The iPad has officially gone on sale in the states over the Easter weekend, it is due for release in the UK later this month and I have to say that I’m very interested in getting my hands on this latest piece of Apple wizardry.
I already have a 15″ Macbook Pro, that I predominantly use for the web, e-mail, Football Manager, script-writing in Celtx, video editing in Final Cut Studio and watching episodes of shows like Caprica that I’ve downloaded.
I own an iPhone 3G 8GB which takes care of my mobile audio and video needs, as well as giving me all of my e-mail from GMail and my personal domains where-ever I am. I sync what I need on a daily/weekly basis but rarely do I fill the device up with TV episodes or films.
So where does the iPad fit in then? For me, I’d prefer a lighter device for watching video and browsing the web. If I’m on the move and I want to watch the latest Caprica instalment, I’d prefer not to watch it on a small mobile screen, and I don’t really want to take the laptop *everywhere*. I like the idea of picking up a lighter device in the morning to check The Guardian or edit my fantasy football team over breakfast. Staying in a Wi-Fi enabled hotel or over at a friends for the weekend? No need to bring the MBP and all the accessories; just grab the iPad and tap away.
Quick, simple and no need to constantly upset the video editing/gaming set-up on the desk. Granted, it is essentially a massive iPod Touch, and the eBook facility doesn’t interest me in the slightest, but as a media consumption and general communication tool I think it will blow almost everything else away.
I’m not an Apple fan boi by any stretch of the imagination, but I can see myself investing in the product and possibly buying my mother one to solve her ‘I need the internet in the lounge!’ complaints.
What do you think? Is it a waste of time or do you feel the iPad would enrich your media/communication experience?
2 Comments
While I’d accept one as a gift (who wouldn’t?), I don’t see an iPad being worth a purchase in its current incarnation. My love for the iPhone was very short lived. After the initial thrill of discovering decent multitouch for the first time, which to be fair was no small thing given the pain that keyboards and mice cause me these days, it soon became apparent that in all other respects it was a huge step backwards from Linux or OSX. To have to jailbreak the damn thing to add functionality as basic as status icons or to turn off the annoying rotation awareness (try using your iPhone lying on your side) is the exact opposite of user friendliness. I can’t see how iPad will be any less frustrating in the long run.
Never really thought about it that way. I accept that without jail breaking it retains that slightly annoying off-the-shelf feel and I do confess to wanting more out-of-the-box customisation options, but I think I’m prepared to concede that. As for the user friendliness angle, I can’t personally relate to that but I do see your point. My mother suffers from terrible sciatica and similar ailments therefore I wonder now whether it would be best.