I said I wasn't going to want one...the Apple iPad.

As some of you may know, I'm an electronics junkie. I love computers, I love new devices, and I also love all things Apple, ever since I got my first blue iPod mini that I had to beg my parents to buy.

I've been following the rumors about the Apple Tablet since they started popping up. I almost considered not getting a nook because of the Apple Tablet rumors. Leading up to this event, I firmly said, no, I don't want one. Why do I need one? I have an iPhone, iMac, and MacBook. What makes this new device so special? What makes it necessary?

As I thought, it does look like an overgrown iPhone/iPod touch. But I love my iPhone! The iPad looks slick and watching videos of it operating, it's fast and nimble. You just want to reach out and touch it. It's got such a wide viewing angle that you can sit on the couch and watch it with a friend. So yeah, the bottom line is, I want one. Why? Because it's shiny, I'm a consumer, and yeah, it's shiny! Also, it's about half the price I thought it would be if I were to get the 16 GB model. Though I'd probably spring for the 3G one, which would add $130 to the final price tag. Everyone was saying that they would be about $1,000, which I thought was way too much, but this price is much more reasonable.

Looking at all the accessories you can get for it, I think it would actually be pretty neat for writing. You can use a bluetooth keyboard or one that connects to the dock and it will stand on its own, or you can use the touchscreen one that's about the size of a laptop keyboard but I don't know about that for touch-typing. I tried to use a netbook for the last NaNo, because I didn't want to carry my laptop to work, and while I don't think the iPad will be small enough to take to work and use on my lunch break, I think it would still be easier to get some writing done on the fly and around the house and also at write-ins. Here's to hoping I can get Scrivener on it! Otherwise, I'll be stuck using Pages, which isn't too awful, but I love Scrivener.

As for ebooks on the iPad. I don't like the idea of reading on this device. I'm not going to take the iPad with me to work and read it on my lunch breaks, and I'm not going to take it into bed with me and read books on it. That's what my nook is for. The purpose of e-ink screens on ereaders is that the screen does not hurt or stress the eyes while you're reading for a long time. I don't want to spend a lot of time reading with this backlit device because it's the same as a computer screen. The battery on my nook will also last longer than that on the iPad, even though the iPad is supposed to last for 10 hours on wi-fi (no numbers for how long it'll last on 3G yet). My nook fits in my purse, while this nearly-10 inch device will not. I will possibly buy books on the iPad (assuming I get one), but only those that I cannot get on my nook. Some publishers do not offer certain books through Barnes & Noble, and they may offer it on the iPad.

Apple's done it again. They've made me crave their newest shiny piece of glass, metal, plastic, and silicone. Now I have two options: read all the scathing reviews that will inevitably come out of this (most of them from Apple haters) and convince myself that I don't need one, or find a way to save up for this thing while I'm also paying bills, paying off the credit card, and paying back my IOU's. Good thing I'm getting a good amount of money back from my income taxes! Or maybe as a birthday present in May. Yeah mom and dad, I'm hinting!