Apple’s Tablet: The iPad
Kendra Gully
IT 103 Section 001
February 28, 2011
George Mason University
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Introduction
The iPad is a tablet computer; designed, developed, and marketed by Apple. Upon its release in April 2010 it has served as a platform for audio-visual media, such as, books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content (Wikipedia, n.d.). The iPad is controlled by a multi-touch display, different from previous tablet computers, accompanied by a virtual onscreen keyboard. It is run by the same operating system as the iPod Touch and iPhone and can run its own applications. It’s size and weight fall between modern smartphones and laptop computers, using a Wi-Fi connection to browse the Internet, load and stream media, and install software, focusing more on fun than work (Bertolucci, 2011).
Background
The iPad just might be one of the best ways to experience the web, email, photos, and video. “All of the built-in apps on iPad were designed from the ground up to take advantage of the large multi-touch screen and advanced capabilities of the iPad. And they work in any orientation. So you can do things with these apps that you can’t do on any other device” (Apple Inc., 2011). There are four physical switches on the iPad, including a home button below the display and three plastic switches on the sides for wake or sleep, volume up or down, and mute. Without modification, and with the exception of web applications, the iPad will only run programs approved by Apple and distributed by its online store (Bertolucci, 2011). The iPad comes with many features and already set in applications, such as, Safari, Mail, Photos, YouTube, iTunes, Notes, and many more (Apple Inc., 2011).
Benefits
Apple has consolidated a Netbook, e-reader, gaming device, photo frame, and iPod into one affordable super-gadget. It’s features, such as, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, movie rentals, 3G wireless, ten hours of battery life, and an App Store, give the iPad a seemingly endless list of potential benefits (Turrentine, 2010). There are brand new applications that are important to what the iPad can do. Possibly the most important application would be its mobile Safari, which allows for some of the best browsing possible and great responsive time. Other applications include: iBooks, Calendar/Contacts, Mail, iTunes/iBookstore/App Store, Video/iPod/YouTube, and many third party applications you can add to access more features and games (Topolsky, 2010).
One increasingly potential benefit of the iPad is the fact that schools are beginning to incorporate the devices into the classroom, leading publishers to strike deals to expand their e-textbook offerings. “In the latest moves, higher-education textbook publisher McGraw-Hill Co. signed an agreement with interactive textbook start-up Inkling to make more of its titles available through Inkling's app for Apple’s iPad tablet.” It’s benefit is to create more engaging learning experiences, where students can put all their textbooks inside an app and have it ready to use in every class. The iPad combined with e-textbooks offer high-resolution illustrations and the ability for students to quiz themselves. "Students can use them immediately in a way that's coherent with the course of instruction as opposed to leaving the classroom and going to a computer lab" (Kane, 2011).
Another such benefit of the iPad is the capability to instantly read and follow current events, without having to pay for a subscription or printed newspapers. “Many users rated the experience of reading on the iPad slightly better than reading print media. One of the factors favoring digital news consumption over print media consumption is the fact that, by and large, digital news is available for cheap or free” (Moren, 2011).
Legal and Ethical Issues
The iPad raises certain legal issues to consider. “As lawyers address new technologies in agreements, there is always the questions of whether a particular device or distribution method falls within the scope of the agreement.” Many questions arise about whether the iPad is a mobile device, an iPhone, a handheld video player, or a computer. These questions are relevant with the prospect of integrating video and other interactive content with texts and images, especially when using books. How the content will be displayed, who pays for it, and what rights and obligations the creators, publishers and book authors will have with respect to it, all have to come into consideration (Neuburger, 2010).
“Copyright is a form of intellectual property giving certain rights to an author or creator of an original work such as a book or a song. When you own the copyright to a work, you have the right to copy, distribute and adapt the work.” With the e-book feature on the iPad, it has the potential to change how you read books, but must be address as to book’s rights issues. “The Apple iPad, along with other e-book readers, reflect the legal challenges facing technology, the law and the modern world” (Shvartsman, 2010).
Jail-breaking the iPad has been a controversial topic that started with the iPhone. “Jail-breaking is a term to describe a process that allows you to run any software code (non-restrictive and non-authorized) on your Apple device. Once the device has been jail-broken, you can then extend its capabilities beyond what Apple originally intended.” There are many issues surrounding jail-breaking, such as the question of legality. So far, there are no legal issues with jail-breaking your device, but it comes down to the ethical issues regarding violations of copyrights and the ability to download paid applications for free (Shane, 2010).
Security Concerns
“Apple’s iPad has some of the same security issues that affect the iPhone, such as weak encryption.” Your store your personal data, including phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and credit card information that could be retrieved and viewed. The weak encryption infringes on people’s personal rights, where some might have access to steal another person’s information as well as being able to download third party applications, such as, illegal movies. “Secondly, if iPad users get their apps from the Apps Store, they are at risk of getting the occasional malicious app.” In addition, the device is subject to attacks while using unsecured Wi-Fi networks (Mills, 2010).
Social Problems
“The iPad creates and defines an entirely new category of devices that will connect users with their apps and content in a much more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before.” This develops into a social problem regarding the value of having an iPad, especially if one already has an iPhone or a MacBook (Davila, 2010). Having many of these devices and lead some people into the direction of spending too much time trying to stay in the social loop. Other social problems that may be developed are more actions towards cyber-bullying and that if people are not careful and do not pay close attention to their privacy settings, others can steal their personal information, which is dangerous, especially for children.
Further Research
The greatest feature about to iPad is its screen, which is a 9.7-inch LED backlit IPS display that shows vibrant and saturated colors. Below the screen is the only point of hardware interaction with the software, besides the buttons on the sides. The split screens and multiple tabs, which allow you to upload many different pages, are just some of its key features along with a full sized keyboard. Almost all of the applications on the iPad are more expansive than the iPhone. The iPad also has a tremendous battery life when compared to smartphones or laptops and can be purchased in capacities of 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB (Topolsky, 2010).
“The Samsung Galaxy Tab gives a clue to what we can expect from competition, yet The Galaxy is a smaller tablet witch a 7-inch display. Like most non-Apple tablets, it runs Google’s Android software.” One feature of the new tablets that the iPad currently lacks is video capability. The Galaxy Tab has two cameras: a front-facing camera mainly for video chatting and a higher-resolution camera on the back for photos and videos. Coming soon are models from Dell and Acer. Although the iPad will generate more and more look-a-likes, it is still the easiest one to use with more impressive features (Bertolucci, 2011).
Conclusion
Apple’s iPad is a new and refined tablet computer, which offers more features than any one person would ever need. It is more accessible and easier to carry around than your laptop and is becoming more beneficiary to consumers in settings, such as education. Although the iPad raises some legal issues with its relatively new immergence into the technology world, it is powerful, affordable, and unlike any computer. If you are like the majority of computer users, a spend a majority of your time listening to music, browsing the web, playing games, chatting with friends, or watching online videos than you should look into purchasing the iPad, for it does the majority of those things much better than laptops.
References
I chose this website, because its from the homepage of the iPad creator, Apple, and listed all of the iPad’s features with descriptions of its advanced capabilities. I thought it gave the most reliable descriptions.
Bertolucci, J. (2010, March). Tablet competitors to the iPad. Kiplinger's Personal
Finance, 65 (3), 1. Retrieved February 27, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Global (Document ID: 2266726121).
This magazine article was useful in its description of the iPad being a reinvented tablet computer, focusing more on fun than work as well as offering a look at iPad’s competition coming from other companies.
Davila, D. (2010, March 1). 3 problems with apple’s iPad. [Web log comment].
I used this source when developing my argument about the iPad’s social problems, which help explained some of the issues behind purchasing the iPad, even though at first it might just look like a new revolutionary device.
Kane, Y. (2011, February 25). Digital media: publishers expand e-
textbook offerings for classroom. Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition),
p. B.5. Retrieved February 27, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 2275678931).
This was a great source to show the iPad’s potential benefit in education, giving examples of many elementary through high schools changing the experience in the classroom by adding these more engaging, learning devices that also give students easier access to their textbooks.
Mills, E. (2010, January 28). Expert sees security issues with the iPad. Cnet News.
This news source tells of the security issues and concern once purchasing an iPad, with its weak encryption and knowledge given that you need to be careful when adding in your personal information, because other people can steal it.
Moren, D. (2011, March). News reading on iPad eating away at print. Macworld,
28(3), 23. Retrieved February 27, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Global (Document ID: 2274025621).
This source showed another great benefit to the iPad, its capability to access instant and current news rather than having to wait and pay for a newspaper. It tells how technology is changing and that more and more people are choosing digital media over print.
Neuburger, J. (2010, January 28). Old wine, new tablet: new apple iPad raises many
(2011, February 25).
This source explained legal issues where lawyers drafting technology, such as contracts and structuring have to focus their transactions on the iPad now that it has hit the scene, so that there will be a fair use of online publications.
Shane. ( 2010, June 15). Jailbreak the iPad: what it means and why people do it. TC
Geeks: Daily tablet computer tips and information, 1. Retrieved from
This source explained and ethical issue dealing with the iPad, such as jail-breaking and explained exactly what jail-breaking was, why people choose to do it, and some of the legal issues dealing with jail-breaking an Apple device.
Shvartsman, S. (2010). The iPad’s potential legal problems. Retrieved from
This site was useful in explaining that all new technology must go through agreements when first entering the world so that there will be no copyright issues.
Topolsky, J. (2010, April 3). Apple iPad review. [Web log comment]. Retrieved
This was a useful review that gave detailed descriptions of the Apple’s features, design, display, software, and included applications that fully explains all of its benefits from purchasing one.
Turrentine, L. ( 2010, November 23). Apple iPad (64GB) [Review of Apple iPad,
by Donald Bell]. Cnet Reviews, 1, 1-15.
This review offered the pros and cons of purchasing an iPad and was also useful in its description of an iPad and its features offered.
I used this Wikipedia page to define what an iPad is for the introduction.
