The last time that a tablet was so much in the news, it was blue in colour and diamond-shaped. The latest tablet enjoying the spotlight and one that has set the wires on fire, isn’t used to treat any dysfunction, but has sparked off a similar buying frenzy. We are talking about the Apple iPad. It has had buyers queue up outside Apple’s stores just to get a feel of it and place an advance order. Apple has sold over a million iPads already, and many more are drooling over its looks, prowess and potential. Come to think of it, all that hype and hoopla around the iPad, and Apple hasn’t even launched this tablet outside the US yet!
Newspapers, magazines and websites have been ranting and raving about this product of the year – reviewing, analysing and hypothesising about the next-gen iPad. But there were still a few points that we thought should be mentioned.
- The next-gen iPad will have a camera. The empty dot on the top panel of the current iPad is proof that the space has already been created for it.
- The current-gen iPad’s built-in speakers already offer room-filling sound, though one does miss a bit of the stereo effect while watching movies without earphones.
- More hardware in the next version of the iPad could mean stereo speakers, though a USB-slot will still not be offered by Apple.
The New OS: With Apple promising more than 100 new features for users with the introduction of the new OS 4, there’s a lot to look forward to. According to Apple, new features will include multi-tasking with third party apps, folders on your screen to better organise and access apps easily, improved mail with a unified inbox, fast inbox switching and threaded messages and probably even multi-player gaming!
Inspite of all the promises, some of these might only be reasons for iPad 3G owners to rejoice as Apple says key features like multi-tasking might not be supported by the Plain Jane iPad wi-fi version – the one that does not offer 3G.
While on the subject of software, rumour mills are agog with the possibility that the next-gen iPad may even include a customised version of Microsoft Office.
Apple’s biggest advantage will continue to be its iStore and the apps that are developed for the iPad will keep it ahead of competition. You can already access your PC remotely from your iPad, virtually rocket over and check out the terrain on the Moon or Mars and place an order for your custom-built Rolls-Royce Ghost, all thanks to apps that can be downloaded on to your iPad.
And as of now, there are a ton of tips, tricks and tweaks for your iPad that should keep you happy.
Customise the dock on your iPad by touching and dragging your favourite apps on to the panel.
While browsing the web just double tap on the top panel to zoom back to the home page if you’ve been scrolling down.
Facebooking? Well, you don’t have to refresh the page every time, just shake your iPad to reload the page and check new notifications.
Watching a movie and want to grab a screenshot on the spectacular iPad display? Just click on the Power (top panel) and the Home buttons simultaneously for a second or two and you have a screenshot saved for you in the Photos folder.
