I call my iPad my third child because it requires so much of my attention. But like a child, I have moments of frustration and moments of utter adoration. In case you are considering investing in one, I hope my top five reasons to love it or hate it will help you.
As of June 11, there were 25M iPads sold. I was shocked to learn that about 5% of the US population owns one. They are still the dominant player in the tablet market.
Why I Hate my iPad
1. I’ve only had the thing for about a year, and I’ve had all of my data and settings deleted by the first software update, had to have the unit replaced twice completely, and have to reload all settings each time. Good Lord!
2. I am really getting tired of cleaning this glass all the time! I found a non-glare film at The Five Below store for, get this, $5, when they typically sell between $20 and $40.
3 The audio isn’t anything to write home about. It is not audible in the car without exterior speakers or a headset, which isn’t ideal for young kiddos.
4. I’ll admit it, I am a PC. I am slowly learning entirely new ways to interact with the software, and all of the Excel look-alike programs that I’ve tried so far just don’t allow me to do what I need to do.
5. No Flash??? C’mon, Apple, get this fixed. Still at least once a day, usually with a client, I end up at a site that says, “you must download flash to view this site,” as if it is just taunting me. C’mon, I can’t view the DISNEY site, for Pete’s sake????? (That’s been fixed, now, as companies have been forced to redesign their sites to allow mobile and iPad users unfettered access. Looks like Flash is on its way out.)
Did I say five? Uh, oh.
6. The new iPad2??? The one with the camera, rather two cameras? This would seriously make my life easier, but not for another $800. I’m stuck with the stinky old iPad original. Now I understand why Apple stock is still considered a buy.
7. This thing is seriously addictive. With a push of a button, it’s awake and working. Unfortunately, humans are not designed as well, and having this thing in the house makes it hard to get a good night’s sleep, hence the 3rd child analogy.
8. I imagine that future generations of humans will evolve to have tiny hands, like the T-Rex, to be able to manipulate our increasingly miniature and sensitive keyboards. When you get a heavily typo-laden post or email from me, please assume it was written on my iPad.
Why I Love my iPad
1. OOOh, seriously sexy. Light. Portable. Long battery life. Beautiful photo gallery. Wait, is that one point or four? It’s all part of the Apple experience, so I’m not sure. But I did gain a couple of cool points when I started using it for my business.
2. There’s an app for that. I only have a relative few number of apps, and I have to admit that none have been life changing just yet. But it will happen. I’m hoping to learn to play the piano on this baby. But I have used it as a flashlight/nightlight while wandering a dark house looking for snacks while my family sleeps.
3. I only own one movie, but there have been times when The Aristocats have saved my bacon. Even though my kiddos are not allowed to touch, or even breath on, my iPad, I do use the movie and certain podcasts to my advantage.
4. Since I refused to pay the monthly $30 surcharge, I never did get a smart phone. This data plan is much better at only $14/ mo, and I am much more comfortable reading my mail and everything else on a big screen.
5. The main reason I wanted the iPad was to be able to carry my professional photo portfolio with me. At nearly 10,000 photos, it’s definitely the way to go. I do miss the ability to quickly click on the individual file, since you have to scroll through all the albums and their images to arrive at particular shots. But wait, this is the love-it list. I do love it, but I’m looking forward to the iPad3, which I hope will fix the downside of these user problems.
Are you ready to shell out for an iPad? If you already have one, could you ever learn to live without it?
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