Should you give in and buy an iPad?

iPads are the big thing right now, and I don't have a problem with people buying them. They're great devices, with long battery life, a bunch of apps, and they're lightweight and easy to carry around. There's currently no device on the market that can match them. So if you are (like me) one of the seemingly few Americans out there who doesn't already have one, you may be looking (like me) at the fact that it's three months until Christmas and considering purchasing one of these FAIRLY inexpensive devices as a Christmas present to yourself.

But you might want to hold on for a while. Two things are about to change.

First, Amazon is releasing an Android-based tablet sometime in the next eight weeks. Rumors are that the device is going to be about half the price of an iPad, which is great, but it also is going to be a fairly locked-down device, so that users will not be able to go out to the general Android marketplace to download apps but will instead be forced to use the Amazon marketplace. In addition, the Amazon tablet will be smaller and less powerful than the iPad. Still, it might be worth waiting for the debut of this before grabbing an iPad.

The other development you might want to wait for is the public release of Windows 8. Microsoft has seen the writing on the wall, and the new Windows operating system will be designed for touch/tablet use. The video below is one of several on the Internet that show off the new device. My only concern about the new OS is will hardware manufacturers be able to create a device that is powerful enough to run it but cheap enough to be a competitor to the iPad? Cheap PC-based netbooks and devices like the Dell Inspiron Duo have left much to be desired in the giddyup department. I've spent time with those devices and found myself saying things to people like, "Okay, watch this. This program is really cool...It's awesome...it'll load in just a couple of seconds...you're going to love it...I promise...any second now..." Meanwhile, I watch people with iPads and they hit the power button and they're off to the races.

Based on the video below, though, which isn't a Microsoft created video so it isn't a fairy tale device from Never Neverland, I'm impressed with the possibilities.

That, combined with the upcoming Amazon device, have convinced ME, anyway, to wait a while before jumping on the iPad bandwagon.

(I can't see the video.)