Anyone use their iPad as their only computer for an extended period of time?

[Flybye]

I definitely can't rely on only the iPad.

1) I have a PC Media center with a blue-ray player.
2) I have a PC for heavy PC gaming (World of Tanks, X3, Old School Unreal Tournament 2004, etc)
3) My laser printer has to be accessed through the network to print from.
4) I still make CDs on the Mini for the GF since her car does not have an aux in port, and I made 20+ CDs during Christmas with Christmas songs for the family
5) I work from home so I NEED a PC and my Mini
6) I have my server where I store all my back ups, family photos, and photography hobby pics.

No way lol. To live off the iPad requires you to be a simpleton. Not edit a lot of pictures, not need to write discs ever again, put up with the occasional website which looks retarded in Safari, bite your fingers when visiting a site with flash, and so on. I love my iPad but to live off it would prove very unrealistic for the moment. Hey, who knows. That time may come. For now, my iPad2 perfectly augments the rest of my electronic toys. And its great to hold in bed to do some light reading before falling asleep.

 

[Daikyouju]

Get an iMac

 

[davenz]

In my mind there is no doubt that for 90% of people, the iPad is sufficient 90% of the time. However, there is that small proportion where you still need a mac/pc. It hardly seems like its worth the investment to run photoshop or transfer data once a month.

I can see myself just having an ipad and just using the computers at my university for when i really need to & just keep all my files in the cloud. Its hard to drop $2000 on a computer you never use and gets outdated quickly.

 

[Rideherhard]

In my mind there is no doubt that for 90% of people, the iPad is sufficient 90% of the time. However, there is that small proportion where you still need a mac/pc. It hardly seems like its worth the investment to run photoshop or transfer data once a month.

I can see myself just having an ipad and just using the computers at my university for when i really need to & just keep all my files in the cloud. Its hard to drop $2000 on a computer you never use and gets outdated quickly.

I just don't think that's the case anymore as computers now are built fast and older machines seem to be sticking around longer. I was working on an older C2D iMac 2ghz and it's still runs good with 1gb of ram, it'll be getting the 4gb max update soon which will make it a great computer still. It really depend on the users needs but for most of us a new computer now shouldn't cost $2000 more about $1500 and will last a long time with no REAL need to update. I'm on a 13" 09 MBP and it's still VERY quick and realistically I could get many more years out of it for my needs, but I may update in the fall cause I want to not cause I need to cause my machine is outdated.
iPads are a LONG ways from replacing computers or laptops, they're a great utility tho. TBH, with Lion I much prefer web surfing on the Mac now over the iPad, LOVE the new features in it for the web browsing, we'll see what the new iOS will have but Lion has kicked new life into web browsing and using the Mac.
Now I know someone will come up with well 15 mil iPads were sold to 5 mil Macs but iPads are new and many don't own them yet, so their numbers should be much higher than computer sales which most homes already have a good computer.
I just don't see how one could replace a computer just yet for an iPad, even web surfing and video is still limited on the iPad. I like were the iPad is going and it would be great if they release a iPad Pro model that would preform more like a computer, but then I guess thats going to were the MacBook Air comes in. They still need to offer a better multitasking feature before we can seriously talk about iPad replacing computers.

 

[explosivecupcak]

i'm about to do this!
i'll still have a HP laptop but it will be for hardcore typing and whatever else i find it works better at.

i bought a bluetooth keyboard that's also a cover, i had a friend do this for all his school work in highschool and he said it was excellent. This overcomes the only issue i'd hesitate with, the touchscreen keyboard! (not to mention the fear of dropping it and harming the screen)

i haven't got my ipad yet, though the keyboard has arrived ($20 on ebay) so fingers crossed!

$500 is super cheap for a laptop, let alone an apple laptop, which is what mine will become, so whether or not it works as well as i imagine it will, i'll have an excellent product that does infinity billion things and is awesome fun to play with.

 

[Flybye]

I just don't think that's the case anymore as computers now are built fast and older machines seem to be sticking around longer...

And the reason being is due to 90%, just as davenz mentioned, of those people are really only needing something basic to read emails, browse websites, look at YouTube videos, and look at pictures. Hey look at that. I just described the iPad!

I bet you I can build a random person who only browses the internet with a PC with Windows 2000, 512MB of ram, an Intel 1GHz CPU, a 32GB harddrive, wifi/NIC card, OpenOffice (it only even needs like 500MB) and find a lightweight web browser and they are set for life. I couldn't find a new browser that still works on OS9, so I had to revert to a PC


I told myself a few years back that most people wont even need a computer. All they have to do is connect a full size keyboard and monitor to their smartphone and they are all set.

For the masses, yeah an iPad makes perfect sense. But you will always have that market of people that just can't deal with the limitations of the iPad.

 

[Yumunum]

Just to give me an idea, what websites won't work well on iPad, other than sites based on flash?

You'll have problems with sites with pop out menus or anything of the sort where you need to hover over something to get options. Also, Google Docs :/

 

[APlotdevice]

You'll have problems with sites with pop out menus or anything of the sort where you need to hover over something to get options. Also, Google Docs :/

Actually Safari now recognizes most if not all mouseover controls. When they appear you can tap once to simulate a hover, and then again to "click".

 

[Rideherhard]

And the reason being is due to 90%, just as davenz mentioned, of those people are really only needing something basic to read emails, browse websites, look at YouTube videos, and look at pictures. Hey look at that. I just described the iPad!

I bet you I can build a random person who only browses the internet with a PC with Windows 2000, 512MB of ram, an Intel 1GHz CPU, a 32GB harddrive, wifi/NIC card, OpenOffice (it only even needs like 500MB) and find a lightweight web browser and they are set for life. I couldn't find a new browser that still works on OS9, so I had to revert to a PC


I told myself a few years back that most people wont even need a computer. All they have to do is connect a full size keyboard and monitor to their smartphone and they are all set.

For the masses, yeah an iPad makes perfect sense. But you will always have that market of people that just can't deal with the limitations of the iPad.

iPad doesn't make sense for the masses as their only computer... iPad can't hold all of a persons Movies, TV Shows, Music, Photos, Apps and Files. Also, iPad is limited on the web, iPad has not replaced the PC yet but I can see it happening, hell I'm hoping for it cause I really like the iPad but it's just not there yet.
Before I switched to Lion I would use the iPad for web surfing over the MBP has it does it good and works with most websites but after Lion I don't touch the iPad anymore, Lion for web surfing is so much better now. I hop the new iOS will do something to top Lion or equal it cause I miss the lightness of the iPad.
iPad is a great tool to have with a PC, most people will still need a PC as the iPad just can't hold all their family movies, photos, music, files ect. Lets also consider that more and more people now are ditching cable and now watching their TV online, this seems to be growing and iPad can't replace this feature, most people still need a computer but iPad looks like it could be the future, I'm hoping for a 13" screen, more ram and storages but I'd say thats a few years away before we start seeing iPads with 4gb of ram and 250+gb of storages.

 

[Yr Blues]

Now that the "new" iPad is out, I'm considering this again. Anyone doing this now?

 

[Jarland]

I do a lot of work with web servers and setting up Wordpress sites. Aside from that I do a lot of video. I still use Final Cut on the iMac for editing from my DSLR. Slideshows or anything like that, iMovie on iPad. My iPad is my primary device. I feel like GoodReader has been the foundation of most of my workarounds to make my iPad fit the task at hand.

 

[Jasmynp]

When I'm not in school I'm almost exclusively iPad. I prefer to just pick it up and go. I really like my MBA, but the iPad is better for surfing, videos, etc for. I can get it closer to me and see it better.

Also the iPad does a lot of the things I need like PDFs, handwritten journaling, books, scanning docs directly to it with Vuscan app, gaming, etc. Sometimes I don't even use my MBA for long paper, I pull out the BT keyboard and get to work on my iPad.

I'm not in a profession that requires use of a specialized software so the iPad does just about everything I need.

 

[ZBoater]

The new iPad is not ready for this yet. It's closer, but has a loooong way to go, if ever.

Only if you are willing to surrender all your media to Apple and just ignore the things the iPad cant help you with (like updating the firmware of your other non-Apple favorite gadget).

It means walking by awesome deals at Movie stop where they have the entire season of (insert favorite TV show here) for $10 or your favorite CD goes on sale for $5 and there is no way for you to get that content onto your iPad. At $20 a pop for some movies in iTunes, this can get pricey quick.

It would mean every website and every content provider would need to switch to Apple's way of distributing content. So that CD that came with the book you bought, nix that. Or that website that refuses to kill flash, you really didn't need to see it, did you?

The iPad can do a lot, and it's an impressive device. But it won't take over the role of the PC. Not any time soon. As popular as Apple is, there are too many other players in the personal computing arena that won't play ball. Not to mention Windows rule over the business space continues, albeit challenged but much stronger than Apple nonetheless.

 

[Jackintosh]

I could see using the iPad as sole computer. The only problem is word processing and spreadsheet programs Word and Excel is missing. The Playbook tablet comes with both, by the way.

 

[Yr Blues]

Maybe I should wait for retina to get to the Air. I'm not getting anything without it. Or buy the iPad now and sell it when they update the Air.

 

[ZBoater]

Maybe I should wait for retina to get to the Air. I'm not getting anything without it. Or buy the iPad now and sell it when they update the Air.

The current Air is a beast. I am running OS X Lion and Windows 7 in both Bootcamp and Parallels. It has handled everything I've thrown at it.

Plus the added bonus I can update the database on my Escort Radar detector and run Quicken for Business. The 2011 MBA rocks!

 

[Yr Blues]

The current Air is a beast. I am running OS X Lion and Windows 7 in both Bootcamp and Parallels. It has handled everything I've thrown at it.

Plus the added bonus I can update the database on my Escort Radar detector and run Quicken for Business. The 2011 MBA rocks!

Retina has spoiled me, but I absolutely adore the 11 Air.

 

[cfs]

Since iOS5 is totally PC-free now, I'm seriously considering this option. This idea intrigues me, but I have my doubts. All I need it for is to keep my resume updated (Pages), watch movies/TV (NetFlix), and browse the internet.

I have for about two months but I wouldn't recommend it as your only computer. For word processing I use Pages on my iPad but the prob;lem I always have is in the conversion to word. Whenever someone pulls it up my tables are in a different location. Luckily it was not a final product I was working on but be careful of your resume and then emailing it as a word document through Pages.

 

[KoukiFC3S]

My iPad is my only computing device at home.

It works great. I mostly use safari and Netflix.

 

[Bchagey]

I bought the iPad 2 mid/late last year and i have used it way more than my MacBook pro. I just sold the mid 2010 i5 MacBook pro and got the new iPad and the iPad will now be my only device. Perfect for what I need to do. Basic email, web, facebook and eBay.

 

[cfs]

It means walking by awesome deals at Movie stop where they have the entire season of (insert favorite TV show here) for $10 or your favorite CD goes on sale for $5 and there is no way for you to get that content onto your iPad. At $20 a pop for some movies in iTunes, this can get pricey quick.

It would mean every website and every content provider would need to switch to Apple's way of distributing content. So that CD that came with the book you bought, nix that. Or that website that refuses to kill flash, you really didn't need to see it, did you?

good call.

 

[iCole]

I used my iPad for about 3 weeks as the only computer at home because my iMac was in repairs. Did the job for me. I do have to say that I didn't do anything fancy like extensive photo or videoediting. I did miss my iMac, but sometimes I start looking at the mouse as a strange device and I wish I could just touch my iMac ;-)

iOS6 looks like it will be adding lots of features that will make it even more independent and unattached from the Mac.

 

[Night Spring]

It would mean every website and every content provider would need to switch to Apple's way of distributing content. So that CD that came with the book you bought, nix that. Or that website that refuses to kill flash, you really didn't need to see it, did you?

I can't remember the last time I used the optical drive on my iMac -- I used it to install Windows, and some utility programs, and once or twice to copy DVD movies, but that's it. It's highly unlikely I'll ever buy physical media anymore, I buy all my books in ebook format, so I won't be getting any bonus CDs, either. And that website that still uses flash -- no, I really don't need to see it.

That said, the iPad isn't likely to ever be my sole computing device, I still need a desktop computer to do various tasks, such as converting between media formats, writing / editing longer documents, storing and organiing my media collection (which is too big to ft on my iPad), etc. But needing to use CDs and flash aren't among the reasons I still need my desktop.

 

[ZBoater]

I can't remember the last time I used the optical drive on my iMac -- I used it to install Windows, and some utility programs, and once or twice to copy DVD movies, but that's it. It's highly unlikely I'll ever buy physical media anymore, I buy all my books in ebook format, so I won't be getting any bonus CDs, either. And that website that still uses flash -- no, I really don't need to see it.

Well, I am happy YOU were able to make the transition, but some of us are not as fortunate. Some of us HAVE to see that flash website, its part of our JOB. And some of us still receive the occasional CD with stuff. And some of us use other non-Apple gadgets that need the occasional firmware upgrade that the iPad ain't gonna cut it. I wish I could simplify my life and get rid of my Escort Radar detector and my Superchips engine customization programmer and my Garmin chartplotter so didn't need to bother with those pesky firmware updates that require a real computer. Maybe someday, but not today...

 

[Walshy]

I got my ipad very recently to replace my desktop gaming pc (crazy i know). I just moved in with my girlfriend, i use my xbox for gaming (which i rarely have time for these days with work and all) , then i only actually needed my phone for essential internet use but got an ipad to do it in style.

Also i get most of my media on blu ray so don't need a computer for that.

Its working quite well, i am looking to get a laptop after going on holiday this summer, but this is working quite well for me atm.