Adam J. Whitlatch

So the day has finally come. Saturday night (after an absolute customer service clusterfuck at Best Buy) I got my shiny new iPad. At first I thought the iPad was a stupid idea, but then I spoke to a few editors and writers I know that have one, and they all had great things to say about it. After a lot of research, I finally decided that, rather than getting a new laptop, an iPad was right for me.

Not being a fan of AT&T, I opted for the 32GB WiFi only model. I originally wanted the 64 GB model, but in the end decided I didn’t need it. I’m not planning on storing massive amounts of music on it; that’s what my 120GB iPod is for.

Now, there’s been a bit of outcry from a few people in my life. Some people have said iPads are crap and I’ve committed a major computer sin with this purchase. In my experience, most (not all) techies talk completely out of their asses and their opinions vary depending on who they’re talking to or trying to impress. Mechanics are much the same way. Lawyers, too. Does anybody have any integrity anymore? But anyway, the thing works like an absolute dream. I’m not tied to my office for email anymore, don’t have to lug around a laptop wherever I go, and I just don’t have the general problems that come with a Windows machine.

Speaking of that, my desktop PC decided to take a dump yesterday at a very inopportune time. And while I struggled to get it fixed, my iPad stepped up to the plate and took care of my email and school needs for a few hours. Talk about a successful field test.

There’s also been some negative reactions from people who feel I simply don’t deserve an iPad. To those people I offer a resounding–Well, if you read this blog on a regular basis you know where I’m heading with this. Simply put, this is not a plaything. This is a small, portable machine that I can use for my online college work while I’m on the road. A very small percentage of my studies requires a word processor. Most of the time I’m reading, responding to class discussions, or taking quizzes and exams. I can quickly check my email and get back to business, instead of waiting several minutes for Windows to boot up or carrying around a bulky machine. The iPad is roughly the size of a trade paperback book and only slightly heavier.

Frankly I’m sick of Microsoft and their shoddy workmanship. I grew up on Apple products, starting with the Apple IIe in the 80s, and I’ve been giving a lot of thought to going back to Apple. The only thing stopping me from replacing my Acer with a Mac is cost. Steve Jobs still lives in a fantasy land where he thinks the average consumer can justify $3,000 for a computer. If the cost ever comes back down, you’d better believe I’ll be taking Justin Long’s advice and switching.

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