Apple iPad

Pre-ordering of the new must have gadget the Apple iPad began on Monday which will be released on the 28^th May. The suggested retail prices for the iPad range from £429.00 for the basic Wi-Fi version to £699 for the top spec Wi-Fi + 3G option.

A couple of months ago I was very keen to purchase an iPad as a mobile computer  developer and fanboy, but only the iPad with the additional 3G mobile broadband option. I was particular interested after a recent trip to the US to see what sort of data tariffs the mobile network operators such as 02 would offer, especially for frequent international travellers such as myself.

My recent trip to the US had cost me over £1,500.00 in data bills from 02 as a result of unaware high usage with the Apple iPhone. You can imagine my fury at spending such an amount over only 14 days. This was even with an international data package provided by 02 for 50MB at a cost of £42.00. What I quickly realised as I came back is that using the iPhone which uses a full blown web browser means that 50MB can be burnt up in a very short amount of time. On a previous business trip using the Blackberry device  it cost a fraction of the cost with the same amount of usage for emails and the web.

So being anxious already with the high cost of the Apple iPad I was very disappointed with the tariffs 02 have put on for domestic data usage. £15.00 will get you 3GB of data per month which I feel is not enough. I used in the two weeks I was in the US over 3GB and that was with infrequent usage.

Now the main issue I know is that 02 currently cannot handle the high amount of data traffic demand on their network due to the popularity of devices such as the iPhone and Android mobiles. Anyone trying to use the network in London will tell you that it’s a nightmare. However 02 how about unlimited internet usage domestically on the iPad like you do with the iPhone?

In conclusion I wont be buying a Apple iPad not just because of the lousy tariff options available from 02, but because generally its just a big Apple iPhone. I want a device that has an OS that allows me to run software that I want such as being able to write code while I’m on the bus or the airport and upload.  What I want is the rumoured but yet to be confirmed new Google Andriod Tablet. Come on Google take it to Apple!