Recently my father visited America. And because my mother is excellent at reminding people to do things, he came home with a brand-new iPad 2, writes Claire Weiss of Logan Park High School.
That got me thinking about the allure of the iPad.
I could understand the attractiveness of the iPod, given its capabilities as a small game console as well as its large capacity of music storage.
I can even wrap my head around the iPhone.
The iPad still seems just a cumbersome, awkward version of the iPod touch.
Then why does it appear that people are just flocking to be in the presence of such a silly machine? Since, I don't have an iPad myself and my mother was less than keen to share hers with me, I did some searching on the internet as to why this machine is so potent with style.
During my search I came across an article by Michael Gartenber, a columnist for the website Engagdet.
He seemed less interested as to why the iPad was appealing to others, and more curious about how well it worked.
Steve Jobs has placed the iPad in the space directly between a laptop and a phone.
Gartenber wanted to see if the iPad could replace either.
He left his laptop at home for a week of a heavy workload and relied on three phones and his new iPad.
These were his findings:"I find that they're [smart-phones] best used for email triage -- they're great to quickly check what's important, what requires an urgent response, and what to delete. Emails that require long responses, however, don't work well for me on phones. The iPad can be used for long document creation and editing with the onscreen keyboard -- but if I'm doing it on a regular basis, I'd want an external keyboard with me...
"One task for which phones have failed me time and again was attempting to read a fairly large spreadsheet...This is where the iPad's screen came to the rescue once again. The crisp display made all the difference... The iPad's battery life is excellent."
For Gartenber the iPad seemed to almost be a god-send.
But what if you're not working all of the time? What if the iPad was simply used for entertainment and relaxation?
By this time my mother had overcome "new toy" shock and was ready to answer a few questions for me.
Why do you like your iPad?
I like it because I can read magazines. Since I don't live where they [the magazines] are sold anymore, it's nice to still be able to read them. I'm fortunate to live in an age when I can access papers like that.
Why is the iPad better than a computer?
It's easier, more like a book than a computer. Sometimes a computer is just too bulky. The iPad is nice and slim and easy to move about.
Was the iPad worth the price?
Yes. The iPad wasn't cheap but it was worth it.
When I asked that question, the man who had bought the iPad (my father) wasn't convinced with her answer.
He replied:"Well, it wasn't cheap. Depending on what else you could have done with that money it could have been a riskier buy."
Though, the iPad is far from a necessary item to have in order to go on with everyday life, it has qualities that help move along those everyday chores when travelling or enjoying free time with something to read."
Although pricey, it seems that the iPad is something worth having if you have the means to buy one.
If you do end up buying one, I'm pretty certain that you will be happy with yours too.
- Claire Weiss is a Year 13 student at Logan Park High School
