Can iPad replace the ubiquitous laptop?
For good or bad, the iPad is the device of the year. Less than two months from launch, Apple has sold nearly two million iPads. Analysts believe sales can only pick up pace.
Indians must wait two months or so to try the iPad, says Arun Nath, director of AnyThingMac store in Delhi. "The iPad won't come here before July-end. But when it does, I see brisk sales. Apple has not released any official price for India, but I expect the basic model to cost between Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000."(toshiba pa3594u-1bas battery)
But that pits the iPad against fully featured laptops, raising the very natural question: "Should I buy a laptop or an iPad."(Acer aspire 3500 battery)
It's no contest, says Karan Misra , owner of erodov.com, a computer hardware forum in India. He decided to buy the iPad in April because he "was under the impression that it could replace my laptop to some extent. But the reality hit me after I got it. I had to struggle to create content, something I do for a living".( toshiba pa3534u-1bas battery)
Even so, says Misra, "it excels as a media consumption and entertainment device. I can lie on my bed and use it to watch videos, read blogs, tweet, and listen to music. It's heavenly."
It's "life-changing" for Vishal Gondal, CEO of Indiagames Ltd. Gondal was one of the few Indians who got an iPad the very day it was launched is the US. Since then, he has bought three more.
"One for my two-year-old son Veer, one for my five-year-old son Aryan and one for my 60-year-old father. This device is unique. Veer can't read or write but iPad's touch interface is so intuitive and natural that he has no problem playing with little colouring applications and puzzles on it. For my father, the mouse, keyboard and daunting nature of computer technology was overwhelming. But he is at ease with the iPad's lack of buttons . He loves surfing the web on it and recently made a Facebook account using it. He even rediscovered his love for chess as he used it to play Warchess, a game made by my company."
But is that enough? The iPad falls woefully short on some specifications. It has a customized 1Ghz ARM processor, something that can't square off even with a lowly Atom processor in cheap netbooks, let alone the latest Core i3 processors in mainstream laptops.
Its RAM is just 256MB (as compared to 2GB RAM, the minimum in most laptops) and its screen is just a little over nine inches. A front-facing camera means there is no video chat or conferencing, the absence of a keyboard makes typing large documents a slow and tedious process, lack of multi-tasking can hamper productivity and it offers just 64 GB storage space.
Misra admits that "if anything involves substantial typing or interacting with a detailed interface, things break down fast on the iPad. And no, it can't replace a netbook or notebook. It's for consuming content, not for creating it. It's neither powerful enough to pull off demanding computing tasks nor is its interface suitable for working on presentations.''
Gondal agrees. "I recognize that for power users, the iPad lacks raw power and customization option. But for people who just use computers for email, social networking or watching videos, it's a great product".
Nath says the iPad should not be compared to a laptop. "It's a different type of device. It complements a computer. If you see the hardware and compare it to a laptop, you may feel you are being overcharged. But that's not true. With Apple, it's always about the experience and simplicity. For many people, laptops are clumsy. They can pick up an iPad and start using it right away. You may pay a premium on it but the experience is worth it."
Take a bite...
Apple may have been first off the block with a tablet but other hardware vendors are getting on the bandwagon. Last week's Computex, an annual computer expo in Taipei, had Asus allowing shutterbugs to snap its Eee Pad while MSI revealed its Wind Pad. LG took the covers off its 10" UX10 tablet. More tablets are expected to be released soon.
They will be powered either by ARM processors (somewhat similar to iPad), Tegra 2 of Nvidia or Intel's Moorestown platform. These tablets will mostly run Google's Android or a Windows 7 lite version. Some may have customized operating software such as Intel's MeeGo. On paper, the new devices appear to have good hardware. They may cost less.
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