Apple iPad: My thoughts

Well, it's finally over. After months and months of hype, Apple finally announced it's new iPad tablet. Here's why I found it hard to defend the iPad during this week's podcast and why I will probably tell most people to stay away from it.

1)Netbook vs iPad
Jobs took a huge swipe at the netbook industry during his keynote saying that "netbooks aren't better than anything." What I find funny is that the iPad is essentially Apple's version of a netbook. (Just like Sony's VAIO P is Sony's version of a netbook.) And the surprising part is that a netbook can run circles around the iPad. For instance, I can take a Lenovo S10 to CES (as I did earlier this month) and blog, read my Twitter feed, stream music from Slacker, and charge my iPod touch — all at the same time. Can you do that on the iPad? No. Unfortunately, you can't multitask. And even if you could, would the 1GHz Apple CPU prove any better than Intel's latest Atom? Or even Qualcomm's Snapdragon? Sure, the iPad might provide a better UI — the iPad's OS looks gorgeous — but I need to do multiple things at once. I need to be productive. The iPad prevents me from being productive. It's a MID (Mobile Internet Device) minus the multitasking.

2)Why do I need it?
On paper, the iPad's specs do not disappoint. It's 0.5" thin, it weighs 1.5 pounds, and it has a 9.7" 1024x768 LED-backlit LCD. My question is, what does it replace? If I want to make calls, it won't replace my smartphone. If I want to create or consume content, it won't replace my laptop (you can't multitask, remember). So why do I need one? Apple has simply created one more gadget for people to carry, and personally, the last thing I want is one more device in my backpack.

You could argue this is a "coffee table" computer and I can totally see myself keeping this in front of the TV so I can Tweet or Facebook while I watch Iron Chef, but will I ever turn my 42" HDTV off so I can watch a program on my 9.7" screen?

Likewise, I don't see myself leaving my pocket-friendly iPod touch at home so I can play games on the iPad's larger screen while waiting at the dentist's office.

3)iPad as e-Book Reader
I love books. But after CES, my interest in e-Book readers has skyrocketed. Jobs touted the iPad as an e-Book reader that can do more than just read e-Books. But if you look closely at this picture (taken by the folks at Engadget) you can see some of the pricing for those iBooks. I checked them against Amazon's Kindle Store. They were all overpriced.

*True Compass: A Memoir (Apple: $14.99 / Amazon: $9.99)
*Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace w/ Marriage (Apple: $12.99 / Amazon: $9.99)
*The Piano Teacher (Apple: $9.99 / Amazon: $9.47)
*I, Alex Cross (Apple: $12.99 / Amazon: $9.99)
*I, Sniper (Apple: $10.99 / Amazon: $9.99)
*Three Cups of Tea (Apple $7.99 / Amazon: $7.50)

Granted, those may or may not be final prices for those iBooks, but as it stands now — Apple's iBook Store will be painfully expensive. I'm no fan of the Kindle, but if I read a lot of books, why would I want to line Apple's pockets with my money?

4)"Unbelievable Price"
This is the part that bugs me the most. Apple is patting itself on the back for its "affordable" iPad price. While it is "cheap" (for an Apple product), it's still more expensive than your typical netbook. Even the entry-level iPad is significantly pricier than the Barnes & Noble Nook. You could argue that those are dedicated e-Book readers while the iPad is more. Fair argument. So let's compare it to Spring Design's $399 Alex reader, which can also play movies (on it's smaller screen), stream music, browse the Web, and download apps (from the Android App Store.) The iPad is still $100 over.

And from the preliminary looks of the iBook Store, chances are you're not going to save money on eBooks iBooks. So where is this unbelievable price?

I mentioned on this week's podcast that I will probably buy an iPad. However, the more I think of it, the less I can justify spending $499 on the iPad. I don't need it, and as someone who reviews tech/gadgets and keeps an eye out for the best gadget deals, it's almost impossible to justify this purchase for the average consumer.

On the flip side, it will be interesting to see what developers can do with the iPad. And it will be even more interesting to see iPad version 2.0. But until then, this is just a smart device designed to make Apple richer than it already is. It's a smokescreen to get users buying on Apple's iTunes/App/iBook Store.