To Buy Or Not To Buy (the iPad), That Is The Question.

What Would Suze Orman Say?

My apologizes to William Shakespeare but I am really stuck.  It all began with my first Apple Macintosh 128K with a internal floppy drive.  I was immediately in love: the form factor, interface, GUI, along with the knowledge that being an Apple fan put me outside the mainstream.  My love of all things Apple has been transferred to my beloved iPhone 3GS but now a new player lurks in the game and I’m just not sure what to do.

I need to tell you that I have been hesitant from the start about the practicality of the iPad.  Do I think it’s sexy? Yes! Is it cool? Yes! Would I want an iPad if it was given to me? Yes, of course.  Can you do neat things on the iPad? Absolutely! However, those aren’t my problems.  My problems are fold: 1. Where does it fit in my current digital work flow? 2. Depending on the answer to Question #1, do I really want to shell out the $499 for one.

That Is The Question. Or actually, Questions.My first dilemma is where does the iPad fit in my current digital work flow?  I currently use an iMac G5 as my main home computer and it has been a brilliant work horse for my wife and me.  As I mentioned earlier, I also have an iPhone 3GS which as I am apt to save, “has changed my life” with it’s combination of features for me to manage my mobile life (email, phone, organizer) and multimedia life (photos, video, music).  I can’t imagine my life before iPhone but I know I wasn’t this productive, creativity, or efficient.

It might seem logical that, because I do not own a laptop, that the iPad would fit in between my desktop and phone.  I’m not quite ready to make that leap only because of what I perceive as a lack of robust word processing capabilities.  I know that iWork is an inexpensive app ($9.99) available through the App Store but I am concerned that the lack of a physical keyboard will hamper my writing and blogging.  I know that external keyboards are available but that leads me to my second question.

What Would Suze Orman Say (or WWSOS)

If I can get over my issues with the iPad’s word processing capabilities, can I really afford to buy the iPad? Remember, I’m trying to be logical here.  If money were no object or if I was given an iPad; Game On, that would be a different story entirely.  My problem comes from reading and watching Suze Orman too much and I don’t want her in my head constantly yelling at me that the iPad was a want and not a need purchase.

While I was writing this post I went to the Apple Store to check out what it would really cost to purchase and iPad.  Remember when I said $499, try closer to $706 with a case, external keyboard dock, and Apple Care Protection (I can hear Suze getting ready to yell at me).  That price doesn’t even include shipping and tax.  Overall it seems like a rather expensive purchase considering my lack of conviction on this. I need your help.  Please let me know what you think by commenting below and thanks in advance for your help.

photo credit: Steph Anderson