Newest Apple iPad could prove beneficial for users

For the 21st-century technology user, it may come as a surprise that Apple has not always made trendy devices with slick interfaces. Over the past three decades, the company has introduced a number of duds, including the Pippin, a gaming console and, more recently, the ergonomic nightmare of the Mighty Mouse. Some critics are calling Apple's latest gadget, the iPad, a failure as well.

I don't believe it's a total bomb. The latest iterations of the iPod Touch, iPhone and the iMac may lead one to believe that Apple's products are polished from the day they leave the Cupertino, Calif. headquarters. However, in their first-generation forms, they were quite faulty. That is the case with the iPad. It will probably be a ubiquitous device a year or two from its launch, and not only will it have features that it currently lacks, but its price will also be slashed by at least half. For right now, though, the iPad is a curiosity, not a must-have product.

At first glance, the iPad is actually rather ugly for an Apple device. Its bezel is unnaturally thick, and its widely spaced home screen icons resemble one of the obviously fake iPad mock-ups that ran rampant on the Internet prior to its release.

Its second flaw is that it still relies on the closed system of the iPhone and iPod Touch. In other words, it doesn't run a genuine operating system as all other tablet computers do, but instead runs applications downloaded from the App Store. So while Windows netbook and tablet users are running full-fledged applications like Photoshop, Office and Windows Movie Maker, iPad users are stuck using the same miniature, widget-like apps that run on an iPhone. While those apps worked perfectly for a device with a small screen, they seem very limiting when transferred to a lightweight computer that is supposed to sit in between the iPhone and MacBook Pro.

In other words, iPad users miss out on the opportunity to run whatever software they wish as Tablet PC users can. Admittedly, the closed system cuts down on security risks, but the iPad's usefulness can only stretch as far as Apple allows it to.

The silver lining of this cloud is that Apple has taken steps to port larger, more functional applications to the iPad, such as their iWork office suite. Here's to hoping that iLife eventually makes it onto the iPad. But no handwriting recognition on a tablet computer? Come on, Apple. This product could be so much more than a toy for families, and at its current price point, it really needs to be.

I'm not a complete nay-sayer. In the long term, I believe in this product. It has the potential to change the educational, medical and consumer reading fields forever.

Think I'm wrong? Well, let's look at Apple's product history over the past 15 years. Although other MP3 players existed before the iPod, its simplicity, with iTunes, redefined the category. Although other smartphones existed before the iPhone, its simplicity, abundance of apps and touch-screen redefined the category. And although other personal computers existed before the iMac, they were nowhere near as beautiful or user-friendly. The iMac popularized features that are now taken for granted, like FireWire and DVD+RW drives. In other words, it may take time, but I believe the iPad will eventually redefine the tablet computing genre.

Take iBooks, for example. Many major publishers have already allied themselves with Apple, and the iPad's colored, multi-touch enabled interface for e-reading blows away the Kindle's. It's easy to imagine this simple device making its way into classrooms of the future, allowing students to not only store textbooks, but perform productivity tasks like touch-painting or word processing with a device that turns on instantly and provides 10 hours of battery life.

As for its uses in the medical field, doctors have turned to tablet PCs in the past, as well as the iPhone. With its more accurate touch-screen and the wealth of medical applications available, it's hard to see the iPad not proving itself effective for healthcare.

The iPad is, nevertheless, imperfect. Its price, which starts at $499, needs to come down, especially on the 3G-enabled models. The fact that its Safari browser still lacks Flash is a major flaw, too. But the iPad has a great deal of potential. I, and technology users worldwide, can only hope that Apple has the wisdom to expound on it. If the iPad finds no other purpose, it's still a very cool tablet. Who wouldn't want to own a personal slate like those seen in "Minority Report" or "2001: A Space Odyssey?"

So while the iPad is not quite the almighty, magical product that Apple would like to think it is, it is a unique, lightweight computer that can fulfill the requirements of the average, low-end computer user. It competes fairly well with the netbook and e-reader, which was its primary purpose.

So is the iPad an iDud? At first glance, yes. However, upon deeper inspection, no.