By Anthony Biondi (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: March 21, 2012
Well folks, it’s that time of year again: when all your old outdated last year’s technology gets its annual update. Isn’t it great? My favorite part is when I buy a piece of expensive electronic equipment and I have to buy a whole new one in a year just to keep up with all the cool features that should have been in the model I bought.
I still remember when the first iPad came out. I had just bought a new iPod (since the death of my last one). I loved the touch series; it was my favorite. It had just been upgraded to containing a high definition screen, front and back facing camera, and a microphone. I was so excited. So when I saw the iPad I naturally thought, “Huh. A big giant iPod that I don’t need”. And to be honest, I was right. It had no front facing camera, it was bulky, and it had a mediocre screen.
Then came the iPad 2. It gained the front facing camera that my iPod already had (though the camera’s quality was quite poor), and upped its processing power, etc. Not to mention it got thinner. It was kind of cool, and by that point, a year later, I was mildly intrigued. But it was still not a justified purchase. Sure it could double as a laptop, and tablet PCs were gaining momentum in the market for that purpose. It was small, lightweight, and could do work for me. Not to mention it had some cool apps. Still, I knew that if I were to buy this, it would be replaced by something better in a year.
Sure enough, there is now the NEW iPad, apparently too cool for a number. This is the definitive version, the decisive marker in the life of this tech tool’s history. I must admit it looks cool, and, after all, looks are what this iPad is all about. It has a crazy hi-def screen. So many pixels in such a small area.
Call me a cynic, but I still have no interest in this device. I have a laptop, I have an iPod. What would I need an iPad for? Sure, it looks cool and has cool functions, but in the end, the inevitable iPad 4 will blow it out of the water. All I know is that patience is a virtue in the game of buying Apple devices. The longer you wait, the better the purchase. Who knows, maybe the iPad 4 will function as a personal gaming console, or be able to take phone calls. The only thing I really know for certain is that it is not up to my expectations of what $700-800 should get me.
I would love to have an iPad, don’t get me wrong. I think they are wicked cool, and the big screen trumps my iPod by a long shot. But the iPad is almost an unnecessary luxury that is replaced too frequently with better models, to the point that it just isn’t worth it. There might come a day when it becomes amazing, but I do not believe that this is it.
