nevermind
Okay, that is the coolest thing I’ve seen all day!
Indeed. I’ve never been so depressed that I can’t carry a tune well enough to use this thing.
If you already have a smartphone, don’t get an iPad 3G. If you don’t have a smartphone - get one!
Here’s the crucial difference between an iPad and the iPhone (or any other smartphone): an iPhone is carry-everywhere equipment, impulse-use equipment, and an iPad isn’t. When I leave my apartment, I bring my phone with me, always. In fact, I usually bring it with me when I go from one room to another in my apartment. Constant accessibility via phone has become something close to a requirement for many people - and so long as you’ve got your phone anyway, there’s no real reason (other than added expense) not to have email and web on the thing. It just becomes part of your routine - and since your routine grows to involve checking email everywhere you go, relying on wifi is unacceptable.
iPads aren’t like that. They don’t fit in your pocket, which means you need to make a choice to take them somewhere. Why would you choose to do that? Well, maybe you’re going to a coffee-shop - which probably has wifi. Or maybe you’re going on a long bus ride - which will often have wifi. But you’re not going to be - or at least you aren’t meant to be - walking down the street and randomly whipping out your iPad, as you would an iPhone.
IMHO, of course - but to me, 3G only makes sense for a device that you’re carrying with you almost all of the time, because you need (or want) to have internet access almost all of the time.
Another thought - and this also touches on the multitasking issue: The iPad is, I think, targeted towards the sorts of people who already have smartphones. You know, gadget dorks. Which means that, for example, the fact I can’t listen to Pandora on my iPad isn’t all that big of a deal - because I can listen to it on my iPhone while working on the iPad, if I wish. I know, I know - using two devices instead of multitasking sounds kludgy, and it kind of is. But on the other hand - it’s not as if I wouldn’t be carrying the iPhone anyway. The difference between plugging my earbuds into the iPad or iPhone to listen to streaming radio while I browse the web, or write an email, is not a significant one.
This, I think, is the biggest drawback (for me, personally.) The form factor just isn’t something I need right now. I’m intrigued by the device, but my life is house-work-house for the most part. Between my PC at home and my Blackberry I’m pretty well covered.
The reviews over the last few days certainly have been interesting. I guess tomorrow we’ll start to hear how people react to the iPad.