Why I won’t buy the new iPad (and why I don’t own any of the old ones, either)

I am writing this on my beloved MacBook. Hooked on my clothes is an iPod and somewhere in my bag you will find an iPhone. Walking around with three Apple products, I sometimes get called an “Apple fangirl“. Or a fanatic. Or brainwashed. It all depends on how much tact my friends have and how much they had to drink. 😉

I beg to differ. Yes, I am a sucker for pretty things. But that’s not all I want from my gadgets and I will not buy an item just because there is an apple on it. So here’s why I won’t buy the new iPad.

Neither here, nor there

I am nowhere close to being an advanced user, but I know my way around a computer, at least for what I need it. iPad is something between my laptop and my phone – it gives me a bigger screen than my phone, but it still lacks a keyboard and the power of a laptop. I travel every now and then and it does cross my mind that it might be nice to have an iPad… but why exactly?

I can use my phone to google up information about whatever place I am visiting or to get directions back to the hotel. It is even more convenient and less likely to fall out of my clumsy hands. Once I get to the hotel (or while I am in the plane), my laptop is a much better choice for whatever I am doing. If it’s watching movies, listening to music or working, a laptop is clearly superior to an iPad.

Have you seen the price?

At a minimum of $499, one must admit an iPad is an expensive thing. If you’re in Europe, it is probably €499. Import it to Croatia, the price shoots up even more.

I have other gadgets that do what iPad does, but better. My iPod is small, light and much more convenient for playing music. My eReader is perfect for reading books because of the eInk technology it has. It is much better for my eyes than staring at yet another back lit screen. iPad does not offer me anything my other tools do not have and therefore, it does not justify its price tag.

My choice may not be yours

I understand this is a personal choice and my reasons might not apply to everybody. To be fair, there is an iPad in my household. I do not use it, but my parents do. My father uses it to read books – he finds the back lit screen to be perfect for him because my eInk eReader does not provide enough contrast for him for comfortable reading. My mother uses it to play a game (seriously, just one specific game) and to browse the internet. She was never very computer savvy and the simplicity of iPad was perfect because she lost the fear of “breaking” something.

If you are a developer, you obviously need it to build your apps. iPads created a new market and the fact that the new iPad is already sold out just proves it. Obviously, many people will be buying it, and hopefully your apps, too.

Still, my reasons come down to: It is an expensive product I do not need.

“A wise man changes his mind, a fool never”

I think this kind of reasoning is enough for me not to accept the labels I mentioned at the beginning of this post. My laptop is from 2009, my mp3 player from 2010 and my phone from 2011. New and updated versions have come along and I did not get any of them because what I have is simply good enough for me.

I am not saying I will never buy an iPad. Maybe the next version brings something that will change my mind. After all, I was a Blackberry girl until iPhone 4 came out, so maybe iPad 4 will have a feature I will love enough, or need enough, to get it.

It’s just that this iPad – doesn’t.