Daniel Pruitt

So the iPad is pretty cool. But for people like me it's completely pointless. I've been waiting for a Mac tablet since I became a Mac guy. But this first generation iPad isn't hitting the spot. Sure its awesome and all but definitely not enough to replace my 3 year old MacBook. the fact this only has a 1 Ghz processor is not enough cool. And a 64 Gb harddrive won't be cutting up either. with all the .tiff files, music, videos on my computer now will take up a solid 50% of 64 Gb. It may be good to tote around in class for notes but I would still prefer a normal keyboard so I can feel the keys to know what they are. Unless there's a new app to write with a stylus I would never use it for class notes. If the iPad could run a program such as photoshop it would be great but it would definitely require more than a 1Ghz processor and probably some other things. The photo viewing and video streaming would be nice to have on a plane, train, or a boat but i would by know want to stare at a 9.7 inch screen constantly. I don't even use my 13" all the time. I usually connect a HDMI cable to my adapter to view it on a 32" TV. It's less strain and i can also use multiple windows a lot easier. Reading would be great on it as well and definitely beats the black and white screen of the Kindle. So that is a benefit of the screen. But if you're an avid reader/music junkie/photo lover the lower end models may not cut it. I part I really think is awesome is the 3G connection. Though it is $130 extra to install it would be super beneficial since there isn't any external adapter. But that also makes it seem like a giant iPhone. I know it doesn't have calling capabilities but there is a Skype app for the iPhone/iTouch. And if you have a Skype account and pay for unlimited calls to phones the iPad basically serves as a phone. And the price... Isn't too extreme for a Mac product. But it is essentially a bigger iTouch or depending if you buy the 3G, iPhone. I always say go big or go home but the 64 Gb with wi-fi and 3G for $829 doesn't seem worth it considering a new MacBook is only $999 with a 2.26 Ghz processor and 250 Gb hardrive. But if i already had a great, new Mac and had at least $499 laying around than i would get an iPad.
In the end the iPad is sweet. I would love it. But MacBook Pro comes first.