Apple iPad Reviews - Views from the Tech Press

Above: Using the on-screen keyboard of the Apple iPad. Photo: Flickr user matt buchanan


There's been lots of talk and hype about the Apple iPad, but now the tech reviewers have actually gotten their hands on the device and had a chance to put it through its paces. So what are the iPad reviews so far? 


* Walt Mossberg, the influential personal technology columnist for the Wall Street Journal, is quite impressed. He says the iPad is "a 'game changer' that makes browsing and video a pleasure."
* PC World offers a handy iPad FAQ that answers a lot of the questions about the iPad that have caused much confusion among potential buyers, such as the differences between the 3G and Wi-Fi models, how easy the on-screen keyboard is to use, whether you can use an external monitor, etc.
* If you just want articles that give brief reviews from a number of tech folks (including Mossberg), another PC World column supplies a round-up of iPad reviews that offer the good and bad of the device, along with opinions on battery life and a one-sentence summary. (There are links to the full original reviews, of course.)
* Wired.com offers a similar summary of iPad reviews but with one- to three-sentence excerpts from the original columns (with links to them).


All in all, the reviewers seem impressed with the new Apple iPad. If consumer response is just as positive, Apple will be able to laugh off all those "iTampon" jokes people were making when the product was announced.

Apple iPad: CNet & Other Reviews... and Plenty of Spoofs

Steve Jobs launched the Apple iPad with plenty of flair on Wednesday, and the reviewers are weighing it. You can find CNet's Apple iPad review here, which as you'd expect from that site gives a lot of information including an overview, specifications, detailed information, and reader reviews.

In another article, two CNET staffers debate the merits of the iPad, looking at the audience it's meant for, how it meets (or doesn't meet) that audience's needs, what it has and what it's lacking, and how it stacks up as a reading, gaming, and work device.

PC World links to reviews of the iPad here, and also offers its own brief hands-on iPad review.




Of course, if you've been anywhere near the Internet since the iPad launch you've no doubt heard the many jokes about the product's name, which reminds many people of a feminine hygiene product. You can find a collection of a variety of iPad jokes and spoofs here. Lots of folks have pointed out that MadTV did a skit on the feminine protection/iPad idea a few years ago, as seen in the video above.

Of course, if the iPad is a hit, the jokes about the name will be soon forgotten.