I need a tablet... or do I

Suddenly, Apple has changed the market for portable devices. If you've been awake and alert watching the tech market, you would have seen the incredible rise of Apple through portable devices. Apple were never the first in the market, but they ensured that they set themselves apart from the others and took strong hold and became the leader.

So with the iPod and iPhone as undoubtedly the leading devices in their areas, Apple has recently released the iPad. With sales sky rocketing, and every man and every dog climbing over others to get their hands on the new device, you may find yourself asking should I take the leap ?

To me the iPad is basically laptop/notebook, minus the keyboard and add in the 'walled gardens' of apple. If this is all that it is then what is the point of the iPad. The marketing team at Apple have said that it is revolutionising the market and making books digital, so would you really want to pay >$500 for device that can help carry your library where ever you want ? Is this worth it.

The iPad, along with the ease of digital books, also gives you the ability surf the web and a great store of apps... So is this worth >$500 ?

I would be someone who would get the latest and greatest devices on the market, but for some reason I'm really holding back with the iPad. Why? well the main reason is that I have several computers, laptops/notebooks, and an iPhone. With all these devices is there a really need for a device that bridges a gap between the iPhone and my MacBok Pro ? Apple thinks there is.

With my MacBook Pro i can surf the web, edit my files, edit my pictures, watch movies on line, but it is not portable enough to carry with me all the time. My iPhone is taken with me everywhere, it is convenient, it plays my music, and it surfs the net (and makes phone calls). But the screen is sometimes too small. I sometimes miss the bridge between the two, and I'm looking for an actual bridge. What I mean by that is, I want something that can perform operations tasks like my MacBook Pro and be in a tablet format. This means that it can surf the web, save files localy, has access to a range of apps... But unfortunately this is still not on the market.

So before you take your leap on to an iPad, the question that needs to be asked is 'do I need it, does it bridge the gap'...

Well the very next day that I post this, ars runs a story on Class Action Suit against Apply by iPad owners

Thanks