The big announcement has come and gone. Now, the decision must be made, to iPad or not to iPad. At the heart of this process is imagining, assessing, daydreaming and countless other words that describe the delightful distractions involved in making a discretionary purchase that one must justify to oneself, and one’s wife.

aside: when pondering such important matters, it’s always important to do it in the 3rd person - for objectivity of course.

One might imagine using an iPad in the morning and evening to read emails, browse blogs and online news sources at home, activities presently performed on one’s iPhone but better suited to a larger screen. Scrolling using a mouse or even the trackpad don’t exactly feel natural.

However, one is likely hesitant to commit to purchasing an iPad. Truth be told, this author longs to hold one at the local Apple store, only then can a final decision be reached. It might have been an easier decision if the iPad had come equipped with built in iSight. A model for CDMA networks would have also helped encourage the purchase of something other than the WiFi only model. As for other features, one can with confidence (or lots of hope) believe Apple will deliver multitasking on the device at some point.

At the end of the day, this a significant leap forward not in what it delivers with this first version, but in the promise this device holds for the future. Imagine one’s technologically challenged mother, not computer savvy using this device to satisfy her basic communications needs through interactions that feel natural. Those astounding interactions that many have observed in awe as young children quickly understand on the iPhone; this device will succeed on the back of interactions like that for browsing pictures.

Alas, this decision will likely be borne out of the total collapse of any inner fortitude that may attempt to provide resistance to the siren song that many Apple products emit. If the iPad sings it’s lustful song, this sailor is likely to jump in the water and swim in the magic.