iThink iWant an iPad

I’ve been in love with my iPhone for the past 21 months.  It’s the only mobile phone that I’ve had that I’ve not been bored with after 9 months and desperate for my contract to end, so that I can upgrade.  It’s probably because I see it more as a portable internet device than a phone.

Bearing this in mind, it won’t come as a surprise that I’ve been thinking of buying an iPad.  I wasn’t sure at first, but I think that it would be the ideal for how I generally use the web when I’m at home: sat on the couch, reading web pages, writing e-mails and updating Twitter.  There’s even a nice WordPress app for blogging.  I really think I’d get a lot of use out of it.  The main thing that has put me off so far has been the price.

The most basic model (16Gb, wifi only) is £429.  The prices take a drastic leap when you add any extra disk space or the 3G option.  £100 extra for a 3G card?  Really, Apple?  For a £400+ device, I’ve got two major reservations.  Firstly, I’m not a big fan of being an early adopter.  You always pay over the odds and get the slightly flaky first generation model.  You can guarantee that Apple will release an iPad2 in a year’s time – if not sooner, as they did with the original iPhone. I think I’d be pretty gutted to be stuck with the inferior device.

My other reservation is that I really object to paying the £100 extra for the 3G version, but if you don’t then you lose the whole mobile aspect.  It is possible to use a “mifi” device – a small 3G dongle that provides mobile wifi – and these start at around £50.  This sounds great, but you’re still getting tied in to yet another data tariff and I don’t know that I’d get value for money out of it.

Anyway, I finally laid my hands on an iPad for the first time, today.  I was convinced that I’d love using it within about 3 seconds, but it did nothing to dissuade my concerns.  In a fit of impulsiveness, I decided to go to the Trafford Centre after work and buy one anyway.  I had another play in Currys and looked forward to getting one home.  Predictably, they were out of stock (they “might get some tomorrow”, yeah right).  I moved along to the Apple store and waded through the crowds of people gazing ecstatically at the demo models.  It’s not an exaggeration to say that they were transfixed.  I considered asking if they had any in stock, even though it was probably futile, but the whole vibe of the shop put me off.  The staff had the air of happy clapper evangelists, and you seemed to have to book an appointment to buy something, like an upmarket Argos.  I made my excuses and left.

Now, I just don’t know what to do.  I definitely want one, but will I regret jumping in so quickly?  It’s not as if I actually need one.  I’m open to suggestions here, people.