An iPad in My Future? Maybe not

This morning I went to Best Buy with Lora.  She bought a really nice Dell for about $530.00.  While she was completing her transaction, I sauntered over to the Apple display and checked out the iPad.  What I saw left me unimpressed.

Don't get me wrong - it was pretty.  But a base model costs $500.00.  Compare the functionality of the iPad with the Dell laptop my daughter just purchased.  For roughly $30 more dollars I could buy a machine with a lot more potential.  Needless to say, I did not buy one.

My daughter asked me why I had wanted an iPad in the first place.  I told her I wanted a digital reader.  "That's it?" She asked.  I thought about her reaction.  Yeah, I really want a digital reader, and I am unimpressed with the  Kindle.  Yet I am quite enthusiastic with the concept of digital readers.  So what gives?

Basically, I can't bring myself to spend $500 for something my laptop can already do.  Before I would buy an iPad at its present price, I would have bought a cute little laptop like the one Lora purchased.

I do believe in digital readers,  but I have a feeling that for students would prefer a platform that would translate to their cell phones.  The iPad and Kindle, to me, seem like a moderating step between the two.    I will buy more e-books for my students as soon as Follett devises a platform to transfer e-books to students' cell phones.