A little conversation has been going on between Alice Seba, Kelly McCausey and me about iPad. It all started when Lynn Terry tweeted she would be taking the iPad plunge.

I’ll admit, anyone who has heard me on interviews or webinars know I am no Apple Fan Girl… actually no real fan of any operating system. I use what works for me. And you should too. That’s the key, which operating system used does not define me or my business. Neither one of them will make us money. It is the smart use of them that does so, it doesn’t matter if your computer is cooler than mine. Hell, I am on the border of installing Ubuntu. Remember…

Cool computer/gadgets + no money = not so cool after all.

But all that is another story so let’s get back to the real topic.

Having said all that, I am (surprise) seriously considering the iPad – a sentiment which I also expressed on Facebook last week. Why?

• The kids broke my Powerbook. First it was a sippy cup thrown onto the keyboard and that chipped one of the keys (did you know they are very soft and thin plastic?) and secondly, they dropped it so now it won’t close and there’s a bump on two of the sides. The computer is still very functional. It is all cosmetic but also annoying.
• The Powerbook is getting old. There’s also a clicking/popping sound every time I turn on the speakers which means I cannot listen to anything or watch any videos on it except with a headset. That sucks. The guys at the Apple Store couldn’t help me. Said it has to be sent to CA – no thank you.

So, I need a replacement. Why not a regular laptop? Because it is my business to know and experience different products. Also, because much of what I do today – 90% is web based. Going web book or tablet makes total sense in my business.

I am also very intrigued by the Pay as you need 3G plan. I’ve been researching the Skype possibilities and so far there’s a lot of reports that the iPad will support it. This is HUGE. The only reason I am keeping a full data plan on the cell phone right now is because of the possibility I will need it during travel. Or like that time when my daughter spent 13 days in the hospital, having Internet was a big help. But this is a big waste of money.  Why can’t I have Internet only when I need it without a monthly plan or selling my soul for 2 years. That is a big, big, big value proposition for me.

As expressed in a previous post, I love saving money in for the business. If I can have on demand (almost) Internet, then I can reduce my cell phone bill. I’ll probably go back to good old fashioned plain old, boring prepaid phone – just the basics no fancy smart phone stuff. This means, I could channel the money towards something more productive like more hours for VA help or advertising that should pay me back vs blindly spending.

All in all it just seems like a good investment. But I’ll still wait till the first shipments are in real users’ hands so I can see what the annoyances are (you know there’s gonna be some), what are the plusses and make a final decision from there.

What about you?