Unanswered iPad Questions
I’m head-over-heels smitten with the iPad. It has seriously captured my attention and will, most likely, put me over $600 in debt come the end of March when it is available for purchase. I’ve been consuming every bit of information about it that I can find. Even with all the information out there, I still have some unanswered questions about how the iPad will work. I hope to find out the answers to these questions before making the final plunge.
1. How do you get non-media files onto your iPad? Obviously iTunes handles a wide variety of data syncing for the iPad – music, movies, photos, even calendars, contacts, and bookmarks. But what about PDF and word processing files? Is there some way to sync these with the iPad? Will it work to put them in your email? Will there be an app that allows connection to a remote server? Clearly there is some way to get these files to your iPad, but I would like to know what it is specifically.
2. How does the iPad display PDF files? Every week I read a good dozen or more articles in PDF form. I also export a lot of my own documents as PDFs for printing on other computers (mostly because I create them using Pages, which my computer at school doesn’t have). If I can display these documents easily, annotate them as I’m reading, and keep them organized on my iPad, I will be in absolute heaven. If I can just display them, I’ll be a little disappointed.
3. What are the features of limited multi-tasking? Can I switch easily between Mail and Safari without having to fully quit them? Can I play music in iTunes and browse the internet at the same time? Can I pause a movie to read an email? I know that the iPhone OS allows Apple apps to do this kind of thing, but I don’t know how it works or how useful it is.
4. Does the screen stay clean with lots of finger touches? Supposedly the screen uses some sort of fancy glass that makes it resist smudging. But is this enough? Will I also need to invest in cleaning products just to keep the iPad looking good?
5. With some practice, how fast can you type using the onscreen keyboard? I have nothing against onscreen keyboards. But if typing will be a continual process of two finger pecking, then I will want to invest in an external keyboard right away. On the other hand, if I can type at 30 words per minute, then I can probably be satisfied doing most work without another keyboard.
6. What version of iLife do I need for picture syncing? I’m way behind the times on iLife, as I’m still running ’06. But a lot of the picture features on the iPad show pictures grouped by events, something that I don’t have on my version. To get that kind of support, will I need to upgrade my iLife, spending more money just to take advantage of the iPad’s nice picture features?
7. Will iPad apps cost more? This seems possible, but how much more? It’s a bigger screen, but that shouldn’t increase developer costs. One of the most appealing features of the iPhone is its wide collection of free and cheap apps. If the apps for the iPad cost significantly more, then the spur-of-the-moment software purchase thrill will be quite dampened.
I’ll probably come up with more questions as the release date approaches, and no doubt, Apple will start to answer some of these questions with more promotional materials. I could also get some of these questions answered by playing around with an iPod touch. Anyway, I’m looking forward to getting my hands on an iPad as soon as possible.
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