Ten reasons to buy a first-generation iPad

Saturday, Mar 26, 2011

Gulf News

Last week I finally got around to buying an iPad, and no, I don’t mean an iPad 2. I know the GeekCode forbids ever buying old technology when newer technology is available, but rules are made to be broken. I won’t try to weasel out by claiming the iPad 2 hasn’t been officially launched in the UAE, because that’s never been a factor here, especially if you’re willing to pay a premium.

So, in order to avoid the loss of any GeekCred — and to stave off any feelings of buyer’s remorse on my end — I’m offering my top-ten reasons why it’s still OK (at least for me) to buy a first-generation iPad.

10. You have to buy one sometime. When the iPad first came out, I didn’t buy one because I didn’t know what it was. Then I tested one and liked it, but I still held off on buying one because many of Apple’s competitors were getting ready to launch their own tablets. Those were OK, but content was still an issue, so I decided to buy an iPad again. Then there were those iPad 2 rumours, so I held off buying again. When that launched, I was faced with having to wait five weeks until one could be shipped from the US. That was the final straw. I can wait a year for a new version, but I refuse to wait five weeks for shipping.

9. Inferiority complex. I was tired of being the only tech reporter in the Northern Hemisphere without an iPad. An old iPad is better than no iPad.

8. Price. I don’t care what Apple’s list price is, there are always extra costs. When I bought an iPad (64GB, 3G) in the US for a friend, the state of California added an extra $80 (Dh293) in sales tax, putting the final price at over $900 or Dh3,304. I picked up mine in Dubai for Dh3,075. The iPad 2 is selling locally for around Dh4,000.

7. Desperation. I needed something to write about in this week’s column.

6. No photos please. I don’t care if there is a camera on the iPad 2. I do about half my computing at home. No one wants to see that. Also, I already have three cameras, two on my mobile and one on my computer. I don’t use those either.

5. No need for speed. I don’t use the iPad to crunch numbers, and so far I’ve only seen one program, Apple’s video editing app titled iMovies, that requires an iPad 2. But video editing isn’t something I do, and if I wanted to, it would be on my home PC with a 1GB video card.

The bottom line is that I use the iPad mainly for reading and writing, two activities that no amount of processing power is ever going to speed up.

4. Apps. I’m sick of having my friends coming up to me to show me their latest apps, when they know damn well that I can only sit there and watch. Again, an old iPad is better than no iPad.

3. Angry Birds. I haven’t seen my smart phone much since my girlfriend discovered it has the Angry Birds apps. I needed my fix.

2. Laptop substitute. I love my laptop, but after four years it’s beginning to show its age. I didn’t want to buy a new one. The first generation iPad is at least as fast as my old computer. I just added a wireless keyboard and problem solved.

1. Reality. The iPad 2 has some cool upgrades, but the overall package really isn’t much of an improvement over the first-generation. Maybe Apple should have called in the iPad 1.5. Unless you’re a shameless fanboy who has to have the latest gadget, the original iPad is still a worthwhile purchase.

TECH

NOTE

I’m sick of having my friends coming up to me to show me their latest apps, when they know I can only sit there and watch.

By Scott Shuey Business Features Editor