First Impressions of the iPad… Kinda

Just to be clear, we're talking about the base model iPad, which has 16 gigabytes of storage space, and no 3G (cell phone network) capability. That means it can only connect to the Internet via a wireless network connection, or WiFi.

When we first purchased the iPads, we couldn't wait to get them out of the boxes… so we didn't. We popped up to the food court for a late breakfast (Really, Walden Galleria?? All you could think to open at 10:30am was pizza and Mexican), and had a quick look.

First thing you'll notice is the weight. It's pretty heavy for something that small (1.5 lbs for the baseline model). We think that must be the battery, which, as it turns out, runs for a long time. That's a very good thing, especially considering it will not always charge from USB ports – only those ports supplying enough power will work. So, unless you can count on your USB port, charge by wall socket and carry the AC adapter. On the other hand, the AC adapter is pretty tiny – about a quarter of the size of my 13" MacBook adapter.

Second thing you'll notice is that very few apps (applications, or computer programs) come with it. One huge selling feature for us is the iBooks app, and that does not actually come with the device. We were a trifle miffed at the time.

If you have an iPod Touch, or an iPhone, you'll have no problem when you open the box. It will behave exactly as you expect it to, so with the addition of some hidden features, like the photo gallery from the locked screen, you won't find much surprising here.

Since we couldn't find a WiFi signal in the mall, and the Apple store was not about to let us back in to use their horribly clogged connection, we could not do anything with the device, other than oooh, and aaaah at the screen. Even the the ooohing and aaahing was subdued as there was no – count em, NONE – sample media on the device, other than a few backgrounds.

Last thing you'll notice, if you're like my buddies, is the instruction book: It's a single card the size of a magician's oversized ace of spades. Yet again, Apple says to us "We're perfect. Our devices are so easy to use, you don't even need instructions. To be fair, I must mention that there is a bookmark already installed in the Web browser, Safari, linking to the iPad instruction manual [PDF].

Just wait until you read my next posting about getting our iPads home.