Frankly – am I missing something? The iPad, as discussed in whytwitter many times cannot multi-task. Yet, the iPad is supposed to be the computing platform of the future even so it is like going back into the early ninties. You explain to your friends your new device has: no USB, no camera, no flash capabilities, optional keyboard and you cannot multi-task. But you paid serious money for it. You can only use it in your own home (or wherever you find a WiFi connection) – and you need another PC to set it up. Hmmm.

You will be looked at rather strangely – unless you talk to a ‘Apple lover’. Who will explain to you in detail that you do not need to listen to music whilst browsing the Internet. And if you really want to- you use your other Apple device. And what a cool experience it is not to have ‘Flash adverts’ – looks a lot better with big white boxes on the page. Not sure about that – in fact – it looks like something is ‘broken’.

Anyway, Apple will add multi-tasking, mobile advertising and an ebook reader to its hugely successful iPhone when it releases the fourth version of the phone’s operating system later this year.

Announcing iPhone OS 4.0 to developers at Apple’s Cupertino headquarters in California earlier, Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO said the new operating system would allow multi-tasking to the iPhone for the first time. He said: “We weren’t the first to this party but we’re going to be the best.”

The iPhone and iPod touch already allows multi-tasking for certain apps made by Apple but Jobs said his company had been trying to find a way to allow third-party apps to multi-task without slowing the device to a crawl or draining its battery life. The new OS will mean that third-party applications such as Spotify can continue to play music while the user checks email or surfs the web. However, multi-tasking will work only on the iPhone 3GS – older versions of the phone and older models of the iPod touch will not be able to use it.

Other features comprising what Jobs described as seven new “tent pole” features for the OS included the addition of Apple’s bookshop, iBooks, a gaming platform – called Game Centre – that allows people to challenge their friends, and a unified email inbox, allowing users to bring multiple email accounts into one place.

Ernest Doku, of mobile price comparison website, Omio.com, said: “With OS 4.0, Apple has finally addressed the issue that many iPhone users have been clamouring for by unveiling multitasking. Also, the introduction of the iBooks Store and Game Center network turns the iPhone and iPod touch into a portable e-reader and a fully fledged online gaming machine, broadening the appeal of the Apple’s handset beyond mere communications.”

But here comes my real question. Why do I need an iPad? The iPhone does most of the jobs. For the time being, I stick with my iFlop theory.

Comments welcome

Are you planning on purchasing an iPad? Please comment below!

1.) The Name
Numerous names were being thrown around in the months/weeks leading up to the release (iTablet, iSlate, iPad) but which name was Apple going to choose? We had grown accustomed to referring to the device as the iTablet, could even see calling it the iSlate… but iPad never seemed quite right. Why would Apple want to name their new product something that sounds so familiar to the iPod? Some people are objecting to the name referring to it as the “iTampon“.

Talk about foresight, this Mad TV iPad skit aired several years ago… and easily became 10x funnier.

2.) No Multitasking
Are you serious…? Who thought this was a good idea? How can the iPad even compete with Netbooks if you can’t multitask? This means that if you’re writing a document you can’t listen to music, you can’t have TweetDeck open if you want to check your email, you can only do one thing at a time, which has always been a complaint with the iPhone.

3.) No Camera
Why is there no camera on the iPad, front or back? It’s got a microphone… but no camera. Look at the size of the case that surrounds the screen, there is ample space for a camera. The iPad should’ve at least came with a 3-megapixel camera built in. As it stands, this means no iChat/Skype chat for you. Good move Apple, good move.

4.) Huge Ridiculous Adapters
Want to access your camera or plug in something USB… well there’s an adapter for that, actually 2 separate adapters both excessively huge.

5.) Same Touch Keyboard
The iPad needed to re-revolutionize the keypad for touchscreen devices, make it easier to use. So what did we get… just a larger version of what we already had. It’ll be incredibly hard to type on, unless you’re lying flat with your knees holding the device up, or you buy the iPad Case (essentially a book cover).

BONUS: No Flash (We just couldn’t stop at 5)
Most of us are probably accustomed to Apple devices not being Flash compatible, but if Apple is truly wanting to compete with other Netbooks they need to remedy this. With a larger screen comes more responsibilities, i.e. you can’t just leave gigantic holes in the middle of webpages if you claim it to be “the best web experience you’ve ever had“.

The iPad is still in its infancy, so we’re sure that it’ll get better with time. Only time will tell if Apple’s iPad will be a success or an iFlop.

Now read on… BBC’s ‘clicks’ made a good comment, too. It’s the netbook, the smartbook, people don’t want to buy a keyboard as an accessory. Can you see any student reading a book without listening to music? So we are back to Chromes OS, the fast emerging market of the netbook and the software which makes best use of it. Like Netbook Pack, a Chrome OS version ready for your Netbook today.

Comments welcome!

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