iPad dreams do come true…

I resisted and resisted, but after 10 days I finally gave in: I really had to buy an iPad. It is strictly for research and development, obviously. Quite.

Anyway, I first tried phoning the Apple Store; I wanted the top of the range model please. Sorry no stock available. Hmmm, no problem, I’ll wait, it’s not a big deal all. I phone again a few days later. Same answer. Blast, I should have got one that first launch weekend.

A week later I go to the Apple Store in London’s Regent Street. Same answer. A couple of days later I try again; okay I go up to a guy in a blue t-shirt and ask, “so, what do I need to do to get an iPad.?” He tells me I need to register to get myself on the list. He led me over to one of the many demo laptops, kicks an anorak off (he was only checking his email anyway) and gets me to input my order. I wander off buying some other essential shiny gear before heading home.

And lo a miracle! The very next day an email turns up to say that the object of my desire is ready to be collected. The next day, off I trot and I find the queue for the chosen ones. A nice chap in the regulation blue Apple t-shirt greets me as I solemnly show him the email on my iPhone and he claps his hands in delight and beams at me: “Oh lucky!” A stupid grin starts taking hold of my visage, but I get a grip just before I turn into a simpering buffoon. I simply reply “Yep”, offer my plastic and pass the next few minutes exchanging pleasantries. But the waiting is finally over and the little package is reverently placed in my hands. Time to go home.

A thought occurs to me as I get stuck in the Friday rush-hour drive home, as I am unwrapping my purchase. Did the Apple marketing machine just see me coming? I think the answer is a probable YES!

So, what I do I think? Well, it is a thing of beauty, no question, and it is a very slick device. I set up the 3G sim and got it working; I set up my email accounts, all good. I downloaded some interesting apps, yes all nice. I even tried RealRacingHD even though within seconds I started feeling nauseous: I suddenly started suffering motion sickness while playing Duke Nukem more than a dozen years ago. I surfed the net and checked out YouTube (I thought it wouldn’t run because of the Flash problem). But no, that all ran fine too.

Then I downloaded the Times app: Wow! Is it life transforming? Well almost; I can roll over in bed every morning and download that day’s copy. I gave up reading the papers in the week years ago. Partly, it was the cost, the waste (all that paper) and the lack of time. But this is something else; it’s convenient, accessible and feels very natural as I flick from one page to the next. I noticed the odd glitch with the app, but who cares? They will eventually get it right.

Then I downloaded the EyeTV app and paid my £2.99; it’s a amazing! In seconds my iPad wirelessly connected to the EyeTV device on my Mac Pro; moments later I was watching live TV streamed to my iPad. Not impressed? Well I am! Two simple apps had changed both my newspaper reading habits and how I will be watching live or recorded TV programs in the future. Tonight I snuck off to eat my Indian takeaway at the dining table while the wife and kids were upstairs getting ready for bed. I grabbed the iPad and pondered if I should flick through The Times to see if there were some missed stories that I should read; or should I watch the news? Live TV wins and seconds later I am watching an excellent quality live stream of the Channel 5 news.

It is cool? No question. But it’s more than that. I can do these things on my Mac Pro or my Mac Airbook, but not in the same way. There is something different about this. Maybe it is magical…