Could Content Redeem the iPad?

I read this article the other day, writen by the notable tech writer Andy Ihnatko that got me thinking about the practical nature of the iPad, which I had previously deemed impratical. Okay, so as I have already said, this thing is a big iPod Touch- I wouldn’t say it’s an iPhone necessarily because thus far it is not a phone, although with a Skype application this could indeed make voice chatting and even calling a feature, but that is a conversation for another post.

Never the less, the iPad’s greatest asset is its screen real estate, which is arguably larger than a majority of netbooks out in the market (if anything 10 inches is the max for netbooks), but unlike said netbooks, the iPad comes with a multitude of content, some you may have to pay for, some you may not, and of course I am referring to iTunes. See, for someone who already has an iPod(s) full of content (movies, music, apps, ect) you are already pretty well set up if you were to buy an iPad, which is certainly not the case if you were to buy a netbook or a tablet of another brand.

Now the big A-HA moment I had while reading the Ihnatko article was that, I, and I am sure a nice slice of the consumer market, have an interest in ebook readers, and so the ibookstore available to iPad users (question; is this ibookstore going to be available to iPhone or touch users??) gives me (and you!) the ability to fullfill ebook desires and make use of my iPod content at the same time. Of course the math of this decision would be more than simply…

ereader= $250

netbook= $300

total= $550

$550>$499 (iPad)

iPad Wins!

You have to take into consideration the fact that the iPad would be a means to spend even more money on content that you now need to own because you have a screen larger than a cell phones to work with. Apple is running a business after all and they will try to seduce you into their ever growing content market one way or another.

For me, I think it is time to refocus my thoughts in a new area. I know I want a tablet, and in light of the availability of content for the iPad perhaps it could be the tablet for me. I certainly have a good amount of time to think about it, but I fear my anticipation for the device may cause me to purchase too soon, something I ended up regretting with my iPod touch. Remember, longing makes the heart grow fonder!