As we all eagerly anticipate the delivery of our ‘New’ iPad, have we put any thought into how we might use it? Why do I ask the question? Well I have just been challenged by David Gewirtz recent blog entry 16 reasons NOT to buy a new iPad. No doubt he is writing against the norm to generate traffic to the ZDNet website (as proven by his disclaimer that he has actually bought said iPad) but nevertheless he raises a couple of valid points. The one that was most thought provoking to me was his first: ‘You already have an iPad’ and I do. To the regular readers of my blog it will come as no surprise, I am a techo geek, I love new devices, I have drawers full of them. This is not a good reason to buy the New iPad though and so having read the Gewirtz post I challenged myself to justify the purchase based on how useful it would be to me.
My first port of call was to look at what I do with my existing iPad, in order of priority the apps I use are: 1. e-mail – yes still the most popular app on the planet; 2. researching – not an app, okay a browser and quick easy access to the Internet; 3. itunes – both for music and movies used mainly during the commute to work; 3. facebook – afraid so, usually once or twice a day; 4. apps store – the never ending search for the killer productivity app; 5. games – many, many that rarely get used but a have been downloaded because of my obsession with the apps store.
So what is absent? For business, a link into corporate systems, actually this is not really an iPad issue but more a corporate network access issue. For personal use, just about everything is covered. Okay then, the big question, will the New iPad make me more productive? I am loath to admit it but the answer is no. The screen might be a bit sharper and the applications marginally faster but until that new app appears in the apps store that will only work on the New iPad, then there really is no reason to upgrade. Will that stop me? No.
