Can You Justify Buying an Apple iPad?

by Jason
(CA)

I have to say that I think the Apple iPad is super cool! It just looks so darn sleek with a brilliant display. And those commercials make it look like so much fun to browse around on it. It really makes me want one!


The problem for me is that I just can't think of a practical reason to have one. It's way to big to replace an iPod for music (which I know it's not intended to do anyway). It's not powerful/functional enough to replace a laptop. Although it could be compared to a netbook in terms of portability, I think typing on a virtual keyboard would drive me nuts. Not to mention that in the commercials you never actually see anyone touch typing. I mean if you want to actually use two hands, you'd need to either place it on your lap or on a table, which I expect would make it amazingly awkward to see the screen because it can't be tilted like a laptop/netbook screen.


If I were a big book reader, I could see how the iPad would be a great device. And if I just wanted to surf the Web, it would be pretty cool to have on hand, however, I'm almost always entering data, so that's where it falls down for me. I could see it replacing an iPod touch, where people use it a lot for surfing the Web and for apps and games.


Even if I could convince myself that it's a cool gadget that I really need to get, at that price, it's really a non-starter. Maybe $200 or $300 for a basic version would be something I could rationalize, but otherwise, it's an expensive gadget that's just another device for me to keep charged up. Hmm...super cool, but what can I really do with it that I can't easily do with a laptop? Hopefully I'll get a chance to try it out at some point!