A few critical details are appearing quietly on Apple's Website — but many questions remain unanswered
After Apple announced the iPad, a lot of details got passed over in the media frenzy that Apple had whipped up, details such as whether the iPad would support Microsoft Exchange -- a fact that Apple's Web site did not address and that the company did not respond to when I and others asked. That was nearly six weeks ago.
But now that Apple is taking orders for the iPad in anticipation of the Wi-Fi-only model's expected April 3 release, Apple has begun to fill in more of the details. The company, of course, hasn't called me back as promised, but the details are now appearing quietly on Apple's Website.
So here are the answers that are appearing to a few of the questions that Apple wouldn't answer:
• Microsoft Exchange support: Yes, the iPad will work with Exchange for email, as the iPhone and iPod Touch do. Presumably, as the iPhone and iPod Touch do, the iPad will also sync contacts and calendar appointments through Exchange directly, rather than require syncing through iTunes. I say "presumably" because Apple's Web site doesn't actually address the iPad's calendar and contacts syncing abilities for Exchange.
• Microsoft Word export support: Yes, the $10 iWork Pages app for the iPad will let you export -- not just import -- documents in the Word format. Apple originally said the optional iWork apps (Pages for documents, Numbers for spreadsheets, and Keynote for slideshows) would import Office documents, but only listed iWork's own native formats and PDF as the formats you could export documents to. Now the Website lists the Word format as one you can generate and attach to emails you send from the iWork Pages app. But the Website does not say you can export to Excel or PowerPoint formats from Numbers or Keynote, respectively -- it continues to list just the native iWork and PDF formats for these two apps, so you may need to rely on a third-party app such as Documents to Go or Quickoffice to work with Office files in a meaningful way on an iPad. (In fact, the folks at Quickoffice told me after this blog was first posted that they're working on an iPad-specific version of their iPhone app.)
These two revelations make the iPad a bit more plausible as a lightweight business device when you're on the road for short trips. But there is still enough unsaid to make me recommend that you do not order an iPad until you know for sure if its capabilities are at least on par with the iPhone's or iPod Touch's.
And while we're at it, a few more tidbits revealed in the last few days:
• Apple's list of email-supported file formats for the iPad continues to omit the .ics calendar-invitation format. If you get an invitation using this standard file format, you likely won't be able to open and accept it by double-clicking the file, as you can on most Mac and Windows email clients. (Invitations sent through Exchange presumably can be viewed and accepted as is allowed on the iPhone and iPod Touch.)
• There will be a volume-control button on the side of the iPad, as well as a screen-orientation lock button.
• The iPad will support the AVI video file format if compatible with the Motion JPEG standard -- this is a new file format for Apple's mobile devices and could open up playback capabilities outside the usual QuickTime and MPEG-4 formats that Apple has so far focused on.
But what about the other questions I posed? Apple remains mum. As a refresher:
• Ability to save documents and transfer them to and from the iPad: Apple's descriptions continues to suggest that documents are stored within apps' private space on the iPad, meaning they are not available for independent syncing or accessible through a traditional folder system. Instead, it appears that email and perhaps MobileMe and iTunes are the only conduits for file exchange you can count on, although perhaps one of the many iPhone file-sharing apps will be adapted for the iPad. Also, the iPhone Explorer utility will perhaps work with the iPad to let you work with its files directly from your Mac or PC.
• Security support such as VPN and configuration profiles: Apple remains silent as to whether the iPad will have the same security and management capabilities as the iPhone and iPod Touch. These are critical to gaining network access at many companies.
• Support for non-Apple video services such as Netflix: It remains unclear whether Apple will permit services such as Netflix and Hulu to provide iPad apps for viewing TV and movies from those services. Rumors have circulated for about six months that such apps were imminent, but none has yet appeared. There have also been plenty of rumors that Apple won't allow such apps in an attempt to block competition for its iTunes video rental and sales service. (However, there is a Wi-Fi-only playback app for the Slingbox service available for the iPhone, and AT&T recently dropped its objections to that app running on the AT&T 3G network.)
• Support for videoconferencing: Although the iPad has no video camera or even a still camera, it's possible a hardware maker could come up with a plug-in device. But if it did, would Apple let it function on the iPad? Apple blocked audio-recording plug-in hardware for earlier-generation iPod Touches, so there's precedent for that suspicion.
• Support for storage upgrades: Again, no word from Apple. But its iPhone and iPod Touch's flash storage can't be upgraded, so it's unlikely the iPad's can, either.
• Ability to run multiple apps simultaneously: Here too Apple has been mum, but nothing it has shown suggests the iPad can run multiple apps simultaneously. Instead, like the iPhone and iPod Touch, the iPad appears to switch among apps, relying on them to save their state so that they can resume where they left off upon your return. (To be technical about it, Apple does support limited simultaneous app execution for some of its own apps; for example, you can listen to music or get appointment alerts while running other apps.)
• Support for Adobe Flash: Apple has all but said it has no intention of supporting Flash on the iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch. CEO Steve Jobs has made his dislike of the Adobe technology clear multiple times, so this omission seems quite intentional. Apple is now touting the iPad's support of HTML5 video and audio capabilities in the Safari Web browser, indicating Apple will rely on this emerging standard instead of proprietary technologies such as Flash and Microsoft's Silverlight.
So where does this leave people interested in the iPad as a device that can mix business with pleasure? Still in limbo -- but it's good to know you can access Exchange email and use the iWork Pages app to open and export Microsoft Word files. These basic capabilities at least keep hope alive that the iPad might have utility as a business traveler's quick-trip companion.
