9 worst things about the Apple iPad

from the Huffington Post.com

The tech world has been caught up in iPad buzz for months now. But now that the iPad has finally been released, how does Steve Jobs' 'magical' and 'revolutionary' device stand up to the hype?

Before you shell out upwards of $500 for the new Apple Tablet, check out the nine worst things about the device.

1. It's name

iPad. The Tablet's name was instantly likened to feminine hygiene products, and it's been mocked as the 'iPeriod,' 'iMaxipad,' 'iTampon,' 'iPadWithWings,' and more.

2. No mulit-tasking

The lack of multitasking on the iPad has been cited as its biggest flaw. Want to listen to Pandora while you edit your photos? No such luck. For a device that aims to displace laptops and costs as much as the iPad does, the inability to run multiple applications at once is a major downside.

3. No camera

Awkward as it might be to take a photo with a device the size of a pad of paper, critics agree it would nonetheless have been attractive include a camera on the iPad. Video chatting, tweeting Twitpics, and snapping photos with the iPad will have to wait.

4. No USB

Transferring files between the iPad and other devices will be more difficult and inconvenient given that the new Apple Tablet doesn't include a USB port. Users are dependent on Apple's proprietary dock connector and have to shell out for a USB adapter if they want to plug a USB directly into their iPad. Timothy Blee calls the lack of a USB "totally unacceptable for a device that aims to largely displace my laptop."

5. The AT&T Deal

Steve Jobs' announcement that the iPad would be running on AT&T's network elicited groans and boos from the otherwise excited audience at Apple's event. The addition of the iPad is likely to stress even further AT&T's already overloaded networks--the company recently admitted that its wireless service in NYC and San Francisco was 'below target.'

6.No Flash

The iPad doesn't support Flash player, which means users can't connect to sites like Disney, Hulu, ESPN, Farmville, or JibJab, and won't have access to certain Flash-based online games. Apple's arguments against Flash are that it poses a security risk and is a 'resource hog,' but the lack of Flash support is nonetheless a hindrance for users.

7. It's screen

While the iPad's display has been praised as crisp and sharp, its screen -- LED-backlit with In-Plane Switching (IPS) -- has its downsides. The iPad's screen is not as power efficient as OLED devices, which don't drain batteries as quickly. Moreover, LED screen tends to be harder on the eyes than the e-ink screens used on eReaders such as the Kindle. (Some users even find prolonged exposure to LED-backlit screens to be migraine-inducing.) The Telegraph predicts that because of the iPad's screen, 'I don't think serious bookworms will be swayed to chose the iPad over the Kindle or a Sony Reader.'

8. It's price

"We want to put this in the hands of lots of people," said Steve Jobs of the iPad's price. While the device is lower than pundits' predictions (it starts at $499 for a 16GB model, whereas people had guessed it would begin at $1000), it's still spendy. It remains to be seen whether people will shell out upwards of $500 for a device they're not sure they need, and aren't certain how they'll use.

9.Closed App Store

Apple has been hit by major criticism for the approval process it uses to determine which apps make to its iPhone app store (developers have even been known to quit making Apple apps altogether out of frustration). While the iPad can run the majority of the apps in Apple's app store, Apple's restrictions on apps (no porn, nothing that infringes on the Apple trademark, etc) will apply to the new Tablet. The Free Software Foundation has already criticized the device, saying the 'iPad is iBad for freedom,' and encouraging people to sign a petition.