When I first heard of the iPad, I wondered why anyone would be willing to pay the price for it. It’s expensive, and seemingly not nearly worth the cost. Plus have you ever met an Apple Fanboy? They are basically the biggest losers of the tech world. But everything changed when I got one for free (I won a drawing for one at my apartment complex…). I was excited at first, just because I’ve never really won anything before. But when I started using it (I’ve had it for a week now), I realized that it could fill holes in my life that I just got used to, but never should have. As you’ve probably heard before, it fills voids that you didn’t know existed. Now granted, it doesn’t really do any of them better than a device dedicated to doing the same thing does, but it also means you don’t have to carry 20 devices. Allow me to explain a few:
Books and Magazines
Plain and simple, books and magazines look awesome on this thing. This is actually something I could fall in love with, since I’m the kind of guy that loves to have at least 1 book and magazine with me at all times (I love to read). Sure, I have to pay for them all (or share with a friend), but now I have about 40 books and 15 magazines with me everywhere I go. My reading productivity will definitely increase.
Videos and Music
Youtube, Netflix, ABC Player, iPod, and iTunes. Basically you can watch or listen to whatever you want. The screen is crisp and bright and looks great. I have the Wifi version and it streams fantastically, as long as you have decent internet service. I heard that there is even a DJ software that you can use, and the iPad can become the only hardware you need to power your party. I’m no DJ, but that sounds pretty awesome to me. And even with the 16 gb version, you can fit plenty of music and videos on this bad boy.
News Reader
As a young professional as well as a citizen of this world, it’s important that I keep up with current events, politics, and other worldly news. With the iPad and a few trusty news apps (BBC, USA Today, Fluent News, NYTimes, AP News, Newsweek and Wired), I can keep up with everything going on around the world without having to head to my office or boot up my laptop (I’m not a paper reader). All of these apps are free and will keep you connected to your fellow humans.
References (or B.S. checker)
A perfect bet settler or just reference tool, the iPad has access to apps that can help you reference just about anything you are looking for. With apps like Wikipanion, Google, Dictionary, Google Earth, and WebMD you can find whatever you need, and fast, faster even than you could with your computer.
Internet Browser
I’ll be honest: I owned an iPhone when the first generation one came out. I kept it for about a year, then switched to Blackberry. I loved the iPhone, but I couldn’t stand typing on a touch screen (responding to emails and such). The thing I missed most about the iPhone was it’s amazing internet browsing. It’s unbeatable… unless of course you own an iPad. This thing is the greatest internet browsing tool I’ve ever used. It’s faster than Chrome, which in my experience is the fastest browser for PC (I’m not a mac user). I love browsing on the iPad. Other than it not having flash (which I’m not a huge fan of anyways), it just works well.
Gaming
I’m a bit of a gamer, so I really wanted to test this aspect. I haven’t played many games on this thing yet, but the games I’ve played are ok. They are fun and I’d definitely play them if I was waiting in line or just sitting around, but I haven’t played any that I’d choose over booting up the PC for some hardcore action. Anyone have an iPad game they love? Recommend a good one to me.
My Favorite Tools
I’m a computer nerd. You probably aren’t. But in case you are, you’ll enjoy these tools which make the iPad really fun for me. TwentiesLife.com is a Wordpress blog; there is a Wordpress app for iPad, which means I can now be a mobile blogger. I invest with Etrade; there is an Etrade app that makes investing and managing my money a breeze. I am a Dropbox addict, and the ipad Dropbox app is just about the greatest app of all time. I love Stumbleupon, and of course there’s an app for that. I also love watching TedTalks, and there’s an app for that. There are plenty more, but I won’t waste your time explaining them all.
Overall
The hardware of the iPad is great, but it’s not groundbreaking. I don’t think they’ve squeezed anything super amazing into this thing. What makes the iPad so amazing is the App Store. The developers of the iPad apps are the ones who make it something worth having. Basically you pay $500 (or whatever they cost) for access to the simplest, greatest mobile apps you could get your hands on.
You can grab your iPad here!
