The future: Now with more iPad

Like a lot of Internet hipsters, I ordered an iPad today.

You’d be correct to say it’s nutty and sort of decline-of-Rome decadent to buy a $500 device sight unseen, but considering the amount of love I feel for my iPhone, it’s hard to believe the iPad will be anything but a joy to use.

My inner cheapskate came out, though, when it came to choose a model. Decided on the lowest-end 16GB version with WiFi only. The reason for the cramped quarters is that my iPhone is also a 16GB model, and it’s nowhere near full. I imagine using the iPad much like my iPhone—put some good tunes on it, a few documents I want to access, maybe once in a blue moon a couple of movies for when I’m traveling. Can’t see there being much else on the unit.

Going Wifi-only both shaved some money off the cost of the unit and allows me to get one earlier, plus since I’m an utter homebody and rarely exist outside the sweet, sweet rays of a WiFi signal, needing the 3G networking would be a rare occurrence, and something I’m way too cheap to pay extra for. Naturally, if I was a road warrior, my decision would have been different.

I will surely use the $100 saved from going lowest-end for apps and some external hardware like a dock and a case. Which I did not purchase with the iPad since it seemed more prudent to wait until I have device in hand and can judge exactly what gizmos I’ll want. Most likely it will be dock and case, perhaps an SD card reader and a Bluetooth keyboard ¹ but who knows—I’m sure third-party equipment manufacturers are cranking away on interesting gizmos like speedfreaks on the third night awake.

I’m more excited about this device than I’ve been about any other piece of electronics for a long time. When April 3 rolls around I’ll get to hold the future in my sweaty, trembling hands. And it will be a bright, shiny future…