It is magical!
I’m a member of the Mac-Cult. I went with a MacBook Pro over a Dell last year to avoid Vista and have never looked back. When my phone plan was up I switched to the iPhone. I’ve considered getting an Apple tattooed on my person in a private but alluring area. Today is a great day, for the High Priest has shown us a sign, a sign so magical I want to lick it. Behold the iPad!
I’ve been holding off on the Kindle 2 or the Nook to see what Mac can produce to fill the void. And I must say that I’m impressed– a serious attempt at a touch screen only portable device, that’s HOT. But I’m honestly not sure it’s what I wanted.
I was looking for something a step better than a Kindle 2 or Nook to fill the eBook need that’s growing in my life. Yes, I realize to most readers, book aficionados, and university English departments that’s blasphemy. But consider my position: I’m 27 and have filled five bookshelves. Not own, but filled them. I’m hopefully less than a quarter of the way through my life (crosses fingers and hopes for nanotechnology) and I’m out of space. This isn’t counting the titles I’ve scrapped (textbooks), given away (murder mysteries), or used to level out furniture (Dan Brown… I was curious and it was a mistake). While the aforementioned devices seemed like a reasonable answer, the buzz was to wait till April 2010 and see what Apple produces, if anything.
It’s cool. But starting at $499 (almost twice the cost of a Kindle 2 or Nook) plus an AT&T Internet service plan, it’s WAY TOO expensive to fill my more-than-a-phone-and-less-than-a-laptop void. I’m more than likely in the gray zone of most mid-recession Americans: If I had cash to burn that is what I would buy, but I don’t so I’ll wait and see how people react to it.
Latest posts by Steve Mazzeo (Posts)
- Just Fantastic: Batman No Man’s Land, volume one - September 14, 2010
- A-Team is A-mazingly A-ccurate - June 21, 2010
- Fan Boy Says: I Drink for a Reason, the audiobook is, meh - April 30, 2010
- Fan Boy says: Hooray for Sex Dungeon for Sale - March 26, 2010
- Just Fantastic: Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition - March 24, 2010
Print This Post
I already have an iPhone, I don’t need a, iTouch that won’t even fit in my pocket.
Seriously though, this long-awaited launch was underwhelming at best.
No flash, no multi-tasking, no connectivity between NATIVE apps (??? Really Apple? Even Win Mobile can do that!), an ebook reader that they bought from someone else (epub is not the best format around by far), the same old (tired and annoying) iTunes store, 3G with no phone capability and the loss of the lackluster camera.
What do you get in exchange? A larger screen, faster processor and a suite of productivity tools that is completely at odds with the stated purpose for creating the iPad in the first place… surfing, book-reading and other relaxing pastimes.
I wanted to want one. I love the tablet format and want a dedicated tablet to replace my aging, convertible laptop, but the iPad just doesn’t cut the mustard.
I’m with Preacher on this, as well as countless other pissed-off Apple fans.
Coulda been a lot better. Oh, I’m certain lots of people would buy. But… in addition… no SD slot? No standard USB? Rounded back so it doesn’t sit flat?
Feelings are that it certainly wasn’t as if the lack of some of the “bigger features” came as any surprise to Steve Jobs. It’s intentional… they don’t want to undercut their other products. Ah well, maybe in the next version.
For now, this is what I want:
http://gizmodo.com/5365299/courier-first-details-of-microsofts-secret-tablet