For

With the early reviews in, the iPad just looks downright fun. The apps seem amazing and are far deeper and more immersive than what is on the iPhone. One thing I was already sold on was the form factor: I believe the nature of the web and media make a slate-device a welcome addition. The web is now something we read, watch, and interact with throughout the day. This very well could be an enjoyable way to consume media content. Many reviews also indicate that light productivity is possible, and that the keyboard doesn’t totally suck. I’m still skeptical of that one (oh sorry, this is supposed to be the For section).

Also, the 3G pricing scheme is very tempting. The flexibility of ordering 3G coverage for just a month is outstanding and just right for travel bugs such as myself. If I do decide to get one, it would definitely be a 3G iPad (which of course means waiting until the end of April, sigh).

Against

The iPad is an Apple product, so of course that means some mind-boggling limitations. And as expected, there are plenty. The most glaring being the lack of multitasking or Flash support. As I type this blog post on my Windows 7 desktop, I can’t help but think the way the iPad functions is a bit counter-intuitive to how I use the web. Being able to quickly flip through tabs in Google Chrome to access new content, respond to an email, IM, etc. will be hard to live without. I can live with the iPhone’s limitations because it’s a phone. But I wonder how limiting this will feel on a larger device. Apple claims the iPad is the best way to surf the web and experience e-mail. It will have to do a phenomenal job to complete with my 23-inch Samsung LCD monitor.

Finally, I already have a mid-range device in a 12-inch ultraportable laptop. It’s starting to show its age, but I’m not sure replacing it with an iPad would be enough. With a wonderful desktop display and a laptop, both running Windows 7, I currently have no restrictions on content. For all the wonderful things an Apple device can do, it always comes with trade-offs. And by the looks of things, there are many.

Wrap-up

The final thing to remember is that comparing the iPad to a notebook is not necessarily accurate. Steve Jobs placed this device as its own category, between a notebook and iPhone (of course I’m not sure where that leaves us who use a desktop and ultra-portable notebook). The idea is that the iPad will excel at activities that may be too small on an iPhone, yet be more comfortable and fun on a slate computer. I believe it is a great device, I’m just not sold that I need another gadget to haul around.

Those are my thoughts for now. I’ll update this post after having some hands-on time.

Clearly I am in good company, as others have debated the merits of both browsers. (And yes I have tried the latest versions of Internet Explorer and Safari. IE is still too poky and Safari is another Apple product; very innovative but always missing essential features). I find myself splitting my time right now between Chrome and Firefox. There is a lot of merit and room to improve with both.

What do I love about Chrome? It’s blazing fast and has a minimalistic interface. It’s also very smart about handling the day-to-day functions of a quality web surfing session. Click a link to open a new tab, and it opens right next to your current tab. Pull a tab out of the browser and create an application shortcut. Also the address bar searches Google, your web history and bookmarks all at once.

But where Chrome is innovative, Firefox is full-featured. Because I work between two different computers, using Xmarks (formerly Foxmarks) to sync my bookmarks is essential. Adblocks is great for nuking  annoying online ads. Plus if I get tired of the default appearance I can always install another one. The flexibility is what keeps me connected to Mozilla’s browser for now.

So who is the “winner?” Right now, both. When I need to get work done, Firefox is my choice. If I am just reading and doing general web browsing, it’s Chrome. Writing for AppCraver and my other clients keeps me on the web constantly, so this is an obsession I plan to take seriously. For true tech geeks such as myself this will be fun to watch play out.