499 Reasons to Buy an iPad
Since it was unveiled last week, there has been no shortage of reactions on why the iPad might just fail and how underwhelming this new product really is. I myself took a good stab at it and trashed the iPad with my list of 17 reasons why the iPad sucks.
After torching the iPad, I wanted to come up with an article praising it and showing what a great device it will be. The reality is that it is much harder for me to find compelling reasons to buy the iPad than it is to not buy one. So I forced myself and came up with these reasons to buy an iPad.
- It’s cool. You know it! having anything branded Apple is cool
- It’s going to kick ass as an eReader (that’s at least what everyone thinks)
- The gaming experience will be awesome
- It comes with 140,000+ applications
- The big screen equipped with multitouch. Like the iPhone, but better because it’s bigger!
- The battery life is (supposedly) great
- It’s carrier unlocked. You can potentially use it on any network
- There is no contract for the 3G plan (at least here in the US)
- 3G plan is actually cheap
- External keyboard support
- It will soon be jailbroken
- Priced at $499, it gives you 499 reasons to buy an iPad
That’s everything I can come up with. If you’re not an iPad hater, I’d like to hear your reasons why you’d want to buy an iPad. Please share your thoughts in the comment section.
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Lol. I might not be an apple fan, but sabastien your kinda right lol. This is an elegant, usefull, and still a portable device. Wonder how durable it is and how long the battery lasts lol.
Aside from my iPhone, I’m not a big Apple guy and based on all of the negative iPad articles out there, I know I am in the minority on this one…
I have wanted an iPad-like device for years. There are times when I want a simple and elegant touch pad for surfing the internet. When I’m on the couch, I don’t want to lug my laptop, or, ugh, netbook over to the couch and plug it in (cuz the battery life on all my devices always seems to be less than acceptable). The same is true when I want to sit in bed and surf the internet (yeah, I need a life). The iPad just seems like the perfect internet surfing appliance. The other stuff – reading books, media player, photo frame, email and iPhone apps – are all bonuses. Big bonuses for sure, but just bonuses.
I’m really nervous about the initial release. If it flops, then Apple won’t continue the line and add the things that I really want to it: Bluetooth keyboard support, video-out accessories, file manipulation (still sand-boxed but allow the applications to manipulate documents like they do photos) and multitasking (backgrounder + proswitcher would be perfect). Some nice-to-haves would be things like 5-icons per row, a 30-pin camera (built-in would be better), and external storage (USB/SD/Cloud/Something).
Apple could take care of almost all of my wish list with a software release. And with their trend of incremental hardware releases, I imagine most of my other wishes will come with iPad 2. I just hope that enough people buy them upon release that they stick with the product line so that they build the one I want.
nice post! By the way you gave 16 reasons not 17 last week!
It is no more portable than a netbook so why would I want it; and don’t give me the ‘it is only 1.5 lbs’ arguement; a netbook is only 2 or 2.5 lbs and 10″. Anyone buying the first gen IPad is getting bent over by Apple as it is a low tech device for 2010. It should have an OLED screen to make it useable outdoors in sunshine, a camera and way more than 64GB of memory. An expansion slot is a nobrainer as well. Once again Apple has put some spinners on the already invented wheel and is acting like it is a completely new thing. Tablets are not new.
// It’s cool. You know it! having anything branded Apple is cool //
Thats it! Its more a toy then a tool :p
@iPhoneMan Nice catch, dude. Thanks
iPad sucks and so does apple.
“The gaming experience will be awesome” compared to what? Monopoly?
My Nintendo DS can do way more than this piece of shit.
Even got a cam
“Priced at $499, it gives you 499 reasons to buy an iPad” Yeah that gives you 499 reasons, and the fun to do 1 task at a time. Yay.
“It comes with 140,000+ applications” So does any laptop, + millions of other software.
Why force yourself to come up with something good about it?
Are you so much of a stupid zombie ass apple fan boy?
Also I agree with Duder.
It’s not new, it’s not cool.
And yeah, being lightweight isn’t a plus either. It lacks so much shit that I can’t imagine anyone except for stupid Apple zombies wanting to carry it around anyway.
Great for people like me, who need to chains documents on the train (with iWork) or surf the web and check mails quickly.
And I don’t need to bring my macbook pro with me.
“Dumb will, most won’t , So What?”
is it any wonder Steve Jobs didn’t even dress for the occasion …… He even knows it blows, compare this inaugural to the intro of iPhone.
The iPad will not flop….. Like it or not….. it’s way better than carrying than MBP13 around…. for looking at files…. or other stuff….. Apple did disappoint a lot…but it will not flop…..
As a matter of fact they made a smart move in pricing it at $499…. becasue other MFR’s are now trying to figure out how the hell to compete with the iPad… Look at Dell’s Slate… much much better than the iPad but it starts at $1,000……. The iPad is perfect if u just want to surf the net and read books and play a few apps…. so I think people will buy it… I will actually buy it even though I was pissed off last time and bowed not to buy any first Gen Apple products…I’m now debating on wether to get the 16GB or 16GB w/ 3G or just the 32GB….. If somehow can figure out a way to tether our iPhones Internet to the iPAd i would just buy the 32GB… However I did read an article last time on 9to5mac.com that someone was able to get Widnows 7 running on the iPad…. Now thats interesting….
I’m not an apple hater or anything but your arguments for why the iPad is good are kinda weak.
Personally I think the list of negative aspects of this device are so overwhelming that it doesn’t stand a chance.
1. No Flash
2. No Multitasking
3. Limited apps
4. No REAL gaming
5. A 4:3 screen.. (Common apple)
6. No Camera
7. No Video out
8. No USB without buying an extra adaptor
9. Only up to 64GB HD??
10. A terrible Name.
11. Only 1Ghz processor??? (They make this sound new and amazing but Google’s Nexus One has the same speed with its new SnapDragon ultra mobile processor)
12. No widgets?!?!?
13. No Flash!
14. NOOOO FLASH (personally I spend hours of my time on youtube or streaming videos or playing online games)
For a device thats supposed to “revolutionize your browsing experience” I think it falls pretty short. In fact, I think that the iPad is about two or three years behind technology wise.
However there are also a few pluses about the iPad to. Its weight and size are both nice. It does have multi-touch and fairly sleek design. however the good things hardly make up for the numerous shortcomings. I personally am very dissapointed
WHERE can i buy an ipad am so excited it looks fantastic! cant wait to get my hands on one!
Kind of a really stupid pointless article..i was expecting 499 reasons, not some bullshit like this.
Instead of focusing on what the iPad isn’t (netbook, small laptop, etc.) why not focus on what it IS for the people who may want/need one. That’s what I can “objectivity” and I expect that from your site, which I read for information, and objective reporting on what is cool and essential. For someone who loves the iPhone/iPod Touch I am shocked you would diss the “big” iPod Touch, simply because it wasn’t what you thought or wanted.
For those who are not tech-savvy like you or me, the iPad is great because:
1. It does what most people do: surf the web, check email, organize their calendars, social networking, check bank balances, read books, read magazines, plus 140,000 apps — anything from finding local attractions and restaurants to playing games. YEAH, Bejeweled and flight simulator and Grand Theft Auto on a 9.7″ is going to kick ass.
2. It’s large. People diss the iPad because it’s large, and yet turn around and say, “Oh, what you need is a netbook?” Do you guys have split personalities or what? It’s large, so you can ACTUALLY surf the web and read your damn email, and it comes with a full-size keyboard (or external keyboard for serious typing).
3. A whole new crop of apps specifically for iPad. Stretch your imagination. When the iPhone first came out no one knew you could actually do all that cool stuff with all those apps. Now people are like, “wow, it can do that?” Why can’t people realize the same could happy to the iPad, especially with the new SDK out? Think of what you can do with a 3″ screen. Imagine what you can do with at 9.7″.
4. LIMITED APPS? Is Mike1337 on drug? 140000 and growing is not limited. Do you have 140,000 applications on your laptop or desktop PC?
5. Geeks would probably not want one since YOU ALREADY HAVE AN IPHONE/IPOD TOUCH. That’s why geeks and nerds are like, “what’s the big deal?” It doesn’t have flash or HD or multitasking? YOU ALREADY HAVE AN IPHONE. Stop whining. The iPad is not made for you.
6. What’s it made for or marketed to are your mom and your dad and your girlfriend (or boyfriend) who doesn’t know how to program a DVR. It’s for your wife who has to take the kids to the soccer games but want something so she can READ BOOKS (don’t tell her to read it on the tiny screen), play games, surf the web, look for recipes, gossip with her Facebook friends, etc. while the kids are kicking balls. It’s for the grandpas and grandmas who are afraid of new technologies but wouldn’t mind seeing their grandkids’ pictures on a big, glossy screen, or videos of them, or keeping in touch with email messages that they can ACTUALLY READ without glasses…. the list goes on and on and on. So, no, it’s not for us geeks and nerds, but there are people out there who are not us.
7. Not everyone wants to carry a computer on their purse or messenger bag. First, you can’t really hold the damn netbook in your hand and type… you have to find a surface, or put it on your lap — awkward in many situations (trains, bus, even planes — the seats are very tiny now). Also, 80% of the time people just browse the web, do light email and correspondence, social networking. Sure, if they want to write the next great American novel or do something else like Photoshop, etc. they may want a netbook or laptop, but 80% of the time they don’t. Besides, iWork for iPad is coming out. And there are tons of apps to do photo editing, for example. You don’t need a full computer for that.
AND YOU CAN HOLD THIS THING IN YOUR HANDS.
It’s 1.5 lbs instead of 3 lbs.
The battery lasts 10 hours instead of 3. Standby lasts for a month.
8. It’s for people who don’t know what you’re talking about when you mention USB ports, Flash, DVI out, blah blah. Stop acting so superior because you’re a super user.
9. If my mom and my dad want one, even though they never had any interest in mp3 players, computers, smart phones, etc. then you know Apple has that market cornered. Boo hoo, how DARE THEY cater to the computer illiterates! Sheldon Coopers of the world unite!
10. Moms and pops already have cameras (digital or otherwise). It’s not a concern for them. What is good for them is to be able to actually READ the fonts on this thing, to be able to check local listings of things to do and restaurants to go to, to know where the **** they are when they’re lost, to read their favorite best seller while on the beach…
11. It’s sexy — let’s face it, you love your iPhone because it’s sexy. There’s no reason to deny that the iPad is also sexy, only big and sexy.
Seriously, try to hold a netbook in your hands while you’re on the bus and surf the web with the tiny trackpad and try to type at the same time, and you’ll understand why the iPad fill a big gap between a laptop and a smart phone. Failing to understand that is failing to be a true techno nerd!