You, like millions of others around you, may want an iPad. The question is: do you really need one? Apple’s numerous commercials make the iPad seem important, though no clear use for the iPad has really surfaced.

If you’re considering plunking down more than $400 for an Apple iPad, you may want to weigh the actual life improvements that purchasing an iPad will bring. For some, the iPad may be an indispensible tool. For others, Apple’s iPad is nothing more than a flattened computer.

What An iPad Is

Interestingly, Apple introduced a device that was very similar to the iPad in 2000, and again in 2001. While bulkier than today’s iPad, the original Apple offering was strikingly similar. Yet, nobody was interested in exploring this product further. Following Apple’s lead, various other companies (including HP) attempted to make a small square computer that lacked a keyboard.

It wasn’t until the dawn of the iPad that Apple’s original invention finally caught on. Apple made the iPad smaller, added a touch-screen keyboard, and loaded the iPad with some computer-like features. Backed by billions spent on marketing, the Apple iPad took off. Essentially, the iPad is a device that sits at the far end of the notebook spectrum.

What An iPad Can Do

An Apple iPad can do everything that your current PC can do. You can surf the net, watch videos, type reports, view photos, read e-books, and download a myriad of apps to your iPad. In many ways, the iPad is similar to the iTouch. Further, the iPad is very similar to your laptop or notebook.

These things may make the iPad indispensible for some people. Notably, those people who travel a lot, are looking for a whole house computer, or simply want to indulge in the Apple lifestyle. An iPad makes it simple to, say, read a book with one hand or type a letter on a device that’s far less cumbersome than a laptop or notebook.

Why You Might Want One

There really isn’t any one reason why you might want an iPad. The iPad is certainly a better e-reader than any other e-reader on the market. It allows you to flip through e-book pages with ease, and it doesn’t come with any of the bulk that the Kindle has. The iPad is also a fun tool to use, and it comes with a lot of entertaining features.
You can also plug an external keyboard to your iPad if you aren’t keen on the touch screen keyboard. Some may find iPad’s ability to stream videos from an iPad to an HDTV useful. But, when it comes down to it, you may just want an iPad for the sake of having an iPad. Sharing a home computer becomes a lot easier with this tool, and connecting to the Internet world while on the go is a lot easier to do with a lightweight iPad. Do you need an iPad? It’s hard to think of anyone who wouldn’t survive without one. Yet, electronics stores throughout the world are consistently sold out of Apple iPads, so someone, somewhere, may actually need to have an iPad after all.