iPad, iSchmad

Okay. I'm going to be a Debbie Downer for a moment here. Everyone's all buzzed about the new iPad. ("OMG! The new iPad! How did I ever live without you?! OMG, OMG, OMG!")

I gotta bring it down a notch.

iPad, iPod, iPhone. iDon't get it.

Do people get these gadgets because they actually NEED these items to function in our society or are they getting them for bragging rights? It's sheer marketing genius (brainwashing - cough, cough) that the Apple company has convinced so many they need this stuff. And I'm sure many do - these little gadgets make living life and keeping organized a hell of a lot easier. But who's to say anyone needs them?

So the new iPad...it's a glorified iPhone, right? Only it's bigger and more obnoxious (like a Rolex watch) and it has the capability of downloading entire books and reading them on a large screen. So what's the benefit? Are books cheaper to purchase through iPad than through the bookstore? Someone please enlighten me. I've been asleep at the virtual wheel.

I mean look at this dude. "Yaaaaaaayyyy for me!!!! I have an iPad!!!!"
Where is the photo of him giving high fives all around?
Go, techie white boy, go!

Here's my beef. People will wait in line for hours and hours (and sometimes overnight) just to be the first to get their hands on these new gadgets because marketing gurus make them believe they have to have it NOW! Only problem is, a "new and improved" gadget will be released in a couple years and this gadget above will eventually be obsolete and take up space in a landfill. Only to have the new and improved gadget sent a landfill shortly thereafter.

It's an endless circle of junk. And it's sick.

Why do people need to be connected 24/7? Have we become that bored and insecure? A little bit of silence and boredom isn't that bad. Can we not get into our car, run some errands and be without our email for a few hours? It's quite scary, really. What's even more ridiculous? The fact I feel pressured to get a 2-year-old all the latest kid gadgets in the coming year: Leap Frog, Wii, and various other brain-stimulating yet mind-numbing computerized systems...all in the name of keeping up with the educational Jones'. Whatever happened to counting or learning shapes and letters via books, blocks and/or outdoor activity?

Look at my cell phone. I purchased this in 2003. Still proudly using it today.

Just look at that sexy phone. All shiny and white. How could I part ways?

It doesn't even have a camera, but I love it anyway.
I get lots of flack for it, but I don't care. I'm running this thing into the ground, just like my 2004 Subaru. Why? Because it makes total financial sense! Sure, I could get a car or phone with nicer features inside but do I really NEED those features to survive?

Back to my phone. I can call people. I can text them (although I really loathe texting and think that's unneccesary, too.) That's about all I need a phone to do for me. It'd be nice to have some web browsing capabilites, but can I live without those? Yes. Unfortunately, the phone is on its last leg so I will be buying a new one soon.

But this is my point. I've waited 7 years to buy a new phone because I didn't need one until now. Just like I don't need an iPad, iPhone or any iBlibbity blah. There is a big difference between need and want, as my husband always tells me. I think America has forgotten the difference.

And if I read, then I like to read books. You know, the rectangular-shaped thingies made of paper and cardboard where you flip the pages?

This statement may seem silly now, but in a matter 20 years, this question will actually be relevant. Sad!

I hope everyone has stock in contact lens companies.
They are going to make a killing in the coming years.