Top five reasons why I want an iPadApril 5, 2010. By Arnold Rapinan
I admit that I was excited about the iPad's launch. So last Saturday morning, I was at the Apple Store playing with the iPad. No, I did not camp outside the store, I just waited in the "browse" line (there was a separate "buy" line) for less than 10 minutes. Quite frankly, I was not sure what to expect or what new functionalities it could add to my day-to-day computing. When I finally held the iPad, the first thought that came to mind was "wow, this is cool." The device is sturdy, a lot lighter than my daughter's Sony netbook, and its user interface is a new way forward. Immediately, based on the "wow" factor, I knew I wanted the iPad. As I played more with it, I realized the top 5 reasons why I want it.
Reason #5: It's cool, it's new and it's Apple. Steve Jobs and company has done it again. From iMac, to iPod, to iPhone, to iTouch, (along with iTunes, iLife, iWork, iMovie, iChat, iWeb, should I list more?) and now to the new iPad, this new product rocks!!
I'm not a big fan of watching videos or movies on a PC, but with iPad's video quality, I actually want to watch Ironman on it. Its video quality definitely beats the standard laptops or portable video players. Heck, I may even take it to the beach or park to relax and watch a movie or two.I always wanted to have a digital photoframe, but I dislike either the visual designs or the limited functionalities. With iPad, I can also use it as a portable digital photoframe. During parties, it may even help start-up a good conversation.
I've been wanting to have an ereader, but didn't want another device (like Amazon Kindle or Sony Reader) that just serves a single primary function. So iPad is a natural fit as I can do other cool things with it.
iPad is so portable, fun and easy to use that even my 5 year-old daughter or her grandma can easily share/use it around the house. This makes it my #1 reason why I want an iPad
Despite all these good reasons, I'm not buying iPad just yet. By the way, Apple sold 300K units in the first day. In fact, I will wait for the second version. Whenever the 2nd version comes out, I'm sure I'll have more good reasons why I should buy it. For now, I'll let Apple and it's developers address all the kinks first.