5 reasons why I won’t buy an Apple iPad (just yet).

So after months of rumor the Apple iPad was finally released to the public by Steve Jobs in usual style. I’ve never seen so much online hype surrounding the new device and to be fair much of it was deserved. Apple must have been rubbing their hands together as all they needed to do is plant a few seeds and the community took over giving the keynote event and product more coverage than any ad campaign could manage. As I said most of the hype was deserved but I think unlike the iPhone there isn’t too much revolutionary here in terms of product. Yes the software and actual design look amazing but it’s still roughly the same hardware platform as the iPhone just bigger.

I’ve just watched most of the keynote speech thinking how great it is and how much it’ll do for me but after I had time to reflect I honestly can’t see myself using it in my daily routine.I’ve put together 5 simple reasons why the Apple iPad won’t work for me.

1. Battery life claim is  only 10 hours, yes this is after you use it non-stop but as the iPhone has shown me over the last 18 months this will only get worse and you probably won’t be able to change the battery. For this to be used as an every day device which multiple people will pick up it needs to last for at least a couple of days of regular use. My iPhone used to be at 50% after 4 hours standard work use.
2. I’ve just got myself a Google Nexus One. I never really read book and my new mobile can do everything the iPad can.
3. It should have allowed for calls and had a built in camera like the iMac. That really would have pushed the boundary, just imagine iChat on it. I think this would have gone along way to pushing my closer to my wallet when it goes on-sale.
4. If your watching a film don’t you want the sound quality to be great? Can’t see this happening from the in-built speakers and headphones are just a compromise. For me a true cinema experience can only be had with an Amp and surround sound speakers.
5. If this device is to be used around the home more than one person will want to use it. Nothing was mentioned about multi-user access. This would need to be resolved if I was to use it.

Don’t get me wrong I think this is a great product and if I find my situation changing I may consider it but at the moment this would be an impulse buy that wouldn’t get much use at home or in the work environment. As with everything Apple (I own an iMac and until recently a iPhone and Mac Mini) it’s beautifully designed. Take a look at the gallery below.

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As you may have seen in the top right of this blog I work in the UK consumer publishing sector so hopefully all the hype surrounding this new device and the potential revenue models surrounding digital editions will come true. For that I give Apple my full respect as they’ve certainly made a great platform (hardware and software) for publishers worldwide. Just take a look at the below clips of how a magazine could look on the device.

Amazing don’t you think?