These words are being written from an iPad.

My very own iPad 2.

I actually feel kind of sheepish about owning an Apple. Sheepish in the sense of being embarrassed (by my own boyish enthusiasm about a new toy) -- but also sheepish in the sense of feeling like a mindless sheep, getting swept up in the direction of the societal flock. As much as I feel pleased with my new technological device, I also realize that I don't want to start every morning by pledging allegiance to the Apple Corporation. I don't want to accept Steve Jobs as my Lord and Savior. I just want to have some nifty electronic support for my everyday life.

And to this end, let's face it: the iPad is pretty cool.

I initially warmed up to the idea of an iPad because of its functionality as an e-Reader. After watching how much my wife has enjoyed and utilized her e-Reader (an Amazon Kindle) over the last year and a half, I started to think it might be nice to have one of my own. I liked the idea of not having to lug around a backpack full of books. I liked the idea of instantaneous book and magazine purchases (or library check-outs) from anywhere in the world. So as I grew to like the idea of an e-Reader, I started to check into the various options. And I was surprised to find Apple's offering -- the iPad -- more competitively priced than I expected.

I figured if I was ever going to test the waters of contemporary Apple technology, the iPad might be the item to initiate me. But I had to consider the possibilities for a couple of months before I was prepared to make such a leap.

As I thought about things more and more, however, it occurred to me that I could genuinely benefit from the multiple functionality of an iPad -- effectively using it as a replacement to my aging and ailing laptop. Especially with some of the after-market accessories that have been developed for the iPad (like a carrying case that has a built-in stand and bluetooth-enabled wireless keypad), it's a more workable scenario than I had once thought it would be. The iPad works really well for e-mailing, voice-and-video communication (i.e Skype), web browsing, social networking, and entertainment. Word processing was really the only other thing for which I have consistently used my laptop -- so even though this is the one area where a laptop computer supposedly trumps an electronic tablet, I figured the iPad was was worth trying (provided it was outfitted with a word processing application and an external keypad, which were minimal investments, actually). So in the end I went for it.

This week, my iPad finally arrived, and now I'm becoming accustomed to it.

I notice unexpected delights and frustrations as I play with the iPad more and more. The design really is as clever as everyone says it is, and the machine is capable of quite a bit (more than I expected, really). I love its small size and weight, for purposes of carrying it around in my backpack. And I've been impressed with little things like the battery life and the ease of integration with my other electronic devices and information. But intuitive as it may be, the iPad uses a whole different system that has to be learned as I go. I regularly find myself reaching for a mouse that isn't there. I have to be more careful about keeping my fingers clean as I use the thing (i.e. eating and iPad interaction don't go well together). I get annoyed by the lack of a means to easily export or upload information from the iPad (such as to a USB stick, or to a Dropbox account). The small external keypad that I bought to go with the iPad works well despite its diminuitive stature -- but some of the buttons (like the delete button, especially) are shaped differently or are positioned slightly differently, and are thus going to take some more getting used to.

But overall, I'm pleased with how it's gone, using my iPad over the last couple of days. I'm still not about to become a foaming-at-the-mouth fanboy, hanging out in the mall for the latest release of whatever Apple product comes out in a given month... But I do feel thankful that I have the means to be able to try such an experiment as this. Perhaps I'll share more about my experiences with the iPad, as I integrate it into my life more and more... But we'll see about that.