“What on earth is a myPad?” you ask? A Made-in-Malaysia iPad with windows that don’t open? No-lah.
It’s what I call a plain old notebook. A pad of paper. It’s what I usually take to meetings, and it’s mine. So, it’s a myPad.
I probably should use an iPad for meetings, but until recently I was not sufficiently proficient at using the on-screen keyboard, so I found the old-fashioned, legacy-style, pen and paper method to be faster.
That made me think I should, purely for fun, compare old and new technologies, allocating – quite subjectively – points from 1 (=rubbish) to 5 (=genius) for the different attributes.
So, here we go … iPad vs. myPad:
- Cost…
Hmm, this one’s easy. A myPad costs next to nothing. An iPad costs, well, a significant quantity of moola.
Score: iPad 1 – myPad 5
- Styling…
I must admit, an iPad is a pretty sexy piece of equipment. But it only comes in one size, and if you choose an iPad2, in only two colors. A myPad meanwhile can be bought in a whole range of sizes and colors.
Score: iPad 3 – myPad 4
Total: iPad 4 – myPad 9
- Storage…
Oops, looks like the iPad could leap ahead here. The 64GB version would hold more than 500,000 pages of information, even in ‘pdf’ format, whereas the average myPad would only manage about 100.
Score: iPad 5 – myPad 1
Total: iPad 9 – myPad 10
- Ease of use…
On the face of it, what could be simpler than a myPad? You don’t have to boot it – unless you get so mad in a meeting you feel you need to kick something. It doesn’t need an operating system, so there’s really nothing to learn. And of course, turning pages is completely intuitive.
Whereas an iPad … well … technically you have to boot it because you do need to turn it on, although that’s so fast it’s more like waking it up. There is an operating system, but you don’t need to be any more aware of it than the fact your TV might be running Linux. It’s like a good child – staying quiet in the background. (And people my age will be saying “Yeah. Where do you find one of those these days?”) And of course, turning pages is completely intuitive! There’s an echo in here.
...turning pages is completely intuitive... But the iPad is rather more complex, so it does need more learning.
Score: iPad 3 – myPad 4
Total: iPad 12 – myPad 14
- Batteries…
iPad: The battery lasts so long you forget it has one. But it does have one, and eventually it will pop off to some lithium heaven.
myPad: “What are batteries?”
Score: iPad 2 – myPad 5
Total: iPad 14 – myPad 19
- Photos…
No problem for either pads. The iPad stores them electronically, and with the myPad you stick them to the pages with glue. Both methods do the trick. You can find them on the iPad by searching for the little sunflower icon, whereas on the myPad, you have to look for the lumpy pages.
I suppose though the iPad wins because it can store rather more photos, and it can easily change their size with a pinch or a spread.
Score: iPad 5 – myPad 3
Total: iPad 19 – myPad 22
- Movies…
Hmm, a bit of a tough one for the myPad. You could draw lots of images on consecutive pages and then flip through them rapidly. But, well, the iPad does this rather better. And it has sound, whereas the myPad would only make a kind of dull farting noise.
Movies don't quite work on the myPad!!! Score: iPad 5 – myPad 1
Total: iPad 24 – myPad 23
- Games…
No problem for the myPad. With a simple pencil you can play crosswords, noughts and crosses, hangman, sudoku … all sorts of games. They’re almost as good as Angry Birds on the iPad. I’ll remove tongue from cheek and give them an appropriate score…
Score: iPad 5 – myPad 2
Total iPad 29 – myPad 25
- Durability…
Steve Jobs spent millions to make the iPad tough, even inventing special glass for the screen. But somehow I don’t think one would survive a fall from a twenty-storey building quite as well as the myPad!
Score: iPad 3 – myPad 5
Total: iPad 32 – myPad 30
- Weight…
Not much to choose between them, although a small myPad would weigh less than the iPad.
They're both weightless! Score: iPad 3 – myPad 3
Total: iPad 35 – myPad 33
- Music…
Ahh, I think the myPad has to be declared a complete failure when it comes to playing music. I suppose you could write the notes on the pages and hum or whistle the tune, but doing this while driving could be disastrous … although I know one person who would try, while eating sushi at the same time. The myPad doesn’t quite qualify as a myPod though, so the iPad wins hands down.
Score: iPad 5 – myPad 1
Total: iPad 40 – myPad 34
So there you have it. I’m sure there are many more silly categories I could come up with, but it looks like the iPad is a clear winner!
