The New Apple iPad

What Makes iPad Special

1. The battery lasts longer than expected

David Pogue writing for The New York Times had similar results: "Speaking of video: Apple asserts that the iPad runs 10 hours on a charge of its nonremovable battery — but we all know you can't trust the manufacturer. And sure enough, in my own test, the iPad played movies continuously from 7:30 a.m. to 7:53 p.m. — more than 12 hours. That's four times as long as a typical laptop or portable DVD player."


2. The built-in, sorta-stereo speaker works surprisingly well
"The built-in speaker surprised me--not with its excellent quality, but with its ability to get fairly loud and not sound horrifyingly awful," wrote PC Mag's Tim Gideon, though after trying Knife's "Silent Shout," he added, "The song's deep bass was too much for the built-in speaker, which distorted a bit at times, but through a good pair of headphones, I heard no horrible defects."


3. Wide viewing angle for movies and video
"The fingerprint-resistant screen has an exceptionally wide viewing sweet spot for a movie and is terrific for showing off most of a Web page," Ed Baig wrote in his review for USA Today. That means you could be flanked by your friends and they should be able to enjoy the same quality you do when watching a movie — though the iPad probably won't be taking over any living rooms.


4. The iPad doesn't run hot
"It's great in the lap," writes Tested's Will Smith. I love that the iPad doesn't get hot, even after hours of use. I love that I'm writing on the iPad right now, and I've been using it since 4PM nonstop, and I'm only down to 54% battery life."


5. Comic books look amazing
Everyone always touted the iPad's ability to represent magazines and newspapers faithfully, in color and in a more complex format than an e-reader can. There's one more class of printed periodical the iPad is perfect for: the comic book. Marvel has a free app for the device that'll let you buy comic classics, as well as newer titles.

Bonus: 6. The iPad makes an amazing calculator

As tweeted by Conan O'Brien: "Just got the new iPad. This amazing device has already revolutionized the way I use a calculator."

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