Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
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.

I was also the assumption that many of the textbooks on an iPad might be more interactive, but that could be just be in development.

I have a 13" MacBook and an iPhone 4 as well and I just bought my second iPad (the new iPad). My first iPad was the original one and I've had it for over 2 years now. I use the iPad quite a bit and it's a lot more comfortable reading something on the iPad than on the MacBook. The iPad is a wonderful device and compliments using the MacBook and iPhone quite well. Yes it is a lot easier carrying the iPad around than a bunch of textbooks and even easier than carrying around the MacBook.
 
ACTUALLY, Doggman, you knew all along that you weren't going to buy one BUT you thought you'd kill a little time on the boards, today.

RIGHT ???
 
This is what I ended up deciding for anyone else on the fence. :)

You just keep on telling yourself that, especially each time you walk past in Apple store. Believe me, most of us on here have fought that fight. Looking forward to hearing about your new iPad purchase. ;)
 
I had the same concerns and really regret buying an iPad. I had a 13in Pro and an iPhone 4. My iPad barely gets used for anything anymore. Its turned into a music storage device and nothing else plugged into my speakers. I would sell it but I don't want to take a huge loss on it.
 
I had the same concerns and really regret buying an iPad. I had a 13in Pro and an iPhone 4. My iPad barely gets used for anything anymore. Its turned into a music storage device and nothing else plugged into my speakers. I would sell it but I don't want to take a huge loss on it.

Um, it's not a stock. What, are you hoping it appreciates in value someday?

My iPad would be almost useless to me if I just used the pre-installed apps. Then again, so would my iMac and MBA. What makes all three of the devices useful is the third party apps.
And the iPad happens to be so hugely
successful because of its big selection of apps.
 
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

I have a 13" MBP and an iPhone 4 too. I don't use my MBP anymore. I'm serious, it has become some kind of workstaton that just sits in the corner. Still use my iPhone obviously, but even quick surfing in bed has become replaced by the ipad. iPhone surfing is for the tram/bus and on the toliet, almost exclusivly. In other words, the iPad is my main computer now, and it's not even close. (Of course, if you do only heavy productive stuff it might be different, but then you know who you are.)

In my experience, those who say iPads have no real use and are just fancy gadgets, have often not actually used it. It really finds its place in your daily life. For a few hundred bucks it's such a steal – easilly the best value in Apple's lineup IMO.
 
Um, it's not a stock. What, are you hoping it appreciates in value someday?

My iPad would be almost useless to me if I just used the pre-installed apps. Then again, so would my iMac and MBA. What makes all three of the devices useful is the third party apps.
And the iPad happens to be so hugely
successful because of its big selection of apps.

I fine with the concept of the iPad losing value. And I also have plenty of 3rd party apps which I installed on my iPad but I just used my laptop and iPhone most of the time. I couldn't find a place for the iPad in my daily routine where I'm not more productive/comfortable with either my laptop/iPhone. I'm not saying the OP will have the same experience, I'm just giving my experience as feedback.
 
^^ 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.

I disagree with this. Intuitive doesn't automatically mean "dumbed down." A toddler can navigate in an iPad because the interface is kept simple and doesn't get in its own way; people aren't required to learn whole new specific skills just to make basic functions work.

Put another way: a toddler can use an iPad, but can't use everything that an iPad can do. Is a toddler going to read a newspaper? Post on Facebook? Compose an e-mail or blog post? Review and edit photos and documents? Use ssh to administer a linux server, or VNC remote login to a Mac or Windows workstation? Host or attend a videoconference? No, but I do these things every day on my un-jailbroken iPad.

At the same time, the iPad hasn't replaced my MacBook Pro, nor do I expect it to. They both have their functions and situations where they're appropriate to use. Sure, I can squeeze my laptop into meetings and obnoxiously take up a lot of table space, or uncomfortably stick it on my lap during train trips and on the couch, like I used to before I had an iPad. Or, I can jailbreak my iPad and get full filesystem access and make it do OS X like things, like some people do to try to get their iPad to replace a laptop. But in neither case would each device be doing the other's job very well.

This is where I've always stood when it comes to iPads: I think they're oversized iPhones.

Then the iPad isn't for you, plain and simple. Don't get one.
 
Last edited:
ACTUALLY, Doggman, you knew all along that you weren't going to buy one BUT you thought you'd kill a little time on the boards, today.

RIGHT ???

Lol no I really was gonna get one... Had a 32GB Black WiFi in my cart for like two weeks but just couldn't pull the trigger. Now I'm looking into the ASUS TF700 tablet. It may not be the "better" tablet at the end of the day but having something new and fun to mess around with (I've never experienced the Android OS) will be worth it to me I think. Not to mention the TF700 sounds pretty slick on the spec's side (1.6 GHz quad core CPU w/ a mini 5th core, 12 core GPU, 1920x1200 HiRes screen, 32GB internal storage+microSD expansion slot all for $488...) and I've heard great things about Jelly Bean. Wouldn't mind checking it out for myself so I can form an opinion on iOS vs Android.

Just placed my order for a TF700 for $488 shipped off Newegg! Should be here within the week. I'm excited :D
 
Last edited:
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

It's definitely not as critical to day to day usage as an iPhone or Macbook, but I have found that the experience for magazines is simply unparalleled. Earth and Maps are fantastic as well. Light browsing is OK.
 
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.

That's not ironic, that's misleading. For your comment to be ironic, we would have to have some way of knowing it meant the opposite of what you actually feel or think.

I love my iPad, nothing ironic about it! It doesn't replace anything else, it is unique, it does some things my other tools can't do, and it can't do some things they can do. It is a great mobility tool, and much more comfortable to use on sofa, or in bed, or outside under a shady tree than laptop, and feather light for on the go. I love all the 'un-computer' things about it, I don't need it to have file system or other complications. I can get writing and other things out easily with Dropbox, Quickoffice linked to iMac, and can print via iMac.
 
An iPad wont completely replace a regular computer for most users. Its a compliment to a regular mac. Its a lot more convenient to pick up an iPad to check twitter and facebook, and do some stumbleupon. Nothing is better to surf the web on or for mobile games. That being said, you'll still need a computer for the other stuff.
 
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...

Yes. The increasing stupidity of the average end user is a source of constant amazement to me. No wonder people are walking into moving cars while they text. :(
 
Yes. The increasing stupidity of the average end user is a source of constant amazement to me. No wonder people are walking into moving cars while they text. :(

Lol! Amazes me too.

I, the OP, decided to go to the dark side and see what Android is all about. Ordered an ASUS TF700 32GB tablet that should be here this week. It'll be my first Android device so I'm pretty excited about it. I'll probably post my opinion of the tablet and the OS in the Alternate iOS devices forum in the weeks to come.
 
My iPads fill my desire for variety & to experience all Apple has to offer. I require a computer for the engineering work I do, therefore theirs simply no way an iPad is the least bit useful for that.

I ended up letting mine sit a lot, since I'm not one to sit around much. I'd much rather be active outside, that's why I live in CA :)
 
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.

Not really true. Many apps have multiple layouts that are tailored to different screen sizes. The only holdout on this at the moment really is facebook but I have always found just using the actual website better anyways.
 
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

My iPad 3 has become a companion computing device. I use it alongside my Macbook pro daily. The iPad is also more portable than the Macbook, so it never leaves my side. Usefullness really comes down to what you want to do with it. I use my iPad as a PDF, ebook, website reader mostly. The hi-res screen is fantastic. Games and other apps are also useful. News apps are incredibly useful. Of course, the app I use the most is Safari, go figure. ;)

It's another step along the road to ubiquitous computing.
 
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...

There's a big difference between not understanding file systems, and hating them and wishing for something easier and more streamlined to use. I just love that IOS allows me to dump everything in, yet has its own system for sorting them out easily for me to access. :D
 
When i had only a 3 year old laptop n i bought my ipad 2 trying to replace it that didnt really work ok.
You need a pc mac anyway in your life.
Then i sold it and i bought an imac, now i have an ipad3 and my 2 year old iphone4.
For heavy pc work i use my imac, on the go im on my iphone and for chiling on the balcony couch train plane toilet i use my ipad !
I love the combination , but you have to know if you need one !
 
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.

LOL, Only took one post for someone to use the "consumption" phrase to describe an iPad.

----------

I too had one for a few months and then sold it. It's a fun toy but I can honestly say the excitement fades quickly. I found I kept going back to my laptop for most things. It was too bulky/heavy to use in bed for video "consumption", I use my iPhone for that now.
 
If anybody is one of those "use it for 2 weeks then never again" people, it's me. I sometimes impulse buy $70+ electronics and use them twice (psp), but when it comes to the iPad, I have seldom set it down in over 2 years.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.