I-pad was designed by Apple as a form of a computer tablet with a unique mechanism of displaying both audio and visual media. The forms of media supported by the I-pad include games, apps, books, music periodicals and movies. Its weight and size falls in between that of a smart-phone and a mini-laptop. Just like other Apple devices e.g. I-phone and the I-pod, the I-pad runs on an IOS operating system. I-pad runs both its applications and those designed for the I-phone. The I-pad runs only Apple-approved applications that are distributed through the Apple store. However, the user can use external applications if the I-pad is jail-breaked.
I-pad has a multi-touch feature for display, it also has an onscreen touch keyboard as opposed to traditional tablets which relied on a stylus that depended on trigger from pressure. It comes with both Wi-Fi and mobile data modules to enable connections to the internet and mobile phone networks. It operates on 3G and 4G internet speeds. Steve Jobs played a fundamental role in invention of the I-pad. The first version of the I-pad was sold in April 2010 and it had both Wi-Fi and 3G capability. By September, the same year, it’s sales had reached Europe and even China.
The second generation of the I-pad was launched in 2012 with a more effective processor and faster operations. It is lighter and thinner than the first I-pad by 15% and 33% respectively. It has a battery life of up to ten hours and has both back and front cameras. I-pad 3 was launched in 2012. It’s screen resolution is higher than that of a high designation television screen, it has an A5X dual core processor with graphics that are in quad-core format.
I-pad’s touch-screen is touch and finger-print resistant. They are charged using USB cords that are connected to a USB adapter via a USB port. When charged with a USB cable that is connected to a computer it may completely fail to charge or charge at snail-pace. I-pad comes with internal memory ranges of 64, 32 and 16 GB Capacity. The storage cannot be extended since there is no slot for an external card reader
I-pad only runs software that is approved by Apple and developed by programmers who have been licensed by Apple to do so. It can run all applications that have been jail-breaked for the I-phone by third-parties. The main applications of the I-pad are maps, I tunes, I Books, I Pod, video, photos, mail and calendar. I-tunes are synchronized with tunes on personal computers running on Linux or Windows operating systems. It is possible to use I-pad for calls through use of VOIP over a 3G or Wi-Fi application.
The 1Os prevents I-pad users from transferring or copying content obtained from the Apple Store such as apps, movies and TV shows. Anyone creating a third-party application for I-pad must sign an agreement not to disclose any information and must pay a certain subscription fee set by the designers. Apple’s policy with regard to applications and softwares is criticized as an inhibition to innovation in software development. Apple has the capability to disable applications and to delete them at any time they wish on any I-pad. Since it runs on an IOS system, it is possible to jailbreak the I-phone and download third-party applications that are not available in The Apple Store. All versions of I-pad can be jail-broken. Apple prohibits jail-breaking though it is legal in The United States.
Apple has a policy of censoring pornographic and unacceptable content on the I-pad. It runs I-book application from which books downloaded from Apple’s iBook Store can be downloaded. Business users quickly turned to the I-pad for effective management of business transactions. Some companies have adopted a specific policy of ensuring that I-pads are available to workers and other employees. I-pads have proved particularly effective for lawyers when interaction with clients, directors and managers who are responding to requests from employees, and professionals in the medical field when checking the patient’s health progress during examination.
Use of the I-pad in the work-place has been associated with increased productivity of the employees, decrease in the volume of paperwork, and increase in the firm’s earnings and revenues. I-pad is also used in aviation since it has an application for use in the cock-pit which reduces dependence of airlines on paper works. When Alaska airlines started using the application, its paper-work volume reduced from 11kg to 0.68 kg.
The I-pad plays a very crucial role in the health and education sectors. The I-pad has been very effective for use in home-schooling as well as for learning in schools. It has several education-oriented applications making it versatile to be used for different class activities.81% of the books downloaded from the i-pad’s iBook store were the ones targeted at children. The I-pad is very user-friendly to children suffering from autism and it has been found t be indispensable in helping them to socialize and communicate with easy.
In health care, the I-pad nobles health care facilities to manage their supplies and procurements. This saves money for the health institute and procedures can be carried smoothly without any hiccups or unnecessary delays. It is easier for doctors and other members of staff to move from one side of the hospital o another when carrying an I-pad than when carrying a lap-top.
Conclusion
The I-pad has completely revolutionarized the information and Communication technology sector due to its portability, mobility and the fact that it can operate anywhere in the world. I-pad has made a message to the internet and social media available at just the scroll of a screen. It has changed the way books are read in the world, the way movies are watched and the way children learn in school. Shows on television and movies can be downloaded and watched at any time in any place in the world. The I-pad has therefore revolutionized the way people work, entertain themselves and socialize with each other.