Mike: Well, you see, my interests have been changing over the last 6-months or so, and, frankly, I’m looking to go in a new direction.

I: Care to fill us in?

M: Well, I’ve become tired, yet again, of how my personal blogs ultimately degenerate into a series of rants. Not very useful or inspiring.

I: Does this mean you’re done with blogging?

M: “Done” wouldn’t be the word I’d use. I’ve got a new website in development you see. This time it’s about content. Adding value. Education. Nothing like my angry rants of the past.

I: Sounds a bit interesting… Any idea of a launch date for this revisioned site?

M: For now let’s just go with “soon”. Stay tuned!

I’m the guy that not only watched the pirated live stream of Steve Job’s presentation of the iPad via the Net (thanks again Leo) but watched the presentation again that evening after downloading the video to my AppleTV.

I love Apple products. I love what they do for me in both my personal and professional life. I’m a big fan.

I cannot see paying for an iPad.

It quickly boils down to this: the iPad does nothing for me that my other technology doesn’t already do better.

That isn’t to say the iPad doesn’t do things better for other people. It doesn’t do much for me. Not $500-$700 worth of “better” anyway.

“If you were looking at a $250 Kindle you must look at the iPad!”

I’m not looking at the Kindle. I don’t read digital books. I barely read books frankly finding my compressed schedule and personal tastes lead me more to 20 minute podcasts and the modern equivelent of the magazine otherwise called a website.

“It is a portable display that is amazing for those websites and those video podcasts!”

I’ve seen the demos and, yes, it is a wonderfully portable interface to both the web and to digital video content. But, so is my iPhone and my Macbook. I’ve already invested, literally, thousands of dollars into these devices. Why add another layer of expense for such little improvement to services I already can access.

“But the iPad is so eligant and easy to take into the field!”

No question. I would much rather carry an iPad instead of a Macbook based solely on size and convenience. But here’s the rub. The Macbook does much more for me than the iPad can ever dream of accomplishing. The Macbook has a full web browser. It has a huge hard drive to bring tons of content with me. My old school white plastic Macbook even has a replacable battery so I have less worry about being without access to my device. I can even use “Back to my Mac” to easily access files that may only exist on my home server with little effort. I have full software applications, not stripped versions, and, well, I have a computer.

“But hauling that beast around with you…”

Since when did a 13″ laptop become too much kit to carry with you? Are we that spoiled that we are willing to give up function for eligance? Not me. Not yet.

“But the touch interface is so awesome!”

It is. I love Apple’s touch interface. That’s why I pay thousands of dollars to carry an iPhone in my pocket everwhere I go. In my life anyway, it is always on the Net, ready to quickly give me basic access to my email, my Twitter and Facebook accounts, and so much more. Along with that, in case some of you have forgotten, it is a darn good phone with robust address management and voicemail support. Add to that nearly all of the functionality that the iPad provides when it comes to media, games, and, well, again, the iPad is better on many levels, but how much better?

The iPad is being marketed as a third device. The reality is that many will try to make it a second or perhaps even a singular device. Why? Because, in the real world, removed from the pundits that can recover a $500+ investment in new technology with a single podcast or published article, the rest of us need to consider what value an iPad provides us versus our opportunity costs.

iPad v1.0 is a sexy thing full of fun and “wow” for those that love tech. I just can’t avoid imagining being frustrated as I discover time and again how often my new iPad, while capable of so much, leaves me wishing it did more.

That new car sure is sexy. A shame it doesn’t have the ability to go to the post office or the grocery store. But, wow, it sure gets you to the airport in record time. But… I don’t go to the airport that often…

The iPad is a luxury right now. It’s the imported bottled water of the tech world. It isn’t a critical “life tool” like cell phones and computers have become. If you have the money, enjoy your luxury.

Me?

Well, I’ll wait until I can truly replace my laptop. I figure… June 2013