Rant Of The Day - iPad Shenanigans

Here's why the iPad won't last:

I'm sitting in San Jose International Airport, blogging and waiting for my flight back to Denver.  Lo and behold, a more elderly (in their early 60s) couple next to me are on iPads.  Both of them.

I creepily watched over their shoulder like I was trying to grab a credit card number or something.  Really, I was just watching them use the iPad, see how easy it was to use, what they were using it for, etc.  I'm not a total nut job.

Anyway, after about 5 minutes of it, the gentleman turns the iPad off, and pulls out a MacBook.  Surfs the internet for a while, obviously doing the same as I - just wasting time.

Then he pulls out a cell phone.  Not making calls on it - at least not that I noticed.  But his cell is out, his laptop is on, and the iPad is off and back in the briefcase.

Which brings me to my point:  the iPad doesn't replace anything.  The iPhone was a huge hit because it was so influential.  It is a cell phone, it's a camera.  It's a digital music player, it's a video game device.  It's a planner, it's a GPS.  It does everything.  A single iPhone replaces almost every other electronic device you need to carry.

The only thing an iPad replaces is a laptop...and even that premise is questionable.  I carry my laptop because of the software I have on it...stuff the iPad can't operate.  So from a business perspective - many of us already have laptops (so it doesn't necessarily make financial sense to replace with iPad), and a number of us can't really get rid of the laptop, either.  For vacationers or recreational users, again, many of us already have laptops.  If you don't have a laptop, well, and iPad is adding to what you would carry, not subtracting.  It just doesn't make sense to me.  I would never ever ever carry an cell phone, a laptop, and an iPad.  Doesn't make sense.  The iPad is superfluous.

Well, what if you don't have an iPhone or a laptop?  Buy the iPhone.  Yes, I know you have to switch to AT&T if you're not already on their network.  But it makes more sense...the iPhone does everything the iPad does, plus makes phone calls, takes pictures, takes movies (3GS version), and operates as a turn-by-turn GPS nav unit.

So, I've come to the conclusion that the iPad is a luxury device for people that either enjoy taking it in the behind from Steve Jobs and have become an absolute Apple-Zombie, or just have too damn much money.  It's a waste of space.  It serves no real purpose.  And if you have too much money; toss some my way - I can help you with your problem.  I'll go buy bike parts with it.