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I just finished following the Apple “Latest Creation” event through the excellent coverage of the guys @Engadget.
Really it is all nice and fun, look slick, yeah it is “magical” etc. But what would justify buying such a device? I really have a hard time with this device.

I’m the typical nerdo, have an iPhone, Macbook and a Kindle2. I only take my Macbook with me if I need to do some work or have a presentation other than that… it stays put. My iPhone is always on the go with me and so is my Kindle.

Surfing the web. To be honest I do not have extensive surfing sessions in a train. Just checking up on my tweets, check all my RSS feeds, send articles which are to long through instapaper (which I later read on my Kindle2 )

Email. Checking my mail is like peeking, short glances, short replies on important mails. Big ones, will do ‘m when I get home. I don’t need a big screen for that. My iPhone is the perfect companion. I already have an unlimited data plan with 3G. I sure don’t need an additional 30 bucks connectivity fee and a big mirror in my bag to check my email.

Watching movies and photos. If you have a laptop why would you need an iPad? Okay 10 hours of continuous use is something you can forget with a laptop but would I really want to watch movies 10 hours straight?

iWorks. I was impressed by the demo and running iWorks on such a device really is nice but I can’t seem but help it but when I am editting stuff I need a keyboard so again … laptop.

iBooks. The iPad is made of glass. This means it is heavy. The iPad weighs 730 grams. Holding this device for over an hour starring at a backlit LED screen to read an ebook? I think this is under estimated. The reason why the Kindle is so perfect, is because of the form factor. Ultra thin, ultra lightweight, super battery life and paper like viewing properties makes my Kindle dissapear in my hands. That was the whole design philosophy behind the Kindle. A Kindle weighs 289.2 grams that’s more than 50% lighter than the iPad. Battery life? 1 week with wireless on, 2 weeks with wireless off. The Kindle is focused and targeted for reading no more no less.

Next to that I have 3G/GPRS global coverage, no additional connectivity fees and I can browse the biggest digital bookstore on the planet through 3G and have free unlimited wikipedia access. Books are priced around 8 dollars cheaper than the prices I’ve seen for iBooks. Next to this, the Kindle has a keyboard, fantastic annotation tools a dictionary, and did I mention text-to-speech?

In all honesty I can’t see on why someone would prefer an iPad over an iPhone, Macbook or dedicated ereader. A Macbook Air is far more capable machine has a real keyboard and much more options and is just as portable.

The iPad is a bit schizophrenic; it’s not a phone its not an ereader and its not a netbook…what is it???

So my advice for all those folks considering to make the switch to digital reading; buy a Kindle2 or wait when the flexible color epaper devices come out.

We’ll see maybe I get convinced later but for now I’ll stick to my ultra portable and beloved iPhone and Kindle2.