iPad: Should I pre-order or wait?

A popular question popping up in my inbox today is this one:

"Should I pre-order an iPad today or wait a few weeks?"

There's nothing wrong with being an early adopter of technology, as long as you're aware of the fact that it is a roller coaster ride consisting of both ups (the big where you go "wheeeee" and "this is cool"), and downs (the bits where you are screaming, going "ughhhhh" and "I feel like throwing up"). In my job I get to play the early adopter game with a lot of technology, and one word of warning that I give to people is that while it's cool to be one of the first to play with something, those first few weeks can really make you hate a bit of kit. Even when that kit sees dramatic improvements over the first few months of its life through software updates, it still feels tainted.

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If you're a hardcore early adopter, then chances are that you're not the kind of person to ask anyone "should I buy one now or wait" and you're already placed your order by now (after all, at the time of writing this piece, iPads have been on sale for about 15 minutes). But if you are the kind of person who is in two minds about spending your money, my advice to you is to wait it out for a few weeks. Why? Well, because as I've said before, the iPad is flawed, and the only way too gauge how badly these flaws affect the user experience is to let other people do the testing first.

There's a lot of hyperbole surrounding the iPad (it's not often that a piece of tech is described as "magical"). I have other concerns too, and while we already know a fair bit about this device, by waiting it out for a few weeks, chances are that we'll all know a lot more about the iPad's strengths and weaknesses thanks to those early adopters. Here are a few of my concerns:

• Bugs - It's almost inevitable that there will be a few bugs that need exterminating, and if you don't want the hassle of software updates, hold off buying for a few weeks.
• App compatibility - Apple says that apps that you're used to running on the iPhone or iPod touch will work just fine on the iPad. You know, what that claim might be accurate from a technical standpoint (in that the app will run and function just as expected), I'm not so sure that apps will scale that well. An application designed to work on a 3.5-inch screen is going to be very different when viewed (and used) on a 9.7-inch screen.
• Remember, 3G is coming - Today's pre-order is for the WiFi only models. 3G is coming later this spring. Depending on how you plan to use your iPad, this could be a better choice for you (remember that you can't add 3G functionality to your iPad down the line if you regret your purchase).
• Price drops - Remember when the iPhone was released and how it initially cost $599, but a little over two months later the price was slashed to $399? While there's no guarantee that the iPad will come down in price as fast as that, it could, and by waiting a few months you could save yourself a good pile of cash.

At the end of the day, it's your money and I ain't your papa, so you do what you feel is right. But my recommendation is to play the "wait and see" game.