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Apple iPad 2010 review: Apple iPad 2010

The iPad looks to bridge the gap between the smart phone and the laptop, at the same time as taking on MP3 players and ebook readers. Its slick design, speedy processor, good connectivity and plethora of features may make it a living-room staple across the land -- if people can justify buying one.

Flora Graham
7 min read

Britney Spears once sang that she was not a girl and not yet a woman. Similarly, Apple's iPad tablet computer is not quite an iPhone, and not quite a Mac. But whereas Britney is a creepy condemnation of our over-sexualised society, the iPad is a simple, gorgeous and fun way to surf the Web, play games, look at photos and videos, and check a few emails -- at a push. It's not full of magic fairy dust, as Apple promised, but, if you're tempted to buy it, we doubt you'll be disappointed.

8.3

Apple iPad 2010

The Good

Huge capacitive touchscreen; Wi-Fi connectivity; attractive design; App Store is filling up with apps and games; compatible with iPhone apps; intuitive user interface; fast and responsive; easy to sync and back up.

The Bad

Awkward to hold; heavy; no camera; no Flash support; limited multitasking capability; on-screen keyboard can't compare to a physical keyboard.

The Bottom Line

Thanks to its simple, iPhone-like user interface and responsive screen, Apple's iPad is the first tablet computer with the gadget x-factor. It won't replace your laptop for anything but the basics, but, for Web addicts, iPhone fans and technophobes, it's a tasty slice of gadget goodness

The 16GB version costs £429, the 32GB model costs £499, and the 64GB iPad is priced at £599. Adding 3G to the package will set you back another £100. That means the most expensive iPad will cost you £699. Those with a 3G iPad will also want to cough up for a data plan.

Update: We've also reviewed the iPad 2 and previewed Apple's new iPad.

iPod touch on steroids

What exactly is the iPad? It's pretty much a giant iPod touch, or a super-sized iPhone without the phone features -- you can't make calls or take photos on this gadget. About the size of an A4 sheet of paper, it's almost comically huge if you're used to the smaller devices.

Unlike E Ink devices, Apple's iPad can inject some colour into your ebooks

The problem with the iPad is that, unlike the iPod touch or the iPhone, which aim to replace your current MP3 player or phone, the iPad doesn't have a key feature that justifies its existence -- unless you're about to buy a crazily expensive digital photo frame or maybe an ebook reader like an Amazon Kindle. Nevertheless, the iPad will fulfil much the same role as its smaller siblings once you've got it home.

The iPad doesn't offer the power and flexibility of a laptop -- or even a netbook -- but it doesn't really try to. Like the iPhone and the iPod touch, it just aims to be a simple, fun device for surfing the Web, listening to music, watching videos that you bought from iTunes, and generally wasting time. You don't have to wait for it to boot up like a normal computer, so you can grab it whenever you want to quickly Google something, for example, and it's fantastically portable -- it's possible to use it standing up, as you would a smart phone.

Elephantine app attack

If you've ever used an iPhone or iPod touch, the iPad will immediately feel familiar. Its simple user interface consists of a single button on the front that brings you back to the home screen, and a bunch of rectangular icons that you touch to run various features and apps.

As with the iPhone and iPod touch, you can either download apps straight onto the iPad from the App Store on the device, or use iTunes on your computer and then transfer the apps to the iPad via a USB cable. Unlike the smaller devices, however, the iPad offers a huge screen. If you've ever fantasised about playing Flight Control on a big screen, or having the style and speed of your smart phone combined with a large, Web-friendly display, the iPad will be a dream come true for you.

Several iPhone apps, including Flight Control, have already been updated for the iPad's big screen. There are also Web sites that are optimised for the Apple device --  the iPad version of Gmail is very well implemented, for example, and it's free to use. But many of the apps are much more expensive than the iPhone versions.

You can use iPhone apps on the iPad too, but they don't fill the screen unless you use the pixel-doubling zoom feature. That makes the image bigger, but it doesn't take advantage of the iPad's higher resolution, so you're left craving the iPad version of the app. It's also worth noting that you're locked into Apple's App Store to get all these goodies, and you can only use iTunes on a single computer for syncing.

Bask in books

Apple partly touts the iPad as an ebook reader. We'd certainly rather read an ebook on the iPad than a tiny smart phone. But it has a shiny, backlit screen that can't match the comfort and power efficiency of a reader that uses E Ink, such the Amazon Kindle.

We're also not swept away by the iBooks app, which gives each page a border than looks like the edges of a real page, and tempts you to flip pages with a long swipe of a finger. Admittedly, it has wow factor initially, but these cutesy frills just feel twee eventually -- we'd prefer to use the full screen and a quick tap to turn a page. Apple should focus on the user interface innovations that it pioneered with the iPhone, rather than wasting time aping real-life objects in the manner of Microsoft Bob.

The iPad's App Store will be familiar to anyone who's used an iPhone or iPod touch in the past

There are also plenty of other ways to get ebooks onto your iPad -- you can buy them through the Amazon Kindle app, or load books in the ePub format (including titles from Project Gutenberg and Google Books) via iTunes.

But, for all its potential pitfalls, the iPad as an ebook reader offers an equal share of advantages. Page turns render much more quickly than with E Ink devices, allowing you to quickly flip around, and books can include music, video and interactive elements. The iPad also offers full, glorious colour, so magazines, graphic novels and comic books look stunning.

Web surfing's Big Kahuna

The iPad's killer app, in our tests, was its Web-surfing capability. Many people already grab their smart phone for a quick look at Google, Wikipedia, or Twitter, when booting up a laptop just seems like too much effort. But even a big touchscreen phone like the iPhone is rather small for serious Web surfing.

The multi-touch zoom and intuitive user interface that make the iPhone one of the best phones out there for surfing the Web are even better on the iPad. It's so quick to get started and so much fun to use that we often reached for it in preference to other gadgets in our secret base, and it came to replace everything from newspapers to cookbooks.

Our review sample also offers 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity, but not 3G. The Web-browsing experience often feels faster than on an iPhone or iPod touch on the same network, simply because you're doing less scrolling and zooming to get to the information you need.

There's no support for Flash, however, so you'll miss out on much of the Web until HTML5 starts taking over -- if it ever does. YouTube, Vimeo and BBC iPlayer have all made changes to accommodate Apple's dislike of Flash, but you'll still see plenty of holes while you're surfing. The trade-off is a fast, stable browser that isn't too cruel on the battery. We found that, with light everyday use, we had no trouble getting three or four days' use out of a full charge.

Keyboard colossus 

Its bigger screen size also means the iPad has a larger on-screen keyboard than the iPhone or iPod touch. It works very well too, thanks to the fast and responsive touchscreen. That means you can type emails and documents on the iPad if you really want to, although having the keyboard at the same angle as the screen will always be awkward. The ideal way to type seems to be with the iPad propped up at a slight angle on a table, with your fingers poised like a bird's talons and your fully extended neck straining gracefully.

You can also type with one hand, holding the iPad in your other hand like a prop from Star Trek, but that method is much slower. A keyboard dock accessory is available if you're keen to type frequently.

Heavy lifting

The iPad looks lovely in a traditional Apple way, with a gleaming expanse of screen and an aluminium back. Apple has obviously packed plenty of gizmos into the sleek, 13mm-thick body, though, because the iPad is surprisingly heavy, weighing 680g.

Its weight means the iPad can be tiring to hold, and, since it's not clear how you're meant to prop it up without the use of a stand or pulley system, it's our least favourite thing about the device. Combined with its price, the iPad's weight also means it can be scary to carry it around without a case -- gravity and the pavement will not be kind to the iPad.

Conclusion

The Apple iPad is a great way to blow one's bonus -- especially for gadget lovers, Web addicts and people who want to get online in the simplest way possible. Admittedly, it's pretty much pointless, but it offers the same irresistibly slick mix of media, games, the Web and apps as the iPhone -- it's just bigger. We think it's the first tablet that's worth your hard-earned dosh. But, if the iPad doesn't tickle your fancy and you want more flexibility and features, there are plenty of alternatives just around the corner.

Edited by Charles Kloet 

Editor's note: Sections of this review were taken from a previously published review by CNET.com's senior editor for MP3 players and portable audio, Donald Bell.