Well, it appears to be that time of the month again.Luckily Apple and company CEO Steve Jobs are here to block any leaks with the release of the iPad.
The iPad is Apple’s new “magical and revolutionary device,” boasting sizes of 16, 32 and 64GB for “an unbelievable price” of $499, $599 and $699, respectively.It should be noted these prices are for the Wi-Fi-only device — a Wi-Fi + 3G model will be released in late April for an additional $130.Those who regularly read my columns know I’m not the biggest Apple fan. And to be honest, I wanted to go into this review bashing Steve’s new toy.The device doesn’t support Adobe Flash, and it doesn’t have a USB port (or any other type of external drive), webcam, camera or expandable memory. It looks at first glance nothing more than an “iPod Touch XL.”But the more research I did and the more I got to play with it, the more my view started to change.The first thing I noticed was the beautiful 1024 x 768, 9.7-inch multi-touch LED display. Apple still holds the crown of “touchscreen king” — the iPad’s touchscreen is super responsive and easy to use (just like the iPhone/Touch).The iPad really excels when it comes to loading and playing apps. With Apple’s custom-designed 1GHz A4 processor, the iPad can load and run games and applications speedily.The iPad’s accelerometer works great when it needs to — but I found slight bumps or movements of the device would cause the screen to rotate wildly. Sure, Apple included a “hold” switch to prevent unnecessary screen turning, but I feel I shouldn’t need that for slight movements.Typing on the iPad is a more pleasant experience thanks to the larger screen. The keys resemble a full-size keyboard when the device is turned to landscape. But I still found the experience to be a more peck-to-type process than a natural key stroke despite the familiar orientation.Typing was much more awkward when the iPad is in portrait mode — especially for someone with large hands.And Apple is also launching the iBookstore for users to access thousands of eBooks to read on their iPad.The Amazon Kindle has dominated the eReader marketplace, but the iPad will be the first contender to challenge the Kindle — and it will succeed. The iPad would easily be the way to go if I were ever interested in buying an eReader.If reading really isn’t your thing, movies also look good on the iPad. If you don’t like downloading movies from iTunes, it was recently announced the iPad will be able to stream Netflix via a wireless connection.The iPad’s larger size does help when surfing the Web or playing games, but it’s awkward when not in use. It can’t fit in your pocket like your phone and would be a nuisance to carry around all day.Sure, you could buy Apple’s $40 case, but I propose you just sport the “man purse.” I mean, if you’re cool enough to own an iPad, nothing can bring you down — not even a man purse. Women, you’re already covered.If the overpriced case or man purse doesn’t tickle your fancy, be gentle. You’ve seen a broken iPhone? I don’t want to imagine the carnage if an iPad were to hit the ground.Now the big question: Should you buy one? Sadly, the answer isn’t that simple.It’s safe to say PC fanboys will avoid the iPad like the plague while Apple fanboys already own three.Those looking to the iPad as a replacement for their laptop should look elsewhere — this isn’t it. But the iPad is the way to go if you’re looking for a device for quick Web surfing, checking e-mail or light reading.It isn’t necessarily just a giant iPod Touch — more of an expanded one. The larger screen is a much needed compliment to the iPod’s screen and features, such as iWork and streaming Netflix, help push it over its little brother.But, with Google just announcing they are going to throw their hat into the tablet market with an Android run device, I may be holding out on that.I always thought it’d be a cold day in hell before I bought something Apple again. But hey, the Saints did win the Super Bowl, so anything can happen.Adam Arinder is a 20-year-old communication studies junior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter@TDR_aarinder.