From everything I've read thus far, it looks like the new iPad is essentially a giant iPod touch on steroids, and the reviews are mixed. Some are impressed with the price and rave about its compatibility with apps, others bemoan the lack of a camera and flash capabilities. Check out a couple reviews that I have found thus far:
Here
And here
Either way, I think that the marketing directors at Apple have created enough hype around its release that it is sure to become an instant competitor for existing netbooks and ereaders.
I personally am a glass half-full type of person, so pretty much anything that's new, exciting and shiny impresses me initially. I think any of the disappointments that people have come from extremely high expectations and loads of rumours pre-release. For those naysayers out there, one of my fellow Twitter-ers (@cnanson) said it best when he said "If ppl expected Apple to announce they could change sand into gold they would be disappointed if they could only make silver"
On that note, I'm off to add iPad to my Christmas list...
Vanessa :)
P
.S. I couldn't possibly let a relatively large political event pass by without a brief comment on it. Here is what I was watching on TV while writing this post:
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I really love Apple products. I own iPhone, iPod, on my second MacBook and second iMac. But I'm not yet convinced that the iPad is as revolutionary as some do.
ReplyDeleteIt's a tool which I'm sure performs the functions it was designed for quite well. It is principally an information delivery device. It is NOT a productivity device.
Students will be limited in their ability to render serious content, not least of all by the lack of Flash support. Based on my experience, most interactive education-related web sites are Flash based. I see this as a very limiting factor, a deal-breaker if you will, for the school environment.
That's a great point -- half of what I coach teachers on with using SMART Notebook is dependent on the use of flash files. Maybe Apple will hear educators and issue flash support in the next release of the iPad :)
ReplyDeleteI'm all about the iPad for elementary education. I think that it is the perfect device for the classroom. Hope that they add a camera.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, glass half full and adding to my list!
I so agree with you about being 'glass half-full'. It is interesting that so many people have dismissed the iPad without actually seeing it and using it. I will be keen to check it out, that's for sure!
ReplyDeleteI too think the ipad is a great tool for elementary education. To me it is like giving each kid a SmartBoard. Maya Rao
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