httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuy9HkhF9CA
When I ordered my iPad, I actually ordered some accessories to go with it. They have been arriving piece by piece, so I thought I'd give you a look at the first batch. In the video above, I check out the iPad Dock ($29), iPad Keyboard Dock ($69), iPad VGA Adapter ($29), and the iPad Case ($39) by Apple. Of the accessories I've seen so far I would say that I like the Keyboard Dock the most. Although the iPad supports a bluetooth keyboard and I probably even have one lying around here, the thing you're still going to want to do is to prop up the iPad while you type. That's why the Keyboard Dock is great. It's a stand with audio out AND a keyboard specifically made for the iPad with buttons along the top that control iPad functions. Of course the one accessory I'm very anxious to check out is the Camera Connection Kit! As soon as it arrives it will be next up for review.
Check out my original iPad review here. Check out my 10 Must Have iPad Apps here.
While I absolutely adore my iPad… the accessories, in my opinion, are not as, well…, engineered as one would expect from Apple. For example… The keyboard dock… While pretty cool in most respects… doesn’t let you be
simultaneously connected to both the computer and a power source. I know that Apple intended for it to be hooked to a “hot USB port” and therefore be charged and used at the same time… But most folks have a computer that is more than two years old and it doesn’t work like that. If you want to sync you need to remove the cord from the wall charger and plug it into your system, which means that you can’t use it and charge it at the same time. This brings down the coolness factor… a lot. It would have been easy to engineer a power only USB port into the back of the dock…. but they seem to have overlooked this. All in all, the dock is an expensive accessory to have such a easy thing overlooked. I would not recommend it to anyone who doesn’t have a newer system. (BTW… This same issue exists on the smaller non-keyboarded dock, but at least it’s cheaper)
The iPad cover also suffers with the various docks… in that it doesn’t fit! While the cover is just fine by itself you must remove the iPad from it if you want to insert it into any dock. Don’t get me wrong, the cover is great… nicely engineered, adds a nicer grip, gives you a cool stand, and holds the iPad tight… real tight. It’ a fight to get the cover off so you can use the dock. As a result my cover has already been “modded” so that it fits on the docks without having to remove it. Not hard… but dang… If you spend 30 bucks on a cover you shouldn’t have to spend 10 minutes with a razor to cut a dock-sized square out of the back of it… just so it fits with the other stuff you got from the same company… but hey, maybe that’s just me.
So far… I love my iPad, not so much on the accessories.
Alan
Terry,
If you ordered the extra long power cord, I found them in stock at the Apple Store at Partridge Creek off of Hall Rd (M-59). I was able to cancel my order from Apple since according to them that item wasn’t shipping until May. The store also had docks and keyboards in stock in case someone is looking for those accessories.
Alan, thanks for the cover update, I have not tried it on my dock yet, good to know it might not work.
Hello Terry,
Useful demo. Cheers.
Terry,
You mentioned that the VGA adapter works with various Apple apps. Does it also work to display a Safari page? If so the iPad would be great for the majority of the presentations I give.
I haven’t tried it, but I doubt it.
Having a problem pairing my Apple aluminum wireless keyboard with my iPad. My iPad searches for my wireless keyboard but can’t discover it for some reason. I have an 21″ iMac with a wide aluminum keyboard connected by a USB cable and an Apple wireless magic mouse. I think my wireless mouse is not letting my wireless keyboard connect to my iPad. Am I wrong? Do I need to use a mouse with a USB cable?
I had the same problem pairing the Bluetooth keyboard with my iPad. I had to turn the Bluetooth on my computer off, pair my keyboard with my iPad, then turn my computer’s Bluetooth back on. A bit of a hassle, and I haven’t tried to pair it again when they’re close together to see if it’s necessary every time.
I tried to turn my bluetooth off but I keep getting a message: “you wont be able to control your computer if you turn off bluetooth at this time.”
Terry, while not an accessory for an Ipad I just ran accross this awesome dock for macbooks. It’s called Henge Dock and it allows you to dock your macbook as a desktop computer, a media center computer and much more. Check it out here: http://www.hengedocks.com/ . I am in no way affiliated with them, just a long time blog reader and thought you might like this. Jason
Thanks for the great video review of the first batch of ipad accessories. You list some very high quality accessories there, notably the ipad dock and keyboard dock by Apple. Apple doesn’t drop the ball when it comes to things like this and I’m looking forward to a follow-up post on the next generation of ipad accessoires.
Walking away from my bluetooth keyboard with the iPad is a pain. You have to go into settings and turn the keyboard off. By the time you realize you’re still in range of the keyboard you’re in an app. Now it’s an exit from the app, into Settings, and back to the app.
A keyboard shortcut to disable BT would be nice. Or the ability to assign a certain kind of swipe (three fingers) to bring up Settings or even a specific settings panel. Without exiting your app. Would be useful with regard to brightness as well.