Ok, I get it - the iPad looks cool.
But seriously, do you really want to end up with something you can't really use for 500 bucks?
Apple products have become the standard for status seeking yuppies. I can't argue with their marketing techniques; they do know how to sell a product. They even had a whole episode of Modern Family dedicated to the iPad. But creating a want and needing that want are two very different things.
The iPad is beset with flaws, most notably the lack of Flash compatibility. Eighty percent of all websites use Flash to enhance the surfing experience with rich Internet applications (RIA). This means that most of the sites you visit, including most social networking websites, will not appear properly on your new iPad if you manage to see anything at all. Forget playing online games - they all use Flash.
Maybe Apple's success has gone to their heads. If so, it sounds extremely arrogant and ultimately stupid.
Here's a couple of other things you can't do with your new iPad.
You can't plug in any peripherals because there are no USB ports. That means no photo downloads from your camera unless it's got bluetooth/Wi-Fi and no report printouts unless your printer's got bluetooth/Wi-Fi. In fact, you can't use any peripherals unless they have bluetooth/Wi-Fi and that includes an external hard disk, something that will be essential since the iPad only has a between 16GB and 64GB of memory. By today's standards, that's nothing. You can buy a USB pen drive with more memory.
In the end, you're stuck with a nice looking product that does a few things well (screwing up your whole music library when you download iTunes) and which you will tire of rather quickly. And then, you'll come to the stark realization you could have had something different for much less with a lot better performance and capacity.
I make no bones about it - I've never been an Apple fan. I just can't trust a company that locks you out of your own product. It's like an open-source guru once told me, "You wouldn't buy a car that denied access to the engine because the hood was welded shut, would you? That's what Apple does."
The way I see it, Apples are for people who don't know about computers but want to look good doing it.
