I’m a Mac, my husband’s a PC. And we get along just fine.

The iPad came along, though, and things might be changing.

I want one. I do.

BUT I have an iMac (which I rarely use). I have MacBook (which I use constantly). I have an iPod touch (which is always in my pocket or within reach). So I don’t need an iPad. But I want one. Really bad. It’s like a super-sized iPod touch. And I adore my iPod touch.

So… here’s the deal. My husband’s been wanting to get a new iPod for a while now. An iPod touch, to be precise. After watching yesterday’s presentation by Apple, I suggested that instead of him buying a new iPod touch, that we put that money towards an iPad for ME, and I’d give him my touch. Not that great of an arrangement for him, I know, but we’d both win! Right? Right?! He laughed. And then he decided to up the ante a bit.

“I’ll get you an iPad if you give me your iTouch AND your MacBook.” He was serious.

My MacBook is my baby. Could I possibly give it up? {tears swelling in my eyes} My first instinct was to say “No way!” but then I paused. The wheels started turning… I could use this on the couch while watching TV, or to catch up on my favorite blogs in bed. I can carry it everywhere in my purse, use it as my planner, and for blogging of course!

What I like about the iPad:

• The size. At 9.5×7.5 inches and 1.5lbs, it seems the perfect size to fit comfortably in my hands. In comparison, my MacBook weighs almost 5lbs and is twice as thick.
• The price. I’d be happy with the $499 version, as I honestly expected it to cost a lot more. I think Apple wants to put this in the hands of as many people as possible right now. Next year they’ll probably come out with another one with more features, at a higher price point.
• 10-hour battery life. I can barely get a couple of hours on my MacBook and iPod touch when using wi-fi. 10 hours would mean I could use it throughout an entire day without having to charge it!
• Apps. Close to 150,000 apps at my fingertips! I already have my favorites on my iPod touch, but I can just imagine how much more can be done on a bigger screen.
• iBooks. I’ve always wanted a Kindle, but it didn’t make sense to me to spend so much on a “one-trick pony” – the iPad is so much more than just an e-book reader!
• Keyboard dock. Costs extra, but a nice option to have if I find myself typing a lot. Which I probably will if I use the iPad for blogging.
• Camera connection kit. Also costs extra, but the SD card reader would be very convenient. I could upload my photos easily and edit them by touch. By touch.

What I dislike:

• No camera. All macs have built-in cameras now, so I, like so many other consumers, naturally expected one. Video-chatting over Skype would have been fun, but not essential.
• No multitasking. In this aspect, it’s almost exactly like my iPod touch. On my MacBook I have Firefox, TextEdit, TweetDeck, Thunderbird, Adium, and Skype running practically all the time, so it’ll be quite a deviation from what I’m used to. On a positive note, this might be a good thing, as it’ll get me to focus on what I’m doing and follow it through until I’m done. Less distractions. Because saying I’m easily distracted is an understatement.
• The case. It looks kind of cheap. I’ll be looking out for new versions by other companies in the coming months.
• The name. But it makes sense, I guess. It’ll grow on me.

Can an iPad replace my iPod touch? Of course. I use my iPod mostly for checking email and all the apps, specifically TweetDeck, Facebook, etc. You know, all the important stuff.

Can an iPad replace my MacBook? Um, no. But I have a good alternative. Once I play with the iPad a little bit, I have a feeling that it won’t be too hard to give up my MacBook and go back to using my iMac. I’ve never bought any gadget blindly, so I’m not sure if I’ll be ordering this as soon as Apple notifies me the iPads are available (yes, I signed up for notification). But I might. Only time will tell. Maybe I’ll lose interest over the next 58 days. But I doubt it! 😉

What do you think of the iPad? Will you buy one?