Why did I buy an iPad?

About sevens months ago, I wrote a post listing the reasons why I didn’t buy an iPad; you can read the gory details by clicking on that link. Even so, I always wondered why I didn’t go in for this device? Was writing that blog post a case of sour grapes? To be truthful… yes!

Anyway, on the penultimate day of 2010, I found myself holding a brand new 64BG 3G iPad machine. It was a conscious decision (wasn’t forced on my somebody) and I was mighty proud of my purchase. On this page I’ll list some of the important reasons why I bought an iPad.

Reasons why I bought the iPad!

• I was in Dubai and just had to buy something to ‘complete’ the visit, if you know what I mean. The iPad wasn’t officially available in my country at that time and somehow I don’t trust the Indian gray market.
• The wife didn’t spend as much as I had anticipated and so I had some ‘spare’ money.
• I love movies (and music and books). So much so, I watch a movie (any movie) for 15-30 minutes each night just before I go off to sleep. (No, I don’t watch the telly at all, so that’s my only screen entertainment.)
• Books are another passion. The iPad, based on what I read online, is one great ebook reader.
• Being a net addict, I want immediate web access. Lugging a laptop around or waiting for it to start up is just kills the whole intention. Yes, the iPhone is a great machine and serves this purpose well but the screen is a little small, right?
• Immediate email access – to all my inboxes!

So the iPad was primarily bought as a work tool with a little ‘movie’ entertainment thrown in. We have the iPhone and the iPod for games.

It’s been more than 25 days since I’ve had the device and I’ve loved each time I’ve used it. I can watch AVI movies on the iPad directly with the free VLC player without the need of converting them to mp4 format first (as I had done for the iPod). And reading books (PDF format) is wonderful. I’m trying out several PDF annotators and will soon let you know which one is the best.

Expect tons of tips and posts on the iPad in the coming days.