In my column in The Times today, I reviewed the Apple iPad—twice. Once for the techies who care only about specs and feature lists, the other for regular people.
There’s never enough room to say everything when the product is this different, so you, lucky subscriber to my e-mail newsletter, get this special bonus edition: Pogue’s iPad FAQ’s. These are the most frequently asked questions I’ve received about the iPad.
Q: I don’t get it from your column. Should I get the iPad or not?
A: Well, I thought I made it clear that it depends on your mindset. It’s a brilliant machine, a category-creator, a joy to use. I think it will be a big hit. The apps coming out for it represent some of the most exciting software ideas in a long time.
If you need a laptop, though, get a laptop.
Q: Can it print?
A: No. You can create documents on it (for example, using Apple’s Pages word processor, Numbers spreadsheet or Keynote presentation program) and then sync them or e-mail them to your Mac or PC, and then print from there.
Q: I read that it has a fingerprint-resistant screen, but then you said the fingerprints show up disgustingly. What’s the real story?
A: Fingerprints are greasily, streakily visible when you turn off the screen. But the iPad has the same oleophobic (oil-resistant) coating as the iPhone, so all the streaks disappear with a single firm wipe on your pants leg.
Q: Is the on-screen keyboard really that bad?
A: When you’re holding the iPad in portrait view, the keyboard is too small to touch-type normally. (Actually, you can never really touch-type, because you can’t feel anything but solid glass, but you know what I mean.)
In landscape view, the keyboard is wider, so it’s easier to hit your targets. I imagine that you can get good at it with practice, but at the outset, you have to be fairly careful as you type. On the other hand, the iPhone operating system’s auto-correction and auto-suggestion features are always working for you, which helps a lot.
Read more: The New York Times
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