iPad Hype: Too Much of a Good Thing?

April 23, 2010 - By Dieter Schweiss

As an owner of an iPod Touch (a.k.a. an iPad Mini), I see the value in having a hand-held device that gives me access to the Internet, e-mail, social media tools (e.g., Twitter and Facebook), and several thousand applications. The fact that it uses Wi-Fi, instead of 3G like the iPhone, limits my access to locations that have wireless networks, so I have to plan accordingly. The funny thing is, like many tools, I didn’t know that I needed an iPod Touch until I had it, and now I can’t imagine life without it.

And that’s the problem. Nine months ago, I didn’t have my iPod Touch, and my ignorance was blissful. Now, I use it every morning to check my e-mail and the weather forecast as I’m stumbling into the bathroom. After my shower, I catch up on Facebook and Twitter. During breakfast, I make sure that the world hasn’t stopped without me while browsing news stories with the NPR and AP apps. And so it goes…

Enter the Apple iPad

I have become too connected, and yet I want more. I keep thinking that my iPod Touch would be perfect if only I could take pictures with it. That would allow me to post photos to my blog or to Twitter to share with my friends, but I don’t need an iPhone because I already have a cell phone. Besides, I don’t want to pay the extra money per month for the iPhone’s data plan.

Along Came the Apple iPad

Bigger is better, right? Maybe not. The Wi-Fi version of the iPad looks like an iPod Touch on steroids, but it’s probably the version that I would buy for myself (because I don’t want the data plan, right?) if I could afford one. I find myself drooling over the iPad like a bacon fanatic drools over a plate of spaghetti carbonara, but do I really need it? I can’t really stick one in my pocket unless I’m wearing cargo pants. Really. Big. Cargo pants. And I can’t really hide it behind my book when I tell my wife that I’m just reading and not tweeting again. (Even though she follows me on Twitter and just roles her eyes at me because she knows that that is exactly what I’m doing.)

Speaking of books, there’s a lot of hype about Apple and the iPad as an e-book reader. I have several apps on my iPod Touch for reading e-books, and I can see the value of reading e-books on a bigger screen. However, I’m also an old school kind of guy when it comes to reading books, and I like to borrow my books from the library. I can’t afford to buy every book that catches my fancy, and I can’t always download them or purchase them. Until books become readily available in digital format for very little money, I’ll still be browsing the library and the half-price bookstores for my reading material. Sorry, Apple!

Crazy Is As Crazy Does

iPad Theft Victim (KDVR.com)

Another thing that concerns me is the sheer craziness surrounding the iPad. I’m sure that you’ve heard about the poor guy who lost a finger when a thief stole his iPad, right? The irony is that he referred to the iPad as a “toy” several times during his interview. He couldn’t understand why someone was trying to steal this thing from him. And sadly, he wasn’t even buying it for himself; it was something he was picking up for his employer to be given as a gift to a corporate client. He lost a finger due to the hype over the iPad.

I finally stopped entering contests to win an iPad earlier this week. I like all of my fingers too much to risk carrying one around, and there are too many scams out there for would-be iPad winners for me to feel comfortable in my pursuit of one. And you know what happened when I stopped? The world didn’t end. My iPod Touch went back onto my desk again, instead of into my pocket. I took a bike ride with my youngest son to the park and watched robins hunting for insects in a dandelion-covered field. I started reading books again!

A Balanced Life Is A Healthy Life

Remember, at Geek Shui Living we’re all about maintaining a healthy balance between real life and virtual life. If you find your virtual life intruding upon your real life, it’s time to take a step back and smell the dandelions. Sure, that gadget of yours helps you stay connected with work, your online friends, and your hobbies, but does it help you connect to your real life friends and family? Does it help you connect with you? If the answer is, “No, it doesn’t,” then you need to look past the hype and reassess. We’re here to help you with that. It’s what we do.