Should or Shouldn’t You Purchase an iPad?

With many notable tech product launches, there usually seems to be some general consensus as to whether or not the product is worth it, or useful. With the iPad, opinions are all over the place, and it seems to be that while many people find it unbelievably cool, many others find it to be pointless. Like most things, the usefulness of the iPad comes down to your personal goals for the device.

After I posted about the iPad’s warm reception yesterday, I decided to take a look around and read some of the more thorough looks at the device. Of all the reviews/opinions I read, two of the most interesting articles were found at Boing Boing. Yes, two from the same site. Making things even more interesting, both articles conflict each other in the most stark of ways. One recommends not purchasing the iPad, the other almost the opposite.

Of course, both articles are written by different writers, and after reading, I can side with them both… leaving me effectively undecided. Cory Doctorow states that he won’t buy an iPad, and recommends that no one else does either. His points are straight-forward, fair, and expected (and I for the most part agree). The big complaint is simply the fact that Apple is somewhat anti-consumer, locking down its devices to an extreme degree (DRM, namely).

With Apple, you are locked into the App Store for all your needs. There’s no deviation from that, unless you want to jailbreak the device, and that’s not exactly something many consumers do. So to do anything “cool” on the iPhone or iPad, you have to use Apple’s own locked-down and heavily-moderated store. That doesn’t seem too fun, does it? Choice is a good thing, after all.

There’s a lot more to things that add up to Cory’s distaste, so I recommend a read and judge the situation for yourself. Then there’s Xeni Jardin’s opinion, which screams excitement – almost enough to make me feel like I need one. She comments on the fact that it just “feels good”, and like some other tech products, the iPad can essentially scratch an itch you didn’t even know you had.

The height of Xeni’s excitement comes from the fact that cool things are undoubtedly on the way. So at this point, it’s a waiting game. The iPhone has proven itself as very capable for apps and gaming, but picture what could be possible on a device like the iPad, with its beefier specs and larger screen.

I still find the iPad severely limited with regards to what I want to do on a mobile device (compared to a netbook… I’m all about work, and sometimes games), but I’m definitely interested in trying an iPad at some point in the future and be able to form a better personal opinion on it. It’s certainly interesting, that much is without question.

The way you improve your iPad isn’t to figure out how it works and making it better. The way you improve the iPad is to buy iApps. Buying an iPad for your kids isn’t a means of jump-starting the realization that the world is yours to take apart and reassemble; it’s a way of telling your offspring that even changing the batteries is something you have to leave to the professionals.