Preview – The magical and revolutionary iPad

As the resident Apple product reviewer, I felt it necessary to at least mention a little known product called the iPad that debuts tomorrow, which Apple is calling “magical and revolutionary.”

Apps for Apple's iPad were designed from the ground up to take advantage of the iPad's large Multi-Touch screen. Photo: Apple

At one point in the intro video of the iPad, Phil Schiller, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing for Apple claims that “it [iPad] is going to change the way we do the things we do everyday.

Now, by virtue, I am biased when it comes to Apple products. I own an iPhone, MacBook and the newer iMac. I’m what some might call a fanboy. However, I’ve always found Apple’s products to work when and where I need them as well as being visually stunning. I like form and function. But I digress. Let’s get on with the show.

The Scoop: The much hyped iPad is being billed as the next best thing from Apple. It’s been a buzz for quite some time and in the recent weeks that is of course unless you were locked away under a rock in a remote area of… nope, you would have heard about it there too. One quick search on Google and you are bombarded by 27,648 results for iPad. So should you pre-order or rush out to an Apple Retail Store or Best Buy to purchase this new revolutionary device that will change your life? Well, according to the select few that received special review iPads (I’m not one of them), yes!

• “Laptop Killer? Pretty Close.” – Walt Mossberg, WSJ.com
• “In 10 years of reviewing tech products for The New York Times, I’ve never seen a product as polarizing as Apple’s iPad, which arrives in stores on Saturday.” – David Pogue, NY Times.com
• “It’s a fantastic Internet consumption device first and foremost.” – Clayton Morris, FoxNews.com

The Setup: All of its built-in apps for web, email, photos and video were designed from the ground up to harness the power of the large Multi-Touch screen. Best yet, they work in any orientation.

What’s Hot:

• Display: 9.7-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen multi-touch display
• Capacity: 16GB, 32GB or 64GB flash drive for light gadgetry
• Processor: 1GHz Apple A4 custom-designed… for very fast performance
• Up to 10 hours of battery time… charge via power adapter or USB to computer
• Dock connector, headphone jack, built-in speaker, microphone, Micro SIM card tray (Wi-Fi and 3G model only)
• And much more…

What’s Not:

• I wish it worked with your current phone plan, but looks like you’ll have to shell out another chunk of change for a separate on-the-go plan; however, it does have a Wi-Fi connection option just like the iPod Touch
• Ok, that’s it… you’re luck put anything under this one…

Final Verdict: With it’s gorgeously large multi-touch display, redesigned apps and large capacities, Apples iPad is exactly what it’s billed to be – magical and revolutionary.