• by James , September 12, 2010

I’m a Mac junkie. There, I said it. I own a 5th gen iPod (video), 1st gen iPod Touch, a 15” MacBook Pro, a 24” iMac, an iPhone 4, and all of the accessories that go with them. Guilty as charged. I was hooked after purchasing my 14” iBook in 2005 and I’ve not looked back. Ask any Mac-fiend and they’ll all tell you that there’s something about the feel--the convenience--of Apple’s products. That’s why, a week ago, I bought an iPad.

If you’re like everyone else, you’re wondering why. “James, why an iPad? You have an iPhone, an iPod and a MacBook Pro. It’s not servicing any specific need that isn’t already met by those items.” And that may be true. But Apple told me I needed it, so I bought it.

Seriously, though, I don’t believe that the need should preempt the purchase. In the age of technology, it seems silly to me to wait for someone to prove that I need something before I get it. Fiscally irresponsible? Maybe. On the flip side, I think there’s value in being an early-adopter and creating the need for the iPad. Isn’t that how we develop things nowadays? A company makes a great product lets its consumers decide how they should use it. From my perspective, it’s how the App Store runs; Apple creates the product, and the consumers develop the applications for it. Besides, it’s a good tool with which to market myself. Try it: walk into a room with a flashy new piece of technology. You’ll be irresistible....like the guy from the Axe commercials. If you’re a baseball fan, you might better equate it to the quotation, “if you build it, they will come.” -Field of Dreams

So really, I bought the iPad to figure out why I bought the iPad. In the last week, I’ve used it to take notes during meetings (with the native Notes app), to view the stars and constellations (Star Walk--so cool), to play Scrabble in the car with my friends on our way home for Labor Day, and for this blog update. It’s acting as a wireless external monitor next to my MacBook Pro so that I can multitask and respond to emails on my laptop without moving windows around or minimizing anything.

Was it worth the money? No. Not yet, at least. That’s not to say that it won’t be. It’s an investment, after all. If the eventual payoff is entertainment, okay. If it’s productivity, cool. If it connects me to a potential employer? Sweet!