Apple iPad, oPoo!

I needed to go to town today and run some errands but I didn't want to miss out on the big Apple meeting. Before I left home I went to iGoogle and found it was going to be covered live by CNN Tech so I set their Twitter feed to go to my phone as SMS messages. Then I went to meet my friend Steve for lunch. I put my phone in my pocket to eat lunch, but he could have his iPhone out on the table with the Engadget site up and see updates without pushing any buttons. The minute they announced the name he started laughing. iPad. NOOOOOOOOO!

Steve does freelance work for a company called ipad management. He had me go take pictures of 10 of their apartment properties for posters. They are really nasty apartments. And the owner is obsessed with objectifying women. With no discernible marketing connection whatsoever he insists Steve use all these iStock photos of girls in lifeguard bathing suits on billboards and print ads. So the name has bad connotations for me BESIDES the same reason everybody else has for not liking it.

After lunch I took my car back to the shop because I felt like I was getting some inappropriate torque steer after all the work they did on it last week. While they were figuring out what was happening I kept getting these Twitter texts. All in all I got 91 updates from CNN Tech about the iPad today. Finally got some use out of that 1500 text message package I get from ATT. The mechanics found a strut bearing that was loose and tightened that up to fix my torque steer problem, but I insisted that the fluid dripping off the bottom of the engine wasn't right and asked them to keep the car and figure out how to stop that leak. I called my mom to come pick me up and I went with her to do some shopping.

We went in a department store and I did a double take walking past the watches. There was a watch in the display case that was HUGE! It was the size of a can of water chestnuts with giant knobs sticking out on both sides. It had three dials plus a digital read out. I kid you not it was the ugliest watch I have ever seen. So there's all this fuss about the lightest computer ever with the 1.5 pound, 1/2 inch thick iPad, meanwhile watches are getting BIGGER? I guess they are like those leather things Hercules wore on his forearms -- for fighting.

Anyway, I'm home now and able to get the details on the iPad. It seems my main prediction that was wrong was speculating how neat it would be for video chat. They say they have ported the iWorks apps to the iPad OS, but I don't know about iLife. Maybe it's just a given that it would have iPhoto, iChat, iTunes, etc. I haven't found confirmation of that yet. It does have the option for an ATT unlimited data plan similar to what I have on my Nokia smart phone, but it will cost $29.99 instead of $19.99 a month.

Based on the photo on the page linked above the bluetooth keyboard I'm typing on right now can be used with the iPad via the Bluetooth connection. So my prediction was right.

Since it comes with GPS it is gonna be supreme with Google Maps mobile app for navigation. And it has the built in accelerometer so it can be used with the iPhone apps like the sleep cycle alarm clock.

I wonder if the 3G data plan makes it possible to do a remote wipe of the iPad?

Despite not having a web cam I still want one. But I will get my car fixed some more instead. If I get a job though, the iPad is MINE.