iPad Musings

April 3, 2010. A day that will go down in geekdom infamy. This is the day that Apple released the long awaited iPad. My husband, known in some circles as Apple fan boy, was among the first purchasers of this nifty toy. He ordered it online and eagerly awaited its arrival via FedEx. This day rivaled Christmas morning as Mr. Oz's level of anticipation and excitement reminded me of young children waking up at 5am to find presents from Santa under the tree.

It is now April 17 and I think he's pretty much been glued to his iPad ever since. I feel a little bit like a woman scorned and have come to understand how significant others must feel when his or her spouse cheats. Perhaps it is less painful when the object of your partner's affection is made of silicone and not flesh and blood? Is an A4 processor better than a heart?


But, what is up with the name? iPad. Clearly there were no women on the development team. It conjures up commercials for feminine care products and sanitary napkins for those heavy data flow days. Surely, there could have been a better name choice out there. Was iTab already taken? Now, I must admit I've gone for test drive on the iPad and it is a fun little gadget. Lately, I've taken on the role of semi-early adopter, so will, undoubtedly, get one at some point. Being the informed consumer that I like to think I am, I did some digging to see what made Mr. Oz fall so head-over-heels, deeply in love. Here is what he said:

Q: What is your favorite thing about the iPad?
It's sheer utility and all the things I can do with it. Versatility. I can surf, read a book, watch a movie, listen to music, play games and I can do all of it instantaneously. The battery lasts all day so I don't have to keep it plugged it. I can be completely untethered. There is really no end to the possibilities.

Q: How is this different than a laptop?
Well, it's lighter -- 1 lb. -- and it's much smaller so I can carry it with me. And, there is a new Macbook that has 10 hours of battery life, but up until the iPad there was really nothing with as long of a battery life for what it can do. Netbooks can't even approach it. And, it's 'touch' so no mouse needed.

Q: Any concerns in being one of the first purchasers?
When I read the reviews, they were all glowing. That reassured me. Any concerns I had with being a beta-tester, went away completely on day 1. It blew me away. I didn't have any lag or crashes. It was great.

Q: What do you wish the iPad did that it doesn't currently offer?
I wish it used flash because a lot of sites use flash. The iPad doesn't display flash. I believe Steve Jobs has a problem with how flash uses processor power and burns the battery down. It doesn't work well with the iPad software. Probably even more so, I wish that sites, in general, didn't rely on flash so much.

A card reader slot would also be a nice add.

Q: Favorite apps?
The Kindle app is probably my favorite. Shout out to the Amazon.com folks. I can read a book on my Kindle, my iPhone and now my iPad and if I sync my devices, they will bookmark where I left off and I can pick it back up at the same point on any of these. Sketchbook Pro is also a fun one. It's cool to have a sketch pad at my fingertips. It has a lot of options.

Q: What advice do you have for anyone interested in getting an iPad?
Get one!

There you have it. Mr. Oz on his new favorite "gal."

I'm jealous of hardware and software. Have I officially entered the new millenia? Is this a sign of an impending apocolypse? Steve Jobs, what will you have for us next? I'm too scared to even think about it.