How do decide: Should I get an iPad

On April 30th, the 3G iPad was released which is also the day I was able to get my hands on one. This isn't a full detailed review of the revolutionary device, but just a quick little guide to point you in the right direction of whether it is worth the purchase.

Many people criticize the iPad, calling it a bigger iPod Touch. Is this a valid complaint? Well, yes and no. They run the same operating systems (and from around June iPod Touches will actually have a better OS until the iPad update is released later around August), but there are three big advantages to having an iPad.

The most obvious advantage is a significantly bigger screen. This allows you to create an excellent media experience. If you want an idea of the screen size (not counting the borders), imagine four iPod Touches or iPhones laid in a 2 x 2 grid. Everything from watching movies to browsing the internet is made much easier on the iPad's much larger screen.

The second advantage is all of the exclusive apps. Many apps such as ABC, iBooks, Pages, Keynote, Numbers, and very many more work only on the iPad. Many apps are beginning to develop versions optimized for the iPad as well. Among these is the fantastic game, Plants VS Zombies HD.

The iPad also has many accessories that make it even more distinguishable from an iPod. The best of these is probably the iPad keyboard dock. It is, like the name implies, a dock where you can stand the iPad with an Apple Keyboard attached making typing a breeze.

There are obvious disadvantages to the iPad as well. Costing 2-3 times as much as an iPod is sure to leave a hole in your pocket. The portability is also an issue if you wish to compare it to iPods. 

However, you should not forget that the iPad is not just an improved iPod. The iPad is a whole new type of animal. It can handle many of the basic tasks you would have to perform on a computer and is arguably the most portable netbook to date. If you have the money and find that these advantages outweigh the disadvantages, then by all means, go out and buy the iPad. Keep in mind that Apple will probably release an upgraded version of it next Summer (if Apple's history is any indication) so you might want to hold off for that.