iPad

Apple will start selling the iPad 2 on Friday and I want one, of course, but I can’t really afford it. They start at $500, just like the 1st Gen iPad did. The problem is, the more I look at my life and how I work, I realized that I *need* one. Maybe not an iPad 2, with all it’s sexiness, but an iPad for sure.

I work out of coffee houses and bookstores, any place that has WiFi, so that I am not stuck at home all day. Well lugging around my laptop, along with my books and notepads, is really taking a toll on my body. Plus, I occasionally have issues finding an electrical outlet. My laptop is over two years old, so I don’t get the greatest battery life.

I was looking at the various devices out there, netbooks and the such, but nothing really touches the iPad when it comes to the features I need. The ten hour battery life is the main selling point. I can write all day, anywhere I want, even in the park, and not have to worry about plugging in. It’s thin and light, even the 1st Gen is only .5 inch thick and weighs 1.5 pounds.

The main barrier is price. However, Apple is selling their stock of 1st Gen iPads for $100 off, plus they are offering factory refurbs for even less than that. I’m thinking, that as long as I stay within my actual educational and business needs, along with some church stuff, the 16GB WiFi only model will work just fine for me. I can get that from Apple for $350 – $400, about the price of a netbook that has only about a third of the battery life.

My guess is that I’m going to buy one when my financial aid comes in, I’ve been thinking about it too much. I just need to get a part time job, or something, for the rest of the semester and then, hopefully, get either a full time job this summer, or start landing some good writing and web design gigs.

I wonder what I’ll end up getting. My nature is not very inclined to waiting, so if the iPad 2 is not immediately available, it will make it easier for me to just get a 1st Gen, which, again, is really all I need. I have to keep reminding myself that I don’t need all of the new features on the iPad 2, as much as might want them. If I was bringing in a lot more money, then of course I would go for the best one, but right now that just isn’t responsible.


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