Change is definitive. Evolution, however, is subjective. For critics, that’s the essence of the iPad’s problem. It’s essentially a desktop computer with the monitor chucked and a touch-screen; a toy rather than a broadly useful tool. But its proponents say that – with more than 1,500 approved iPad applications and more than 150,000 compatible iPhone applications – it can’t help but be more than that.
 

Any computing device is only as good as its programmes. So here is an admittedly surface-scratching look at just what you can do with Apple’s latest innovation.
 

Media

Let’s face it, the iPad is all about its screen. The 9.7-inch LED backlit IPS (in-plane switching) display performs brilliantly, with vibrant colours and true, deep blacks. Clarity is retained at the lower settings, which is particularly useful for reading. Amazon’s Kindle has been an overwhelming success by any measure. Apple is ready to cut into that market significantly with its free iBooks app, bundled with the iPad. The screen real estate is used to exquisite perfection here, touch buttons allowing you to flip through your library, skip chapters, and block text, with dictionary and bookmark features executed flawlessly. Already a Kindle fan? No problem. Amazon has released Kindle for iPad.
 

Netflix offers a free iPad app that lets members stream movies instantly, provided what you want to watch is among its 20,000 or so instantly available movies and TV shows. The marriage of HD and the iPad screen make for a joyful watching experience.
 

Productivity

Apple boss Steve Jobs set up the iPad in-between the phone and a laptop. And certainly, sometimes the phone is too small, or the laptop too big. But for the iPad to truly fill the productivity gap, it needs to not only consume content, but create it.
 

The iWork app is a three-pronged suite that covers virtually everything you could want to do from a content standpoint. Keynote is billed as “The most powerful presentation app ever designed for a mobile device”, and enables creation, manipulation, and presentation all with just a few taps of your finger. Tap to open the media browser and add photos and movies from your library, or add shapes, tables,
charts, or text.
 

Pages capitalises on the visual prowess and multi-touch capabilities for the creation of newsletters, reports, brochures, and flyers using just your fingers. And the Numbers component is a spreadsheet app allowing multiple tables and charts to be easily created, shifted, and manipulated to your heart’s content.
 

The ability to be productive means nothing if the iPad doesn’t stay on. But that’s not a problem, as Apple’s 10-hour battery life claim has been critically supported.
 

That said, Apple will eventually need to open up some kind of shared file repository on the iPad to make it a truly effective tool in this regard, particularly with the main productivity obstacle being the inability to multi-task on the device. But for now, you can do all you need to do, just not quite as efficiently as you would hope.
 

Fun

The iPhone and iPod have become strong handheld gaming mechanisms on their own. It stands to reason the larger screen size and strong visuals mean the iPad will be similarly utilised. But many in the gaming world, including those at video game site IGN.com, see a wealth of untapped potential in the iPad as a gaming tool. World of Warcraft, the absurdly popular Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), has hit the iPad, as has Star Trek Online. Visually, they are great. But the folks at IGN would like to see “developers adopt the iPad as a means of simplifying interaction with these more complex games – as opposed to trying to adapt the games to fit on relatively limited space”.
 

Real Racing HD upgrades the hot iPhone version graphically, and with the ability to race against ghost versions of players, which can be downloaded online.
 

For an off-the-standard track look, check out Ocean Blue, a scuba-diving simulation including a significant fact database on the various fish to be encountered during customisable dives, all woven in a visually brilliant presentation that makes the most of the iPad’s graphic prowess.
 

Buy or fly?

When all is said and done, do you pick up the iPad or take off and pass on the next big thing?
 

Truly, it’s a personal choice with a lot of things to factor in. It is not a replacement for your laptop or desktop, but it is more than a bigger iPod Touch. If you’re looking for a new toy and have the US$500 of disposable income, pick it up. If you’re looking for more, at least get your hands on one and play around to see if it, well, touches you.