An Apple a Day...

There are many things in this world that people refer to when they say "You need to experience it for yourself to really understand it". Having a baby, great sex, vactioning in Europe, and your first date all fall into that category. Now, I'd like to petition adding "Owning an Apple Product" to that list.

First off, let me say this: Windows 7 saved Bll Gates from losing a bunch more faithful followers to Apple. My dad bought me a laptop as an off-kilter grad school present this past March. It was a pretty nice HP machine that was loaded in the stat column- I won't bore you with the details. Considering I was pretty happy with Windows 7 reviews, I happily accepted my new computer. Had Windows 7 been a flop like Vista, I may have asked my dad for money to help me buy a Macbook instead.

If this thing were any more addictive, I'd be homeless on the street, willing to do just about anything to buy the next gen iPad upon its release.

Apple products have been known for their high quality build, incredible reliability, and ease of use. However, they're also known for a higher price point, unchangeable battery, and the stigma that their first-generation products are not worth buying. The risks were worth the reward, so I wasn't fazed by the cons. Besides, I've wanted to buy an iPad since they came out in April. I have been so infatuated that I'd watch unboxing and review videos online for hours on end- it was like virtual window-shopping. My stance was that I could buy all of my textbooks on it through the Coursesmart app, pay roughly one third of what the bookstore would charge me, and come out ahead by the end of the school year.

Once my refund check came in, I called the Best Buy here in Springfield, since they were the only store to sell the iPad. I just wanted a 16GB model for $500, but the store informed me that they only had the larger, but more costly $600 32GB version. I figured the difference wasn't enough to keep me from buying it, so I scurried to Best Buy on Saturday to pick one up. The Apple clerk told me everything I needed to know about the warranty- I probably grilled him for 15 minutes with various questions before I threw down my debit card for a $650 purchase.

***SIDE NOTE- I always grill Best Buy employees to see who's good at their job and who isn't; I have a deep seated personal vendetta against the company for not hiring me, a confessed techie with open availability, over a 17 year old girl who doesn't even know the brands of MP3 player she's selling without staring at the stat card for 15 minutes.

3 minutes later (yes, I counted), I walked out of the store, brand new iPad in hand. I get this feeling of joy when carrying home a brand new box with a new electronic stashed away in it. When I bought my very first Apple product, my joy was unmatched. I usually buy my gadgets used to save money, but there's nothing like receiving a brand new box with a legit warranty and a clearn, untouched screen.

I've had it for two weeks now, and boy are they right about the build quality- my $600 was well worth it when I saw the back of the device really was a sturdy aluminum casing, and the battery really did last me 10 hours on a full charge. Some call it a giant iPhone or iPod Touch, and to an extent, that is true. But it's more than that. It's an awesome e-reader, shoe designer (there's a Nike app that allows you to customize the colors of a shoe and buy it right there in the app), recipe holder, newspaper, and gaming device.

Awesome Apple arcade dock for the iPad? No, it's a sick April Fool's Day joke. Damn you, whollysblog.com. 

The amazing thing is that this one device, for 5 months, was able to hold my attention without me even owning one. That's just amazing. All I can say is I love my iPad; I guess I'm a discapple (an Apple disciple- trademark, me.).

Apple can do much more because everything from the software to the computer builds is in-house. Microsoft deals with every other computer vendor in the country, and the process is an assembly line that on Frankenstein's creator. People can afford Microsoft's products, as well as the computers from Dell, HP, Asus, and whoever else. But heed my warning: if Apple can ever get in a position where they can make their line of products as affordable any company's PC line, Microsoft, and all of their buyers, could be in serious trouble.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to preview this draft on iPad's Safari Browser.