It's Apple Infatuation. I've seen (and suffered) these dreadful symptoms myself.
I suggest the following:
- add up all the money you've spent on apps, iTunes purchases, iPad accessories, etc, then compare that to your last year's spending on Windows/Android purchases.
- compare the prices of the current Windows Netbooks compared to the cost of the iPad you purchased. For browny points compare all the tasks you can do with a netbook especially in the content creation realm. Got a digital camera? How do you transfer the photos and upload online? Want to edit a Word document and e-mail it to a friend? Try the procedure on both iPad vs Netbook.
- Try read an iBook anywhere BUT the iPad. Try watching a movie from iTunes anywhere but an iPad/Mac device.
- Backup and sync your device to your WinPC via iTunes until the program inexplicably freezes and requires a hard shutdown. Factor at least 5-10 such crashes in a normal week's use on the PC. Usually when you just wanted to sync 1 podcast as you went out the door to go to a meeting you are now late for.
- Compare the features of AppleTV to Roku and WDTV Live. You are paying the same for the AppleTV and getting LESS.
Don't get me wrong. I love my iPad. I've adopted iTunes for syncing purposes. And I even went for an iPod Touch 4gen so I had a smaller iOS device to carry around. But that's where I draw the line. Totaling up how much I spent on just this one device was a good lesson in the Cult of Apple. It's a slippery slope my friend.
Spread your eggs about in multiple baskets. I have Win laptops, use Linux servers, iOS mobile devices and am waiting to jump into the Android smartphone market. There are things to value in each.
