iPad review :: big ass iPhone still a win

If you want a great technical review on the iPad, check out Engadget’s post. Mine is more of a personal review.

I am always wired, whether it’s at work, designing on my own time and making art. I have a MacBook Pro and iPhone already. Today I picked up an iPad and have been very pleased so far. For me, it’s the perfect middle-ground between an iPhone and laptop.

How did I justify the $600 I spent on the 32 gig iPad? I thought about the amount I would use it within a year…everyday for me. That comes out to less than $2 a day if it were a rental. By the time a new model comes out, this one will definitely be worth everything I paid for. Sadly, I spend more money of coffee a day then that.

Lots of people say that the iPad is merely a big ass iPhone. In a way, it is, but more. It’s the same reason people buy a plasma TV as opposed to having a smaller TV—the screen size! The UI of the iPad is pretty slick though, particularly with how Safari functions.

Here’s why I bought the iPad:

• A great device to use as a portfolio; to show work to clients and collectors.
• When I want to go to a coffee shop and just read. Sometimes I want to go read with a friend without having to be distracted with my laptop.
• I travel a lot and want to watch movies on the plane. The battery life has been very impressive.
• Marvel Comics app :: I don’t collect comics anymore and don’t want to devote an entire closet to store them. The Marvel app is amazing; allowing you to zoom in on each frame to read. Honestly, this was one of the main reasons I bought the iPad.

Apps I like :: Marvel, NPR, TweetDeck, Pandora, ABC (can’t wait to watch Alyssa Milano’s show Romantically Challenged on it).

Apps that suck at life :: NetNewsWire (for $9.99, you can get an awesome RSS reader that crashes upon loading). It will be great once it actually works though.

You could probably buy a Kindle or cheaper netbook/reading device, but it’s not for me. I see Apple products as the designer jeans of tech. They cost a bit more, but they last long, are comfortable and you really love them.

It’s not all hype. The iPad is a great device and I’d recommend it to anyone, whether you are always connected/working or if you just want an electronic reading device that can do more.