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Considering an iPad but I'm Reluctant

D

Doggman

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 19, 2012
88
0
So I'm considering ordering an iPad 3 wifi 32gb black but I'm feeling reluctant. I'm afraid it'll be fun for the first 2 weeks and then I'll be done with it. I have a 13" MacBook Pro and an iPhone 4 right now. Did anyone else have similar concerns? How did things turn out? Are they worth it or worthless?

Thanks

EDIT/UPDATE:
I decided not to get an iPad 3 but I did order a tablet. I should have my ASUS TF700 hopefully on Friday but it might be Monday before it arrives. Will be my first tablet and my first Android device so I am pretty excited to get it in my hands.
 
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I was a strong non-believer in the concept of a tablet in general. However, I witnessed the success of the original iPad and realized that I may be missing out on something important in the trends of technology, and I wanted to see for myself what it was all about.

After I got my first iPad 2, the first two weeks I suffered from buyer's remorse. After I got some essential apps like Flipboard, I saw how really excellent the iPad is for consumption of rich content. When the 3 came out, I upgraded and gave the 2 to my wife - getting two was necessary because it came increasingly difficult to share!

I travel a lot and have found that its perfect for on-the-fly editing and light content creation as well.

Since then, I believe a tablet of some form will continue to be a key element of my personal technology portfolio.

All I can say is see for yourself - just jump in and get one. If you don't like it, resale value is always high and you won't loose much.
 
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Doggman said:
So I'm considering ordering an iPad 3 wifi 32gb black but I'm feeling reluctant. I'm afraid it'll be fun for the first 2 weeks and then I'll be done with it. I have a 13" MacBook Pro and an iPhone 4 right now. Did anyone else have similar concerns? How did things turn out? Are they worth it or worthless?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Depends on the apps you rely on. You've got the duo now in a MBP and iPhone so it's going to depend on the apps you rely on to get the job done and how effective they are the iPad.
 
My iPad has replaced my laptop as my primary computing device.

Small enough to be with me anywhere, large enough to be useful, and with an added keyboard that easily drops into a messenger bag, can handle large volume text jobs as well.
 
I love my iPad so much I use it to read Flipboard, Twitter, and other news. Also I play games too. I still need my MBP for video editing and other stuff that iPad cannot do. iPhone I check my email and texting…FaceTime.
 
Doggman said:
So I'm considering ordering an iPad 3 wifi 32gb black but I'm feeling reluctant. I'm afraid it'll be fun for the first 2 weeks and then I'll be done with it. I have a 13" MacBook Pro and an iPhone 4 right now. Did anyone else have similar concerns? How did things turn out? Are they worth it or worthless?

Thanks
Click to expand...

They are completely worthless, avoid buying one.
 
Daysight said:
Wife and I use ours everyday all day. Also our iphones Laptop gathers dust. So there are the two ends of the spectrum.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry you didn't realize my post was ironic. I love my iPad, but there are way too much threads about people endlessly asking if the iPad is worth, what they should do with it, if they need one, blah, blah,blah... nobody can answer those questions for them.
 
Mostly use it for lounge and bed surfing playing games etc. Not much of a work horse but great for leisure. Still use my iPhone when out and about and the iPad mostly at home. Watching films and stuff is great as well.
 
sinser said:
I'm sorry you didn't realize my post was ironic. I love my iPad, but there are way too much threads about people endlessly asking if the iPad is worth, what they should do with it, if they need one, blah, blah,blah... nobody can answer those questions for them.
Click to expand...

I think sarcastic was the word you meant.

Anyway, the iPad is, in most people's cases the most unessential computer device we own. If you can't afford an extra expense for leisure, I would suggest against buying one. It's a gadget that gives you quick and more versatile access to the internet and other media, and is much more desirable to just grab and google something or check your emails as opposed to a laptop. Games are quite cool for a while, but the novelty wears off just like it did on my iPhone a long time ago, and I pretty much never play iOS games any more.

Toooooooooooo lonnnnnnnnnnnnngg didnnnnnnnnnt reeeeeaaaadd: If you're comfortable with the unnecessary expense, the iPad is a great go-to media device.
 
I had concerns but those concerns vanished once I started with the Kindle Fire. I used it all the time and in fact I use my tablet(s) more than my computer when it comes to just endlessly browsing, checking email, etc.

As far as doing more complex tasks like file creation, video editing, file management the iPad is a pretty poor choice and definitely isn't a replacement for a full-fledged computer.

I can't see myself using it to create documents or anything file related because of the restrictions below.

The biggest problem I have specifically with the iPad is the lack of a file system, this really hurts the potential of the device. Now this doesn't mean you can't save files, it just means that the saved files are app specific. For example, you can save document <x> and it'll be in the app but you can't see it system wide. The workaround is uploading with something like dropbox and even then the function has to be intregrated. I'm not sure if the lack of file system is because they don't want iPads to interfere with the sales of macs or if they are trying to promote iCloud services.

I'm having a bit of buyer's remorse because I already had a Xoom and Kindle Fire but if its your only tablet then the iPad is great and if I had to choose one it would be a very hard decision between having file management, external support (Xoom) and the streamlined Apple experience with a far better (more apps geared towards tablets), more organized app store.
 
I have a 13" MBA and an iPhone 4s along with my iPad
I use all 3 for different things
Yes, there are overlaps, but there are some unique things as well

If I had to give up one, it would be the iPad, but that doesn't mean I find it expendable
I have added a Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard and have found that it has increased its usefulness to me exponentially

If you buy it and find it isn't the right device for you, I'm sure you can resell it quickly with minimal loss (or return it within the 14 day period)
I think you will probably find it is addictive though
 
iEvolution said:
I'm not sure if the lack of file system is because they don't want iPads to interfere with the sales of macs or if they are trying to promote iCloud services.
Click to expand...

Another theory is that the average end user doesn't understand file systems and find them confusing, so Apple is trying to make things simpler for them. You know the kind of user who just saves everything in My Documents or onto the desktop, and never organizes anything, and consequently can never find anything. Believe me, it's easier to explain to someone like that to open the iBooks app when they want to read a book, rather than to tell them to open their My Document folder, then to open their My Books folder, and when you buy a book, always remember to drag them into their My Books folder... which they always forget, no matter how often you tell them, so it's always "Where's my book????" and you have to go over and find it for them...
 
^^ I completely understand what your saying. That's my only complaint about apple products, being that they're dumbed down a little so that even the most incompetent people can use them... I've seen toddlers make their way around iPads/iPhones quite easily.

This is where I've always stood when it comes to iPads: I think they're oversized iPhones. I wish Apple would have at least attempted to blend OS X with iOS instead of just enlarging iOS...

Even with that said, I think I'm going to burn some money on an iPad anyway
 
I purchased an iPad 2 when it was released, but I only had it for a few months before I ended up selling it. I already owned a MacBook Pro 13" and an iPhone 4, and I didn't feel like I really needed an iPad. I enjoyed surfing on my MacBook more because pages loaded quicker, and I was able to have several tabs open side by side, and I wasn't limited by websites that relied on flash or websites such as hulu that wouldn't work on an iPad.

And when I was on the go, I felt that my iPhone was just much more portable and easier to use.

The iPad is a great device, but at the time it wasn't for me, and it was just too expensive for me to justify it. I might consider a cheaper, smaller iPad if that is ever released.
 
The iPad isn't meant to replace a laptop, but as an complementary device. With that said, the iPad is the perfect consumption device. I use it nearly exclusively for web browsing instead of my laptop. I am typing from an iPad now in fact :D

It's definitely a luxury item that's more of a "want but don't need" device.
 
For a quasi file system on iOS try

Air Sharing - Avatron
ReaddleDocs - Readdle
iFiles

Love my iPad...it fits perfectly between my iPhone and MBA.
 
unlimitedx said:
The iPad isn't meant to replace a laptop, but as an complementary device. With that said, the iPad is the perfect consumption device. I use it nearly exclusively for web browsing instead of my laptop. I am typing from an iPad now in fact :D

It's definitely a luxury item that's more of a "want but don't need" device.
Click to expand...

Yeah, gotta agree with that. I own Android and iOS tablets and the better experience is on iOS. The apps are usually quality, don't know what the hell Apple was thinking with "Podcasts" app that's atrocious. :p

Although Jelly Bean looks to be a solid OS but Android still suffers from the "one size fits all apps" syndrome. Amazon and the Kindle Fire comes closest to having apps optimized for the device.
 
I've owned an iPad for about 9 months now and still use mine several hours a day. I primarily use it for work (rather than as a 'toy'), and I'm likely to continue to do wo at least as long as I stick with my current job. I'm a researcher and I have used my iPad to go paperless in my office. My iPad carries my entire research library and I do all my reading and annotation of journal articles on my iPad. For that purpose, I will often use it alongside my Air when I'm writing papers or preparing presentations. I also use my iPad as my notebook. Before buying it, I used to have various notebooks and slips of paper lying around, and they would easily disappear in some pile or just not be around when I needed them. Now everything is always with me, and is easy to locate. I also find the iPad superior to my Air as my main portable device, due to the combination of long battery life, 3G access and stylus input. When I go to seminars or conferences, I never worry about running out of battery, and I never worry about finding an internet connection.

In short, for my particular purposes, the iPad supports my work flow very well, in ways that my Air can't quite do in the same way. Of course, this reflects my individual circumstances and might not apply to you.

I've never quite understood the thing about the iPad just being a large iPhone or iPod. There are so many things I do on the iPad (take notes, read pdfs, play games) that I would never comfortably do on a 3,5" screen. The screen size is a minimum for me in terms of the work I do on it; while I love the 7" tablets, they also won't do for me in terms of work.
 
Night Spring said:
Another theory is that the average end user doesn't understand file systems and find them confusing, so Apple is trying to make things simpler for them. You know the kind of user who just saves everything in My Documents or onto the desktop, and never organizes anything, and consequently can never find anything. Believe me, it's easier to explain to someone like that to open the iBooks app when they want to read a book, rather than to tell them to open their My Document folder, then to open their My Books folder, and when you buy a book, always remember to drag them into their My Books folder... which they always forget, no matter how often you tell them, so it's always "Where's my book????" and you have to go over and find it for them...
Click to expand...

You're right, in fact that is probably the most likely scenerio, of course computer nerds don't fit the general population so my idea of a perfect iPad may be too complex for the average user. Its a good thing I'm not in charge. :D

LOL@my documents, I think I may be the only person in my family, relatives and friends that organizes my files. I also must have a second hard drive for this because for whatever reason I have a issue with storing files on the primary drive.
 
I am in the same place as well with an iPad & uMBP, and the question keeps on going. What to do with it?

The answer is rather simple, in my daily usage. The uMBP has a sweet spot to me, so I keep on using it for storing and heavy internet usage (ie flash related ones), as well as "serious" business on it: online purchases, taxes, email related work, planning.

Outside of that: gaming, music, small vids, well the iPad comes in. On the plus side, it gives a first taste to my better half of Apple products. Yes, propaganda :D....

As others pointed out, the iPad is a want more than a need, still great device at the end of the day.
 
Definitely a want rather than a need for me. Certainly not a replacement for my MBP. My online banking doesn't allow adding new payees from an iOS device.

I certainly enjoy it, but if it was iPhone or iPad I would choose iPhone hands down.
 
I bought the original iPad when it came out. Wasn't sure what I would use it for since I already had the iPhone and a laptop. But I must say that I have gotten a lot of use out of it. Since getting the iPad I have updated to the iPhone 4 and will upgrade to the iPhone 5 later this fall when it comes out. I also got a MacBook Pro and am totally in the apple Ecosystem now. Yesterday I even went and bought the New iPad to replace the one I bought in 2010. Did I need to replace it, not really but with the new features that were added and the fact that the original iPad won't be supported ion iOS 6 I figured it was about time.

As for usage, When I first bought it when it came out I wasn't sure what I would actually use it for. Since getting the iPad though it has become a valuable tool in my everyday life. The software available has grown and improved over the years and I do more with the iPad now than I thought I would. because many of the apps sync with iCloud or a Mac counterpart, I find it to be extremely useful and often carry the iPad with me rather than my MacBook. It's a lot lighter and most things I use the Mac for I can do on the iPad. One thing I would like to see come to iPad is Microsoft Office, but for my needs Pages, Numbers and Keynote do the trick. If it actually has to be an Office document then Documents to Go works for the most part when I am away from my laptop.

Having the following apps on all three devices means that I can access things using any of the devices and never feel like I wish I would have brought the device. All 3 devices are portable, but the iPhone is too small for most things and the MacBook sometimes seems too much.

iWork (Pages, Numbers, Keynote)
OmniFocus
iPhoto
Day One
Bento 4
Opus Domini
iTunes
Facebook
Twitter
Splash ID
Calendar
Mail
Reminders
Netflix
SiriusXM
PocketMoney
Contacts
Kindle
Documents To Go, (for Office Documents)

The iPad is just perfect and I also find that the iPad is best for reading things like books, or the "magazine" type apps out there like Flipboard and Editions as well as Newspaper apps like USA Today, Chicago Tribune and Orlando Sentinel.

I am not a huge gamer, but I do have a few favorites and there are also a few other programs that I have on the iPad that just aren't available in other formats.

So for me, what I thought might be a frivolous purchase, turned out to be a purchase of a very useful product and one that I'm not sure I would want to be without.
 
I bought an iPad3 mostly for reading - as I get older I find the text size in books to be too much of a struggle to read. With the iPad I can choose not ony the most comfortable text size but also the background. Our public library has a number of books available for loan in either Kindle or ePub format, so I don't have to pay for every book.

I use the apps when I travel - it is much lighter than my 13" MBP.

Great little device.
 
I don't have an iPad but I have the same mindset. I have a 13" MacBook and an iPhone 4 and I go back and forth with the whole idea. Do you read? Or go to school? I'm a college student and more and more of my classmates are carrying around their textbooks on an iPad. Gotta say, it's easier to carry around the iPad than it is to carry multiple textbooks. Yeah, you could put them on your laptop too, but the iPad is a lot lighter and takes up less space.
 
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