No, I didn't buy one but it's nice to dream.
Couldn't resist the opportunity to see and try the iPad, Apple's new tablet computing device, which went on sale Saturday, So, the daughter and I schlepped down to the State Street Apple store around 10 am this morning.
There was a line, but not a long one. The store had opened an hour earlier. If you didn't want to buy but just take one on a little test drive, as my daughter and I did, there was no waiting at all.
And yes, people were buying them. Next door to the Apple Store at Northstar Coffee a guy was sitting at one of the outside tables and unboxing his brand new iPad.
Having got my hands on one, I can say, it's a gadget that many people will crave. Just the same, I'm not completely sold on it. Based on my 10 minutes with it, I found that the biggest drawback is the on-screen keyboard, which both my daughter and I found nearly impossible to type on. This is not something I could carry with me and break out when it's time to write a blog post from the field. Of course, you can buy a physical keyboard to use with it, but that of course will add to the $500 cost of the lowest priced model.
Also, no USB ports meaning, it's going to be very difficult to put your own files or content on the device, unless you go through Apple's App Store. Which I guess is the idea.
Most impressive thing about it is the book reading application. Pages are crisp and easy to read. And you can turn pages with a quick flick of your finger, sort of just like with a physical book.
Also, impressive was the brilliance and sharpness of videos on the device.
Just the same, as beautiful and as sexy as the iPad is, I won't be trading it for my netbook anytime soon.
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© 2010 by Craig Smith and www.craigsmithsblog.com
