Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile

Hands On Impressions of the Apple iPad

Dena Cassella
By

ipad-gamingApple’s expertise is in creating elite products that provide a certain sex appeal to the public—hence their vast success, even in a recession. So it was no surprise when the company unveiled its mysterious Apple tablet, now officially known as the iPad, at an elite gathering today (weeks after the Consumer Electronics Show). Apple didn’t want just any old tech-junky getting his/her fingerprint smudges all over the iPad’s 9.7-inch 1,024 by 768-pixel high-quality display. Today, after Apple pushed the iPad into the spotlight, the company allowed the attending press to get a brief  hands on with the new tablet device.

Here are some of the first hands on impressions from Apple’s iPad unveiling event.

Related Videos

ipad-flat

SlashGear

ipad-ledSlashGear claims that handling the iPad is really like handling a big iPhone—but unfortunately a lot of the iPhone’s flaws have carried over to the new tablet device.  Overall, they had mostly good things to say about their hands on experience—reporting the iPad was very speedy and the iBook ebook reading is “fast and clean.”

Joystiq

Joystiq describes the iPad as a “big iPod Touch,” especially from a gaming perspective. They also noted that Need for Speed actually controlled better with the iPad’s larger screen and tilting abilities.

Engadget

ibooksEngadget says that when holding the iPad, it actually felt a lot heavier than they thought it would. They were disappointed that there were no “multitasking” capabilities, but did note that the device is “blazingly fast” and its 1024 x 768 screen is stunning.

Gizmodo

Gizmodo liked the heft of the iPad, calling it “substantial, but surprisingly light.” They also were very pleased with the iBooks app saying it made you feel more like you were reading a book than Kindle ever did.

Ars Technica

Ars Technica also compared the iPad to a giant iPhone—naming the similar features and specs. They also mentioned that is was quite easy to navigate on the iPad.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
12 iOS 16.4 features that are about to make your iPhone even better
iPhone 14 Pro Max with an iOS 16.4 icon next to it.

While we wait to get our first look at iOS 17 later this summer, Apple has officially released its latest iOS update in the form of iOS 16.4. This is the fourth major iOS 16 update, and there's a surprising amount of new features and goodies to check out.

Following multiple beta versions over the last few weeks, Apple began rolling out the final build of iOS 16.4 to everyone on March 27, 2023. If you have an iPhone and want to know what's new, here's a look at the 12 biggest iOS 16.4 features you need to check out.
Apple Books brings back the page curl effect

Read more
The iPhone 14’s most annoying feature might be worse on the iPhone 15
Transferring an eSIM from an old iPhone to an iPhone 14.

While there's a lot to love about the iPhone 14, its lack of a SIM card tray in the U.S. variant was controversial, to say the least. Unfortunately, it looks like the iPhone 15 will be following its predecessor's lead and ditching the SIM card tray as well — this time for models across the globe, not just in the U.S.

According to a report by French publication iGeneration, the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro are likely to be released "without a physical SIM card in France." Although France is just one country, if iPhones are losing their SIM card slots in Europe as well as the U.S., then it seems likely that they'll be disappearing entirely for the upcoming generation.

Read more
9 Apple products we’re expecting in 2023: iPhone 15, M2 Mac Pro, and more
An iPhone 14 sitting on a wood desk.

Apple is one of the most secretive companies in the world of big tech. Rumors of future products seem to develop years ahead of their time, and while we can all speculate as much as we want, we don’t really know what new products Apple has coming until they're announced. For existing products, though, it’s a little easier since most of those tend to be on an annual upgrade cycle, with a few exceptions.

But the rumor mill for new products, like Apple’s mixed reality headset, has been reaching peak levels of hype recently, which leads us to believe its release is imminent. We could also have the first iPhone with USB-C charging, eliminating the need for proprietary Lightning cables, and even a 15-inch MacBook Air.

Read more