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Apple iPad Reviewed

Posted by samzenpus on from the under-the-hood dept.

adeelarshad82 writes "Since the iPad's initial introduction back in January, many of us still wonder why we should drop hundreds of dollars for what is termed as a large iPod. Missing features like support for multitasking, a built-in camera for video chats, and Flash support in Safari only add to the dilemma. However, a recently published review of the iPad starts to clear up these doubts. To begin with, the iPad is packing some real quality gear under the hood. Even though the in-house-designed 1GHz A4 chip got little official comment from Apple, the touch screen's instantaneous responses prove that it is outstandingly fast. Furthermore, the iPad runs iPhone OS 3.2, and is currently the only device that runs this version of the operating system. iPad's graphics capabilities come from a PowerVR SGX GPU, similar to the one found in the iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch. It can render about 28 million polygons/second, which is more powerful than the Qualcomm Snapdragon found in devices like the HTC HD2. Also, iPad's extraordinary battery life is not just a myth. According to the lab tests, the battery netted a respectable 9 hours and 25 minutes, very close to Apple's claims of 10 hours."

2 of 443 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Here come the DRM whiners by adeelarshad82 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Actually for tablets it is a big indicator given that they don't really run multiple applications that we can test them out on. What the good responsiveness shows is that the chip is capable to running the OS very smoothly.

  2. Electronic Music Production by fan+of+lem · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In the realm of electronic music production, the iPad is showing a lot of promise.

    This is sort of a big deal amongst electronic musicians, as before the iPad the only similar alternative was the US$2,000+ Jazzmutant Lemur.