Full FeedWhat the iPad is missing
Yes, it happened, and yes, the iPad is here. And while it does have a gorgeous 9.7 inch multi touch display, it is also lacking in certain areas. For a first generation product, Apple certainly did hit the nail on the head in terms of how well the hardware was manufactured. That said, there are also certain features missing in this device.
No USB port - For a device that claims to be perfect for almost anything, it is sort of sad to see it lacking a USB port (and when I say USB port, I don’t mean the pin connector). To me, simply adding one standard USB port would increase the functionality of the device in a great way. For example, with a USB port the iPad could plug into a disc drive and enable the user to watch videos via a physical disc. It would also make it much easier to import images from cameras instead of throwing down more money on an adapter. But most of all, it could allow Pages, Keynote, and Numbers documents to be loaded and saved to a USB drive and more easily shared with others. Instead, they now must be e-mailed around the cloud if you aren’t near the computer to which they sync.
No Cameras - While I’m sure we’ll see this in a future generation of the device, I was disappointed it wasn’t included in this one. With such a large screen, a front facing camera along with an app for it would be perfect for video conferencing. Furthermore, while it would be a little awkward to hold the whole device up to take a picture with a camera on the back, it’d be nice to have that decision. This could, for instance, be useful when adding a contact and wanting to take his picture for the address book. Furthermore, simple video editing could be made extremely fun and easy on this device if it had the ability to take video clips.
No HDMI Out - For a device with such a gorgeous screen, it seems as if you wouldn’t want to send the video it is playing somewhere else. However, HDMI out would be nice for those occasions in which you do need to do that. Since you can’t play video through a disc drive (it doesn’t have one), the only way is through stored files. It’d be nice to have a way to view those simply by plugging the device into a TV as well.
Still No Flash - While I know Apple claims that Flash can make browsers unstable and kill battery life, it should be on the iPad if it claims to be the best mobile browsing experience. Apple could’ve at least made it an option in the Settings.app to turn on or off at our discretion if they really hate it that much.
Subscribe to keep up with the latest Apple news and rumors! - 
Subscribe to our feed
iPhone App Reviews
iPhone Apps. They were great when the App Store was first announced and we could all pick and chose what we wanted, but the number is now overwhelming. Here at Appletell, we'll detail the great iPhone apps we find, and steer you clear from those that aren't worth it even if they're free.
iPhone Game Reviews
As Apple turns the iPhone into one of the most popular gaming devices, the staff of Appletell--gamers and Apple fans alike--are here to help you get the most entertainment value out of your app store purchases.
Isn’t the usb point missing the point? The iPad requires a host computer; it’s more like an iPod in that sense. You can’t plug an iPod into an iPod. Just to say: the iPad is not an unhitched computer in the way a Kindle or a netbook is. Nor is it the MacCloud of my dreams, able to run off an MobileMe account.
on January 30, 2010 at 11:46 AM - LINKI know it requires a host computer which is somewhat, in my opinion, of a pain. If you can create documents on it, sharing those documents should be extremely simply and easy. To me a flash drive connection would accomplish that.
on January 30, 2010 at 12:00 PM - LINKI think the missing USB is a major, major minus. Has anyone seen any reasonable comment from Apple in this regards?
on January 30, 2010 at 04:25 PM - LINKUSB: I’ll use the web to transfer files. And they are probably planning for the Cloud iTunes.
on January 30, 2010 at 09:44 PM - LINKCamera: Would have been nice, but probably a better feature for the iPhone which is a more of a communication device. This is not.
HDMI: They’ll probably have a dock for that or something. I would rather push the price to a cable/connector/dock for those people who want it than include it in every device and increase the cost.
Flash: I would rather force website developers to make a native iPad/iPhone/iPod app than to use Flash when I visit a website. Provide a iPad or iPhone optimized version. I’m glad it doesn’t have flash. If the iPhone had Flash I wouldn’t have these great applications.
I think the battery life IS the main reason there is no Flash on the iPad.
Consider: the Kindle has a battery life of 1 week. The Sony digital ereader has a battery life of 2 weeks. The Sony Dash (internet browser and game player) hasn’t yet revealed what the battery life will be! That to me is a big clue as to why Apple left Flash off their tablet. Battery life is 10 hours without Flash - which is acceptable. But what if Flash reduced the battery life to 7 hours or 5 hours? There would be a worse outcry than if they left the Flash off…
on February 1, 2010 at 12:25 PM - LINK@Kieran
“I’ll use the web…”
I don’t think you will, if you mean use the web instead of a computer host. When Apple lists a Mac or PC as a “requirement,” they don’t kid. Maybe later, the cloud.
on February 1, 2010 at 12:56 PM - LINKwhat a laugh…the reason the Sony eReader has a battery life of 2 weeks is because no one ever uses one…they suck the life out of you…Sony needs to sit the F*** down and stop trying to do everything
they screw things up and can only do one thing ok…and that isn’t good…Sony really needs to chill out and concentrate on something…just one or two things and stop trying to make every single thing that is electronic…cuz their products suck…
maybe the HDTV’s are ok sometimes and the Viao is ok sometimes but the rest of what they make is mostly garbage…2ยข said
on March 20, 2010 at 11:23 PM - LINKHas anyone seen any reasonable comment from Apple in this regards?
on July 26, 2010 at 05:27 PM - LINK