Here’s why I have absolutely no interest in owning the new iPad

I’m a fan of Apple products, there’s no doubt about it. Even when I decided to “quit” my iPhone to play the field with Android and Windows devices, I still couldn’t fully get rid of it. Some of the reasons for that have to do with my job, but there are certain things that the device does incredibly well.

I’ve had an iPad since Day 1, and even stood outside of an Apple Store with our own Brett Petersel for 12 hours to get one. I was excited because I thought of all the things that I could do with it. I worked at GOGII, and their app textPlus was one of the launch titles for the first generation iPad. I was excited to be a part of its development and its consumption as a user.

It turns out that all of the things that I thought I’d do with it, I ended up not doing. At all. When the iPad 2 came out, I thought “Oh wow, finally it has a camera….I’m so getting one!”. But I didn’t. And when the iPad 3 new iPad came out, I wasn’t interested at all.

I just moved into a new apartment and haven’t unpacked my stuff yet, which includes my iPad:

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It’s not because I don’t think it’s a great device, it is, but it’s truly not the device for me. Here’s why:

I work on a computer all day

Since my job requires me to type a lot, my main device is my Macbook Air. It’s such a gorgeous piece of machinery that I’m pretty much “one” with it. I know all of its flaws, all of its strengths, and with the addition of some cool features via the developer’s preview of Mountain Lion, I do pretty much everything on it.

I have the smallest version of the Air, which is so light I forget sometimes that I’m carrying it. When I want to get down to business and do something, it’s easy to pull out and get going. I sure hope that Apple’s next refresh of the Airs will have connectivity, because using another device to tether my computer is a pain in the ass.

I don’t play games

The only game that I play is Angry Birds, and for me it’s something that I do to pass the time when I’m waiting for a train or at an airport. My Android or iPhone handles the game perfectly, and it’s quite addictive.

Other than that I don’t really play games, which makes that feature of the iPad worthless for me. The new iPad is a graphic powerhouse, but it’s just not something that I’d take advantage of.

I still prefer physical books

I don’t read as many books as I used to, but when I do, I like to disconnect and read a physical book. If I’m on a connected device, it’s too tempting to multitask and I’d end up not reading the book at all.

The interface for Books on the iPad is absolutely gorgeous and I happen to think it’s a better visual experience than Amazon’s Kindle, but if I were to start reading books digitally, I’d opt for the boring old school Kindle. For the same reason as before, when I’m reading a book, that’s all that I want to do.

I’m a movie buff

I love going to movies, watching movies, talking about movies, and writing about movies. However, it’s a very disconnected experience for me. I don’t use apps to check into movies or TV shows, I like discussing the nuances of film with people in person, and I have never enjoyed watching a movie on a small screen. Not once.

Even though the iPad has a bigger screen than the iPhone, I still feel like David Lynch sums up my feelings on it quite nicely in this video:

I don’t need an “in-between” machine

A lot of the selling points for geeks is that the iPad is an “in-between” machine. When you don’t want to be on the phone, or on the computer, you can use an iPad for a more relaxing experience when it comes to computing. Perhaps in my old age I’ve found that I need some disconnected times, so I don’t really need a device to fill in the gaps when I’m not using my computer or phone.

Sometimes I enjoy the lack of “noise”.

Don’t hate

A lot of my geekier friends were shocked that I didn’t pre-order the new iPad. At first, I was surprised as well. After all, I’m an Apple fan and love everything that they create. When it comes to the iPad though, I can’t think of a single feature or function that the company could add to it that would make me want to buy one.

I don’t dislike the device and can totally see why people like my Mom love it. If you’re not sitting in front of a screen all day for your job, it’s a beautiful way to lounge and still “compute”.

I’m more excited about the future of the line of laptops than I am about the iPad right now, and while that sounds insane since we’re in the “Post-PC era” according to Apple, until I end up working in another field, I imagine that the iPad will remain a fun thing to play on but not something that I really want or need.