It hasn't been quite a week , and the buzz is still buzzing. Nearly half a million people have taken the iPad challenge, according to Apple, including several residents of Cringeville who were kind enough to write in and tell me about their experiences. Naturally, they fall into two camps: pro and con.
[ How does the iPad stack up now that it is real? Find out in Paul Venezia's . | Take InfoWorld's tour of . ]
Because I'm cranky and negative by nature, let's start with the anti-iPad crowd. Reader R. S. M. writes, "Out of 1,000,000 toys that I could buy with $500, I found the iPad was right at 999,998." Leading to the obvious question: What's on his list at 999,999? (I'm betting it's .) He adds:
That AT&T is the carrier bodes ill for use unless it is open, at least in the region I live, so your experience may vary. Here 50% or more of all AT&T phone calls are dropped in good weather. For three months of the year 60% or more are dropped. Verizon is only slightly better.
Another reader firmly in the No Camp is reader C. S. She says, "iPad? No way":
Why would I need one? It's not a phone, it doesn't support Flash, and doesn't support USB storage. Awkward keyboard to learn. No thanks. It will be a fancy paper weight one of these days. Hat's off to Apple, tho, for another successful hype campaign to whip up the masses into a lather.
Now for a word from the iPad fans in the audience. Cringester J. P., who says he's CIO in an all-Windows shop, pre-ordered his iPad in March and plans to upgrade to the 3G version when it comes out in a month or so. He writes:
The iPad doesn't replace my notebook PC, but I do see it as being my go-to device around the house and during meetings and I most likely will carry it on vacations rather than my netbook. It does what I need it to do. It does it FAST and reliably.
I find the form to be very handy for "media consumption" and casual web browsing ... more so than a notebook. I am so sick of wasting half of my life waiting for Windows to do something that I find this nimble little piece of glass and aluminum to be very refreshing. I turn it on and it is on. I flip a page and it flips. What a concept.
Regular correspondent D. S. says the iPad is the first truly innovative product he's seen Apple produce:
... as opposed to the iPhone, iTouch, even iPod, Apple really does seem to be the first to produce a tablet form factor and software presentation that makes immediate sense. In the previous cases, they kind of picked up on things already on the market and arguably improved them.
But he adds that Apple missed the boat on one feature. If it only had an infrared transmitter, he writes, "it would then be the best universal [TV] remote ever."
Too much sugar for you? Here, have some lemons, courtesy of Canadian reader R. F.:
The iPad, like most things Apple, is a toy for the technically challenged and who's favorite colour is "Shiny."
That ought to inspire some hate mail from .
Still debating whether or not to buy an iPad? eSarcasm's JR Raphael has concocted . Meanwhile, thanks to all my readers who write in and comment on my posts. You make Cringeville a more interesting place to live.
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