I'm the only person who likes the iPad

So, a few days ago, I watched in amazement of the iPad. It's a beautiful device, that.. to me, felt, futureistic. It was fun, it was functional, and it was sexy. As a game designer, I saw some awesome potential from such a powerful device. Bottom line, I loved it.

But then I started reading other peoples opinion of it. And I found myself, almost becoming a reverse sheep. WHile I can't let people tell me what I like, I was letting all these people tell me to hate the device. "It doesn't Multi task" or "it doesn't run flash" or "The bezel is too big" I would read... Or even, "I hate that people are such sheep they will buy thise peice of crap just because Apple's name is on it.". I started saying.. yeah.. this device will suck..

But every time I'd read someone say "Just use an iPhone or iPod touch, my mind would say.. Yeah.. But on a tiny 3.5 inch screen? Websites, Books, Movies? on that teeny tiny screen? Sure it's portable.. but that's for portability! Or they'd say "Get a netbook".. my mind would say A clunky netbook that i keep on my lap, hunched over cause it's shape doesn't perform well just held in my hand. Hell, i write this on a tablet notebook, and still find it to be clunky for watching media and web surfing. If I want to do any kind of typeing, I gotta put it down and convert it back to the Computer shape to type a URL or log into my favorite porn site.

So... Then they go on to talk about the OS... Compareing it to a desktop class OS running on a miniture tablet.. An environment were most applications are designed to be run on a 14+inch screen? Bottom line, In my eyes... Smartphones are too small, and Laptops can be too cumbersome. Sometimes.. I just want something.. a little more casual. And that's what I saw in the iPad. Sit back in my bed watching a nice movie. Not needing to have my laptop sitting on my lap, hunched over like a chimp. Ore squinting at my teeni 3.2 inch screened smartphone. Of course there is the eBooks, and all that other fun stuff too.. and throw in $30 a month 3G? I can sit on the train and get all this? Please take my $630. And heck, I bet I could replace my grandma's computer with this. She can listen to her music, play her games and check her email/Bank account with this.. all without the eye strain of a 3.5 inch screen, or using a computer that assumes a 14 inch or higher screen and mashes it down to a 10 inch screen.

So I thought to myself, Could this end up being the Wii Effect? A bunch of folks hate it.. bitch about it as the loud majority on the internet, and it comes out to sell millions? Well, I don't know. $499 isn't $250. And even for the Wii, there was a well sized group of people who said it was a good idea. I don't know, Seems i'm destined to love unpopular products.

Zune > iPod
Xbox 360 > PS3/Wii
PSP > NintendoDS
Android/WebOS > iPhone
Xbox Live > Steam
and now
iPad > Netbook