About the iPad

I think I forgot to tell you that we bought an iPad last month.

We had wanted an iPad for a while because we are Mac dorks and because Chris likes to have new things (sorry, TOOLS) in his arsenal of Devices To Fiddle About On and Test Code With. He had made the decision long ago that we would not be buying a first generation iPad (WOE) and we would wait for the second generation for various reasons involving processors and other techy-type things.

When they released details on the second version I watched the live update from my desk at work and he watched it at home and we were madly instant messaging the whole time about This Feature! and OMG That Feature! and HOLY SHIT NEW FEATURE! like the incredible first world nerds that we are. At one point Chris was putting on his shoes to rush to the Apple Store just in case Steve announced that a limited number were available for purchase that very evening, in some sort of highly secretive and coordinated Apple retail event.

(See? I told you we are big nerds.)

Anyway, the stupid thing wasn't going to be in store for a week or two so we just sort of back burnerd the idea and the excitement for a while. On the day they were first available we happened to be in Austin for SXSW, along with every other Apple nerd in the western hemisphere. Apple had a pop-up store downtown that pretty much only sold iPads, the other locations in Austin had lines hundreds and hundreds of people long all day leading up to the 5pm release, the local news was just crammed with iPad this! and iPad that! stories...It was beyond ridiculous. We wanted the new toy, but nobody in this family was going to stand in line with the SXSW hipsters all damn day for it. (In general, I do not care to wait many hours to part with my money. It feels...wrong.)

What ended up happening is Chris found himself alone about 345pm and he decided to run up to the local Target just to see if there was a line, just to see how long it was, just to see how many devices they might have, just to see if maybe he'd get lucky. He had low expectations, but he also had some time on his hands so...WHY NOT?

At 4p he rolled up, walked to the electronics department and found...nobody. There was a sign saying something about selling iPads starting at 5p, but nary a soul was there.  He stood next to the sign for a minute, pondering his next move. The store manager came over and asked if he needed help.

"Um, got any iPads?"

"Yes - we have five."  (FIVE? That's it?!)

"And...can I...buy one? If I stand here?"

"Sure! But we can't ring you up until 5p."

"Okay."

It was really that simple.  Chris stood in "line" for an hour and a couple more people sauntered over to get in line as well, but once they heard there were only 5 devices and 5 people in line, the line miraculously stopped growing.

Chris checked out at 5:01, was out the door at 5:03 and texted me the news that we now owned an EIGHTH Apple device at 5:04. And that is how we came to own an iPad last month.

But really, do I like it? Do I love it? Was it worth spending my hard-earned American dollars on?

I have fallen head over heels for the stupid thing. I mean, I wanted one because it was shiny and looked cool and Chris had talked me into the idea that we almost NEEDED it (haaaa, First World conversations) but I didn't really know how much I'd like it or what it could do that my iPhone didn't already do. In my mind, it was pretty much a giant iPhone and it had limited utility beyond the simple fact that it was bigger. And yes, after about a month I think that is a fairly accurate assessment: big, giant iPhone. But, it turns out that it is just enough better at certain things that I find myself reaching for it many times a day.

I really love it in the kitchen, where I pull up recipes when cooking and my shared meal-planning calendar when making my grocery lists. The magnetic cover that allows it to stand up makes recipe-following super easy and it takes up a fraction of the counter space that my laptop does.

For me, it excels at allowing me to consume content but not so much in generating it. For example, I do not write blog posts or lengthy emails on it, but I do read an enormous amount of information via the iPad. I use Flipboard to peruse several web sites in the morning and I ADORE the Wall Street Journal app.

Last night we were watching The King's Speech and as soon as Edward abdicated I had the thought, "I wonder whatever happened to him and Wallis?" and, as people in 2011 tend to do, I became obsessed with answering my question right away and I asked Chris to hand me the iPad so I could Wikipedia that shit. (Turns out they lived in France for a while and then he was governor of The Bahamas.)

It's not that my laptop or my phone don't do that exact same thing, but the size of the screen and weight make it such a nicely portable device that is perfect for in-between online needs where a full keyboard isn't necessary but an iPhone is rather small. We have already decided that we will no longer travel with a MacBook, we will just take the iPad.

Like many folks, we wish desperately that it had more multi-user functionality so that I could have a profile with just MY email and MY Twitter account rather than logging in and out of various clients all the time. I think the idea that Apple has is everyone in the family should have their own (Oh, Steve Jobs! Always finding ways to maximize sales and revenue per device!), but my gosh we have EIGHT Apple devices in this home already (2 MacBooks, 2 first gen iPhones that technically belong to The Small Person at this point, 2 iPhone 4s, a Mac Mini that runs the downstairs TV and the iPad) and I'm not sure we need a ninth (well, I don't actually think ANYONE needs a ninth). Then again, Chris likes to take it to work and these days when I am at home I DO find myself sort of missing it, but unless the Easter Bunny brings me a spare thousand bucks I'm pretty sure we'll stick with one for now.

We have propped it up on the breakfast table and watched the Blue Angels on YouTube, because we are aviation nerds and that is a totally normal thing for us to do as a family on Saturday mornings.

I bought a game (Fruit Ninja), which is SO UNLIKE ME to buy something from the App Store. Claire and I are not very good at Angry Birds, but we keep playing it for some reason. Chris bought the Plex App and now he can control the TV from the iPad, which isn't such a big deal as we do own a remote control, but it's pretty freaking cool.

The camera on it totally sucks, but you'll find that bit of information anywhere online.

About the buying of the Apps...

I am the kind of person that LOATHES buying anything via iTunes or in the App Store. Buying an App falls into a category of "Obviously a complete waste of money, but it's only a couple of bucks and it brings me enjoyment so I will spend it anyway." It's kind of like a Starbucks: I know I am being ripped off, but I have come to terms with it.  And, yes, I know that we spend dollars on all sorts of frivolous things every day but Apps are different to me and I hate buying them.

I think it is because it is portrayed as a PURCHASE when really it's a RENTAL. You don't BUY an app like you buy a Frisbee from the dollar bin at Target. That is, I can buy a $1 Frisbee and, if I wanted to and I was a very organized person, I could conceivably keep that Frisbee until the day I die. I could pass on the $1 Frisbee to my grandchildren. I could give it away or re-sell it if I get tired of it. I could loan it to someone for the weekend.

But an App is only useful for as long as you have the device it runs on.  If the iPad dies and we don't buy another one, or when the iPad is inevitably replaced by The Next Big Thing, the purchase becomes void. The thing you bought isn't usable any more. Apple can remove it from your computer (I think?) or the developer can stop supporting it. You can't loan it to someone and you can't give it away and you can't even use it on multiple devices in your own home (some of the time). The limitations and restrictions of this kind of "purchase" really turn me off. (I feel the same way about e-readers: I've never bought a book electronically for the same reasons but it's even worse because they cost almost the same as a paper book except THERE IS NO PAPER, which is where a bulk of the cost of the book comes from and they're only a couple bucks cheaper and there aren't near as high distribution costs since there aren't any books to physically ship and LOOK, DO NOT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THIS ONE.)

Chris converted several of his magazine subscriptions to iPad subscriptions, which means we won't be getting annoying paper magazines in the mail any more, which is fantastic. He can take his magazines anywhere and read them whenever, which is a vast improvement from what he WAS doing: putting the magazines in a stack for "later" when he had a nice block of time to read them, which was never. He just had to log on to the sites and switch his subscription - took all of five minutes. I haaaaate having magazines in the house (they look like a pile of trash that hasn't made it to the bin yet) so this makes me very happy.

We also switched to using digital charts in our airplane. Before, Chris had to buy new charts every 60 days or so (they expire) at a cost of about $40 every time and he was only buying the charts for the parts of Texas that we fly in. Now, for $150 a year he gets the entire nation's worth of charts digitally and they automatically update. He doesn't have to physically go buy new charts, we're not stuck with all that paper, it's actually cheaper and we get more for our money. So, that's a nice win for the iPad. (Chris is writing a detailed review of ForeFlight on his blog if you want more details.)

In conclusion (OMG I totally did not mean to write this much about a stupid Apple product, but they are really like crack that way and a person just can't shut up once she gets rolling. Honestly, this started out as just a story about how Chris bought one at Target without waiting in line.)

This is all only about a month into owning an iPad. I think we'll continue to find more uses for it, particularly as new ways to use it are developed and released. I might even come around to the idea of finding value in "buying" certain apps if they bring me a lot of utility or entertainment. Everyone in this house uses it daily and that's a solid win to me.

LIKE.

Comments

[HereWeGoAJen]

I want an iPad. Want to trade for my Kindle?

[Jessica]

I have so many things to say!

1. I love my iPad. LOVE.
2. I do type blog posts on it (I bought the wireless keyboard), but it can be a pain in the butt, because if you have the caps lock on, certain letters are actually commands instead of just letters. Like if the caps is on and you hit "S" it saves the post instead of typing a capital S. There's a certain letter that posts your entry (I'm not entirely sure what it is). I always forget I can't use the caps lock, so my entries usually get posted long before they're finished, which drives me CRAZY. I type the rest of the entry at warp speed, because I don't want to just delete the post and start over, but I also don't want someone reading the half-post before I get the full one up. There's probably some way to turn the keystroke shortcut off, but I haven't looked.
3. I can't imagine sharing an iPad. It wouldn't be good for our marriage.
4. I feel the same way about apps, which is why I've bought like...two, I think, in the year I've owned my phone. I haven't bought any on the iPad (I've downloaded a bunch of free ones, though).
5. I also feel the same way about eBooks, which is why even though I bought a Nook I have no intention of ever buying a full-price book on it. I've bought two 99 cent collections of classic books and mainly use it to check out eBooks from the library. Basically I bought it as a really expensive way to avoid driving to the library! (Well, really I bought it because I can now carry around several library books all in one tiny device.)
6. I'm quite excited to use the iPad as a blog-reading device while nursing after the baby comes. It makes my last maternity leave look like the dark ages...all I had were books and magazines! (I tried to use the computer, but didn't have enough lap space.)

[Jessica]

Oh, and my husband just got a 13-inch computer. Its not an Apple, but it's supposed to be the equivalent of a MacBook Pro. He goes on and on about WHY would you want an iPad instead of THIS, my computer is so much BETTER. I think he's jealous. I prefer my ancient laptop plus an iPad over a new laptop.

[Sarah in Ottawa]

I feel the same way about e-books and e-readers. I get most of my books from the library anyway and I could get e-books from there but it GALLS me that you only own the rights to the book and it costs the same! GAH!

We have resisted the lure of the iPad thus far. I have no iPhone, either, because the data plans here in Canada are an absolute gong show and I won't pay that. But you make the iPad sound awesome.

Thinking of you today. I can't wait to hear about the new baby. Though the longer you're pregnant, the likelier you are to get the package I sent before she arrives!

[kirida]

I didn't see the apple live event, but I read the Gizmodo live blog and my eyes became big platters of WANT WANT WANT. The problem is, here in Seattle, they are sold out so quickly that I haven't been able to be in a store that has any in stock.

As for the apps, when I upgraded my iPhone to an iPhone4 (and kept the unlimited data plan that I will have ad infinitum), I was able to move all the apps (paid and unpaid) and my older phone now works like an ipod touch. And it kept all my Angry Birds scores. That's important data!

I can't wait to get the iPad and your post just confirms how much I need it in my life.

[Elsha]

I am not even kidding, I clicked over here straight from reading up on the super-awesome looking smart covers for the iPads. Let me just tell you, we are coveting hard core in this house right now. We BOTH want iPads (we both already have macbooks) but we have like 0 extra dollars laying around. We're definitely working on a way around that though.

[MamaBub]

I love my iPad for so many of the reasons that you do. My husband is the least techy person I know and he just doesn't get it. Fortunately, that means I don't have to share.

[Maggie]

All the grandparents are buying the 3yo an iPad for his 4th birthday. Is that not insane? I told them so. Multiple times. Until I realized that it meant that I TOO would get an iPad so SHUT UP ME.

Seriously though, both kids are iPhone experts, so I can't wait to see the kinds of fun they can have with an iPad.

As for buying ebooks... I know it's not terribly RATIONAL and doesn't make FINANCIAL sense, but one day I hope to be a published writer and I hope to God people buy my book. So that is why I still buy books. Waste of money or not!

[Erica]

We found a kind of funny use for it - Anna likes to watch herself on Facetime. If you just turn on facetime but don't call anyone - it's a video of yourself. Endlessly fascinating for a little one. Or maybe just our little one.

[Arwen]

I love my iPad... and I'm kinda glad that it is MINE (bday present from Bryan) and I don't have to share it. I *do* share it, especially with the kids, but I think having a family iPad might be too stressful for me. I admire you and Chris for doing it!

As far as the app thing goes, I totally understand where you're coming from and I don't buy ebooks either for the same reasons (although there are so many free ebooks that I've gotten some good reading in on the iPad)... but I've started thinking about apps a different way and I think I am happier now. I probably have a total of about $30-40 worth of apps on my iPad (some bought with a gift card), all bought over the past eight months. I've gotten HOURS of enjoyment out of them. I don't think of them as something I'm paying for but not getting to keep (like an ebook is) but rather as an entertainment cost. Like, we pay $10/month for Netflix and we don't *have* anything at the end of the month - but we've gotten hours of DVD and streaming video for our money. If we go to a movie, that's $10 for two hours, but we obviously (sometimes) think it's worth it. So I paid $5 for the HD version of Angry Birds (which I also am bad at! But can't stop playing!) and it felt a little painful at the time, but I've gotten so many hours of enjoyment out of it, I feel like it's entertainment money well spent.

Your thing with the fact that you're "renting" the apps instead of buying them is totally true - but actually, all software is kind of like that. My parents still have the discs for their original copies of Myst, for example - but it's not like they can play them anymore! Systems eventually go obsolete, and software gets outdated. It's just the name of the game.

Which is why I keep buying "real" books - I'll still have them in a few decades. No way to buy a hard version of Angry Birds, though. Sad.

Also, Erica - my kids also love to watch the video of themselves! I just turn on Photobooth on my Macbook and they watch it for a long time (and take lots of goofy snapshots). Love the technology for the kiddos.

[Natalie]

I just got my iPad today! And just added your blog to flipboard. I have now fully converted to apple products. Crazy!

Thinking of you and the family this week. Can't wait to read about the new princess in your house :)

[s]

You look quite lovely in the photo! :)