How does the iPad compare to netbooks?

IDG News Service - In launching the new Apple iPad this week, CEO Steve Jobs took a stand against the popular netbook category, which he dismissed as a poor fit into the space between laptops and smartphones.

"Netbooks aren't better at anything. They are slow, they have low-quality displays and run... PC software," Jobs said. "[The iPad] is so much more intimate than a laptop, and so much more capable than a smartphone with this gorgeous large display."

Netbooks, he said, are just cheap laptops.

Apple has revolutionized product categories otherwise filled with mundane devices. The iPod bought excitement to media players, and the iPhone redefined smartphones. Now Apple is trying to convince users to drop netbooks, and go for the iPad. But do the two devices really compare?

I got a chance to play with the iPad for a few minutes at the launch event, and each device has its own merits. The iPad is a more expensive, albeit powerful device than netbooks for video, e-books and gaming. The netbook is not an entertainment device, but it provides ample hard drive storage and a full keyboard on which long documents can be typed.

The iPad has a 9.7-inch touch-screen display and uses an on-screen keyboard for when typing is necessary. It can be used for tasks like Web browsing, doing e-mail, reading e-books, playing movies and games.

The biggest draws to the iPad are superior battery life and multimedia capabilities with the ability to play 720p high-definition videos. An Apple representative said the device offers 10 hours of battery life on active usage, which compares to between four to eight hours on netbooks.

The iPad was able to play the recent Star Trek and animated Up movies in original and full screen mode, though images were grainier in full-screen mode. With the exception of a few, netbooks barely manage 720p video, and even if they do, it would drain battery life quickly. Apple hasn't yet revealed details of battery life when running video, which could be less than 10 hours.

The iPad's flaws slowly started becoming apparent. One big drawback is the iPad's on-screen keyboard. While typing into the iWork applications using the iPad's virtual keyboard, I needed to switch between the character and number keyboards. Call me a Luddite, but I'd prefer a proper keyboard to type. So if you are looking to write long documents, a netbook is a more practical option.

An external keyboard can be attached to the iPad, but the device remains mostly desk-bound after that. The iPads are otherwise more portable, measuring 0.5 inches at their thinnest point and weighing around 1.5 pounds (0.68 kilograms). Netbooks are slightly heavier and can be straight-down ugly at times.