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Thursday, June 2, 2011

Should I Buy an iPad?



Hm... some background on how I use my iPad might help.

I've had mine for just over a year now. At first, I used my iPad for everything - read, write, consume and create. I never even turned on my computer at home (though I still needed a PC between 9 and 5). My iPad was my coolest newest toy.

It is not anymore.

Today, I have found the perfect balance between iPad, computer(s), AND iPhone. This is a key point, because if you don't have an iPhone (or smartphone for that matter) you will use the iPad more often and much differently than I do.

Today, I use my iPad almost exclusively to consume: read news, check Facebook and Twitter, surf the web, do research (aka Google stuff), and shop online. If I didn't have an iPhone I would probably use it to listen to music (iPod, Audible and Pandora) and watch movies (iPod, Netflix, Hulu, Slingbox and YouTube) as well. And I don't read many books, but if I did, I am sure I would use it for that as well (Amazon just announced a milestone that they are now selling more eBooks than print books).

The iPad is not a great tool for creating: typing is awkward, functions aren't intuitive, apps don't exist, and file management is a mess. If you want to write documents, edit spreadsheets, create presentations, or edit photos and movies, your computer will still be your main tool (though the iPad can add some cool new features to this process). I will say that my iPad has completely replaced pens and notepads in my life - which I used to have beside my bed, on the fridge, and on my desk. At the office, I ONLY need my iPad for meetings - no need for a laptop or a notepad, and it often comes in handy to quickly look something up that someone forgot to bring or wanted to know.

I can't really speak to how you might use it, because our lives are likely so different, but as a multi-tasking millennial and early-adopter of all technology, I love my iPad. It has simplified and and streamlined so many processes in my life - and am quickly nearing a time and place where, like my iPhone, I can't imagine living without it.

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