First of all, it only took me about 5 minutes to get over the name iPad. Yes, it does bring to mind all those feminine hygiene products that we giggled about when we were teens. I'm a grown-up now--at least most of the time--so I am moving on and thinking less about wings and more about apps.
The official Geeky Mom (that's me) list of iPad pros (list of cons coming tomorrow).
Pros:
--Size. Apple delivers a miracle: The iPad is compact but big. Except for the fact it won't fit easily in a purse or pocket, I love the size. The specs: 9.7 inch display (imagine your favorite video playing here), 0.5 inches thick, and weighs only 1.5 pounds. Some will complain that the iPad is still too heavy. Not such a big deal to us moms who lug around kids and pets and backpacks and groceries more than we want to admit. And don't even ask how much my purse weighs.
--Multi-touch. The multi-touch display screen acts like an iPhone and iPod. Familiar is good. After all, who takes the time to read the tech manual? This gadget is easy to use right out of the box. My kids think this feature makes all those games even cooler.
--Apps. Apps. Apps. Runs nearly 140,000 apps found at the app store. Even runs your favorite iPhone/iPod apps and you can sync them!
--iWork runs on iPad. I love Pages, a classy document creator with oh-so-cool templates and formatting on my laptop. I see one problem because the iPad lacks the multi-tasking cut and paste feature.
--Price. I was surprised by the relatively low $499 price for the basic 16GB model that uses Wi-Fi. Seems reasonable for a professional, but not really affordable for kids and teens who REALLY love gadgets. A Wi-Fi only 32GB model @ $599, a 64GB model @ $699. The Wi-Fi and 3G enabled iPad has 3 options: 16GB @ $629, a 32GB @ $729, and the fully loaded 64GB @ $829.
--3G. I admit it, I am a 3G snob. Wi-Fi is great--really great--but it isn't everywhere, yet. I know thinking I must have 3G is irrational. The 3G feature is either a decadent tech luxury or one more vice I should cut from my diet. You decide. A deal with AT&T gives iPad users 250 MB of data a month for $14.99... I'm warning you: Don't give your preteen/teens this option. The unlimited data go-ahead-and-surf-the-web-24/7-and-send-a-million-texts-a-day plan is $29.99.
--iBooks. I love books and I really love books with photos and lots of color. No, I am not talking about books for toddlers. I love photo-rich cookbooks, decorating books, travel books and--kids cover your eyes--I love textbooks. I watched the books feature on the introductory videos. Love the hi-res, LED-backlit screen with COLOR. However I read on the blogs and tweets that the iPad was introduced in a dim room. So how does it perform in normal light or sunlight? We'll see. Also, I didn't hear much talk about textbooks. I am crossing my fingers. Textbooks on the iPad is a dealbreaker in the decision to purchase an iPad for my high schooler.
--10 hour battery life while watching videos. And a month of standby. The critics are complaining that the battery is not removable. Not a big deal for me. Having a spare battery would just mean more to lug around.
--News. The intuitive NYT app is so much better on the larger iPad display. I was hoping more newspapers and magazines would be on board too. I can wait patiently for more digital news editions, but I hope they hurry.
--iPad keyboard. Of course you can use the virtual keyboard on the screen. But I also like the fact you can also use a standard sized keyboard with a soon to be released keyboard dock that lets you type and charge at the same time.
