Misleading Journalism: Good Day Wisconsin Claims Accessories Make iPad Too Expensive


Do me a favor and take a moment to watch the video above. Don’t worry, it’s worth it. Trust me. I’ll wait.

So it’s gotta be tough to be a journalist in Wisconsin nowadays, because Doug Higgins of Fox 11’s Good Day Wisconsin says that buying an iPad is going to cost you too much money because of all of the accessories that you NEED to have. I’m going to point out that by definition, an accessory is considered an “extra” item, but that’s just me and my fancy book learnin’ talking. Let’s dissect his video, shall we?

First, the case. Alright, it’s nice to have a case for your iPad. Is it required? Nope, not at all – but it is something you’d probably want. Then there’s the USB aspect of things. I’m going to cover this a bit more later on today, but let’s just state for now that Doug is incorrect. The iPad will charge via USB on some computers, just not all of them, and not all docks. Fortunately, it comes with a charger. That’s why you don’t need to buy a second charger, not unless you want one. The dock? Same deal. But Doug says you can charge it via the dock which once again, isn’t true if your computer can’t charge it via USB anyways. You’d still have to plug it into the wall. Headphones with a mic – really? The argument is that you can use the iPad for Skype conversations, which is true. Thing is, it’s by no means necessary. Besides, at this point, I think everyone in the world has a pair of white headphones sitting in a drawer somewhere, so I’m pretty sure that’ll work out just fine. Then he talks about the TV and camera plugs. Although I can see the camera dock being nice to have, the TV one isn’t really necessary unless you’re doing presentations. Finally it’s the keyboard, which is truly personal preference – and me, I’d buy a bluetooth keyboard anyways.

What bothers me so much about this piece is that it’s designed to make people mad that it costs so much to buy an iPad. “Hey Marge, lookie here. That new Apple product sells for $499, but you really need to have $303 in accessories for it. What kinda bait and switch is that?” It’s a load of crap, frankly. You don’t need a single one of those accessories for your iPad, and that’s the point. No reason to hype up everyone and cause an unnecessary ruckus.

But then the tipping point. “When you count in the cost of a basic iPad which is about $499, you’re getting close to $800. You could actually buy a real nice notebook computer for that price.” Well no kidding. I could also buy a Sansa MP3 player, a Motorola Droid and three turkeys, but what’s the point? Apple’s not marketing this thing as a computer replacement, so stop trying to say that it is.

I think Doug’s just upset because after spending all his money on fancy suits he doesn’t have the money to spend on an iPad.


Kokou Adzo

Kokou Adzo is a stalwart in the tech journalism community, has been chronicling the ever-evolving world of Apple products and innovations for over a decade. As a Senior Author at Apple Gazette, Kokou combines a deep passion for technology with an innate ability to translate complex tech jargon into relatable insights for everyday users.

7 Comments

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  1. I’m a Canadian that made the trip over the border to buy an iPad. I purchased an iPad and the Apple designed case. After taxes, I paid a total of $585.08 USD for a 16GB iPad with case. I didn’t feel it was necessary to purchase Apple care. This device is an appliance, and is priced almost in the throw-away technology category for me. One year complimentary warranty is more than sufficient for my needs.

    As far as a keyboard accessory goes, this device was designed to consume information (which it does incredibly well), rather than produce. If you’re going to write a document, go to your computer. The on screen keyboard is perfectly acceptable however, for responding to emails/IMs, and writing short comments online, such as this one.

  2. Richard-

    You could make the same argument about any computer on the market today. “Well, I just bought this Dell, but now I have to buy Adobe CS5 Premiere and Office, so really it costs $5k for this computer.” Fact is, apps are optional. Everything you need for the iPad is in the iPad to begin with. If you want more, you should pay for it.

  3. Apple boycotts Fox News because of Glenn Beck. 200 companies join a boycott of Beck’s program. FOX strikes back. No Mystery.

  4. What annoys me most about all the anti-iPad stuff is that ‘pundits’ only do it with Apple/Tech companies. I still wait for the first guru to complain to BMW for not using Brembo brakes or having had for a while only docks for Nokia. Those were considered as a feat.

    Back to cars: yes the cheapest BMW is very basic and low key. Not happy with that? No problem, buy ‘accessories’. Or buy a ‘cheap BMW’ and cut the BS.