Last week I won my iPad and I have really enjoyed messing with it and using it in my dorm, but that's where it will stay.While the iPad has been shown as a portable device, I have decided that its place is at home, and not on the go. This mind set came from my recent trip to starbucks.

Yesterday I went to Mockingbird Station ( a hipster shopping area known for wealth) for some shopping. I went to the starbucks to get a overpriced water and saw two people on iPads. They were only paying half attention to the device, while the other half was spent looking around to make sure people were watching them. This made me realize what the iPad shows about yourself and why I do not wish to take part in that. The over $500 dollar price tag shows that you have money to spend. Most portable devices are ranged from one hundred to three hundred dollars. This has been the set price in people's heads about what these mobile devices should cost. The fact that the iPad is so much more makes it look like you are just showing off your wealth. I like how the writers at kotaku compared playing an iPad game on the subway to  "counting gems, letting each clink loudly while the panhandler in our car asked for money."

Another problem with it is its size. The Nintendo DS, iPhone, and other devices are all much smaller and can fit in your pocket or small bag. These things can be just carried around and you can use whenever you have some free time. The iPad, on the other hand, requires concious "I want to bring this with me" attention. You have to either take a backpack or be prepared to hold it under your arm for the entire time you are out. This makes it seem like the people who bring it with them are thinking "Yeah, I want to be seen with this today" instead of brigning it to be genuinely useful.

In the end I just don't feel right carrying my iPad around. The constant "Is that the iPad?" is not the way I wish to get attention, and I feel like my iPhone can handle my portable computer use that doesn't warrant my laptop. I feel like the iPad is just as cumbersome to carry as my laptop because they will both require a backpack. But you might feel differently, and if you do, please comment. I would love to talk about this with people and you might even give me some good mobile uses for it.