The iPad is landing this coming Saturday and with so many people expected to rush out and buy one (analysts predict Apple will sell between six and 10 million iPads this year), let's take a look at the reviews that are going to play a huge part in people's decision to buy this device.
Apple isn't known for giving out review products and when it came to the iPad, only a handful of people were sent review units to try. So what did everyone think? Overall, the reviews are what we expected. Though they did mention the shortcomings of the device, like the fact that there's no webcam, the general consensus was that this was a great piece of electronics. One thing we didn't expect was the majority of reviewers reporting that the battery life was better than they expected/Apple projected. Most people will know that the estimated battery life from a manufacturer can often be a little optimistic. However, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Boing Boing all report that battery life was more than the 10 hours Steve Jobs promised.
If you're interested in getting a concise, bare essentials type of review, check out Gizmodo's Mega Meta Review, which combines all the main points of all the reviews out there.
If you're looking for something a bit more detailed, my advice is to check out David Pogue's write up for the New York Times. Pogue did two mini-reviews (as opposed to one big one), one each for techies and for "everyone else." They're both decent and they do give a certain amount of insight into why certain people like the iPad but others absolutely hate it.
