All of the iPad Criticisms Are Exaclty What Make the iPad Great

There were many factors influencing me not to buy an Apple iPad. It is really just a "big iPod Touch", it is a first generation Apple product, it offers redundant features of many of my other devices, and there was no "killer app" for the device that made me have to have it. Interestingly, it is this same list of anti-iPad arguments that inspired me to buy the iPad. I know it sounds tremendously contradictory, but let me explain.

The iPad is Really Just a Giant iPod Touch

It's true, the iPad is just a giant iPod touch, but that is not a bad thing. The 9.7 inch screen is beautiful and many of my iPod apps have native iPad versions that look and act fantastically. Evernote for the iPad and Pandora, for example, were built for the iPad. I look at the same apps on the iPod and I say to myself "Wow, that is a really small and inconvenient iPad." I have stopped using Evernote on the iPod Touch altogether because the iPad version is just that much better and more intuitive.

Another criticism about the iPad is that it runs the same basic OS as the iPod touch and iPhone, but that is a plus also. The iPad, because it is bigger and faster than the iPod Touch, runs uber-fast when compared to the iPod. The iPod / iPhone OS is very lightweight and streamlined, and when it is installed with the faster A4 processor and more RAM everything is nearly instantaneous. Other tablets that are coming soon, including the HP Slate, advertise that they can run a full-fledged version of Windows 7. That is not a win because Windows 7 is so resource intensive that tablet and netbook specifications simply cannot compete with a streamlined OS like the iPhone OS. Many begrudge the iPad for not having an open OS, but for the simple and targeted uses it is designed for, it works perfectly. I hate to sound cliche', but there really is an app for nearly every task I would use a netbook or tablet for.

Lastly, being a giant iPod, the iPad had zero learning curve for me when I went to set it up. I simply plugged it into my Mac Mini, and voila' it synced. iTunes automatically downloaded Evernote, Pandora, The Weather Channel, and a few other apps that had iPad versions. I found a few other apps that interested me, and I was up and running in just a few minutes. My wife could pick it up and use it, my son was reading a Disney Read-a-Long book in seconds, and my daughter was making dessert with the help of the Epicurious App. I owned a Asus T91MT tablet, and my son could not easily navigate it, and my wife found my Kindle useless.

It is a First Generation Apple Product

Time out. I thought the argument was that the iPad is just a big iPhone or iPod touch. If so, then this is a fourth generation product. The OS has been very smoothed out over the years, and the hardware has been tested by over 10 Million users. In Fact, this would be the 5th iteration of the iPhone / iPod that I have owned. No wonder I love it so much. As proof that the device is not first generation, I offer the fact that not one of my iPhone apps had the slightest problem running on the new device. It is really more competent and more polished then I ever could have expected.

It Offers Redundant Features of Other Products

This is true. In fact, I have sold my iPod Touch on Ebay because I no longer need it. Truth be told, I sold it because I know longer want it. All of my apps run flawlessly on the iPad, and my favorites have come with iPad versions that look and work better than I could have imagined. Typing notes in Evernote is a dream. I have been to two lectures in which I used the iPad instead of a laptop, and I didn't notice or care. I am tossing around the concept of the keyboard dock, and once I do - I think my laptop's days are going to be numbered.

My main computer is an HP TX2 Touchsmart laptop. I use it for teaching and lecturing in my classroom. Microsoft OneNote, combined with the touch display, has been a fantastically engaging tool for me to help my students learn. I have seen hints of iPad applications that will mirror the functionality of OneNote and a tablet. If it works out, I will be able to walk away with a few hundred dollars and 4 fewer pounds in my bag. Yes, the iPad is mirroring many other devices in my arsenal, and for that, I am very thankful.

There is no Killer App for the Ipad

True again, and that is what excites me. There is so much potential waiting to be discovered in the iPad. I have not opened my laptop since I received my iPad, but I know I will have to when I step back into my classroom. The iPad has compensated for about 85% of my computing needs. As soon as a "killer app" comes out, I don't know if I will need anything else. For me, the killer app will be some sort of PDF or Document annotation program that allows me to ink directly on the screen. If a note taking app that can mirror OneNote shows up, then the iPad will be my main computing device.

By the way, this article was typed using an iPad, Evernote, and a Bluetooth Keyboard - it Worked Flawlessly.