When I talk to people about getting the ipad, it’s pretty common for them to dismiss my enthusiasm for fanboyism (a word that gives me a headache, just trying to spell it “correctly”). I see this little device as the thing that will make certain tasks easier, and maybe even get me into old habits like reading again. So for the critics, I present the tasks that I will use the ipad for:
1. Reading
I had an argument with a coworker the other day about how I just don’t read books. There isn’t a reason, other than they are completely involving. I like to read. I do it all the time with blog posts, news articles, and instructional writings. The problem is that I’ve migrated to the browser, so my reading experience is looked at as browsing the web instead of the traditional kick-back-my-feet book reading. I know that there will be a fantastic news agrigator app released for the ipad, and with the ibooks app, I will finally have a traditional ereader (or should it be ireader?), so I might actually be able to find some comfortable middle ground between traditional reading and my browsing habits.
2. Games
Something has broken inside me that doesn’t allow me to get into involving video games anymore. It may be work, it may be a change of interests, but I just can’t split up a 30-40 hour game without getting bored and moving to something else. I’ve got a stack of games that remain unplayed because I just can’t find a few hours and the motivation to get into them. Enter casual gaming. I loved some of the games available on the iphone. Peggle was absolutely awesome, Jelly Car made me laugh, and Apple’s Texas Hold’em was a brilliant iteration of a traditional game. I have a Nintedo DS and I’ve had my teeth sunk into Scribblenauts, but since I discovered that a pterodactyl and a grappling hook can solve pretty much any problem, my interest has tapered off. Gaming on the iphone was a lot of fun, and I can only imagine what developers will come up with given all that new screen real estate (*cough* Plants vs. Zombies *cough*).
3. Design
Photoshop is a pain in my ass. I don’t enjoy using it at all. I keep on revisiting it, telling myself that I just need to learn the conventions and it will work a lot better. Apple’s Pages application is what I prefer to use for quick mock-ups for flyers/websites/etc. because it is much more natural. Text boxes and images snap right where I want them, and nothing gets in the way of my ideas. The idea of having that kind of power on a big screen with multitouch just makes me giddy.
4. Everything Else
What really gets me excited is the stuff that I can’t think of. The iphone app store is home to some of the most creative apps and talented developers of our time. They see the iphone and ipod touch as so much more than a phone or media device. They look at the multitouch screen, internet connectivity, and a plethora of other hardware assets and see a moldable, plastic device, capable of so much more. I wouldn’t have thought I could use an iphone as a mouse/keyboard, or as place to dump my meaningless thoughts into twitter, or as a friggin’ sonic tape measurer. I’m excited about realizing what else the ipad can do.
This friday, the pre-orders start, and I’m going with the most basic $499 wifi-16GB model because that’s all I will need. All of the things I’m excited about can be done without massive storage and an always-on connection to AT&T. The ship date is April 3rd, and until then, I’m going to keep on thinking of situations where the iPad will be a perfect fit. You may not see a use for the iPad, but that doesn’t mean it’s useless.
Hmm, I think your blog post actually sold me on the iPad. Haha. Although I would wifi tether my iPad to my Droid.
Now to justify the $500 price. My laptop was only a little more expensive then that. =/
Wifi tethering FTW. And that’s only if I really need it. I can’t think of a situation that I would be in and using the iPad where I wouldn’t have a wireless network available.