Considering a tablet...

[onthecouchagain]

I'm considering a tablet, and not necessarily an iPad, but for obvious reasons, the iPad 2 is the front runner. Amazon's Fire has peaked my interest also.

But I'm mostly wondering if I'll benefit from a tablet at all. For those that own a laptop as well, do you find yourself using the laptop far less? I know it's unrealistic to think a tablet will fully replace a laptop, but I'm just asking do you guys/gals find yourself picking up the laptop far less when going out or traveling, etc? I also use it a lot for browsing the web, checking email/facebook, forums, etc., which I think will be easier to do with a tablet and a touch screen in terms of when on the go.

I am a writer, and I think I'll always benefit from having a full sized physical keyboard at the tip of my hands (I currently own a Air), but I'm also starting to feel it's a bit cumbersome to carry around with me, especially when tablets are getting smaller/lighter, and more convenient. Besides the physical keys, it can do virtually everything my Air can. This makes me feel the Air is far less necessary.

Anyway, I'd love to hear imput. This is my first time on the iPad forums. Appreciate it.

 

[Macman45]

Laptop V Pad

I'm considering a tablet, and not necessarily an iPad, but for obvious reasons, the iPad 2 is the front runner. Amazon's Fire has peaked my interest also.

But I'm mostly wondering if I'll benefit from a tablet at all. For those that own a laptop as well, do you find yourself using the laptop far less? I know it's unrealistic to think a tablet will fully replace a laptop, but I'm just asking do you guys/gals find yourself picking up the laptop far less when going out or traveling, etc? I also use it a lot for browsing the web, checking email/facebook, forums, etc., which I think will be easier to do with a tablet and a touch screen in terms of when on the go.

I am a writer, and I think I'll always benefit from having a full sized physical keyboard at the tip of my hands (I currently own a Air), but I'm also starting to feel it's a bit cumbersome to carry around with me, especially when tablets are getting smaller/lighter, and more convenient. Besides the physical keys, it can do virtually everything my Air can. This makes me feel the Air is far less necessary.

Anyway, I'd love to hear imput. This is my first time on the iPad forums. Appreciate it.

Firstly, any tablet will not act as a laptop replacement....The iPad is a fantastic companion, and I use mine all the time, especially at night, but the fact is it just won't do everything a laptop ca.

I chose to get rid of my Toshiba 17.5" heavy beast of a lappy in favour of a MBA. The two are in daily use and for different tasks.

As far as the Fire goes, well if you just want to surf the web, email and maybe read books it looks a good deal. I guess the best thing to do is to get down to the Store and try out whats on offer. I wouldn't get rid of the laptop though....You will miss it and eventually replace it!

 

[rtolboom]

Considering the fact that you said you are a writer, here are my two cents.

I have owned a laptop, desktop, iPhone and now also an iPad. Each device is great, have loved it but they all serve different purposes.

Right now I have an iMac mostly for typing, photo editing, working on projects >> generation of content.
In the past I have had a laptop instead of a desktop solution. I bought it for its portability but I found that I would always leave it at home (which is why I replaced it for the desktop).

When looking at the iPad, its a great toy. I call it a toy because its less practical for working on papers/books/whatever. The main reason for having an iPad differs for most people, but the basis is the same: media consumption.

The iPad is a great device to bring along stuff you have written (on you laptop/desktop), surf the internet, keep your agenda, read emails etc. I would not want to use it to type long epistels.

The solution ofc is to bring a bluetooth keyboard, but if you alread have an MBair, i'd just bring that along.

At this moment I will be more flexible with my work, will need to work in different offices and write stuff, so I am actually considering to buy an Air to do my writing on.

Well, its been a long story but the conclusion:

Mac / Air => Generation
Pad => Consumption

 

[Macman45]

Some Valid Points Here

Considering the fact that you said you are a writer, here are my two cents.

I have owned a laptop, desktop, iPhone and now also an iPad. Each device is great, have loved it but they all serve different purposes.

Right now I have an iMac mostly for typing, photo editing, working on projects >> generation of content.
In the past I have had a laptop instead of a desktop solution. I bought it for its portability but I found that I would always leave it at home (which is why I replaced it for the desktop).

When looking at the iPad, its a great toy. I call it a toy because its less practical for working on papers/books/whatever. The main reason for having an iPad differs for most people, but the basis is the same: media consumption.

The iPad is a great device to bring along stuff you have written (on you laptop/desktop), surf the internet, keep your agenda, read emails etc. I would not want to use it to type long epistels.

The solution ofc is to bring a bluetooth keyboard, but if you alread have an MBair, i'd just bring that along.

At this moment I will be more flexible with my work, will need to work in different offices and write stuff, so I am actually considering to buy an Air to do my writing on.

Well, its been a long story but the conclusion:

Mac / Air => Generation
Pad => Consumption

The Air would act as a fantastic, lightweight tool for writing....I guess I can concede a little of the "Toy" factor of the iPad since I do tend to play a lot on it. BUT I also use it as a stage and studio tool where it provides FX sound modelling via an app called Amplitube....So its for work too.

 

[Pmxbass]

The ipad has totally changed the way i use computers. I spend a lot of my free time online on forums and such, it used to be that the laptop was alway around me, on the couch at night while watching tv with the wife wires dangling across the living room.

The ipad has totally liberated my internet addiction its a 3G model, i carry it everywhere. At home its alway lying next to me on the couch, open it to check it email then close the lid back up, no laptop batteries warming up your lap, no waiting for windows to boot up. The laptop sees very little use now. It gets turned on maybe once a week where it used to be on constantly.

I travel a lot for work, the ipad is the best companion IMO, its full of movies and music to keep me busy, always connected to the net whenever i want to read the news or surf the net or find where i am with Maps if i'm lost. It used to be that i'd have two laptops with me when travelling for work, the company laptop(locked with no admin priviledges) and my personnal one for all my movies and net surfing. The ipad has replaced my personal laptop, so the backpack is now a whole lot lighter.

Honestly, i don't know how i ever lived without a tablet and i don't think i'd like to live without one anymore.

 

[4DThinker]

There are several tablet configurations out there and the dual-core current generation are all very capable. If you want one to be light and nimble, the iPad2, Sony S, and Galaxy 10.1 are all light weight. All will work with bluetooth keyboards, and the Sony S (with a $14 cable) will connect to USB mice/keyboard. The Galaxy will too, but it requires a more expensive dock adapter.

If you think you'll be doing considerable typing and want a more elegant solution, the Asus Slider or Asus Transformer + keyboard dock both bring a keyboard along in a nice package.

The Kindle Fire is a 7" tablet though, and that size is far more portable than any of the above. The Rim Playbook, Acer Iconia A100, Archos 70it, and a few others are all similarly capable 7" wide-screens. I'm recommending the Acer A100 at the moment as it is android 3.2 and has Google Market access with no hacks. The Playbook is a beautiful tablet at a good price right now, but its app store is limited and likely won't grow much. They claim "some" android apps will run on it with an emulator, but I haven't seen that emulator.

 

[thewitt]

As an author, I could no longer survive without my iPad. I have it with me places I would never brother to bring my laptop, so I find myself writing in places and at times I feel inspired rather than when I have my laptop.

I keep a keyboard in my bag in the car and do not hesitate do real writing when the urge comes up.

I resync using Dropbox and still do most work on my laptop, but the iPads availability and instant anywhere access to the Internet and my Dropbox files has changed my life.

-t

 

[Bernard SG]

Wirelessly posted (IPod Touch 4: Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_5 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8L1 Safari/6533.18.5)

iPad coupled with one of those cases with embedded keyboards seems to be the ideal for you.

 

[HengenJL]

I personally bought an iPad to replace my old PowerBook G4. I have a very powerful desktop for any sort of heavy computer use. I have found myself grabbing my iPad more than anything else when I am at home. the instant on and easy of use of the iPad truly suits my needs for a mobile device.

 

[rtolboom]

Wirelessly posted (IPod Touch 4: Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_5 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8L1 Safari/6533.18.5)

iPad coupled with one of those cases with embedded keyboards seems to be the ideal for you.

Yes, but considering the fact that he already has an MB Air, the Air would be more compact and usefull than ipad+case+keyboard?

 

[thewitt]

Yes, but considering the fact that he already has an MB Air, the Air would be more compact and usefull than ipad+case+keyboard?

I have a MBA as well, and the answer for me is no. Though I cannot use those cases with built in keyboards because my hands don't fit that keyboard.

Most of my use is sans keyboard, but I am occasionally in need of the keyboard which is always in my bag in the car. I would never haul the MBA and charger around to the places I take the iPad.

-t

 

[ahbdesign]

I don't think you'd benefit from a tablet as such, rather you'll just be happier with one especially if it's an iPad. Since you type a lot, the mb air is the perfect portable laptop, that is good to type on. The iPad is not a laptop replacement especially for typing. It pretty much fills the shoes for everything else related to media consumption.

I currently use my laptop only to type assignments, and keeping my music library. I use my iPad for everything else.

 

[darngooddesign]

Buy them, iPad and other tablets, and try them with some writing apps. You can always return them if you don't like them, but you won't get a refund on the apps you bought.

 

[onthecouchagain]

Thanks for the advice all. I think one member nailed it on the head when he said the ipad is for media consumption. I think I wont need that. Not yet anyway. I'm eager to see what will happen wither Amazon fire and the eventual ipad 3.

Thanks again.

 

[Bernard SG]

Thanks for the advice all. I think one member nailed it on the head when he said the ipad is for media consumption. I think I wont need that. Not yet anyway. I'm eager to see what will happen wither Amazon fire and the eventual ipad 3.

Thanks again.

darngooddesign's advice is a darn good one actually. Try the iPad for a week or two, then return it if it doesn'tcut it for your productivity needs.
For me, the virtual keyboard works quite well, but I'm not a professional writer, plus it seems not to be for everyone.

 

[onthecouchagain]

As an author, I could no longer survive without my iPad. I have it with me places I would never brother to bring my laptop, so I find myself writing in places and at times I feel inspired rather than when I have my laptop.

I keep a keyboard in my bag in the car and do not hesitate do real writing when the urge comes up.

I resync using Dropbox and still do most work on my laptop, but the iPads availability and instant anywhere access to the Internet and my Dropbox files has changed my life.

-t

TheWitt, what do you write? Have you been published? I sent you a private message asking (though I'm not sure it went out). If you'd like to talk there, that's fine too. I'm curious.

 

[darngooddesign]

Thanks for the advice all. I think one member nailed it on the head when he said the ipad is for media consumption. I think I wont need that. Not yet anyway. I'm eager to see what will happen wither Amazon fire and the eventual ipad 3.

Thanks again.

The only tablets that aren't primarily for consumption, the Fire and Nook Color are more focused in that direction, are the upcoming Windows 8 tablets. Here's the thing, for the kind of work you want to focus on, writing, an iPad or Android tablet will do that just fine, but unless the Fire has a good word processor and dropbox support I don't think it will do what you want.

 

[jsh1120]

I'm considering a tablet, and not necessarily an iPad, but for obvious reasons, the iPad 2 is the front runner. Amazon's Fire has peaked my interest also.

But I'm mostly wondering if I'll benefit from a tablet at all. For those that own a laptop as well, do you find yourself using the laptop far less? I know it's unrealistic to think a tablet will fully replace a laptop, but I'm just asking do you guys/gals find yourself picking up the laptop far less when going out or traveling, etc? I also use it a lot for browsing the web, checking email/facebook, forums, etc., which I think will be easier to do with a tablet and a touch screen in terms of when on the go.

I am a writer, and I think I'll always benefit from having a full sized physical keyboard at the tip of my hands (I currently own a Air), but I'm also starting to feel it's a bit cumbersome to carry around with me, especially when tablets are getting smaller/lighter, and more convenient. Besides the physical keys, it can do virtually everything my Air can. This makes me feel the Air is far less necessary.

Anyway, I'd love to hear imput. This is my first time on the iPad forums. Appreciate it.

You raise several issues that have been discussed extensively on this board. I'd suggest doing some "searching" for many of those threads.

You'll find that many people find the iPad adequately fills their requirements for a notebook; others do not. You'll find that many people find a physical keyboard to be a waste of money; many others do not. You'll find that some people find their smartphones are used much less when they get a tablet. Again, many others don't find that to be the case.

In general, you're the only person who can make an assessment of your requirements and the devices you need. But here's one way to think about them.

"...The Kindle Fire fills that tiny tablet gap in my life. It only has the features I really care about at a price point that's reasonable. It's more than reasonable, it's pretty great. But more importantly, it's the color Kindle I've been waiting for. I don't care about built-in 3G. That's what Mi-Fis are for. The camera on our iPad was used the first week just to point out how horrible the pictures looked. The only downside to the Kindle Fire is the lack of Bluetooth. But this isn't a deal breaker in my book..."

The point is not whether you agree or disagree with the author of that comment. The point is to examine the various devices you have and are considering in terms of a "tablet gap" whether it's tiny or gigantic. If you're trying to fill that gap, consider how much redundancy you'll experience when you do so and purchase a tablet that provides the best non-redundant "gap coverage" for the money.

 

[Madmic23]

My iPad is my primary web browsing device. It's great for that, and for taking quick notes with Evernote which are automatically synced with my MacBook. Any important reference material I have is scanned and saved in a Dropbox folder on my MacBook, which makes it instantly available on my iPad.
That said, I use my MacBook for long forum posts, e-mails, and heavy duty reserch. The iPad works great for everything else.
I've taken a few Florida vacations in the past couple of years. The first time, I took my MacBook with me. Massive pain lugging that on to the airplane.
The next time, I took my iPad. It was as easy as taking a book with me. Plus, with the 3G connection, I wasn't hunting for wifi.

 

[matt90036]

I am a writer, and I think I'll always benefit from having a full sized physical keyboard at the tip of my hands (I currently own a Air), but I'm also starting to feel it's a bit cumbersome to carry around with me, especially when tablets are getting smaller/lighter, and more convenient. Besides the physical keys, it can do virtually everything my Air can. This makes me feel the Air is far less necessary.

Anyway, I'd love to hear imput. This is my first time on the iPad forums. Appreciate it.

as a writer you have to ask yourself how much writing are you going to to? is it going to be one paragraph per day, one email per day or 10 pages a day. i would go ahead and buy ipad if you are considering to write 1-2 paragraphs per day. anything over that you just have to use the actual keyboard. ipad is great for writing short amounts of stuff such as emails, etc... but not for books or essays.

 

[Crikey]

It's funny how differently people think about and use these tools. I use my iPad much more than my old Macbook Pro, because of the portability and instant-on. But I'm starting to think about getting a MacBook Air, which might be a nice compromise with portability plus Mac OS X power. The original poster already has a MBA and is thinking about an iPad.

I write a couple of pages per day on the iPad's on-screen keyboard, and it syncs wirelessly with all my other devices using the Simplenote app. I've been tempted to get a Bluetooth keyboard, but haven't really found it necessary yet.