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Why an Apple Hater got an iPad

This week, I tweeted that I had obtained an Apple iPad. My work laptop had died, and after a month of pondering and researching, i made the decision to move to Cupertino. Those who know me well know that I have a strong disdain for Apple, despite having been a former iPhone owner. I figured that explaining how I ended up with this may help some others as they consider iPad.

To begin, let’s talk about tablets. I have liked the tablet concept all the way back to the mess that was Windows XP Tablet Edition. I have owned a netbook and notebook computer, but the instant-on ability of s tablet form factor fits my workflow better. Most of my job involves going from meriting to meeting, conversation to conversation, service to service. Tablets have many downsides, but with a desktop at home and computer workstations I can borrow at work, i had options.

I was an early adopter of the first generation iPhone. I loved its cutting edge technology, syncing eith media, and web browsing. Over time, I grew to hate AT&T for a variety of reasons, but also disliked Apple policies. The absence of letting me, the user, choose whether or not to be able to use Adobe Flash remains absurd to me. Apple has prevented many great Apps from being downloaded (see the Google Voice debacle, for example). Apple prevents innovation that could unlock the potential of their powerful devices.

I took my smartphone business to Android with a couple devices and liked it. Android has a platform from Google that lets a person install other Apps, systems, and tweaks that even the carriers hate. Android allows Adobe Flash, but has a much smaller App Market and battery issues. I still recommend Android phones over iPhones, but for an iPad, the story changes.

Google is currently on the cusp of releasing Android 2.3, aka Gingerbread. Ginger improves many things, but Google has openly said They really wont address tablet functionality until Android 2.4, aka Honeycomb later in 2011. Tablets with Android currently are running what is literally a tweaked mobile phone system. Even the 7” Samsung Galaxy Tab is far from fully ready for prime time despite some nice features.

The January Consumer Electronics Show will feature a slew of Android Tablets, including the one that tempted me, the Notion Ink Adam. Notion is a fresh company out of India with a great product but questionable support and policies. With a work device, I can’t take risks. Until Google has released a genuinely tablet-oriented OS, there is iPad and a horde of pretenders.

If I were making this decision late in 2011, it would have possibly gone a different direction, but the Android market is just not there. So I here I sit, having blogged on an iPad. After one day of use, I have already found my suspicions to be true. Its quick and handy. I also have run into 3 pages where I wanted Flash and wish it had a camera. But for my workflow, this appears to be a good fit. And maybe, just maybe, Uncle Steve will let up in his old age.