Apple unveiled its newest product to the world this week – the Apple iPad!   Apple calls it a “revolutionary” product somewhere between the laptop and the smartphone.  The iPad features a 9.8 inch screen, is half an inch thick, and weighs only 1.5 pounds.

Apple believes that the iPad will be the next big thing.  Personally, it may take a bit more to convince me of that.  Perhaps it may eventually live up to all the current hype but right now it looks like an oversized iTouch to me.  The best things about it as far as I can see at this point are the ten hours of battery life and the large screen size.  That being said, I can see how the iPad could catch on.

Some of the included features of the iPad are a calendar, maps, games and the software necessary for playing music. However, all of these are also standard with other iPods as well, so why should you buy the iPad?  Well let’s talk about some of the pluses and minuses from an older generations viewpoint.

The large screen size is a definite plus!  For those of us heading towards middle age, the increased screen size makes it easier on the eyes.  The screen is also in hi-definition which makes everything more realistic.  The iPad screen size will make it more enjoyable to play games (yes, we old folks sometimes like to play games in our spare time) or watch videos.  The large screen may also prove to be a downfall.  If the screen is as delicate as the iPod screens can be, the size could become an issue.  Larger screens mean more area to break.  Also, the larger size would make it a little more cumbersome to carry around — it certainly won’t fit in your pocket.

The ease with which you can surf the web and read emails will make it much more appealing to older “technically challenged” users than a computer or laptop.  It has an almost full sized touch screen keyboard and allows you to use it as a word processor of sorts.  The calendar and contacts on the iPad look like real appointment books due to the size.

All of the apps that are currently available for the iPhone will work for the iPad yet you will need to view them in the center of the screen or you can enlarge them in “pixel double” mode which tends to crudely expand them.  Also, the new iBook site that Apple opened to go along with the iPad allows you to download a book with the touch of a finger and turn the page with a flick of your finger.  Reading an e-book on the iPad will create a whole new experience and give the Kindle a run for its money.  All of your Kindle books, by the way, should be able to be downloaded onto the iPad.

The price and speed of the iPad make it worth considering; with the added capability of a camera and phone functionality, I believe it would truly be the whole package.  I know that I would be waiting in line to purchase it!

Check out this link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLoqUQI2uoY

Steve Jobs this recent week introduced to the technology world the iPad.   An extreme and big “gadget” that Apple has to offer.   It’s basically a three in one deal.  You have your iPod, iPhone and Mac in a single device that you can carry around.    Seems to me Steve Jobs just created the hottest item on the market…but will it last.  Apple has created some astonishing devices especially the iPod that has eliminated purchasing music at your local music store all together.  Out came the iPhone, the latest Smartphone on the market today, again a device that has everything, except your personal Mac. Although Apple thinks it’s a great idea…do consumers think the same?

Having technology at your fingertips is always what a consumer is looking for these days.  The iPad smaller than a Net book, is most likely going to revolutionize the technology world.  But the iPad already does what most smart phones already do along with the Kindle DX.    How convient is it to have your laptop at your fingertips while waiting for your train in the morning.  Extremely useful for the career minded people, who have to stay on top of things?   It’s even small enough to carry around either in your purse or your handbag, whatever it is that you bring with you daily.  It weighs almost nothing compared to many laptops or net books.

The iPad just seems like a larger version of the iPhone.  The iPhone already acts like an iPod you can download all the apps onto it, so why is the iPad so great?   Also do can you envision yourself using the iPad as a phone?  How weird would you look holding up a huge device almost the size of your head?  Think of the safety issues if you don’t use Bluetooth?  Will there be other networks beside AT&T that will take on the iPad?

It seems that Apple only added the feature of a computer to makes things interesting.  Who doesn’t have a smart phone already to do half the things the iPad already does.  And most people still stick to reading the newspaper like it was in 1950, they are still buying books at the bookstore.  And let’s not forget the Kindle DX in which the iPad is already being compared to.  The iPad really isn’t revolutionary as many may think.  When it’s going to come down to consumers actually buying this, I believe a comparison of the iPad and the Kindle DX will weigh in the winner. Since new ideas are always wonderful, is this product going to make it or break it?  Apple will have a lot of work to be done on this new invention of theirs.  Hopefully, they will fix any issues that come along.

The iPad seems to only be filled with unanswered questions to the consumer.  Is Apple trying to phase out the iPod, iPhone and the Mac all together?  Only time will tell.

XBOX 360 is Microsoft’s current gaming console that has had many transformations since its 2005 debut. From the Core model up to today’s Arcade and Elite consoles Microsoft has continually morphed the XBOX 360 to keep up with their competitor’s new technologies.

Project Natal will compete with Nintendo’s WII and Sony’s PS3 by eliminating the motion controller altogether making it even more user friendly possibly capturing some of the world’s most unanticipated audiences -- The baby boomer generation. Check out Project Natal here.

Just watching this video makes you want to get up and play now. Look out couch potatoes I think Project Natal is just what the doctor ordered. It will get us all up and moving. You don’t even have to know all the moves because it will know yours. How exciting!

Will Nintendo follow suit? Looking at market share they seem to have all audiences covered so I expect them to embrace controller free gaming quickly. My mother, who is 71 years old by the way, and her friends are now avid WII Fit users these days. Taking away the controller and the WII Fit board would go a long way in making some of the more difficult games and features easier for these users. Another example of how this technology will improve the Nintendo WII is that players will no longer need the analog controller that is used with the boxing game and other dual controller dependent favorites. Users find that having to use two controllers makes current game play especially cumbersome. The added freedom of not needing any hand held, tethered or foot stomping devices will also reduce the risk of injury from a fall which is a huge concern for these users not to mention saving endangered TV’s and windows from an unexpected controller escape. Check out the Nintendo WII here.

Sony PlayStation seems to have the most ground to make up in the controller free gaming world that is emerging. Yes the graphics are number one in many gamer’s opinions and wireless controllers are fine when playing Call of Duty but they seem to be limiting themselves to the 17 to 30 year old male audience with their most recent game releases. Yes they beat Microsoft’s console sales by over 50,000 units last year but I think the controller free revolution is just beginning and Sony will have to catch up to stay in the game (Sorry!). Check out PS3 here.

Let’s not forget Microsoft’s XBOX 720 (unofficial name). Microsoft’s next generation gaming system is one of the most anticipated product releases in the gaming world today. Many gamers are asking what new features will be included and also speculate that the games be in 3D. Will it be the product that propels Microsoft to the front of the pack or will Project Natal breathe life back into XBOX 360 making it competitive once again pushing the release of Microsoft’s XBOX 720 out well past 2012? We shall see!