Apple iPad user reviews (64GB)

Pros Crazy long battery life. I didn't expect this thing to last nearly as long as it does. Game are fun, even if they haven't been programmed to the full potential of the iPad yet (happens on all new platforms though). Movies look so much bigger/better.

Cons Apps are wicked expensive--especially if you already have the iPod/iPhone version. No Flash support = hindered web browsing capabilities. Storage is pretty limited for such a large device. Typing takes some getting used to, unless you have an iPhone.

Summary Let me start off by saying why I bought this thing. I'm active duty military and I deploy/travel very frequently. That being said, I am always on the look out for a device that will entertain me throughout LOTS of boredom/downtime. Whether it's playing a quick game, watching hours of movies and/or TV shows, or keeping the family up to date on Facebook when I find an internet connection.

Secondly, why I bought the WiFi version as opposed to the 3G. The places I travel to don't have traditional cell phone coverage, so the extra $130 would have been useless for me. I honestly don't see the need for anyway in the States as there are WiFi hotspots EVERYWHERE. But it all boils down to individual needs I suppose.

As for the device itself, I couldn't have been happier with my purchase. I went on a trip recently (within the States) and this is when I found out how long the battery will last. I spent about 6 hours on planes total and I only used about 20% of the battery. Considering I used to barely get through one movie on a fully charged laptop battery, that was awesome. When having to run through the airport trying to catch a connection flight, it's nice not to have to worry about stopping and trying to get that last minute charge on a device. This thing really will last all day. It's also nice to watch movies on the larger screen (as opposed to the iPod Touch or iPhone).

The lack of flash support is a downer for me. I've run into simple minor inconveniences on several sites, but the biggest is the Quicken Online website. I manage my budget through that site, so it's annoying when I can't change things while on the go from the iPad. Besides the flash issue, web browsing is way cool using the touch screen.

My only beef with the iTunes feature itself on the iPad is the way it sorts music. It's kind of like an Itunes-Lite, but it won't let me sort Albums by Artist. Not a huge deal, but irks my OCD a bit. I do like that you can edit any playlist you put on it though. Very nice when you don't have time to create on before you leave.

The games are great (I'm a huge PvZ fan), but it is SO annoying that you have to buy them all over again to work properly on the iPad. Yes, old apps work, but what they don't tell you is that they literally show up as a tiny iPhone size display in the middle of the huge iPad screen. You can hit the 2x zoom to fill the screen, but it doesn't increase the resolution, so everything gets very distorted and just looks cheesy. The HD versions of all the old apps are way too expensive in my opinion too (around $10 for most I've seen). Maybe offer a discount for previous purchase of the same iPhone app? Wishful thinking I'm afraid... This is even more of an issue being that I'm in the medical field and some of the apps I use for work ran $50+ the first time and I'm dreading the upgrade cost for the HD version (if they ever even come out).

Typing is the same as on the iPhone/iPod Touch, so if you're used to those, you'll have no problem here. It is nice to have the larger keyboard on screen, but I found myself running into this funny place where I started to feel like I was typing normally, only to be thwarted back into reality when I needed to throw in a character that's normally found on a QWERTY keyboard, but instead is on keyboard #2 or 3 on the iPad keyboard. I couldn't see writing a ten-page paper on this thing, but it does fine for punching out an e-mail or two.

I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about the storage space on the iPad. The fact that you can only get 64GB of storage was what originally kept me from purchasing this thing opening day. I have 50+ GB of music and around 600+ GB of movies/TV shows (all legally purchased), so having to pick and choose what to put on my device is something I've always dealt with. Now that iTunes offers the compression down to 128k for music, I can fit all of the music down to around 20GB, which at least allows me to have all of my music and still have room for other stuff. Picking and choosing movies isn't really THAT much of a hassle, I just had issue with the fact this thing has the exact same storage as an iPod Touch. I suppose they used all that extra space for a huge battery, which is an acceptable alternative I suppose. Either way, the relatively small amount of storage for a device this big is something to consider.

Overall, there are some quirks, but I am very happy with my purchase. I couldn't see how someone would use it on a daily basis (other than showing off to friends), but this thing rocks for travel. There's less to pack in my bag, and it'll keep me entertained for hours and hours. Well worth the money for me.

Pros Look nice, easy to operate with one hand when its in the cradle.

Cons I keeping dropping it, losing it, and you will need the upright stand and keyboard period
Limited multitasking, Missing video camera, Flash support, USB and HD video output, GPS.

Summary Wait till they refine and perfect this Ipad.

Pros Beautiful touch screen, iBook interface is awesome, easy to carry around, great design

Cons Heavy for extended use if reading books, etc., small touch keyboard makes it hard to use iPad for blogging, word processing, emails etc. unless you get the add on keyboard,no flash. At this stage it simply cannot replace a laptop/notebook

Summary I went back and forth about whether I should buy an iPad given I have an imac, iphone and a macbook. I decided to purchase it because I was under no illusions that it would totally replace my laptop for on the go computing. I feel like Apple needs to work on just that- making the iPad better of a replacement product to get it out of the niche gadget market.

The screen is beautiful and the interface is fun. I had never used kindle or nook and really didn't plan on using iPad as an e-reader but after downloading iBooks I have been reading on the iPad nonstop- it is a lot of fun thanks to the realistic page turning and beautiful, clear screen. As light as the iPad is it can get heavy after an extended time even if you are holding it in one hand with it leaning up against your knee or something as you read. That is a drawback. Another drawback is the inability to view flash videos. While Steve Jobs likes to put down flash the fact is a ton of websites use it.

All in all I am pleased with the iPad but I think Apple would do well to make address some of the concerns expressed by people in order to make it more of a true replacement computer otherwise once the novelty wears off they are going to have a tough time convincing people other than die hard Apple fans (like me) that the iPad is something that will serve a real computing purpose as opposed to simply being a cool gadget.

Pros Great screen, good processor speed, great e-mail and web surfing interface. The new calendar views are great for people who maintain an e-calendar. Using this as an e-reader has also been easy on the eyes and content is easy to obtain.

Cons Special charger still needed, my Mac Book pro (2 years old) will not charge it (USB port is not powerful enough). It comes with a charger that gets the job done, but I am used to charging my i-peripherals in their docks.

Summary Definitely worth the price. If you do web surfing and e-mail only, I do believe that you could replace your computer with this. If (like most of the world) you do word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations, then you'll likely keep your computer and use this as a fun peripheral away from your computer or office. I chose to not buy the 3G model because I did not like the idea of paying $30 per month to AT&T for service. Plus, where I live, I can find free Wi-Fi hot spots with no problem. Great e-reader and for viewing video content. Believe it or not, I'd actually recommend this for people who are not computer literate or comfortable with a computer who want e-mail and web functionality and want a clean, simple interface that is easy to use. Plenty of applications to choose from and more coming out weekly.