Passing on the iPad (for Now)

So Apple finally unleashed its tablet with the iPad. Despite it’s funky name, the device is very cool and is set to revolutionize this developing mobile space. At an aggressive price point starting at $499, who’s not getting an iPad?

That would be me. Although an Apple fan boy at heart, I’m not totally convinced I need an iPad just yet. Yes, I was slow on the iPhone bandwagon, waiting for the 3G to hit the street before succumbing. And now, I can’t imagine life without my iPhone. Perhaps the iPad will have a similar arc where using it will validate its need.

But I’ll wait. Looking at my wants from a Netbook, the iPad comes very close but misses a key mark in what I’m looking for, and that’s the ability to offload digital pictures. While this might be a small gripe for what the iPad can actually do, it’s something I think is important. Looking at the iPad accessories, there is a Camera Connection Kit which adds a SD memory card reader or USB port to the iPad so you can connect a digital camera to import pictures and videos. But with the low end iPad model with 16 GB of storage, how many times can you offload pictures from your 8-GB SD card? Eight gigs of photos and videos is actually a lot but for an extended vacation trip, it’s a possibility.

Why not just get a larger capacity iPad with 64 GB of storage? And that’s why I’m waiting. You know the cost for capacity will be better in the next version. And maybe the cloud computing power of MobileMe will mature where pictures imported to the iPad are then safely synced in my MobileMe Gallery or iDisk. Or someone will cleverly figure out yet another way of fixing this need.

So I’ll pass on the iPad, for now, anyways.