I was NOT an iPad fanboy when the 1st generation came out. I saw the coolness. I saw the sexiness. But I just couldn't get onboard. Everything I wanted to do on the iPad I could do on my iPod Touch or any one of my Android phones. You couldn't even make a phone call from an iPad and still can't (Skype out excluded). So the iPad seemed to be a blown up iPod. And it was.
Along came the iPad2, or iPad 1.5 as it probably is. Faster, thinner, front & back-facing cameras, but still not pulling me into the fold. I just didn't see the point of investing that amount of coin into something that bulky. Wouldn't a netbook be more versatile? Then one thing made the difference for me and four others have made it a permanent luxury. Here they are.
1. Play that funky music, white boy!
Garage Band for iPad! Hoo-ray! That broke the ice for me. That was the justification i needed to get onboard. What a fabulous little piece of screwin' around software. Being a pianist and keyboard player it just feels right. Laying down some simple guitar strumming and picking for backing tracks is a breeze, and for quick and dirty jamming in a friend's kitchen I can get my fat fingers around the on-screen, touch keyboard or plug in my 49-key midi keyboard via the USB adapter and use Garage Band as a sample generator. Love it. But what the hell else am I going to do with this sexy hunk of black plastic and glass?
2. Google integration
I once had a dot.mac account. Used it for a little picture sharing with family. Never used the email except as login to apple.com and Apple Store. These days, the structured part of my life resides within the realms of Google. Email over three accounts, shared calendars, contacts, maps, places, blog... all synced and managed across all of my devices and platforms including Android phones, iPhones, iMacs, iPad, MacBook and PC. They're all covered. No messing around with an over-the-hill iTunes paradigm of having to tether myself every time I want to sync. Google has even made a very nice iPad interface out of their services. Google's web mail on iPad blows away Apple's own client and even a Mail update in the new iOS will be hard pressed to compete. I mean why can't I select several items to delete simultaneously in Mail? Now I know Apple has announced iCloud (coming sometime this autumn) but that's just an Apple cloud, for iDevices. Really not a cloud that shares the heavens with the rest of world so I don't see myself getting onboard, and Google+ has just made me even happier.
3. Flip for joy!
Flipboard. They just got it so right. How can you say enough about this app. This is what everything should be like on an iPad. All of your feeds aggregated into one slick, effective, easy to use app that's as sticky as molasses on flypaper. They are doing such a great job of signing up partners that I have my Linkedin feeds, Facebook and about every news outlet I ever wanted, as well as my Flickr feeds. It's like browsing thru the pages of a fine coffee table book or magazine, depending on the content. It has single-handedly extended my breakfast by about 20 minutes and makes the train ride into town a lot quicker. If you don't have it on your iPad, get it.
4. The child inside me (and behind me)
This is more a nod to the success of iTunes App Store than children's apps as such, but the advantage to a parent with small children is undeniable. So much for them to explore, color, listen and learn from that you just can't deny it a place in the living room or back seat of your car. I wonder what the price difference is between two 16GB wifi only iPads vs. an in-car entertainment system. Hmmm... Needless to say, all kids love their parents iPads as much as I loved
Dr. Seus's "Cat In The Hat" when I was growing up.
5. Slim, sexy, and solidly built
I've played with other tablets. I was very close to putting down money on the first Galaxy Tab when it came out but didn't. I just spent time with the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and while it is slimmer and lighter than the iPad, it just didn't feel as luxurious and fine. The only product that comes close to sexy and solid is the Motorola Xoom, but who are we kidding? Motorola, like Nokia, has become a product for another generation. So while there are still shortcomings to the iPad and Apple's ecosystem I have indeed learned to love my iPad. Did I sell out and join the lemming masses that blindly buy into the "Apple Magic"? Nahh... it was a birthday present. Thanks!
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