Apple's iPad - King of Tablet PCs for now

For years, manufacturers have tried to invent a "workable" tablet computer but have been unsuccessful.  Its difficult to pinpoint exactly when tablets first were introduced.   Technically in 1888, the first patent for an electronic tablet used for handwriting was granted.  However in modern times, Apple & Microsoft have both introduced the concept of a portable computer without a keyboard.  In 1993, Apple introduced the Newton PDA a.k.a Apple MessagePad.  In 2001, Bill Gates demonstrated a Tablet PC prototype.



It wasn't until April 3, 2010 that a tablet computer called the iPad would start a evolution in tablet computing.  It appears that prior to the release of the iPad, many computer manufacturers were on sidelines waiting to see whether there would be a market for a tablet or slate computer.  To much of many surprise (including us), Apple sold 3 million iPads in the first 80 days after its April 3rd release date.  Now it seems that most computer manufacturer is racing to release their own tablet either later this year or in 2011.  There is still great debate whether the success of the iPad is due to a new evolution of mobile computers or due to Apple fan boys & girls buying the iPad because its an Apple.  We can leave this debate for another time.  The purpose of this post is to talk about the iPad which is the first successfully selling tablet PC and which all future tablets will be compared to.  It is not perfect as many have criticize it for many lacking features (camera, Adobe Flash support, memory card slot, USB port, ability to multitask, etc.).

Image via Wikipedia

Because the iPad has been out for about 4 months, Tablet Connect is not going to officially review it as there are many articles/posting providing their own review.  Therefore, we are going to provide links to some of the reviews for your convenience:

http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2010/04/ipad-review.html 

http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/03/apple-ipad-review/ 

http://reviews.cnet.com/tablets/apple-ipad-64gb/4505-3126_7-33958448.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody 

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2362042,00.asp 

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/reviews/apple_ipad_wifi_review


However, this is not to say we haven't used one.  From our interaction, our observations is that it is well made, easy to use and fast (showed little to no lag moving between apps).  The screen resolution is tops!  But this should be no surprise as Apple builds quality products (although some may argue this due to the iPhone 4 antenna situation).  The iPad is not perfect as some of the reviews will tell you but it is a great product.  We will see in the next several months whether there will be a better tablet computer and at a lower pricing point.  It is tough to predict if this can be accomplished.  Apple should have its second generation iPad sometime in the 1st quarter of 2011 while everyone else will be introducing their first generation tablet.  Only time will tell.