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So today Apple announced the iPad, the long rumored net book killer. Like most Apple geeks I sat in front of my Mac with 3 internet windows open, watching all kinds of live coverage from Steve’s keynote. I was also on my iPhone checking twitter, and talking about the iPad with my friends. For those who didn’t follow it live, the keynote was nearly an hour and a half, and after all the hype and expectation what did we get? Well, I think we got exactly what we wanted, a big iPhone that plays HD movies, allows us to surf the web, check our email, and read ebooks wherever we want. So, why do I feel like, do I really need this?
Shortly after the keynote, filmmaker Gary Nadeau tweeted “I think they may have created something that no one needs. I need a laptop – I need a phone – I don’t need an ipad too.” Hmm, that’s a good point, I guess I don’t need an iPad. As a filmmaker, I really just need to be able to edit video, and that’s what I’ve got a Mac Pro for. And like most people I need a cell phone, and the iPhone fills that need.
So where would an iPad fit into my life? Hmmm, well, it could be cool to read books, check my mail, watch movies, and browse the web on a little bit larger screen than my iPhone? But, I can already do that on my Mac and iPhone so it’d probably be a waste of money to spend five hundred dollars on another device that I don’t really need. But you know what damnit, I still kinda want one! So I think the question is, do I want an iPad bad enough to actually go out and buy one? And I think the answer is yes, here’s why.
I often find myself sitting in front of my Mac listening to music, or rendering out video, and instead of going to a browser to check twitter, I pull out my iPhone and start tweeting. I usually catch myself after about 5 mins and I think, “what am I doing??” So then I open up a browser window on my Mac and go to twitter. But I think it’s worth recognizing, that when I want to do social networking, my first instinct is to pull out my iPhone. To me, that’s where twitter lives. And I think this is exactly what the iPad wants to take advantage of.
Say I’m out near the TV and I want to look something up on the web, I usually pull out my iPhone and click on Safari, but I could very easily see myself thinking, where’s the iPad? I think convenience is the selling feature for me. And as someone who does a majority of their work at home, an iPad could make working out of the house a lot more productive.
As computers become more ubiquitous, I think it’s important to come to terms with what each computer we own really does for us. For me, my Mac Pro is my editing station, my iPhone is my communication device, and an iPad, well that’s yet to be determined. But I know I’m going to pick one up out of curiosity, and I have the feeling that a year from now I’ll probably be saying. Man, I really don’t need this thing, but, how did I ever live without it?
