The answer is no. No one needs an iPad but technically no one needs an iPhone either and look how well that went over. A need has a very specific definition:
a lack of something wanted or deemed necessary: to fulfill a desire or want.
Hmmm. That seems to have back fired. Maybe I do need an iPad afterall. Gizmodo has gotten all of the what’s how’s and how muches of the iPad locked down but to sum it up here’s what the iPad can do:
- Size – Imagine if you shrank in size about 10% and then held your iPhone (that or if your iphone got bigger i guess). The iPad is about 10inches big and .5 inches thick – weighing in at about 1.5lbs.
- Navigating - The iPad has all of the touch functionality of the iPhone. It also uses the same “app” like functionality of the phone and does not have windows like an iMac or MacBook.
- Battery Life – This is a strong feature of the iPad because it is supposed to last 10hrs even when watching movies.
What can I do with it?
This new product actually does everything your phone can do – minus taking pictures – and makes it easier because of it’s enhanced screen size. It even has a new accompanying store called iBook that puts amazons kindle service to shame. You can purchase the iPad with just wi-fi access (much like an iPod touch) or you can buy an iPad with wi-fi plus 3G. This will of course be running on AT&T’s already shakey network which isn’t much of a perk if you ask me.
This device looks awesome. It has a lot of potential for cool uses and the oooooo …. ahhhhhh factor is huge. Besides that I’d say you can make due with your iPhone unless you have an extra $700-ish bucks burning a hole in your pocket. But if that’s the case I guess you could always donate it to Hati.
Any word on when the AT&T contract with Apple expires? Did they create a new contract for the iPad that will last longer, or do you think the entire partnership is up for grabs soon? I’ve been waiting to get an iPhone b/c I’ve heard horrible things about AT&T coverage. As a photographer, the iPad seems like a fantastic portfolio showcase to show off at potential client meetings!
There are a lot of rumors flying around but nothing solid. I have AT&T and they aren’t the best but they aren’t too bad. The issue with getting the iPhone on other networks is that the way it’s built it physically can’t work on Sprint or Verizon (although it can be hacked to work on tmobile). Apple would have to build an alternate version of the phone to work on Sprint and Verizon. We shall see what unfolds in the next few years though!
I’m interested to see what the 2nd version looks like. I definitely think they need a camera on that sucker. Cool concept, terrible name.