iPads are available for testing.
Acceptance of the iPad and differing people’s takes on its usefulness makes me think about what I believe is the most interesting aspect of personal technology. Everyone’s looking for something a little different. I like the video and eBook-reading capabilities of the iPhone, but both of those things are done better on the iPad. Others are likely to have no genuine reason to invest in an iPad, but for me it’s a valuable addition to my gadget repertoire. If the iPhone was notable for being a convergence device that brought many functionalities together, the iPad expands on that by doing many of those things better with a larger screen.
The iPad has so many potential uses, that a single can’t post can’t really start to scratch the surface. In the next few days I’ll be posting about specific areas like eReading, video, maps, digital comics, and news periodicals. Check back throughout the next week for more looks at the strengths and weaknesses of the platform and the ways content providers are addressing the potentials.
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