Should you get that iPad?

The iPad has created a hype among the consumer tech industry for months since 2009 until it was revealed late January this year.  The iPad is a tablet computer by Apple and is very similar to the iPhone and the iPod Touch.  It runs on the same operating system and almost all applications as the phone and touch.  But why did Apple make such product whose screen size is the only obvious difference (as of yet) ?

From the specs in the Apple website, let's look into what the iPad can offer.

The iPad is fitted with a 9.7 inch backlit LED display which means brightness should remain consistent with any viewing angle.  

It has improved multi-touch, how you navigate around the software should be similar as its elder brothers.

Very thin and light, holding it in awkward positions shouldn't be a bother at all.  

A 10-hour battery life.  The catch among mobile devices I must say.

The processor is fast enough to play heavy-graphic games from the iStore.

Comes with a built-in speaker, a microphone, and a 3.5mm stereo jack - should you be more comfortable with headphones.

The basic iPad comes WI-FI ready so you can connect to hotspots right away.

Other models come with a 3G option, should you be out and far from a WI-FI network, you'll have fast data connection to the Internet.

At the bottom of the iPad is a 30-pin connector for charging and connection to accessories like the docking station, camera, and whatever third parties can come up with.

But the hardware is just a small piece of the pie.  It is the applications(software), which Apple, I believe created the iPad as an enabler and not the product in itself.

So what can we do with the iPad? like the iPhone and iTouch, surf the web, email, manage your saved photos and videos, listen to your saved music, shop at iTunes, iStore, and iBooks.  iBooks allows you to read and buy books from its store.

You can also use it as a map with Google, take notes during meetings, manage your schedules with the built-in calendar, and organize your contacts.

Now, back to the question, should you get one?

Before that, we should go through a series of preliminary situations (and questions too) to validate our need for an iPad.  As a choosy pinoy, I forego the idea of 'wanting' just to have.  We'd rather be wise than impulsive.  We don't want that iPad gather dust a month after purchase, don't we?

Since we're in the Philippines, we don't have that much WI-FI spots offering free connection.  Where I come from, in Cebu, the only place I frequent (aside from my room) with free WI-FI is SM, other places, you have to pay for it.  

How about it as an ebook reader? This I believe is a selling point.  Rather than getting a Kindle or any ebook reader, I'd rather have the iPad that can surf the Internet and do all those stuffs like the computer.

Games? I don't know yet, but gamers were less than thrilled about the iPad as a 'gaming' console.  Maybe it just needs a more suitable game to for its size and shape.  Wait and see.

Price.  

For 499 USD in the US, how much would this cost in the Philippines? Plus tariffs? Plus VAT?

How many years can you go with 64GB of storage?

Should you frequent non-WI-FI areas, how much is 3G in the Philippines?

Do you travel often?  And when you travel, does it require you to bring a computer 80% of the time?

(It'll take us another post to elaborate, but these will do for now)

However, whether these situations and questions apply to you or not, have the cash and prefers to compute-in-style, then the iPad is definitely for you.  But for the more practical, cost-effective, and functionally-sensitive, then there's a lot more in the market for the same functionality and bigger storage at a fraction than the iPad retails (read: netbook)

My CF ratio for the $499 16GB WI-FI only iPad? With 16 Yes's based on its features and functions, $31.18/function, that's around 1,497 Php/function.  (My Yes's were based on my daily laptop use when at home or during travel, so it should vary much between users)

What's your iPad CF ratio?  If you go lower than mine, you might just need an iPad, really.