The iPad is a PC but not as we know it
Today’s post on iPadTabletPCReview.com gets to the nuts and bolts of why the iPad is very different from a Windows Tablet PC. We also tackle why the weaknesses of the iPad are also it’s strengths.
Open Systems
When you buy a PC, laptop, netbook or tablet PC you effectively buy a piece of hardware with an operating system such as Windows that smooths the user communication with the hardware. Fundamentally though, you can manipulate the software and the hardware on the machine so that you can install anything you want and therefore have the capability to get it to do anything you want. The flip side of this is that an “open” system can mean that when things go wrong the user largely has to pick up the pieces themselves.
Why is the iPad closed?
The iPad has a very different to this philosophy. It comes pre-installed with the iPhone OS. As far as we know at the moment, you can only install additional applications on it via the iTunes App Store. There is a possibility that it could operate as a stand-alone device with the user downloading applications and updates via a WiFi connection but if it operates like an iPod Touch or iPhone then really you’re going to need a PC or Mac to install iTunes on so that the iPad will sync it’s content with your existing iTunes library. So, although the user will need a PC with iTunes installed, once past this hurdle the iPad is designed to prevent user headaches. The iPad will run smoothly and be easy to use. Any application that is on iTunes will have been checked to ensure it is free of malicious intent and shouldn’t conflict with other applications on the iPad.
The net effect of the 2 different philosophies is…
If you’re very technically orientated, don’t mind getting you hands dirty and have the time to fiddle with the device, a Windows (or other operating system) Tablet PC is going to give you a far more powerful device which you can manipulate to do exactly what you want. The hardware specifications of Windows tablet PCs already available are superior to the hardware of the iPad as detailed by our recent articles on the Archos 9 and the IdeaPad S10-3t/TouchSmart tm2t.
If you don’t want this hassle or just want the device to be stable and work smoothly then the iPad will be just right for you. It’s designed so a mass-market non-techy person can use it. Bear in mind though that basically the iPad is a portable device designed purely for consuming media – watching films, browsing the web, reading ebooks and e-newspapers/magazines, playing games, using bespoke applications and listening to music.
The Locked Down iPad
By restricting the iPad to only applications and media that are designed specifically for the device and that have been tested to ensure compatibility, Apple have ensured that the device will run with limited hitches. Times when the system freezes or crashes should be minimised and we should have a slick, smooth running environment that maximises the abilities of the relatively small processors that tablet PCs and netbooks use.
The more sinister side to this is that effectively you’ve bought a piece of hardware but Apple has full control over what you can do with it. They force you to use their proprietary iTunes software and buy in to the Apple App Store model for buying applications. Equally the pricing of the iPad has been far keener than most people predicted and Apple must factor into the iPad price the fact that each user will invest a significant amount into buying additional applications that Apple will receive a cut of.
Processor Capabilities & Multitasking
The iPhone already allows you to run some apps simultaneously. For examples, you can start listening to the iPod and get on to your email without interrupting the music. On other apps you can switch between them and as you close one it goes into a ‘hybernate’ mode so that when you come back to it, you pick up where you left off. Given it’s the same operating system we can assume the iPad will work in very much the same way.
True multitasking when more than one app runs simultaneously isn’t possible on the iPad. Whilst some have criticised this, I think they’re missing the point. Netbooks are notorious for poor performance once you have a number of applications running simultaneously. Also, as they are sold as “open” systems they require virus software running continuously in the background – virus software consumes processing so slows the system. A controlled iPad environment prevents this from being an issue.
That said, if Apple could tweak the operating system so that it allowed you to run even a couple of applications simultaneously then that would meet the needs of 95 percent of users and is unlikely to cause any major decline in performance. I expect this will come with the next evolution of the operating system and as it could be done as a download from iTunes, you wouldn’t need to buy a new iPad to use it.
How to choose if an Apple iPad or Windows Tablet PC is right for you?
See our post from a couple of weeks ago to fully understand the missing elements that the tech community has criticised the iPad for. If you want the very latest hardware and you’re capable of playing and manipulating the software for your own desires then the iPad is low on all the bells and whistles that other available or forthcoming tablet PCs have. On the other hand, if you just want a device that works with minimal tinkering designed for you to consume media on the move then the iPad is going to be right for you.
What do you think about the locked down nature of the iPad? Are you prepared to give up some of the higher-end specs so you get a great user experience? Does anyone who has an iPhone miss the multitasking functionality and why? Let me know your comments.
Images courtesy of Apple
