The Apple iPad is not a laptop

A friend recently sent me an e-mail expressing interest in the new Apple iPad. She wanted my opinion on whether the iPad is like a laptop or "like the iPhone which I already have." Being that the iPad isn't out yet and I haven't experienced it first-hand, my opinions are based solely on information I have found online. Here's a list of things that I have learned so far:

Pros:

• Familiarity - If you know how to use an iPhone or iPod Touch, you already know how to use an iPad.
• Mobility - It's light, slim and portable. 3G is available as an option. Excellent battery life.
• App Store - As more and more apps are written for the iPad, it's functionality is bound to increase.
• Cost - The iPad starts at $499, less than half the price of a new MacBook.
• Coolness - It's the latest Apple gadget. If you've got one, you're cool. :-D

Cons:

• Disk Space - iPad tops at 64GB, whereas most laptops include 250+GB hard drives
• Keyboard - The iPad uses a virtual keyboard that takes up almost half the screen. A real keyboard will cost you extra.
• No multi-tasking - Like your iPhone or iPod Touch, you won't be able to run more than one app at a time.
• No 3rd party software - Unless you use web apps, you're forced to use apps exclusively from the App Store.
• No camera, no video recording, no Flash, no USB, no expansion, etc...
• Cost - For less than the price of an iPad, Henry purchased a new 10" Samsung netbook from Sam's Club that he's very happy with.

Would I buy an iPad? At this time, probably not... I simply can't justify the return on the expense. The iPad does not give me any additional features (short of the larger screen size) that my jail-broken iPhone can't offer me. For the time being, I am holding off for the upcoming refresh of MacBook Pros. Of course, all this may change as more apps are released exclusively for the iPad. :-D

It seems to me that, at this time, the iPad is essentially an updated iPod Touch with a larger screen. Like with the iPhone and iPod Touch, as more software is written for the device, it will undoubtably gain more functionality and praise.

My recommendation is this: If you have an Apple Store or Best Buy nearby, stop by next month when the new iPads hit the shelf. Make yourself a list of questions and hammer your "Apple Genious" or Best Buy rep for information. Try the device first-hand and make an assessment whether it or a notebook or laptop will best work for you. Remember, an informed buyer is a happy buyer. :-)

And then came facebook...

The day I got that first e-mail with an invitation to join the world-wide social interconnectedness known as Facebook, my life changed.

I find myself reverse-stalking lots of people... my mother Lulu in Miami, my brother Erik and his wife Christy, my sister Lydia and husband Eddie, my baby sister Lorena, my cousins Moy, Ana M, Paty, Leslie, Fab, and Chachi. Folks from Hidalgo High School. The troublemakers from the UT-PA Computer Science labs. The crazies from Rackspace and Northside ISD.

Then there's the friends of friends, the fan groups and alumni groups, the fan pages, etc...

Then there's Mafia Wars... First was just New York, then Cuba at level 35, now there's Moscow and Bangkok coming soon. Oh, and FarmVille... all the damn mouse-clicking required to plow, seed and harvest crops some fruit or to milk some animal.

Why, oh why, do I let myself get sucked into this?