Test Driving the iPad

the iPad may be the most impressive piece of Apple hardware I've ever handled. Weighing a pound-and-a­ half, it's designed to be held and carried. At the same time, it feels solid. You wouldn't want to toss it
around casually but itfeels like you could.
The front is almost entirely glass, save for a thin aluminum frame around the edges. The glass extends beyond the viewable screen, creating a black bezel all around the rim-a good place to put your thumbs when you're holding the thing.
The touchscreen itself measures 9.7 inches diagonally, with a resolution of 1024 by 768 pixels. I found that screen extremely bright, with vibrant color and (thanks to a screen technology also used in iMacs) a wide viewing angle. At one point, I set my iPad down on a table while it was displaying an article in I nstapaper Pro; I could read the text at
an extreme angle.
(At that same angle, I could also clearly see the array of smudgy fingerprints that had collected on the screen-and boy, does this screen collect them. Fortunately, it's got the same oil-repellent coating as the screen on the iPhone 3GS. One quick wipe with a sleeve, and the fingerprints are gone.)
When the iPad was first announced, some people said it was just a bigger version of the iPod touch.
But they didn't then understand how the increased screen real estate changes the user experience. Apps written for the i Pad and its screen aren't just bigger, they're richer, too.
For example, on the iPhone an app like Mail is a series of single screens; you're constantly burrow ing down and then backing up. (Tap on an account, then the lnbox, then a message, then tap the back button, tap another message, tap the back button three times, tap another account, tap lnbox .... )
There's none of that back-and-forth on the iPad.
I ts version of Mail displays the body of messages in their own spacious pane, while your mailboxes and lists of messages fight over a smaller pane or, in portrait orientation, a pop-up element. It really does occupy a new middle ground between an iPhone app and a full-blown Mac program.
Specs and Speeds
When the iPhone and iPod touch came along, Apple didn't talk about processors and speeds. It wasn't so reticent about the iPad. The tablet's 1GHz A4 processor was built specifically to run the iPad, not just chosen from a CPU vendor's parts list.
What that means during actual use is that the iPad flies. It was fast at almost everything 1 threw at it. The only times I found myself waiting were when content was downloading from the Internet or when nlike the iPhone-but like the iPod touch-the iPad splits your media between two applications: iPod (for
music) and Videos (for videos).
Like the rest of the iPad's software interface, its media apps are amalgams of features found on the iPhone and the Mac. The iPad doesn't offer enough screen space to accommodate a full-blown version of iTunes, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. That version has become bulkier and packed with more features with each iteration; slimming it down while maintain ing most of its functionality is welcome. At the same time, with the extra space the iPad's larger screen provides, there's more breathing room for features that are cramped on the iPhone and iPod touch.
But beyond the software interfaces, what's the iPad really like as a media machine?
The Tabletop iPod
Portable though the iPad may be, it's not the best portable music player Apple makes. That honor goes to the click-wheel iPod and iPod touch. Because of the iPad's size, you won't be slipping it into a pocket to listen to music during your crowded subway commute. Because of its size and lack of voice control, it's not an ideal audio player for the car. Because of its size and weight, you won't want to carry it with you on your walk around the park.
More than an iPod or iPhone, however, the iPad would be suitable as a tabletop
music player. With its large display, a crowd could gather around an iPad connected to powered speakers or an amplifier and tap out the tunes they want to hear. Plus, the iPad's internal speaker isn't half bad; it can be loud but sounds better than the typical clock radio. The iPad's sound from the headphone port is clean and generally packs as much punch as you'll need.
The HD Dodge
The iPad is clearly a better device for viewing video than an iPhone, an iPod touch, or a click-wheel iPod. The screen is large enough and the off-angle viewing good enough that two people sitting close to each other (or a backseat full of kids) could comfortably watch a video on it.
You can play videos in either landscape or portrait orientation. Each is a compro mise. When viewing videos formatted for widescreen display, you get large black bars above and below the video when you tap the widescreen button. (If the video was originally formatted as 4:3 standard definition, this button is missing.) Switch to full-screen mode, and the picture fills the screen, but you lose some of the left and right sides of the video.
Apple says that the iPad can handle HD content, but that's a bit of a dodge. The iPad's display has a resolution of 1024 by 768 pixels. The device can output 576p and 480p standard-definition video when connected to a TV with Apple's composite video cable, and 576i and 480i standard definition video when connected via Apple's component video cable. So where's the HD?
The iPad will accept 720p video, but it won't play it at that resolution. Nothing happens to an HD file when you sync it to the iPad from iTunes-iTunes doesn't convert it. Rather, the iPad scales it to fit the display. That said, HD videos do look better than standard-definition videos both on the iPad and when the iPad is connected to a TV. With regard to playing time, the iPad is a wonder. In our lab tests, we were able to play video continuously (with Wi-Fi enabled) for 11 hours and 25 minutes. An iPod touch lasted just 4 hours and 53 minutes performing this same task (also with Wi-Fi on).