'''Intro'''

Despite already having both a laptop and a MacBook, when i saw that my local tesco had the iPad 2's reduced from £399 to just £329, I decided to buy one as at that price it was hard to resist!

'''What is an iPad?'''

An iPad is a tablet computer. It is a bit like a cross between a laptop and an iPhone and it is basically a large screen which you operate by simply touching it. No keyboard, mouse or any other bulky accessories - everything that you need is built into the device. The iPad wirelessly connects to the Internet so it can be used in any room around the house - really handy. It also has an inbuilt microphone and two cameras (front and rear facing) so it has everything that you could really want.

'''Design'''

The iPad is incredibly neat. It's very sleek and modern and it has that lovely glossy kind of look to both the screen and the surrounding plastic. It has basic controls on it such as the home button, the volume controls, the on and of button and of course a little slot at the bottom which you use to charge it.

'''My opinion'''

I bought my iPad last month due to it being reduced and I am Incredibly glad that I did - I love it!! I must admit that I was a tiny bit hesitant at first because I was aware of a few minor disadvantages such as no flash player and no USB port as well as obviously no Microsoft word . As I do already have a laptop though this was not a huge issue for me but for people buying this intending to use it as their main computer this may be a minor disadvantage.

I bought the iPad mainly for listening to music and watching films as well as browsing the Internet and sending emails. I am not really that into apps but since buying this I've found myself browsing the apps on iTunes more and more frequently! The iPad came in a really basic white rectangular cardboard box which I was quite disappointed by as it has no information on it like boxes usually do such as what the box contained etc.

In the box there's a wall charger and two instruction manuals (well, one of them is more like a very brief leaflet with a picture of the iPad and arrows pointing to the different parts of it eg the on and off button). Setting the iPad up was incredibly easy. I simply turned it on and then followed the on screen instructions. I needed to fill in information such as my language, country, birthdate and so on and I also needed to enter my email address and iTunes account information.

My iPad was set up within a matter of 2-3 minutes and mine had 89 percent of charge of it meaning that I was able to use it straight away. Connecting to the Internet was incredibly quick and within 5 minutes of turning my iPad on I was browsing the Internet! I did need to change the time as it was incorrect and to do this I simply needed to click onto the iPad settings and browse through the options until I found the time section.

The iPads camera is it's major letdown and I was initially incredibly dissapointed and I even considered returning it. The pictures it takes are quite grainy, especially pictures taken in artificial light. Pictures taken in daylight are okay, but I personally don't think that the pictures are good enough to upload to facebook. Despite the camera being pretty dire the videos it produces are actually alright and using the iPad to Skype is fun as i do look quite clear on the screen.

The front facing camera is obviously a bit of a pain when skyping as when I'm holding it in my hand I look like its zoomed in on me lol so I usually stand my iPad on my shelf against the wall and then sit on my bed when skyping with someone as when I hold it it looks way too close to my face and it is unflattering! The screen has such a clear, glossy display and pictures and videos look very clear and high definition and the attention to details is definitely there. I am only able to watch videos via the YouTube app or via iTunes as there is no flash player meaning that I am not able to watch videos on say the ASOS website or facebook but this doesn't bother me personally.

Downloading apps is quick and easy and iTunes is easily accessible. The mail app that comes readily installed on the iPad is brilliant as it makes a noise whenever you receive an email and displays the number of unread emails that you have. The iPad has got several other apps that come readily installed including games centre, reminders, newsstand and FaceTime. Since buying my iPad I've downloaded around thrity apps and my iPad is still running nice and quickly which is good - my iPad is only 16gb and I was worried that my iPad would slow down once it was full of music and apps etc but nope, not at all.

The sound on this is nice and clear and earphones can be used with it. The battery life is brilliant and mine lasts for around a day of regular use (eg browsing the internet, making videos, Skype etc) before it needs charging which is a longer battery life than my laptop. The iPad does not have a USB port meaning that I am unable to transfer photos and music from my laptop onto my ipad however a programme is available for around thirty pounds which does this.

'''Overall'''

I recommend the iPad as it is so quick, easy and fun to use. The lack of a USB port and the rather rubbish camera let it down but the screen display is impressive as is the ease of use and overall design and quality. Four out of five stars.