Ben's Talk3G Blog

I've been using my iPad a whole lot more lately as the opportunities to whip out the MacBook Air have been fewer and further between. This weekend I'll be on the iPad almost exclusively; that's a scary thought for somebody who hasn't had a day away from a 'proper' computer in about 7 years.

As a consumption device the iPad is already succeeding, as can be seen by people offering their first born sons for one. But a lot of us a creators, not just in the sense of making content for the web but also in a work and communication sense, and that's where the iPad is weaker. It needn't be.

Multitasking is the biggie. Fast app switching is so needed on a device this size, the rest probably wouldn't benefit me.

Touch for websites is next. Safari needs a way to simulate a rollover, because so many sites rely on this for navigation.

Some sort of simple Finder for local file management would be nice. I don't miss it on my iPhone, but on here it'd be really useful.

iPhone apps should look nicer. Not only that, but they should be usable in portrait mode while iPad is landscape. They'd be much more practical that way in their tiny size.

Safari needs to not get picked up as a mobile browser. Getting mobile versions of sites by default is a pain! Apple should consider changing the user agent.

Most things are actually rather good! I get on really well with the landscape keyboard (NOT portrait!) and battery life is just a dream. I use mine with 3's MiFi and I honestly think it's a better solution than having 3G built in.

iOS 4 should bring many improvements. Others will come in future generations. Others in the same boat as me may wish to hold off purchasing their iPad until then. Though, saying that, I've found the portability and battery life to be totally invaluable this last week!