Should I buy an IPad???
So, I'm considering buying an I Pad
. Thought I would ask the tech savy folks their opinion. I am a pretty low tech guy. I've carried a work BB for the past 7 years. The BB doesn't even have a camera and the feature to connect to a wireless network has been disabled. My home computer is probably 9 years old and is essentially an internet machine and data storage for music and pictures. The thing just won't die.
I would really like to have the ability to quickly log onto the web from various places in my house. I'm sick of having to go to my home office to just quickly check something which also usually means walking out of the room with my 3 year old wondering why I'm going downstairs.
Thinking about getting the cheapest version (smallest storage size) and no wireless network plan. I will just use home wireless network or free networks outside of the house.
So EN, how has the I PAD changed your life??? And will it raise my VDot by 2 points?(just kidding
)...
Comments
My son (whose license plate reads "APL GURU") won't let me replace my original iPad until March, when the new screen will be available.
Nonethless, the answer to "Should I buy an iPad?" is "Yes, when that new model comes out next month". Here's what I do on a daily basis with my iPad:
I read books (via both a Kindle and a Nook app), magazines (3 weekly, several others monthly), newspapers (one national, 3 local). I watch movies, TV shows (an app provides me everything my home satelite service and DVR have available), YouTube videos. I check and respond to email, update my blog, do my banking, manage my daily schedule. I listen to music, cruise my photo album, communicate via Skype, Instant Messenger ... basically everything I used to do on a computer I do on my iPad, except manage my CompuTrainer, and track my workouts (no Training Peaks or WKO available). All this via WiFi, or, if that's not avaiable, the cellular network @ $15/month - a heck of a lot cheaper than an iPhone, and with a screen I can actually read. I no longer have to take my computer with me when I travel. My laptop's fan is dying, and I am going to replace that computer with my son's Mac Mini, not another portable.
one thing to know, on these forums, with the iPad, you will only be able to use the quick reply window. For some reason, on Safari on the iPad, the start a new thread window and the reply window (with all the formatting and emoticons) does not accept text input. Minor frustration.
Thanks again.
This said... be clear that the iPad is NOT a full fledged tablet laptop. It is MAINLY designed for the consumption of media and anything else that you might do with a web browser.
That said, it is an AMAZING device for Internet and email. It has totally changed the way I use the web and I find my time on line has gone way up. I have a 2 and 5 year old, so daddy can surf while the 5 year old rules the remote.
An option for another super cool device if need more function and slightly less than iPad flexibility is the MacBook Air wafer thin laptop. My wife use one as her primary machine and loves it. It is super light and very awesome.
** Disclaimer ** this post was written with an iPad 2
I got a great case with a blue tooth keyboard. Turns my iPad into a much more functional machine if I have to type a lot.
http://www.zagg.com/accessories/zaggfolio-ipad-3-keyboard-case?gclid=CNHYhcGTu7ACFQ9whwod0SGRqg
Like Al says, iPad apps for spreadsheets, word processing etc. are still very weak. Rumor has it MS Office is coming, but that is a wait and see on functionality.
tom
I have both an iPad and a netbook - more on that later. But first, breaking news: Google announced today it's buying a company which produces Microsoft Office clone software, the idea being to have it more easily used on tablets. And MS itself has said its next OS will be built around touch screen functionality. So the future seems to be rolling in the direction of tablets.
I've been a Mac user since 1984, but my CompuTrainer and WKO are both mac phobic, so I had to use a simulator on my laptop to run the software. That got old, so I spent $250 for an Atom-based netbook. It's the exact same size as an iPad (just thicker) with a built in keyboard. But the screen is not HD, the processor is slower than the iPad, and that Windows/Intel world is like trying to communicate in grunts and hisses compared to the seamless world of Mac.
I use on occasion a key board, and have gizmo which allows me to connect to a large monitor if I choose. If you need to work with large graphics files (photography, film), write a book, manage a small business, do research r the like there's no way the iPad will suffice. For everything else we use computer for, though, it's equal to or superior to a similarly priced appliance.
The time-honored rule for computer purchase still applies: FIRST, decide what it is you need to use the tool for; THEN fit the tool to the task.
Sorry, but everytime I get on Joanne's iPad and have to actually do something -- type, surf quickly, open tabs, etc, I'm not very impressed. Read the news and newsfeeds, watch videos of cats playing the piano...yep. DO anything, nope.
PS. my home computer (probably 10 years old) is probably on the way out. considering going with a very simple cheaper laptop to see if that fits the bill...
My MacBook Pro is going on 2yrs. Patrick's is 3. Joanne is using my old MacBook (white plastic) that PnI purchased back in '07 or '08, I think, and I think Maura is using his old, old one, a generation older than the one Joanne is one.
My iPhone will be 3yrs old this summer.
GPS in my truck is about 8yrs old
I generally hold on to something that does what I want until it breaks