After all the hype and all the rumors, Apple finally released their long awaited tablet, the iPad.  My initial reaction was that I was underwhelmed.  After thinking about it a little more, the iPad may be one of the best consumer electronic devices ever made.  It all depends on what type of person you are.  Are you mainly a consumer or are you a content creator?  I would definitely consider myself a content creator.  Digital photography and programming don’t seem to be the strong points of the iPad.  I’m also a consumer, but realistically, the iPad is a perfect device for a certain type of consumer.  I definitely think the iPad will give the Kindle a run for its money but there is something that the iPad lacks…  multi tasking.  No doubt, the iPad will be the best experience for browsing the web, just as the iPhone/iPod Touch has the best browsing experience for a mobile device.  No doubt, the iPad will probably give you the best experience for consuming your digital photos, but I’m a consumer who browses the web, views digital photos, views tweets, checks emails, all at the same time.   Is there a portable device that does this already?  Sure, it’s my Droid, but I’m not going to get the same user experience that Apple offers, plus there isn’t an Android tablet yet.  Maybe things will change with the iPhone 4.0 OS or if someone comes out with an Android table (that truly has multi-touch).

So, do I want the iPad? Sure…  but do I need it… definitely not.  The iPad can’t fulfill the needs that I have as a content creator.  The question someone has to ask is, can they justify paying $500+ on an additional device?  Maybe this year, I’ll start to do projects for the iPhone and the iPad.  If that’s the case, of course I’ll “need” to get one for “testing” purposes.  Until then, I’m excited to see how other manufacturers will respond to the iPad and I’ll save my money for now.  Of course, if things change, I’ll be sure to give my review on it. 

Update: There are a number of Android Tablets out there.  There were a few announced at CES but nothing getting as much press for sure.

Map of approximately where we went today using a GPS tracker:

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First day and half of Israel is in the books.  Arrived here Thursday afternoon, mostly jet lagged and still feeling a little jet lagged.  All it means is that I slept well the first night here.  We didn’t do much today.  We mainly hung out with Titus and Sharon.  They took us down to one of the outdoor markets, Carmel Shuk.  There were a crazy amount of people.  I mainly had my small camera with me taking a few shots and a few videos here and there.  Not much to say other than it’s an interesting country so far.  Tel Aviv is like any other big city…. lots of people, cars, etc.  Our plan is to go to Caesarea and Jerusalem soon.  Hopefully we’ll make it to the dead sea.  Tonight we have a sweet college meeting Netanya.

Here’s a slow motion video I took from the bus:

More pictures coming tomorrow.