I’m getting itchier and itchier for the iPad as the hours tick away. Reviews are in, and they’re mostly glowing, and I’ve been reading a lot about apps in development that might of special use to writers. Apple’s Pages word processor will be available instantly, and since I use it on my Macbook Pro and am part of the iWork.com beta crowd, I can see myself creating away on the iPad and sharing files to iWork.com or just storing them on my iDisk at MobileMe. I’ll have copies to work on wherever and whenever.
And I do have copy in progress. And 10 days off to get some work done while I’m enjoying spring break.
The one thing I didn’t do when I reserved my iPad was order the smart little keyboard dock. Now, they’re all out of stock and not expected to be available again until mid-April. This is one accessory I can relate to. It doubles as a charging station, and gives you a nearly full sized keyboard for hammering out serious text. Sure, the landscape mode touch keyboard will be more than adequate on its own — but doesn’t that keyboard dock setup just look delicious?
When Saturday finally comes, I’m going to experiment with the iPad as my only computer for one full week and really push the limits. I want to know if this is really a magical revolution. I’m going to journal my experience with a vow to be objective and honest. There are two possible outcomes: 1) the iPad makes for a great little sidekick to my Macbook Pro, and 2) the iPad is so intuitive, so magical, that my paradigm for personal computing shifts to the point that I no longer need a traditional laptop to do the things I do most. It’s all very exciting, either way.
