July 2, 2010

Yes, you knew I’d have to go here eventually. And I truly understand the fanaticism for the iPad. But I must also admit that it answers none of my needs. I don’t commute, nor am I a frequent flyer, and these seem to be the main factor for those who can truly rationalize iPad ownership. That being said, let’s move on and look at it the way I have for the last month.

As you can see, the horizontal/diagonal dimensions are close, with the iPad actually being a bit larger. The netbook (an MSI Wind with a 6 cell battery) fits in my purse better due to it being just slightly smaller width-wise. For those of you curious as to how comfortable it is carrying either around, according to my postal scale, the iPad weighs in at 1.90 and the Wind comes in at 2.15, so there’s not a huge difference.

The big differences come in during use. I tried reaching for the iPad the first two weeks, whenever possible, and dutifully toted it everywhere. Since I’ve been in the habit of reading e-books on my iPhone once I get into bed at night, I figured this would be a perfect exchange with that big beautiful screen. (It would honestly never enter my mind to take the netbook to bed to read!) I can’t hold the iPad with one hand, it’s just too heavy – score one for either the iPhone or an old fashioned paperback!  Two handed holding also requires that you rest it somewhere, unless you want to exhaust your arms holding them straight out in front of you, and since the purpose here is relaxation and not weight lifting, we bend the knees. That works for a few minutes, until I need to stretch my legs, change position, fiddle with the blankets…you get the picture. So despite the larger screen, my e-reading stays on the iPhone, which is just more convenient, and when you wear bifocals, it’s really not an issue.

I briefly considered leaving my netbook home when I went to Orlando for a week. But then I realized that I wouldn’t be able to record, edit, or upload a podcast from the iPad. I could probably have used Skype on the iPad to participate in podcast, but I couldn’t have done the backup recording for Edward, or managed my own Convertcast.

Since part of the purpose to my trip to Orlando was visiting family, I knew I’d want to take and share photos. Granted, I could email them from my iPhone to my iPad, and then share from there, it was much faster to just plug the iPhone into the netbook and copy all photos and videos, and then decide which ones to use and how to share.

And since I’ve mentioned plugging in my iPhone…the netbook will charge my iPhone. Even when it’s not plugged in. As a matter of fact, back on June 24th (we all know what that day was, right?!), after 4 hours in line, I pulled the netbook out of my purse and used it as one of the world’s largest backup batteries, for the express purpose of charging my fading iPhone 3GS. The fellow in front of me in line was horrified at the mere thought of pairing an Apple product with a Windows device. Meh. The guy behind me thought it was pretty cool that my netbook didn’t have to be charging itself in order to charge the iPhone. Granted, a usb charger would have made more sense, but since my 2nd Zagg Sparq had just turned out to be a dud, this was my only option. Yet it was still an option I would not have had if I’d had the iPad with me instead of the netbook.

While sitting at the pool one evening, I watched a guy pecking away typing something on his iPad. It reminded me a little of me trying to read in bed, minus the flailing hands. He would constantly switch from a position with his knees up so the iPad could rest against them as he typed with two index fingers, to putting the iPad on a pile of towels so that he could sit straight up. I can’t help but think it would have been easier with a netbook at a table. And yes, Jerry, I know you can buy tons of iPad cases that will simulate an easel for easier viewing. This doesn’t make typing any easier. Seriously. And once you start carrying a bluetooth keyboard around, you’ve defeated the purpose of small, thin, light, and portable.

The iPad is beautiful. There is no question about that, and my nephews certainly enjoyed playing with it while I was staying with them. They were nowhere near as interested in any other gadget I brought with me, including the iPhone. If I were a game player, I would probably be going nuts over it. And as I mentioned earlier, I understand how it can fit the needs of someone who commutes (as a passenger, of course) or is a frequent flyer. Then again, I have watched movies on my netbook both at home and on airplanes, and while the picture isn’t as bright, it’s sure more comfortable to just place it on the tray table and not worry about touching it again, than having to hold it or prop it, or even put it at some uncomfortable viewing angle in a case.

Definitely a niche product, the iPad fits where nothing else exists. But if you already own products fitting on either side of the niche,  you’re likely to find there was really no gap there.

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