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It is finally here. Apple’s glorious iPad. Wait. iPad? Is that seriously the name for Apple’s latest “must have” gadget. In fact, at the time of writing this, iTampon is the number one trending topic on Twitter. Nice. Correct me if I am mistaken, but something like iTab, or iSlate have much more of a sleek sounding ring to them. At the end of the day, it is only a name. I understand that the iPad has close ties to the iPod. In fact, if you try to say “iPod” like a somebody from the southern United States, they sound very similar ;)

For those of you who are reading this that do not really know me, you will not be aware of the fact that I have long been a sole fan of Microsoft Windows. This is not to say that I have disliked macintosh computers per se, but rather, I hated the stigma that came along with somebody flaunting their computer as if god himself granted them the power to wield it’s shiny, unibody power in their hands. At the end of the day, a computer is a computer. If I can write my school reports, listen to my music, edit my videos, design my websites, edit photos, blog, or do any of the hundreds of other tasks I accomplish with my computers, then I am a happy camper :-). My main argument has always been, though, that anything which you can do on your MacBook, I can do just as well on my Windows computer at a cheaper cost. My opinion still stands.

For christmas, I was given a MacBook Pro, and officially welcomed into the Apple brotherhood. Do I love my MacBook? Yes. Did Jesus himself give it to me? Nope. Would I have been just as happy with any other Windows laptop? More than likely. I still fully stand by my previous statements about functionality, but after using OSX for a while, I do find it very sleek and pleasurable to use. Apple have done an excellent job.

Now that you understand how I feel about about my computer brands, I want to explain my feelings about the iPad.

Hype

I have been following the hype surrounding the iPad for a looooong time. Actually, for at least a whole year now. They were supposed to announce it this same presentation last year. So many rumours were spread about it, yet very few of them made it into the final product.

My Complaints

Here are my 5 big complaints about the iPad:

1. No Camera
   Come on Apple. This is the 21st century. Video calling is a must have for any device claiming to be as “groundbreaking” as this. Wouldn’t it be cool to be able to skype with your family from your living room? I guess not. Maybe for 2nd Generation, apple?
2. No Multitasking
   I love the app store. You can find an app for just about anything. The only problem is, you are either using the app exclusively, or you are not using it. No listening to your last.fm internet radio in the background. No twitter updates while you are at your “computer”. Even Windows 3.0 allowed this :/
3. Cha Ching
   Open up your wallet some more, and let the money flow! A book store, an app store, a music store, and a movie store. One account, which is linked to your credit card. There is nothing wrong with having such a convenient source of digital media. The only problem is that Apple is the boss. They set the prices. Since everything is DRM protected (except for music now), you can ONLY use it on your Apple product. Stop using your computer? You can kiss all of your new books and movies goodbye, even though you bought them.
4. iAlready have an iPod
   And it fits in my pocket too! The experience of using the iPad will be very similar to that of using an iPod, albeit with a larger screen. There is no flexibility unless you “hack” it, which is against the law according to Apple. Sure, you get a bigger screen, but the limiting experience will be the same.
5. More Money
   So you dish out $700 for a decent spec iPad. Great. Now all you need to do is buy the docking keyboard station (sold separately), and the USB connection cable (sold separately), as well as the add-on camera extension (also sold separately). See where i am going here? To get the full experience, you will have to dip into your wallet a fair few times.

So that basically sums up what iThink of the iPad. Please let me know what YOU think.

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So far, I must say that it is an awesome handset! There is a reason that RIM is still #1 in the business world. Despite all of the cool apps that the iPhone has going for it, typing of that screen does not compare to having a physics keyboard beneath one’s thumbs. Oh, and I have done a lot of typing on my iPod touch, yet still am nowhere as quick as I am with the BB keyboard.

Despite my positive experience with the phone so far, I have still had to call up Bell on 3 occasions to sort out various glitches with the OS. Long distance calling to India is not so bad after all :-) The support was actually not bad. The guys knew their stuff. Unfortunately, Bell Canada decided that they would tweak the BB OS to their own needs, and in turn, break some of the functionality (wifi web browsing?) that I was hoping for. Silly Bell.

“Hello, Sir. Thank you for calling Bell customer service. Bell is number one in customer satisfaction. We also have Canada’s largest 3G coverage. We know that you are already a customer, but since you are going to be waiting 15 minutes to talk to support, we figure that reminding you not to switch to Rogers would be fitting. Did we mention that we have the fastest 3G coverage? [...]”

- The helpful, friendly Bell computer lady :-/