Based on Steve Jobs presentation you’d think the iPad is a MUST HAVE thing. Most of you know that I’m not a big apple fan and I don’t mind bashing the ‘apple monopoly’ every now and then, but is the iPad really that good?

CNet took a closer look at the iPad functionality and it’s specifications compared to some of the regular netbooks on the market.When I read through their arguments it became more and more obvious that the iPad may not be the perfect couch buddy after all. Read below and share your thoughts :)

Video chat

Most Netbooks, even low-end ones, now have webcams enabling basic video chat over Skype or any other program. The iPad, however, does not. We wish the iPad had a camera and iChat, especially since it would make the tablet a unique communications device to rival the iPhone. Perhaps cost was a factor, even though most Netbooks manage the feat in a package under $500.

Run Flash

While Steve Jobs called the iPad “the best web experience you’ve ever had,” there is a big missing piece right now, and that’s the whole web. Browser-based apps and Flash-driven content are a huge element of cloud computing and of many websites, and right now it’s not even clear whether the iPad can even run Hulu or Netflix. Atom Netbooks can be slow and stuttery when playing web video, but at least they can.

Program

Most people aren’t programmers, or anything close to it, but most Netbooks do run on a full Windows 7 OS that can be used for programming or modification. Linux-based Netbooks are even more hack-friendly. You can even install Mac OS on a Netbook, should so you so wish. For the friendly hackers out there, that’s a dealbreaker on the iPad.

Upload photos or video from a camera

No USB ports on the iPad mean no connecting cameras or other peripherals, which can be a drag if the iPad is meant as a portable computing replacement for bloggers. Netbooks have at least 2 USB ports standard.

Store more than 64GB of data

We expected a little more memory on the iPad. Even the most basic Netbook has a 160GB hard drive. Cloud storage can assist with data, but it’s still no replacement for onboard capacity.

Swap batteries

Sure, the iPad is slim, attractive and very showy. But its battery is fixed (just like the iPhone), while a Netbook can not only swap its battery, but upgrade from a three to a six-cell or more.

Install CD media (or any media other than from an App Store)

With the addition of a simple USB DVD/CD-ROM drive, disc-based software can be installed on a Netbook even without an optical drive built in. Netbooks can also install files off USB drives, or via any other input method. The iPad wasn’t designed with this flexibility in mind, but it’s still nice to be able to do.

Type on your lap

Yes, the iPad has a virtual keyboard, and even a cool keyboard dock that turns the tablet into a quasi-desktop device. But the dock can’t be used for lap typing, and the Apple demos didn’t make iPad typing seem as comfortable as pounding away on an old-fashioned hinged Netbook. For long-term writing on the go, a physical Netbook keyboard with an attached angled screen still wins.

Upgrade

Netbooks can upgrade their RAM–albeit slightly–and with a little effort that hard drive can be swapped too. The iPad is a fixed entity, so there’s no going back once you’ve picked 16, 32 or 64GB.

Credit for this post goes to CNET. They put these facts together.

I’m sure every website on this planet is writing about the Apple iPad today so I’m not going to blabble much about it, just a little ;) I’ve listed the technical specifications at the end of this post.

Apple claims the iPad is the best way to experience the web, photos, videos and email. I’m not really convinced just yet, but it looks tempting so far. I’ve never been a big fan of the Apple monopoly in terms of user restrictions, but I can see how their keep-it-simple principles are very appealing to the masses.

Let me say this first. This is not a computer and it won’t let you do all your design or web related work. That’s NOT what the iPad is meant for. The iPad is meant to give you a relaxing evening on the couch or in bed. It’s a device that lets you surf the web and write emails, it lets you update your social media sites or blog, watch youtube videos or share some photos. If that’s what you’re looking for, this is probably a must-have gadget for you.

The high-resolution, 9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS display on iPad is remarkably crisp and vivid. Which makes it perfect for web browsing, watching movies, or viewing photos. With iPad, there is no up or down. It’s designed to show off your content in portrait or landscape orientation with every turn. And because it uses a display technology called IPS (in-plane switching), it has a wide, 178° viewing angle. So you can hold it almost any way you want and still get a brilliant picture, with excellent color and contrast.

To maximize battery life, Apple engineers took the same lithium-polymer battery technology they developed for Mac notebook computers and applied it to the iPad. As a result, you can use iPad for up to 10 hours while surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching videos, or listening to music.

There are lots of great accessories specifically designed for iPad. The Keyboard Dock, for instance, combines a dock with a full-size keyboard. There’s also a standalone Dock. And because iPad has built-in Bluetooth wireless technology, it works with the Apple Wireless Keyboard, too. The Camera Connection Kit lets you import photos from a camera or SD card. The iPad Case not only protects your iPad, it also allows you to use it in various positions, making it easier to type, look at photos, or watch movies. And through a range of accessories, iPad can play your content on TVs, projectors, and displays. You can find all the accessory details on the Apple.com website.

It definitely looks like Apple has struck a goldmine with this one. It easy to use, it has a great display (IPS Panel), it will hit the market with a wide range of accessories and quite frankly I can’t wait to give the iPad a chance. If you want a fun toy to play around with and you want to simplify your web experience, I think this little gizmo could be the right thing for you. Like me, most of us really enjoy the tech toys nowadays :)

Size and weight

Height: 9.56 inches (242.8 mm)
Width: 7.47 inches (189.7 mm)
Depth: 0.5 inch (13.4 mm)
Weight: 1.5 pounds (0.68 kg) Wi-Fi model;
1.6 pounds (0.73 kg) Wi-Fi + 3G model

Display

* 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
* 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi)
* Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
* Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Wi-Fi model

* Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)
* Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology

Wi-Fi + 3G model

* UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
* GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
* Data only2
* Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)
* Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology

Location

* Wi-Fi
* Digital compass
* Assisted GPS (Wi-Fi + 3G model)
* Cellular (Wi-Fi + 3G model)

In the Box

* iPad
* Dock Connector to USB Cable
* 10W USB Power Adapter
* Documentation

Capacity

* 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flash drive

Processor

* 1GHz Apple A4 custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip

Sensors

* Accelerometer
* Ambient light sensor

Audio playback

* Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
* Audio formats supported: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
* User-configurable maximum volume limit

TV and video

* Support for 1024 by 768 pixels with Dock Connector to VGA Adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Component AV Cable; 576i and 480i with Apple Composite Cable
* H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

Mail attachment support

* Viewable document types: .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel)

Languages

* Language support for English, French, German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Russian
* Keyboard support for English (U.S.) English (UK), French (France, Canada), German, Japanese (QWERTY), Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, Italian, Simplified Chinese (Handwriting and Pinyin), Russian
* Dictionary support for English (U.S.), English (UK), French, French (Canadian), French (Swiss), German, Japanese, Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, Italian, Simplified Chinese (Handwriting and Pinyin), Russian

Accessibility

* Support for playback of closed-captioned content
* VoiceOver screen reader
* Full-screen zoom magnification
* White on black display
* Mono audio

Pricing and price variations

The price of the iPad isn’t all that bad. You can buy two versions, the Wifi version and the Wifi + 3G (UMTS) version. I’ve added the pricelist below.

Wi-Fi version

16Gb – $499
32Gb – $599
64Gb – $699

Wi-Fi + 3G version

16Gb -$629
32Gb – $729
64Gb – $829