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General discussion

Got my 3G iPad. How do you hold this thing?

May 1, 2010 5:02AM PDT

And as I suspected there are a lot of things I love about it ....eBooks (project Guttenburg integration is really cool and I was able to put my Lessig ePub books on there easily), battery life, innovative new uses for multitouch, beautiful video, Netflix streaming (hallelujah!) all with a really polished user interface. The sketching app I downloaded is extremely impressive. Some of the multitouch music manipulation apps are really cool too. The battery life is freaking amazing.

The weight and size are a bit of a problem though. Its hard to find a way to grasp it that feels right. the wide bezel keeps you from touching the screen accidentally but handling the device feels a bit clumsy and you are always keenly aware that you are holding something that is fragile (and a bit slippery). Putting your hand under it as a support while you are typing with the other feels precarious like you are holding a (very expensive) restaurant tray. But holding it with both hands means you can;t quite reach the keyboard with your thumbs so you have to find a surface to lay it on to type effectively. Its an awkward feeling. I don't mean to sound like Goldilocks but this one feels almost too big compared while the Phone feels too small.

Oh and the lack of multitasking is a much bigger deal on this device than it is on the iPhone. Because of its size you expect it to be more flexible than a phone but it isn't. All I want to do is have a chat going while I surf or read my rss feeds and push notifications sort of do this but not all that well because you get yanked out of the app you are in and lose your place. Fall's release of OS 4.0 can not come soon enough in this case.

I still think its a innovative product that will birth a new type of device that will be ubiquitous in 5 years but its far from "magical". Its by far the the most polished touch/tablet device I've seen. But we've definitely got some growing pains ahead.

Discussion is locked

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Hmm
May 2, 2010 12:21PM PDT

I'm a bit surprised that a device that's only half a kilo feels heavy. But I guess it's because you're holding it for minutes/hours? How is it to use when placed on your lap?
Ohh, and I'm a pretty hardcore iPhone user, and the lack of multitasking terribly bothers me. I've keep my old obsolete iPhone and use two to make it easier. I'm seriously considering going Android.

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Half a kilo is really light when you are toting it in a bag,
May 3, 2010 8:51AM PDT

But not so light when you are holding it with one hand. Two hands is fine but then things get awkward when you need to interact with the screen... which is a lot. It's not something you are going to want to use while standing without a counter to rest it on. Essentially its best on your lap or propped up on your chest while reading in bed.
In those cases its a pleasure to use. Some of the new interface elements are very slick (the Popular Science magazine UI is breathtaking... see this video on the design of the interface if you are interested: http://www.bonnier.com/en/content/digital-magazines-bonnier-mag-prototype)

If the lack of multitasking bothers you on the iPhone its going to drive you bonkers on the iPad.