iPad, Too

I haven't blogged in a long while, I know. And it's probably a little lame that my first post in however many months is about the iPad 2, but there's something I need to explain to people.

On December 30th of last year I received an iPad. When Apple's tablet computer first came out I was excited, sure, but I wasn't going to get one. I had a laptop and I coudln't see spending the money on a smaller laptop that didn't even have a keyboard, no matter how cool it seemed. Time rolled on and I almost forgot about them altogether, aside from the giveaways from various companies and radio stations I'd regularly see.

Then I read an article about one man's ideal writing setup. Included was a picture of an iPad and a wireless keyboard, setup on a table in what I assume to be a coffee shop. The author of the article talked about a free service called Simplenote and the host of free applications one could use to write from multiple devices, any time, anywhere, and have them all synch together via the Internets. That's about the time I decided I wanted an iPad, and like a tumor or a psychosis it grew silently inside me until one day I could no longer resist. Then I had but to wait for the right opportunity (read: a bunch of spare cash) to present itself and it would be mine, oh yes, it would be mine.

I'm well aware of how ridiculous this sounds, trust me. It's like I said, "I want to spend $700 so I can use these cool free programs to write bullshit wherever I want!" What about ink and paper, right? Those work anywhere. Or even the aforementioned laptop, if I preferred to type isntead? I have many counter-arguments, which in turn have their own counter-arguments. The older I get the more I realize 99% of all arguments are exactly like debating religion: no one is going to win and it's annoying.

However, the facts are these: I've used it everyday since I got it, and I've found it to be incredibly useful and convenient. Bobby Solomon over at The Fox is Black makes an accurate observation, "It’s a device that fills a niche that you didn’t realize was there. It’s easier to handle than a laptop and a richer experience than an iPhone. It’s that perfect middle ground that made it so useful to me." Can the current incarnations of the iPad replace a laptop? Not yet, but it does feel incredibly close to doing so.

The vast majority of my sizable Internet-ing happens on my iPad, as well as the writing I've been doing (there's a bunch, I swear). I read books and watch movies on it. It fits under my arm like a book and can be weilded easily with just one hand, which are just a few areas where its size comes in real handy. It'll fit anywhere, on a book shelf, on top of my closed laptop, on the tray table in an airplane, on the arm of the couch, on my lap; many places a full sized laptop just wouldn't work. Spring for the wireless keyboard and it becomes even more versatile and convenient. I even have an app that lets me login and control my other computers, as well as my command-line-only file server at home. With the death of my iPod it has become my new music center and there's even a couple games on it. (Literally a couple, I kind of hate iPhone/iPad games.) I take it everywhere and it does about everything I need it to, well, and it's tiny.

Now that I've illustrated how much joy and use I get out of this thing, I'm hoping to garner a bit of understanding when I say I'm getting the iPad 2 as soon as it comes out. I realize I've only had this one a couple of months, and that it works perfectly fine. I realize that people who have to have the latest Apple products as soon as they come out usually have something wrong with them. I realize I'm probably falling prety to Apple's well known tactics of wallet-vampirism. But I don't care at this point, I made peace with it last night after a day of furtive resistance. And here's why.

If the iPad 2 had nothing more than cameras and a new color (white, which I am sooo getting, and was the first assault to my self-control) I wouldn't bother. I could produce multiple chat logs to prove this, if necessary. Many jokes were made between my buddy and I (who accurately predicted I'd want a new one) where I stated the only way I would buy a new one is if it gave out oral sex through some kind of BlueJob wireless adapter. I honestly felt that I would not be temtped to buy a new one. And I was wrong.

The new iPad is twice as powerful, 33% thinner, has 9-times better video performance, weighs 15% less, and still costs the same as the first one was. On top of the two cameras, the new color choice, and the 10 hour battery life. And the BlueJob technology (not really, but just you wait). How could I resist? One thing I hadn't thought of as I was making my declarations was the fact that I was buying year-old technology. To me the iPad was brand new, but in fact it was old, as technology goes. Also, while the 16GB model works out pretty well for me, I find myself wishing I had the 32GB, which I can now grant myself.

Why not the Xoom, you may ask. I'm not trying to be funny when I say, the what? I had to look that shit up today. I love Google and all, and Droids seem like pretty sick phones, but the Android OS pisses me off every time I have to help someone out with theirs at work. I just don't like it. And I don't care about comparative tables and spreadsheets, or which is technically more powerful than the other. I like Apple, their stuff treats me well. Why do you like your significant other? There are other people out there with more of the traits you like, so why not switch to them? I have a graph here that proves it. I like what I like, and you like what you like. There's no point trying to talk us out of it.

So please, when you see me rollin' with a new white iPad or read my status updates about how I've been frolicing in a field of daisies at dusk with it, don't hate. Don't hate.

- David