Tuesday 28 September 2010

Oh iPad how I love thee...

Ok it's true while not a mega technical geek (see previous posts) I am so desperately in love with the gorgeous new iPad that while typing on this laptop I am contemplating what would happen should I throw it on the floor and stamp on it to justify purchasing one right now....

Actually I know exactly what would happen if I did throw my laptop on the floor here in Mr P's lounge. I would be homeless!! Or at least sleeping in the garden for a few days.. This floor was a labour of love for Mr P and while as yet unfinished (well it has only been 2 years and you can't rush perfection or so I am told) it is his pride and joy. To the degree that we had to choose a sideboard that went with the floor (feel my pain oh readers of trying to co-ordinate your lounge furniture with your flooring have you ever tried to find soft furnishings in Oak?!!)

Anyway I digress, the iPad, a computerised vision of loveliness that can be a book, a magazine, a photo frame or just a portal to the wonder web. It however is also the best part of £800 (taking into account case, SD card adaptors and the like) this is much monies... So I have a Pros and Cons list for the iPad lets see if I can justify the spends:

Pros:
  1. Travelling- the iPad would make travelling (trains/planes etc) far more fun and the luggage far lighter as the iPad could hold numerous books and magazines plus movies and music for entertaining me while trapped in the confines of public transport hell
  2. Work- being in the magazine game being able to view, subscribe and interrogate magazines on the iPad will become a vital part of my job - I neeeeeed to be on top of all these technical advances otherwise I will loose my edge (or something like that..)
  3. Socialising- with all my photos, internet, blogs, facebook etc on one speedy easy to use device keeping in touch will take less time allowing for more reading
  4. Photos- being able to download holiday photos while still away thus creating a record and saving the photos (handy when you are as clumsy as me!!) makes sure that all the photos can make it home even if the camera doesn't
  5. Post- Mr P will of course be delighted that many of the magazines that currently drop through our letterbox on a daily basis are available as iPad Apps thus removing the need for Wired to be delivered monthly adding to the recycling mountain I generate every week

Cons:

  1. The Cost- do I really need one? Isn't £700+ a little much to spend on a gadget that technically I don't need (although referring back to a previous post I would probably have less issues with spending £700 on a handbag than a piece of tech!)
  2. The new one- and as if the mehusive cost wasn't enough there are strong rumours of a iPad version 2 due out pretty early next year - surely waiting for a new one is a good idea?
  3. Sharing too much?-with the iPad offering Apps much like the iPhone - will it become too tempting if people see it to just scan through my email or check and update my Facebook status. I know you can pass code protect it but is that not saying "hello lover I may love you but I don't trust you" or is it really just based on knowing that if it were the other way round I am far too nosy not to peek???
  4. Duplication- surely my iPhone is enough? Does the iPad really do that more??
  5. Competitors- with so many new tablets out over the next few months are any of them going to be even better than Apple? The Microsoft Courier looked like an awesome potential competitor but word is that project has been shelved and with the Blackberry version not yet available for journalists to see does it mean that no-one else has really nailed the tablet premise?

So here we are - will I actually read books on it? - I love paper, the smell of a magazine or new book can be intoxicating and at least if I drop it in the pool it is only 1 book and not £700 caught in the drainage system...Will an iPad really reduce my paper recycling contribution in Dorset? Would it become that random techy thing that was a waste of money or will it become as vital to my wellbeing as my iPhone and chocolate?

Hmmmm decisions decisions...

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