I’ve read the reviews, played with several devices, fought off temptation, and concluded it’s not the right time for me to make an iPad purchase.
My main sticking point is the lack of multitasking, something I hope to see addressed later this year with an iPhone 4.0 OS update. I want to listen to Slacker while surfing the web and perusing email. As a blogger, I want to flip between a Photoshop app and grabbing links from Safari, while composing a story in WordPress. As nice as the IM clients may be, I don’t need a dedicated chat machine. Let this service run in the background. (Without intrusive push notification obscuring my screen.)
I’m also on the lookout for more, and more polished, iPad apps. Pixel doubled iPhone apps work… but mostly render poorly. A number of mainstream Internet sites need to be updated as well. Should their owners decide the iPad is a significant enough platform to fully support. (And I bet most will.) I can live without the vast majority Flash-based sites and widgets. But I need to be able to edit my Google Docs.
Hardware-wise, I don’t have many complaints. The iPad is a minimalistic engineering marvel. (JooJoo, who?) And pricing is pretty tame (for Apple). My only concerns are in regards to weight and positioning. Which the official unattractive, but functional iPad case partially addresses. Although I might prefer Ross Rubin’s clamshell case concept, bundling a Bluetooth keyboard, for transport and usage.
Emphasizing the point that I’m trying to turn what’s currently and primarily a content consumption device into a productivity device. Perhaps Steve Jobs and I are in conflict on the purpose of the iPad. But Gina Trapani pretty much nails the disharmony I’m feeling:
New gadgets create friction in your life. Every new gadget you acquire is another screen to pay attention to, another battery to charge, another device to sync, secure, weigh down your bag, and buy accessories for; it’s another shiny thing to worry about losing, getting stolen, scratched, dropped, and serviced. If the iPad doesn’t fill an obvious need in your work or home life right now, pass.
So it’s not currently time for me to become an iPad owner. However, it’s quite likely I’ll get onboard at some point as the OS and apps mature. Or prior to our next WiF-enabled cross country flight.