the apple iPad – worth the hype?

Funny story – I woke up on Saturday AM, turned on the news on this much anticipated day. Lines were long and people had been waiting, in some cases over 72 hours for a chance of getting the new Apple iPad. A few hours later, I found myself at a local Best Buy which had four iPad’s on display – each of which was actively being used. I spoke to a store assistant and asked if they happened to have any in stock. He showed me the storage area where there were about 15 of the 16GB iPads left, and only a few of the 32GB and 64GB models. I laughed thinking about how some people were on lines all day waiting….

Then my dilemma began, I fully anticipated not being able to get my hands on one today, figuring they’d be sold out – so now I had a chance at actually getting one! I took some time to play and explore the demo in the store. Here is what I discovered:

1. It’s heavier than it looks in the Apple demo’s on YouTube
2. It has a GREAT display – which i’m sure is “crispy in the dark” (Hackers movie reference…had to have seen it)
3. The full Calendar view is very nice – let’s you see all the upcoming events for the week or month
4. I’m not sure that the applications are there yet to make this practical on a business level

I tried really hard to justify getting one for my business needs, but in the end, even though I think the price is pretty good for the low end models (starting at $499 for 16GB WiFi). I’m not sure that I can justify or really believe that I’ll carry this to all my meetings and take effective meeting notes on it. I do think, however, that once we can get some productivity apps on this device – like Office type applications that this will be a valid replacement for me carrying my laptop around. Outside of that, this is a great device with a pretty decent starting price for a consumer looking to have the latest tech gadget. And, by the way, I’d check your local Best Buy before buying on line or standing in any long lines….

For me, as an Apple fan, it’s only a matter of time before I get one of these – but I think that I’ll wait for rev 2.

Filed Under: apple • mobile devices • productivity

Tags: iPad