Filed under: iPad

Actor/comedian Stephen Fry has published a brief but oh-so-tantalizing iPad unboxing video. Above you'll see Stephen open the Apple-branded case, the iPad itself (complete with a dramatic and thoroughly warranted wooshing sound), the 10W adapter and keyboard dock.

He also grabbed the non-keyboard dock. Yes, it's brief but it gives us a nice idea of what the packaging is like (the iPad's box is thicker than I imagined) and, frankly, the sheer joy of opening such a snazzy toy.

He's begun playing, too, and is sharing his experience via Twitter. So far, he's called the Gray Wolfram Periodic table "gorgeous" and "alone worth iPad," and posted a screenshot of Scrabble. Thanks for sharing, Stephen, and keep those tweets coming!

TUAWStephen Fry unboxes his iPad originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 23:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: iPad

Uncle Walt has weighed in, and most of the other big tech pundits are starting to weigh in on the Apple iPad. The Chicago Sun Times columnist and Mac geek extraordinaire Andy Ihnatko has offered his input, not only in the first of what he says will be many posts about the device, but also in an interview on Leo Laporte's TWiT Live MacBreak Weekly.

The headline says it all -- Ihnatko says that the iPad is one of the best computers ever. He starts his review by saying that the iPad meets or exceeds all of the hype that preceded the release, and then goes on to mention that "it's a computer that many people have wanted for years."

As in Walt Mossberg's review, Andy comments that it can easily last 10 hours on a charge, it can hold just about any piece of media you ever want to carry with you, and that it does the "dull compulsories of computing (Mail, the web, and Microsoft Office-style apps) so well" that the iPad will, in many cases, take the place of a standard laptop computer.

Ihnatko, who has had the pleasure of playing with an iPad for the last week, gushes about Apple's innovation, saying "I'm suddenly wondering if any other company is as committed to invention as Apple. Has any other company ever demonstrated a restlessness to stray from the safe and proven, and actually invent things?"

The result? As he says, "The iPad user experience is instantly compelling and elegant... It's a computer that's designed for speed, mobility, and tactile interaction above all other considerations."

Ihnatko thinks that Apple got the design of the iPad right because "the excitement slips away after about ten seconds, and you're completely focused on the task at hand... In situation after situation, I find that the iPad is the best computer in my household and menagerie."

During his TWiT Live interview, he stated that "battery life is frickin' incredible." With the most aggressive use, he was able to get 6 - 7 hours of use, but when he set the device for more sedate battery usage (volume and brightness both turned down), he was able to get over 11 hours of use. For those of you who are used to getting your laptop scorched by a Macbook, you'll be glad to hear that the iPad never gets warm. Ihnatko was demonstrating web browsing on the device, and was amazed at how fast scrolling occurred.

We'll try to get Andy's TWiT Interview link up a bit later for your viewing pleasure.

TUAWAndy Ihnatko: iPad is pure innovation, one of best computers ever originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: iPad

Edward C. Baig at USA Today is among those at top newspapers who posted their first take on the iPad this evening. His verdict? Definitely a winner.

Look out, Nintendo and Sony. Amazon, go cower in the corner with the Kindle. The iPad will be giving all of them a run for their money, Baig says. "At the very least, the iPad will likely drum up mass-market interest in tablet computing in ways that longtime tablet visionary and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates could only dream of," Baig points out. Ouch. Point to Steve Jobs.

Baig's review goes through a rundown of the iPad that we're all familiar with -- both its strong points and its faults. But, he points out the magnificent capabilities -- especially when it comes to things such as e-books as he describes the hands-on experience with one particular app that's more like an e-book:

"The iPad's splendor and power may be best shown by The Elements: A Visual Exploration. The $13.99 program is more electronic book than traditional app, but it's not like any e-book you've seen. The periodic table of elements comes to life when you touch your finger against any element. Handsome photographs of objects spin around so you can observe them from all vantage points."

Read Baig's complete review at USA Today. And see his video of his review after the jump.

TUAWEdward C. Baig: iPad is a winner originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 22:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: iPad

If you feel that you're seeing double, and things are repeating on you, don't be alarmed. David Pogue's New York Times review of the iPad takes on the challenge of dual perceptions of the device -- savvy geeks who poo-poo it as "just a big iPod touch, and more expensive than a netbook" vs. everyone else who swoons "It's a big iPod touch! Awesome!" -- by delivering two separate reviews.

Pogue's tech-centric review (appropriate for those, he says, who meet the following standards: "Do you use BitTorrent? Do you run Linux? Do you have more e-mail addresses than pants?") reiterates the standard complaints -- no Flash, not enough storage, no ports, too pricey. Then the 'for the rest of us' review proceeds to dismiss those considerations. He calls it "a new category of gadget" and "a good goof-proof computer for the technophobes, the aged and the young" (that's a lot of people).

Pogue wraps with the following endorsement:

"[T]he techies are right about another thing: the iPad is not a laptop. It's not nearly as good for creating stuff. On the other hand, it's infinitely more convenient for consuming it - books, music, video, photos, Web, e-mail and so on. For most people, manipulating these digital materials directly by touching them is a completely new experience - and a deeply satisfying one.

"The bottom line is that the iPad has been designed and built by a bunch of perfectionists. If you like the concept, you'll love the machine.

"The only question is: Do you like the concept?"

Jetpacks, tablets - once we get those "meal in a pill" things, we'll know it's the future.

TUAWDavid Pogue weighs in on iPad, David Pogue weighs in on iPad originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 22:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: iPad

Warning: This post contains spoilers about the latest episode of Modern Family. You have been warned.

One of my favorite TV shows, Modern Family, was all about the iPad tonight, just days before the big release. The main character, Phil Dunphy, is thrilled at the prospect of receiving an iPad for his birthday, which coincides with the device's release. Of course, the show is a sitcom -- so it doesn't go as smoothly as he hoped.

Throughout the episode, Phil's wife waits in line at an Apple Store while she has her kids asking everyone they know if they can get their hands one on via Twitter, Facebook and text. It all works out in the end when Phil's youngest son pulls an iPad out of a paper bag for his dad.

It certainly was real and not a prop. After singing the happy birthday song, Phil blew out the "candles" atop an animated cake on the iPad's screen. Perhaps ABC's corporate parent's biggest stockholder was able to pull one off the production line in time for the show's filming several weeks ago.

It sure was clever of Apple to have such thorough product placement on one of the season's most popular new shows. You'll see two more screenshots after the break (sorry they're blurry).

TUAWiPad the star of Modern Family originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 22:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: iPad

Here we go, cats and kiddies. Walt Mossberg's had his iPad for a week now, and he's got to tell us all about it. Quotes below are transcribed from his video review.

"The question in my mind is just how important will this be... On one level I think this has the potential to challenge the laptop, it has the potential to, I think, even challenge the whole user interface we've had on computers and sort of set up a slow evolution towards multitouch and gesture and away from the mouse-driven interface.... That's it's potential. But it depends on whether -- not everyone, but enough people decide that they can carry this instead of a laptop or a netbook. That is, that it can do much of what they want to do on their netbook or a laptop most of the time... so that they can just pick this up and take it with them, or use it around the house, and not crack open that bulkier, heavier laptop. We don't know the answer to that.

"My own judgment, after a week of testing it, is that for a lot of people, it really will do the trick."

Walt goes on to point out the things the iPad won't do: high-level office work, heavy word processing, video chats, etc., but he allows that not everyone will miss these features. He did a battery test playing videos back to back from 6 am to 5 pm -- 11.5 hours, about 15% over the specified 10-hour battery life.

"I think Apple, all and all, has done a beautiful job with this thing.... This is a robust, general-purpose device. How did it perform as an e-reader? I thought it did very well; I enjoyed reading books on here more than I so on my Kindle, because of the size of the screen and the sharpness of the screen, and the fact that you get color illustrations -- and I'm a fan of the Kindle, but I would pick this." Uh, Amazon, you might want to do some reading...

You can see Walt's complete review over at All Things D and the WSJ, and his video below. Suffice it to say, he's enthusiastic, and so are we.

[h/t 9to5]
Photo courtesy All Things D

TUAWUncle Walt delivers his verdict on iPad originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 21:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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