Initial Thoughts on the iPad iPay

So after spending the last few days with the iPad, people are all asking things like "is it what you were expecting?!" and "is it really that revolutionary?" etc. etc. etc.

The easiest thing for me to do is write up my initial thoughts, and see how close it has come to my expectations.

My initial posting will be about the gripes I have. Why? Because I'm a cynical pessimist by nature.

As I wrote in a previous post, it has been my opinion that the Apps were what would make or break the device.  One of the key draws in my opinion for the iPad was its interconnectedness (is that a word?) with the iPhone/iPod touch and their apps.  There are 75 million+ users of those devices already out there, and a seemingly great potential customer base for Apple. Out of those millions, the number of satisfied and very satisfied users is very high according to almost all surveys.  I can't help notice that they represent a very attractive customer base for the iPad - especially when, as Apple said, they could use all of their paid apps on the iPad without shelling out any more dough!  But what I've found is not what I expected.

Some apps like Logmein Ignition have upgraded their apps to make them device aware, so you can buy the same exact app on the iPhone or iPad, and the app when run, looks and behaves differently depending on the device running it. These apps are connoted in the app store with a little "plus" sign next to its price. Buying Logmein Ignition once, entitles you to use the same app on either device, and each device will run the app optimized for that device.

Unfortunately what I've found is that most of the apps I already own have iPad "HD" versions - and they're WAY MORE EXPENSIVE, many times with no added features!  In fact, all of the paid apps seem to be way more expensive.  Whereas with my iPhone I got used to paying 99 cents to 3 dollars per app, the iPad mean seems to be around 10 bucks! It seems the iPhone to iPad transitional user should expect to spend *a lot more* than they may have thought.

My hopes for leveraging my iPhone app investment on the iPad has vanished before my eyes.

On a similar note, app developers need to understand that they shouldn't be simply porting their apps over to the iPad willy nilly as the iPad is a different medium.  They need to take advantage of the iPads strengths and make their apps more robust.

The rest of my gripes don't really need as much explanation, so here goes:

1. I can't for the life of me figure out how games will be as fun and playable as on the iPhone.  Holding this fairly large device and tilting it to play accelerometer based games is a chore, and on-screen controls are awkward because of the large bezel of the device. 
2. The keyboard, the same as on the iPhone, has to be used as it does on an iPhone - meaning you look at the keyboard while typing instead of what is actually being typed.  It's also awkward trying to type with thumbs while holding it in a standing position, again, because of the bezel.
3.  It's extremely light - unless you hold it for an hour while reading a book.  If you're not sitting and leaning it on your lap your arms will definitely tire.
4. We know there's no Flash support, but to add insult to injury many studios are blocking their sites from streaming - *only on the iPad and not the iPhone!* NBC.com allows iPhone users to watch any of their content for free on an iPhone but iPad users must purchase the same content!
5. No easy way to get files off.  C'mon, at least let me get my notes off without emailing them to myself!
6. It's made to be held casually, but I'm constantly scared of scratching it etc.

To be continued...