Ever since ninth grade, I have owned a fair amount of stock in Apple. It wasn't until this week-with the long-awaited announcement of the iPad- that I seriously considered selling my shares and cashing in my chips.The iPad is supposed to be Apple's newest and biggest deal. Thousands of tech geeks have eagerly awaited the release of this product. After all, the company has a history of revamping the technology market. The iPod revolutionized the way we listen to music, and Macbooks permeate every college campus. But when Apple CEO Steve Jobs, unveiled the big surprise--which looks much like an iPod on steroids-many shareholders (including me) were left with a slight scowl, and a simple one-word question: Huh?

You see, the iPad seems-at least at first glance-to be an utterly ridiculous product, truly a waste of money and hype. Critics have pointed out that the product is merely a jumbo iPod, which boasts nothing more than a cool e-book program and a 9.7-inch screen. But it costs $500 and lacks many features, including a camera, a USB port to connect to your computer and the ability to run multiple programs at once. The list goes on and on.

Comedians have also joined the anti-iPad camp. Some have noticed that the typical Bostonian may have a hard time pronouncing the difference between "iPod" and "iPad." Some have aptly pointed out that Apple could have chosen a less ironic name for the product; a recent Mad TV sketch referred to the new iPad as a feminine hygiene product. And, just for kicks and giggles, everyone should search iPad on YouTube and watch Adolf Hitler's response to the product. Yes, you read that correctly. Apparently, someone very clever decided to take a scene from a World War II movie and insert subtitles that depict the evil dictator bemoaning the faulty iPad and the features it lacks.

But regardless of your opinion on the product, the debut comes at a time when Americans are more obsessed than ever with their technology. Love it or hate it, everyone is talking about it. Every major newspaper covered the iPad debut. Our technology addiction is confirmed by a study described in a recent New York Times article. The study found that children between the ages of 8 and 18 "spend more than seven and a half hours a day with . devices, compared with less than six and a half hours five years ago, when the [same] study was last conducted."

How pathetic. Look at us. Here we are, a possessed generation that is fascinated by nothing more than a larger version of a product we already know. Are we blind? Even a caveman wouldn't be that impressed. It would be like if he proudly showed us his newest, improved, newer and larger rock that happened to look much like his older and smaller one.

So, I am left with this burning question: Are these really the things that excite us?

The answer to the question may be yes. And true, this may seem pathetic. We seem to be a lost generation. Less than half a century ago, Americans eagerly watched as men were landing on the moon. And now, in 2010, even when NASA finds water on the moon (that's right, if you haven't yet heard, more than two months ago we found that our moon contains H2O), all we seem to care about is our brand new supersized iPod.

But maybe we are approaching this from the wrong angle? Maybe, just maybe, the iPad is something worth buying (at least, when the price comes down). After all, experts have said that the innovative applications this product has may help the auto industry, as well as hospitals, musicians and college students. Some have even envisioned the iPad to be somewhat like a TV: Every house will own three or four, and they will just "lie around" for everyone to use.

I am very tempted to bash our generation and our pointless addiction to seemingly useless technology. It's a really easy case to make. But after giving the iPad much thought, I've concluded that this may not be the right route.

A recent article in the Oxford University Press Blog puts it concisely: "Writing was developed not to transcribe speech but to keep records of inventory. Pencils were developed by cabinet makers to make cut marks on wood, not for writing words or drawing pictures. Computers were invented to crunch numbers, not process words." In other words, we have no idea where the iPad will take us. Sure, it's easy to make fun of it and ourselves for being obsessed with it. But people also thought that the iPhone would be a silly, overpriced product. People laughed at the thought of landing men on the moon. But somehow, our innovations prove to defy logic.

Here's what Apple taught me this week: Our generation will never be weaned off technology. It is only a matter of time before books are outdated, along with our iPods and computers. So what can we do about it? Hold onto our stock. Maybe our fascinations are not such a bad thing. Instead of being upset about how blind we are and how terrible it is that all we care about is the digital world, we should embrace our addiction as an exciting development in the human story.