I sat down to my computer over spring break frustrated. I had spent the past three hours thinking of ways to get my movies onto my parents 50 inch TV in the basement. Because Doctor Who is so much better on the big screen. My house included quite a few pieces of equipment, (Xbox, Wii, LAN, and many different home entertainment systems), but nothing was easy. All I wanted, was an easy way to watch my videos.
But I let that simmer as I turned to Engadget’s live blog of the iPad 2 event. Slightly miffed that Apple wasn’t streaming it themselves, I settled in for an hour event of iPad. I had wanted one ever since the first one came out, but I told myself to wait, that all things get better over time, and the iPad 2 will definitely be worth the wait. But as the event had drawn near, and the rumors spread, I was getting ready for a disappointing spec bump.
But I was okay with that. That’s why I had waited. Because I wanted that spec bump, I wanted my iPad to be faster, thinner, lighter. It wouldn’t blow my imagination away, but it would be good. And I was right. As the event unfolded, the iPad 2 came out. Thinner. Lighter. Same resolution, same price. Cameras. Everything we had expected.
Oh, and video out. Mirroring at 1080p.
It was like my dreams had been answered. The entire morning spent plagued by such a simple task, and Apple was offering me the solution. Get an iPad, hook it up to your TV with HDMI, and you’re done. Watch movies. Play games. Amazing your eleven year old sibling.
I wanted one.
My parents agreed to help pay for it for my belated birthday gift. I woke up on March 11th, at 3:50 eastern, and went to the Apple website. To my amazement, the “Buy now” link was up already, not at the 4am I had expected. I didn’t wait. Within a minute, I had ordered my iPad 2. 16 GB, black, WiFi only. Shipping in 3-5 days. Two days later, I had my tracking number, and watched it go from China, to Alaska, to Tennessee, to me.
It arrived 3 hours earlier than FedEx had said it would. I went to my campus post office and asked for my package. The man asked if I had any fish allergies. Apparently, FedEx had spilled fish oil on some of the packages. Mine was okay, but if anything had happened….
The Packaging is beautiful. Very Apple, simple, white, pretty. I open the box, and there is the iPad 2. I turn it on, and it boots fast. Much faster than my iPhone 3GS. It’s beautiful. Holding it in my hands feels good, right. It feels like the future. I browse through the apps on it after registering it on the WiFi. WPA2, enterprise encryption. Not a hiccup from the iPad.
Safari is fast, the App Store is beautiful. The entire device feels like it was made with simplicity in mind. And that’s not a bad thing. I show my friends, they’re jealous. All of them want one, except it’s too much money. I understand, without my parents, I wouldn’t have gotten one either.
I sync it up to my computer and start downloading apps. Three hours before class. Everything looks so beautiful, so pristine. It doesn’t have the same resolution as the iPhone 4, and yet, I don’t mind. The screen is beautiful.
I take a look at the camera app. I take some some pictures. The quality doesn’t look that great, but I don’t think it matters. When will I be taking pictures with it? I plan on Skyping, that’s all.
Time for class. I take one look at the device, and then my backpack. No way. I didn’t buy a case, nor a smart cover. I wanted a case that could hold items as well as the iPad. My HDMI adapter, for example. No way am I putting my naked iPad in my backpack, and it doesn’t even look that dirty.
I need a sleeve.
I go to class, and keep imagining taking notes on my iPad. I’ll need a good note taking app, but I believe I can go paperless in my classes. All I need is my iPad and a pencil for exams. My text books are all on the iPad.
After class I come back, and pick up the iPad. I can’t put it down. It’s not just a new gadget, it’s a new idea. I move over everything I need to the iPad. Bookmark websites, move over good music from my computer, get a new wallpaper:
(source)
My girlfriend wants to Skype. I want to test Skype on my iPad. I open the app and cringe. It’s not universal. But it works. We Skype, and I fidget. I can’t hold the iPad up in front of me, it gets to heavy over time. I move to the couch and slouch down, but then she gets a low angle of my face. Turning the device sideways allows her to see more than just my head, but it’s still awkward. There is no good way to do this. Maybe with a stand, but I don’t want a stand. It’s a tablet, it goes with me, it doesn’t stay in one place. Also, the image quality is worse than on my Mac Book Pro (2009). No good.
I won’t Skype again on it. I’ll give it another shot when Skype is available as an iPad app. But that’s it.
I spend the evening playing games on the iPad with my friend. We compared playing the same games on the iPad and his iPod Touch 2G. His lagged, mine didn’t. At one point in Mini Gore HD, it lagged terribly, but picked up once I destroyed the creature making the lag, the worms. Besides that hiccup, the device powered through fine.
And then I enabled multitouch gestures, the developer ones. They are amazing. Incredible. I don’t know why Apple didn’t leave them in, because everyone should have them. Swiping in between apps feels so natural. I can code in one, and then check out my changes in safari. The apps create that functionality, but iOS completes it.
I pick up my phone to text a friend to try FaceTime with me. My 3GS looks so hideous compared to the iPad. Why would I use this for anything except phone calls and texting? My friend can’t FaceTime, so I get ready for bed. I picked up the iPad one last time. I can’t stop holding it.
Why do I need a computer again?
