i read. i surf. i play music. But i don't play Flash, and i cost more than $500.

So Apple released another big product. The Ipad. It's kinda dominated tech news over the last few days.......
That's Gizmodo's front page. Every story on it is Ipad related. Now I might be in the minority here (internet forum comments indicate I'm not...), but I don't really see what is so amazing about the Ipad. Now don't get me wrong, I'm into new tech (hell I write in a blog about tech don't I?), but the Ipad doesn't strike me as revolutionary. Let's break down the features shall we?

You can surf the web when connected via Wi-Fi (but not 3G).

You can view videos (but not Flash, the most common animation format on the web).

You can read eBooks with it (Like a paper book, but 20 times the price).

You can listen to music (like an iPod, but upwards of 6 times the price).

You can write and create documents (like a laptop, but less functionality, and in some cases more expensive).

What the iPad basically is, is an iPhone that has been made too big to be carried conveniently, you can't call anyone, doesn't connect to 3G and is more expensive. Or it's a laptop that is without the memory, power, functionality or usefulness and can be more expensive. Yay?

In fact there isn't really any reason for this thing to exist, except to allow basketball players and grandmas to check their email and look up youtube. In fact, from a market perspective, it's difficult to work out who exactly this is aimed at. The tech savy who use the internet rarely have digit or eyesight difficulty, so they don't need their iPhones to be the size of lunch trays, those who do, the grandmas and basketball players, either think the internet was made by Satan, or play basketball, and so are none too tech savy, which begs the question, why would they by an iPad, when they can fulfil their book reading needs with paper and don't need to sell bodily parts in order to buy it?

So when faced with the virtually impossible question; should I buy another piece of overpriced, useless gimmicky Apple crap? Ask yourself these two important questions;

"Do I own an iPhone or Android capable phone?"

"Do I own a laptop?"

If your answer is no to both of these questions, then go right ahead, the iPad is for you...you basketball playing, internet hating, cancer ridden senior citizen.