Confessions of a 4x Apple device owner...

On Wednesday, I finally made the plunge and purchased an iPad! Oh no, now that I have four Apple devices (iPod, iPhone 4, MacBook, and iPad) am I one of those people?!!

I made the decision to make such a large purchase rather quickly. I had been considering the idea of a netbook but after looking at prices I decided that the first generation iPad (Apple released the iPad 2 today) would be a better choice. Before the iPad, I shared a MacBook with my partner. I received the MacBook as a graduation gift from my parents but the computer has always been shared by the two of us. We have sufficed fairly well with one computer but I felt as if it would be beneficial if we had a second, cheaper and less powerful, machine. I already own the iPhone 4, so I figured the transition to the iPad would be fairly seamless.

So far, I am getting acquainted with my new machine nicely. I was never a big App person with my iPhone and I am realizing that Apps make the functionality of the iPad much better. Currently, I am typing this blog post with an app I just purchased, BlogPress. It is the most "official" Blogger App. Blogger does not make an App themselves but BlogPress is endorsed by them (I really only prefer to purchase and use "official" Apps). I've downloaded/purchased numerous other productivity Apps. I feel as if the iPad will complete my year in graduate school in a very efficient way (let us hope!).

I feel as if people often want to compare the iPad with a netbook. I do think they are comparable. I feel for me, a dedicated Mac person, the decision to go with an iPad had much to do with the fact that I did not want to run a Windows machine. I have used Windows in the past, but I am far more comfortable in a Mac environment. One key point in the iPad v. Netbook war is that, while I was able to purchase my iPad for cheaper than many netbooks, there were a bunch of "necessary" accessories to purchase. For instance, I bought a sleeve on Etsy, a wireless keyboard, a stylus, a sleeve for the keyboard, and a stand. Not to mention the Apps I purchased to get the machine fully functioning (Pages, PDF Reader, BlogPress).

I also think that iPad will be a great device for reading books and checking out ebooks from the Pitt library as well as the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. I have installed the Overdrive App and will write a post about that experience.

Until then, be mindful of my different blogging settings with BlogPress' clever automated signature below!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad