When it comes to the iPad, I’ve flipped more times than a hamburger on a BBQ grill. But after spending some time over the past few days playing with an iPad, I’m firmly in the not-getting-one camp.
The iPad is cool, it’s sleek, beautifully designed, and has some great features, particularly the ability to multi-task and check e-mail and surf the Web. The problem with the iPad, however, is it’s not enough. You really can’t work on it, you can’t make phone calls, take photos or videos, or plug in a USB. In other words, it feels like a mini-Mac.
As a result, it is difficult to justify splashing out $750 to buy one because there doesn’t seem to be a fit with my computing landscape, which includes a MacBook Pro and an iPhone 3. If I commuted or travelled, an iPad could make sense. But working from home means I don’t commute – unless riding my bicycle to a clients counts.
Yes, I understand that the iPad is leading-edge, and that as someone who counsels clients on what’s over the horizon, I can justify buying an iPad as “research” but that seems excessive.
So rather than buy an iPad, I’m more interested in an iPhone 4 when the antenna problems are fixed and my contract with Rogers lets me upgrade without suffering a major financial hit.
Why the iPhone 4?
Well, the iPhone offers me tremendous utility as a mobile device that complements my MacBook Pro (I’m a huge fan of tethering). The iPhone 4′s features, smaller size and design are personally far more appealing and relevant than an iPad. But that’s just me as opposed to all the new iPad aficionados.
Hi Mark. You obviously haven’t seen the new handlebar mount for iPads. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wuWVezJHHc&feature=player_embedded#!
My iPad replaced my MacBook and though I still have an old iMac for creation I love it for consuming the Web.
Summers in Detroit are more tolerable with my cool slab as opposed to some heaving hot MacBook.
With iOS4 coming it will be even more suited to consumption.
Hello again sir, interesting to learn you’re not a convert yet.
I’m not surprised that the iPad’s less appealing to you given that you’re working from home. At home, I use it to do casual surfing/emailing on the couch and to read long-form stuff online, but writing a blog post on it proved painful because I couldn’t multi-task. (Imagine finding 10 Web sites to illustrate points, copying the URLs and putting them into a blog post if you could only do one thing at a time. It wasn’t fun.) Sometimes that single-tasking is nice — it lets me dig into something online without the constant distractions of other connections — but sometimes it’s maddening.
I do love the iPad for traveling, though. If I’m going somewhere and want to be connected but don’t think I’m going to have to hunker down for a few hours of work, it’s ideal. It’s great for reading, watching movies, playing games and surfing/emailing, but far less hassle than wrangling the laptop onto the plane, setting it up in the hotel room, etc. or trying to do everything on my iPhone.
And I’ve got Skype on mine, so I can use it to make a call. Feels a bit ridiculous, but it works!
Jason,
Always good to hear from members of the iPad Nation.
It’s people like you that make it so difficult to resist getting an iPad.
cheers, Mark
Just purchased one. I’m not sure it meets my nerdy-editing-filesharing-10,000-digital-things-to-do life. But my tech-allergic girlfriend loves it and has absconded with it.
That pretty much sums up why I think it will transform computing.
Mark,
http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2010/corp_062910.html
do you have a word in it?
Mathew