Why I won't be buying an iPad... any time soon.

this blog post is way over due, and the subject matter outdated, but in an effort to get back to writing i decided to go ahead publish my thoughts about Apple's new iPad, and why i'm not getting one. simply put i haven't found how to fit this into my current digital life. i can't even find a way to shoe-horn this thing into it either. but that's a personal matter.

still i can't help but wonder what Apple was thinking when they decided to release this product. they touted it as a universal device best suited for eBook reading, Internet surfing, gaming. and so forth. but when i think deeper into it, it seems to fail in comparison to devices that are designed specifically to address these areas of digital life. Apple uses words like "magical", "wonderful", and "boom!" to describe how awesome the iPad is. however during the introduction event of he iPad I could not help but wonder if anyone in the audience was actually impressed let alone marveled. after all it turned out to be a larger iPod Touch. and despite the mediocre functions of the iPad it has gone to sell millions worldwide. my curiosity can only assume those who have bought it have a far better or unique use for it than the average user.

here are some of the applications the iPad address and the reasons i feel they don't.

Reason 1, eBook reader:
one of the selling points of apple's iPad is that it servers as an eBook reader. however when i think of the ideal eBook reader the Amazon Kindle comes to mind. it's a thin device weighing in the ounces. it's large enough to accommodate the text of a typical book. it's black and white like most printed pages. it's ambient reflective background simulate as close to paper as much as possible so it's easy on the eyes thanks to it's E-Ink technology. and as a big bonus it's so good on the battery that a single charge can last it up too 300 hours.

the iPad fails in every aspect listed above. it weighs in at 1.6 pounds. and though that may not seem much, after 20 minutes it does start to put a strain on the wrist when maintaining it upright. the screen size as adequate for accommodating text of a typical book, but the LCD screen couple with a LED backlight can cause a bit of strain the eyes. lastly because the iPad is not a dedicated eBook reader but rather a general purpose device with a function to display eBooks, battery life is terrible; only 10 hours before it needs a charge.

best use of the iPad as an ebook reader is short term; perhaps 20 minutes at most. most avid readers (at least the ones i know personally) typically spend an hour reading text.

Reason 2, gaming platform:
the Nintendo gameboy, Sony PSP, hell, even the iPhone (to some extent) are typically the devices that avid gamers prefer when it comes to portable games. they are light weight, fast, contains an extensive library of games, and with exception to the iPhone, are equip with physical controllers that help add to the sensation of the game's experience.

games are being published for IPad. most of them were originally made for the iPhone/iTouch that have been adapted for a bigger screen. the problem is trying to handle the iPad while playing some of these games. i'm not entirely sure what kinds of games are being sold that would be best for the iPad, but i can't imaging that the arcade crowd is jumping on this. i downloaded Street Fighter IV on my iPhone, and though i hate the fact the 20% of my screen is taken up by my thumbs, I continue to enjoy it. to play this game on an iPad would seem clumsy considering the dimensions of this device. on top of that there's the reoccurring issue with the weight previously mentioned.

then only kinds of games that i can see passable on this platform are board games, and some puzzle games that may not required the iPad to be held up-right. in fact the one genre of games that would be quite impressive are the strategy role-playing games such as Final Fantasy, or even better World-of-Warcraft. you wouldn't need to hold the iPad upright; just lay it down on the table and use the the multi-touch feature to play the game.

Reason 3, portability/versatility:
it's portability becomes an issue with me as it's not as small to fit into my pocket like the iPhone, and not as versatile as a notebook.

let say i'm in some coffee shop (i know, it's always some trendy coffee shop) i can't whip out my iPad and start surfing the web with one hand while drinking my caramel latte (mmmmm, caramel ) with the other. nope, I'll stick to my iPhone, thanks.

let say i'm working on a blog post. to type on an iPad would require me to position it at a slight angle just to type. with the virtual keyboard and the screen on the same plane one of two things suffers: 1) your wrist due to the weird angle, or 2) your eye sight from the glare off the glass. it may be possible to suffer both. one solution is use a Bluetooth keyboard.... screw that! just use a laptop. at the very least the screen won't need to be held up with you hands.

Reason 4, an internet device:
this is by far the the most impractical reason. when is comes to the internet it only comes in two sizes; large (rather the full rendered web page) and small (the mobile version of the large size). that's what makes the notebook and mobile phone devices perfectly suited for this task. on top of that to sit and hold onto the iPad to read a web page... well see Reason 1 and 3. in contrast the iPhone (despite its screen size) can be palmed, and though navigating a web page with a thumb does require some practice, at least it's completely efficient.

Is there anything the iPad is good for?
the iPad suffers the same problem as most tablet computing devices; it's a niche device. however, I do believe the iPad can serve several functions. consider the following:
Any job that utilizes a clipboard:
take as an example a hospital setting where the ipad can be used in place of paper medical charts. the doctor walks into a room and the patient's charts appear instantly on the device.

Visual creation:

an electronic easel is an ideally suited application for the iPad. i've seen video of artists draw incredible works of art right on the iPad. very impressive.

Music creation:

people talented in the ways of music have used the iPad as an electronic instrument, part of their DJ'ing equipment, mixer. i mean there's all kinds app out their to help make music.

in an effort to live my life with the least amount of hypocrisy i will say this: i will not discount the possibility of owning iPad completely. as i've said before i haven't found how to fit this into my current digital life. after all despite the stated reasons, it is a pretty neat device, but completely useless to me at this time.

peace,
@riel