You may or may not have heard of Mary-Jo Foley but she’s covers Microsoft. Like totally covers Microsoft. She’s as much as a Microsoft nerd as we are Apple nerds. That’s how serious she is.
Well, she bought an iPad. I know! WTF!
Anyway, Mary-Jo bought the iPad because she couldn’t find a Windows device that did what the iPad does, mainly exist in a plane that is neither PC nor smartphone yet offer the best of both. She explains it thus:
So why did I succumb to the charms of the iPad? Quite simply, I have not been able to find a PC that offered what an iPad does. Windows laptops are powerful, versatile and relatively inexpensive compared to Apple’s counter-offerings. You can get portable netbooks (with so-so performance), great big-screen gaming rigs and thin-and-light models (like the Asus UL30A that is my current workhorse). But none of these has the amazing battery life, fast on/off, ultra-handy form factor, a made-for-touch interface (rather than touch bolted on to a keyboard/mouse-centric interface) or a built-in app store.
She basically admits that Windows, at least right now, is not a good tablet platform. Putting aside the fact that the industry has been saying that since the first tablets rolled out in 2001, she’s very brave. When I read her headline, I was concerned she’d be trolled mercilessly. Thankfully, the commenters were quite kind. The worst was stuff like this dude, who channels Freedom Fighter Che Guevara:
As a consumption device, it is probably very good. I understand MJ’s rationale and thinking – it makes perfect sense.
However, I will never give Apple any of my $$ given their business philosophy. I therefore think MJ jumped the gun. I will wait for Android/Chrome slates. Judging by the Android phones, they will be more or less on par with the iPad, will be much more open and quickly come down in price.
Anyway, it’s a good read.