The Apple iPad might have caused plenty of cooing amongst the Apple faithful. But like the iPhone before it, there’s no denying that it’s seriously lacking in some key areas. From multitasking to Flash support, the iPad isn’t up-to-speed with even the cheapest of netbooks. So what’s missing? Dive in and we’ll reveal all the deets.
Flash support
When Steve Jobs sat down and started browsing with the iPad, its lack of Flash became immediately obvious, with a missing plugin sign popping up on the Time website. No Flash on the iPhone is bearable, but for a gadget that purports to be a netbook-basher, it’s unforgivable. It means no streaming video from the likes of the BBC or The Guardian, forcing papers to develop New York Times-style apps with video encoded specifically for the iPad.
Multitasking
Like the lack of Flash, the failure to bring multitasking to a device the size of the iPad seems ludicrous. When checking your email, you want the option to hop online or IM your mates, not having to shut everything down to do something else. If most smartphones can do it, why not the iPad?
Adobe says Flash will run on Apple’s iPad
Third party browser support
There’s no denying that Safari is ace. But on a machine like the iPad, we’d love the option to load up Firefox, Opera or Chrome and surf the web. As it is, the iPad is subject to the same rules as the iPhone, with Safari on lockdown and no access to third party browsers.
Wi-Fi syncing
The iPad packs in N standard Wi-Fi, so syncing it up over your wireless network, rather than hooking it up to your Mac or PC to get movies, music and docs, would be ideal. You can do this on an Apple TV, so why not an iPad? Surely this is something Apple will add in due course.
Auto-tethering to the iPhone
Tethering on the iPhone costs a packet, so it’d be great to see the iPad automatically tether to the iPhone, so you don’t need to stump up twice for 3G: once for your iPhone and once for your iPad.
Cloud storage thrown in
64GB is ample space for most, but what if you want to fill your iPad with movies, but still tinker with spreadsheets in iWork? Remote storage through MobileMe or iWork.com thrown into the price of the iPad would let you save space for those all important flicks.
Apple iPad: Everything you need to know
Remote desktop access
Apple already does “remote access” for Macs, but imaging being able to tap directly into your home computer from the iPad via a dedicated “remote access” feature. It’s something that would surely up the productivity of this killer gadget no end.
uPnP or DLNA for media streaming
Why download all those HD flicks from iTunes, only to leave them shackled on your iPad. The inclusion of uPnP or DLNA would let you unleash all the goodies on your new tablet without having to sync up to your PC, before fiddling about to get them on your TV.
iTunes streaming service
An iTunes streaming service is undoubtedly in the works, after Apple picked up Lala last year. We’re gagging to see it hit the iPad, so we can use the space to load up on videos and access music over Wi-Fi or 3G rather than stashing it all on the device.
iTunes Home Sharing
Home sharing on your Mac is ace, letting you fire off all your music around the home from one machine. If the iPad is going to be a pared down computer, then home sharing is a must.
