Apple iPad Review: The Tablet Revolution Begins
Introduction and Specifications


But those tablets were, putting it simply, way ahead of their time. Most were very bulky (some nearly 2" thick), screens were generally low-res, battery life was abysmal and Windows XP simply was not optimized for touch. It felt like manufacturers were shoving an operating system that was designed from the ground-up to be used with a mouse and keyboard into a device with neither, and then they all wondered why no one wanted to pay more for the things than the average notebook. Users simply saw no real benefit in using a tablet over a laptop, and they definitely didn't see the need in paying more for less convenience. For years, the tablet PC lived on primarily in two places: hospitals and in the wild. Panasonic kept a Toughbook Tablet or two alive for years since it was such a great machine in the field, and obviously medical charting works very well on a tablet-styled device. But consumers? Most simply ignored them and moved on.
A Video Preview - Be sure to check out our in-depth analysis on the pages ahead...
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Many people are wondering if all of the hype surrounding the iPad is deserved. How could a tablet with no integrated USB port, SD card slot, camera or multi-tasking capabilities be worthy of all this praise? And why didn't the tablets of 2003 see this kind of positive reaction? Much like the iPod touch and iPhone, Apple has a deadly card that no other company has, and that's the continually growing App Store, which basically enables the iPad to do more on day 2 than it could on day 1. This type of "growing ability" allows the iPad to be viewed more for what it could be one day than what it is today. But is the existing unit worth a purchase with so much innovation coming from so many other companies in the next few months? Join us in the coming pages as we dissect Apple's first (and only, thus far) tablet during our full review...