Why I won’t buy an iPad (but think you should consider one)
So a lot of people are wondering why I’m not buying an iPad. There’s a really simple answer: I don’t need one.
“But,” they reply “we don’t need one but do you want one?”
Sure. I would also like a car, a new bike and a microwave. Doesn’t mean I’ll buy any of them any sooner. Except for the microwave. I actually wouldn’t mind having a microwave sometime soon. The microwave will make the the cut because it provides me with an exceptional level of convenience that I can’t get with anything else. While I definitely don’t need a bike either, I know the sheer pleasure of riding will eventually outweigh the relatively high cost of the bike I want. (I realize this is similar to the case for many people buying the iPad. They don’t need it, but the thing makes them so giddy that they can’t resist buying it.) I love living in the city, and I don’t like driving that much, so I’m pretty sure I’ll never be able to justify buying a car.
This is not to say that I don’t think the iPad is amazing device. On the contrary, I believe that Apple has really created a “magical and revolutionary” product. And the price is pretty reasonable too. Nor is this to say that you shouldn’t buy one — because there’s a chance that you do need a device that does all the awesome things that the iPad can do. Me? I’m pretty satisfied with my MacBook Pro and iPhone.
The most tempting aspect of the iPad for me is iBooks and the iBookstore as I do enjoy reading and like the idea of storing hundreds of books on a single device. The counter arguments are that the selection is still comparatively small; I really like reading on my iPhone; and I don’t mind reading a lot of other stuff from my Mac.
I won’t buy an iPad right now because I don’t need one. However, if you don’t have an iPhone and need a portable device that can do most of a what laptops can do — and a whole lot more, then the iPad is for you.
