..But should I BUY an iPad??

That's the other question most people seem to be asking me.

The simple answer is: it depends.

In my last post, I wrote about a lot of the negatives, so it's only fair to write about the positives.  This post takes for granted that you've read my previous posts so don't flame me for not mentioning the lack of Flash support. (There I said it ok?!)

First of all, this thing is mad sexy.  Seeing an iPad presents an almost irresistible urge to touch and interact with it - something no other laptop or netbook can achieve.  But the real point is that when you do interact, it's extremely enjoyable.

There's no way to overstate the benefits of an instant-on computer device.  No boot-ups, no messy "sleep/standby" issues, and with a battery that can handle it all makes the iPad the preferred device you will turn to when you need something done quickly and easily.

The screen is magnificent.  It's bright, clear, (a little too glossy) and makes images and video POP.

Browsing the web in general on the iPad for me has been of the most enjoyable mobile web browsing experiences I have ever had, period.  Aside from the speed (overall, and rendering) the general stability as well as the overall experience are just unmatched for a number of reasons.  For instance, the fact that you can turn the device and go from portrait to landscape at any time just makes so much sense.  For example, news sites and info heavy sites are best in portrait, while graphic rich sites usually work best in landscape.  Being able to switch on the fly is a great boon to browsing.

On that topic, I said I wasn't going to, but here comes the issue of Flash Video.  Yes, it's disruptive.  However! Many sites are now offering video in H.264 native (without a Flash wrapper) that works perfectly on the iPad. There's no issue of speed of videos or of the device itself like you can sometimes encounter on various websites with Flash Video. And I sort-of understand Jobs' point with this.  In-line video on websites on the iPad work so perfectly because they are standardized and built into the OS.  Once again, as I mentioned in a previous post, Apple is standardizing content and content delivery, allowing for an optimized experience.

Next, I'll talk about the iPhone - iPad crossover.  While text based apps don't look great at double size on the iPad, believe it or not, games actually look pretty good;  definitely acceptable in my opinion for a casual gamer.  In related functionality, going from Kindle iPad to Kindle iPhone and back is super convenient.  Going back and forth between We Rule by ngmoco iPad (free!) to We Rule for iPhone is smooth as silk.  I truly believe that as more developers connect their apps to sync between the 2 devices, every iPhone user is going to be hard pressed to not purchase an iPad.

There is much more I can write, but I'll end with reading.  While I mentioned that the iPad weight is somewhat restrictive to long reading, when it comes to books that are normally large, the iPad really shines.  I have 3 large, heavy manuals in my Kindle app and they look great.  Using Goodreader, I've downloaded many PDF's of texts that are normally large-format pages and the experience is unmatched.  It's not that I can't do it with a computer or a laptop.  It's the ability to easily carry and view the pages on a portrait-format device that happens to look great, that makes it so wonderful.

So the question remains: should you buy an iPad?  As you've read, there are many plusses and minuses.  In my humble opinion, I see no reason for existing iPod Touch/iPhone users to rush to purchase YET, at least until developers start lowering their app prices.  For others new to the platform and looking for a great way to do the things mentioned, I say go for it.  You won't regret it.

Initial Thoughts on the iPad iPay

So after spending the last few days with the iPad, people are all asking things like "is it what you were expecting?!" and "is it really that revolutionary?" etc. etc. etc.

The easiest thing for me to do is write up my initial thoughts, and see how close it has come to my expectations.

My initial posting will be about the gripes I have. Why? Because I'm a cynical pessimist by nature.

As I wrote in a previous post, it has been my opinion that the Apps were what would make or break the device.  One of the key draws in my opinion for the iPad was its interconnectedness (is that a word?) with the iPhone/iPod touch and their apps.  There are 75 million+ users of those devices already out there, and a seemingly great potential customer base for Apple. Out of those millions, the number of satisfied and very satisfied users is very high according to almost all surveys.  I can't help notice that they represent a very attractive customer base for the iPad - especially when, as Apple said, they could use all of their paid apps on the iPad without shelling out any more dough!  But what I've found is not what I expected.

Some apps like Logmein Ignition have upgraded their apps to make them device aware, so you can buy the same exact app on the iPhone or iPad, and the app when run, looks and behaves differently depending on the device running it. These apps are connoted in the app store with a little "plus" sign next to its price. Buying Logmein Ignition once, entitles you to use the same app on either device, and each device will run the app optimized for that device.

Unfortunately what I've found is that most of the apps I already own have iPad "HD" versions - and they're WAY MORE EXPENSIVE, many times with no added features!  In fact, all of the paid apps seem to be way more expensive.  Whereas with my iPhone I got used to paying 99 cents to 3 dollars per app, the iPad mean seems to be around 10 bucks! It seems the iPhone to iPad transitional user should expect to spend *a lot more* than they may have thought.

My hopes for leveraging my iPhone app investment on the iPad has vanished before my eyes.

On a similar note, app developers need to understand that they shouldn't be simply porting their apps over to the iPad willy nilly as the iPad is a different medium.  They need to take advantage of the iPads strengths and make their apps more robust.

The rest of my gripes don't really need as much explanation, so here goes:

1. I can't for the life of me figure out how games will be as fun and playable as on the iPhone.  Holding this fairly large device and tilting it to play accelerometer based games is a chore, and on-screen controls are awkward because of the large bezel of the device. 
2. The keyboard, the same as on the iPhone, has to be used as it does on an iPhone - meaning you look at the keyboard while typing instead of what is actually being typed.  It's also awkward trying to type with thumbs while holding it in a standing position, again, because of the bezel.
3.  It's extremely light - unless you hold it for an hour while reading a book.  If you're not sitting and leaning it on your lap your arms will definitely tire.
4. We know there's no Flash support, but to add insult to injury many studios are blocking their sites from streaming - *only on the iPad and not the iPhone!* NBC.com allows iPhone users to watch any of their content for free on an iPhone but iPad users must purchase the same content!
5. No easy way to get files off.  C'mon, at least let me get my notes off without emailing them to myself!
6. It's made to be held casually, but I'm constantly scared of scratching it etc.

To be continued...