iPad, Do You?

Did you notice that Apple’s iPad finally went on sale last week?  If not, you might consider downloading the Crawl-Out-From-Under-That-Rock app.  Anyway, here’s my little review of the iPad and its place in the whole e-reading universe.

First off, it’s been pointed out to me that you can do things with the iPad other than read.  I don’t know why you’d want to, but those things include everything you can do with the iPhone, aside from making calls (which, let’s be honest, you can barely do on the iPhone anway).  Now that that’s out of the way, back to books.  The iPad’s e-reader is far and away the best that I have seen.  It makes Sony, Kindle, and the nook look like Medieval technology.  Get a load of this:  Full color!  Pages that turn at the speed of light with a mere swish of the finger!  Audio capability!  I felt like I was seeing the future right before my eyes.  I mean I was like a kid on Christmas morning playing with this thing.

But now for the enevitable post-Christmas let-down.  Unlike other e-readers on the market, iPad does not come in convenient, portable digest size.  It’s about the same dimension as a loose-leaf notebook, making it too large for my purse!  So if you’re going to cart around something that big, it better be more than just an e-reader, right?  Well, sure, iPad has all those apps, but although it’s slightly larger than a netbook, it doesn’t even come with word processing.  (As with all Apple products, you can acquire it for a fee.)  Plus, it relies on WiFi for Internet access and you know what that means–we’re back on the hunt for those elusive hot spots.

In conclusion: I like that the iPad has a lot of capabilities, but I think it’s just too big.  Something between the iPhone and the iPad would be the perfect size.  And after enjoying Kindle’s Whispernet, the last thing I want to do is run around trying to find hot spots.  A lot of people may think these are petty points, but the last thing I need is a piece of awesome technology that’s going to annoy me every time I try to use it/commute with it.  However, if you are serious about e-reading, about cool apps, about impressing your friends, and about not being able to pay your rent next month, then the iPad is for you!

[Editor’s note: Print books are still available.  They work everywhere.  They do not cost $500.  I’m just sayin’.]