Apple iPad not something iNeed

Most people who know me know that I love gadgets and-- as of a couple of years ago-- if that gadget comes from Apple, I'm usually eager to take a big bite. So, when talk on the street about a new, portable notepad type device from the company that gave us the iMac, iPod and iPhone started flowing, my interest was piqued.

Well, the big unveiling happened on January 27. Get ready for the iPad. Smaller than a letter-sized sheet of paper, about as thin as the average magazine, and weighing about 1.5 pounds, the iPad is what I expected in name and appearance. But, from what I've seen in the video clips of Apple CEO Steve Jobs introducing the product and the development team discussing how it came to be, I'm less than impressed.

The new iPad is basically an oversize iPod Touch. Built-in are all of the applications Apple is know for: Safari, Contacts, Calendar, Notes and iTunes. You also get YouTube access, iPod functionality, and access to E-mail and the AppStore. Aside from the larger size which I'm sure will make surfing the web more pleasant, I already have all of these functions on my iPhone except that you have to be connected to Wi-Fi. Apple will offer a 3G version through AT&T Wireless, but the model will only be data capable. No phone features.

I'm thinking I already have an iPhone which I love and I have a MacBook Pro laptop which I also love. Why would I need an iPad? To read e-books, of course! Not!

E-books are the in thing these days and Apple's venture into the notepad market is seen as an attempt to challenge products introduced last year like Amazon's Kindle. But, while a book is bit more bulky in size and can be heavier than an iPad, it's a lot less expensive. I don't think I need to spend hundreds of dollars-- the iPad will start at $499-- for the ability to carry several books around with me, of which I can really only read one at a time.

I know, call me old school. But, with the laptop and phone that I've already mentioned and the iMac desktop that I also have, the iPad isn't worth the investment especially since it has no phone functionality and falls short of the convenience of a full laptop.

It would appear that Wall Street is skeptical, too. Apple shares, which trade on the NASDAQ, are retreating as I write this.

When it comes to the iPad, "iPass." At least until it shows up in Apple Stores where I can play around with it.

Visit the Apple website, view the iPad introduction and development videos and judge for yourself. Then let me know what you think.

Haiti Earthquake Recovery Efforts

Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton team up to raise money for Haiti disaster relief.

Make your contribution to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund

American Red Cross earthquake relief efforts in Haiti

See photo slideshow

Make your contribution to American Red Cross Disaster Relief

Wyclef Jean raises money for earthquake relief through Yele Haiti

Visit the Yele Haiti website

Helping the Hungry

One week from today, I will lead my colleagues at WACH-TV in Columbia in our annual effort to help the Harvest Hope Food Bank. The 11th Annual Share Your Holiday Food Drive takes place on December 2 at First Baptist Church (Downtown), Palmetto GBA (Northeast Richland County) and Food Lion (Lexington) to raise food and money for Harvest Hope.

When this event started, we set a humble goal of raising 57,000 (our channel number x 1000) pounds of food. I think we doubled that. The following year, people in the community really got behind the effort and ever since, we've been able to raise the equivalent of up to 500,000 pounds of food.

It's testament to the power of the Midlands community and the resolve of the good people at Harvest Hope to make sure families-- down on the their luck, struggling to make ends meet, particularly this year when we are enduring the worst economic time since the Great Depression-- do not go hungry. On Monday, Harvest Hope provided assistance to more than 2,000 families. On a cold, rainy morning, the line stretched from the front door, around the parking lot, out to Shop Road. A similar scene played out on Tuesday.



The need is always great during the holidays. The current economy has pumped up that need dramatically.

If you are blessed to still have your job, a decent salary or wage, and a healthy family able to eat good, hot meals every day, please take a moment to think about those who find themselves in less fortunate positions by no fault of theirs. Find it within yourself to donate to Harvest Hope Food Bank this week; next week; regularly, if possible. You will help the organization help so many others in your community, some of whom may be your neighbors.

Oh, Good Evening!

Lou Dobbs Quits CNN

Lou Dobbs' longtime presence at CNN has ended, again. During his Lou Dobbs Tonight broadcast on November 11th, Dobbs announced to viewers that he reached agreement with CNN to leave, immediately, with two years remaining on his contract.

Dobbs joined CNN, at its inception, in 1980 as chief economics correspondent and anchor of Moneyline. He also served as corporate executive vice president. Dobbs left the network in 1999 after clashing with then-CNN president Rick Kaplan. After Kaplan's 2000 departure, Dobbs returned to CNN in 2001.

Back in the day, I always admired Dobbs' smooth and virtually unflappable anchoring style. But, in recent years, the inclusion of his often overbearing personal opinions into his broadcasts really turned me off and as a result, I turned him off. I can't tell you how many times I cringed while watching him put CNN correspondents in awkward positions by asking them leading, opinionated questions in crosstalk forcing them to sidestep in order to maintain their own on-air, unbiased credibility as journalists.

Whatever Dobbs decides to do moving forward, I'm sure he'll have a loyal following of like-minded viewers and listeners (he does a daily radio show) and he will continue to have influence and impact on America and the world. But his departure from CNN is a welcomed move for this news person.

Oh, Good Evening!

Everything on Silver Platter

I was stunned on Sunday to read an Associated Press story on Jenna Bush-Hager, the daughter of former President George W. Bush, being hired by NBC News as a correspondent for the morning "Today" show. WOW! A few weeks earlier, it was ABC News hiring comedian Steve Harvey as a special correspondent for "Good Morning America." WOW! Great gigs if you can land them. Bush-Hager and Harvey did, but on what crednentials were they hired? AP actually wrote that NBC had hired someone "with White House experience" in reference to Jenna Bush-Hager. I am amazed.

When I got into broadcast journalism more than 20 years ago, I was told-- and pretty much already knew-- that I would have to pay some dues to get where I really wanted to be in my career. I would graduate from college, likely secure my first newsroom job at a small market television station and build from there. The notion that I would walk across the stage at Southern University, receive my diploma, then walk right on to the anchor desk or the executive producer chair, or even the news director's office was a pipe dream.

Well, that was 1988. Clearly, things have changed in 2009. We have managers running news operations with no news backgrounds; we have news executive producers who have never been news producers; and, we have egomaniac "millennials," as they're called, coming out of colleges, not only thinking they should immediately get a big job, paying big money, they expect to get a big job and big money right away. The sad thing is-- they're getting them. It has become quite obvious that paying dues is a dead concept and viewers are the big losers. The journalism is not of the caliber it should be and people tune out, not in.

Jenna Bush-Hager and Steve Harvey have no backgrounds in journalism. They got their news jobs based on celebrity. Knowing several colleagues who have lost jobs at networks and television stations across the country, I don't have to think very long or very hard about how many qualified, experienced broadcast journalists are available who would love to have the NBC "Today" and ABC "Good Morning America" opportunities. All I can say is, if things continue down this horse path, it's going to be tough to avoid all the manure piles.

Oh, Good Evening!