Apple’s iPad – Is it worth it for Filipinos?
Apple, one of the most sought and renowned companies for computer ware in the world, has again came up with another product that will surely surprise the world – the iPad. Well, we can say that many people really got excited about it when Steve Jobs introduced the tablet. Then, several days later, when the iPad was at last opened for purchase, people swarmed the Apple stores.
The iPad gained a lot of critiques since day one. Some say it is a cool gadget but, then, some say it is just an oversized iPhone. But if people really want to know if the iPad is cool or not, they should first try to tell themselves, what will they use the iPad for and some other aspects concerning their location and lifestyle. That is the subject of this article. However, we will deal with iPad’s worth to the Filipinos. Will the iPad be a practical gadget or just a big luxury for our techie friends out there?
This article is intended to tell Filipinos whether the iPad is good or not. So we will take a look of the points in a regular Filipino employee’s perspective. So here it goes!
Price – iPad’s price goes around 499 USD in its release for the Wi-Fi version. It is about 22500 PHP in the Philippines but it is safe to expect more than this amount. So, considering a regular employee’s monthly salary of 14,000-15,000 PHP, the iPad alone can be worth two months of salary. We all know that money in this state the economy is in and the wage is really not that high for regular employees. Now, if we compare the iPad’s price to a Macbook, the iPad is almost half the price of the Macbook. So if you do not want any brand other than Apple, the iPad is a good buy if you will use it mainly on surfing the web, downloading, chatting and emailing, watching videos etc.
Size and shape – The iPad is 9.56 inches (242.8 mm) in height, 7.47 inches (189.7 mm) in width and 0.5 inch (13.4 mm) thick and weighs only 1.5 pounds for the Wi-Fi model. I think it just about the size of a regular paper notebook. It is quite handy that you can even slip it in an envelope or a bag and tell no one a clue that you have an iPad with you. Filipinos are always-on-the-go people and most of them use public transport to go to work. So if we consider the iPad’s size, it is quite a practical gadget for busy people. Plus, you can easily prevent it from being stolen since it is really hard to notice in a bag.
Battery life – Filipinos are fond of music, videos, chat, games and many other online activities and that means a big responsibility for our featured gadget – the iPad. Since, I, myself, have not still used an iPad before, I will just stick to what iPad promises about its battery life. The gadget promises to last up to ten hours of surfing the internet via Wi-Fi, listening to music or watching videos. I think, this means that if you use the iPad doing all three simultaneously, you can expect the battery life to last less than ten hours. But still, it is almost about the time of a day’s work in the office, not bad after all. After ten hours of surfing the web or watching videos, you will need to charge your iPad either using power adapter or USB to a computer system. Quite handy, in my opinion? However, I heard about charging issues about the iPad, but I guess there is no need to discuss it here since Apple is surely dealing about it already.
Screen – the display screen has a diagonal measurement of 9.7 inches. It has a glossy widescreen Multi-touch display with IPS technology. I think the display is enough to awe Filipinos. The screen size is really nice for reading eBooks and watching videos. The resolution is 1024×768 pixels at 132 ppi. That is a great feature for watching movies and playing games. The screen coating is also fingerprint-resistant so Filipinos can expect clean screen always even with the country’s tropical climate that tends to sweat the hands.
Internet Connection Features – We all know that if your laptop or tablet cannot go Wi-Fi, it would suck, so the iPad is primarily built with Wi-Fi. So, all you need to do is go to Starbucks or somewhere, where there is a wireless internet connection and you are all set to surf the web. People say that iPad is really handy and very easy to use if you will use it primarily on surfing the web, writing documents, emailing, chatting etc. So, I think it will be the same case with the Filipinos. However, a problem is that there are just selected places where you can put out your iPad and start surfing the net here in the Philippines. So, a good resolution to that is to acquire a broadband connection that comes in USB type. I think that solves your problem if you cannot find Wi-Fi anywhere. But so far, if the internet connection features are of concern, the iPad is really dependable. No need to elaborate.
Here are the main points that Filipino tech consumers should think about if they are planning to buy an iPad. But so far, it all depends on the user’s purpose on buying the iPad that will make the gadget worth-buying. So, if you are a busy Filipino, who treasures surfing the web and writing documents more than playing games or watching videos, a person who travels every now and then, a person with a flaming heart of desire for Apple products and, should I say, a person with a 500 USD spare on your salary, then I think the iPad will work for you just fine.
Reference : http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/
