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All iPads Do you remember the first time you ever used an iPad?

v0lume4

v0lume4

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Jul 28, 2012
2,668
5,607
Hello! Who's ready to reminisce?

I was thinking back to the first time that I ever used an iPad. For me, it was every bit as magical as Apple made it out to be. Almost exactly three years ago, a good seven months after the release of the original iPad, me and my mother took a vacation up to Bethesda, MD. I was seventeen at the time. I was having a stressful time in my life at that point so it was nice to just get away on a short weekend vacation. The morning after we arrived, I woke up by a decent hour, left the hotel alone while my mother was getting ready for the day, went and grabbed some Starbucks (their interesting Blue Java blend; flagship store), then took a small stroll down the street to the Apple Store. I went in, not even thinking too much of the iPad, but of course thought "Why not?" and so I picked it up. As soon as I slid the unlock slider over and the 4x6 app grid flew onto the huge screen, I knew it was something special. I just stood there for minutes and minutes browsing the web, pinching and zooming the gigantic screen, then switched over to iTunes and listened to the remastered version of Eleanor Rigby off of The Beatle's LOVE album (beautiful song), with the orange and yellow album art taking up the screen. And at that point I knew it was something special. You have no way of knowing how it'll fit in your life in the store, but I knew it was special. Sure enough, months later, the iPad 2 was announced and me AND my friend both preordered ours and received them (like four weeks later, mind you; back ordered). And that's my iPad story.

It may sound overly significant. It really wasn't. I don't know if it was just the good time I was having with my mom bleeding over into my view of the iPad, or my child(ish) wonder at the time, but it was a really cool experience using an iPad for my first time.

So, what's your first iPad story?
 
I'll start by saying, I'm no "Apple biter" but I do like their products. I'm not one of those people who are willing to throw their money at anything with an Apple symbol. Now that that's out of the way, I'll admit that when I first heard rumors of the iPad, I thought it would be something very cool. However, when Apple officially unveiled it, I though it was no more than an oversized iPhone (which at the time, it pretty much was).

I played with an plenty of iPad display models, but I was never really impressed.

Years went by, and I eventually ended up getting my first tablet. It was the Samsung Galaxy tab 2. Unfortunately due to some performance issues, I took it back and got the galaxy tab plus (had a higher CPU and a few other features that we're not on the tab 2). Despite what most people on here say, Android is not that bad, but it does have problems. I rooted my galaxy tab and I was able to get a little more performance out of it, but in the end, there was too many frame rate drops, hangs, and other problems that left me unsatisfied.

Then came November 2012. Apple announced the iPad mini. As I said before, I was never an iPad fan, but I was really getting tired of the fragmentation, lack of updates and app support on Android. I sold my galaxy tab and picked up an iPad mini a couple weeks later. It had its flaws, but it was sooo much smoother and fast than my samsung tablet (even though the galaxy tab had higher specs).

This year I bought the iPad mini retina and I love it even more.
 
v0lume4 said:
Hello! Who's ready to reminisce?

I was thinking back to the first time that I ever used an iPad. For me, it was every bit as magical as Apple made it out to be. Almost exactly three years ago, a good seven months after the release of the original iPad, me and my mother took a vacation up to Bethesda, MD. I was seventeen at the time. I was having a stressful time in my life at that point so it was nice to just get away on a short weekend vacation. The morning after we arrived, I woke up by a decent hour, left the hotel alone while my mother was getting ready for the day, went and grabbed some Starbucks (their interesting Blue Java blend; flagship store), then took a small stroll down the street to the Apple Store. I went in, not even thinking too much of the iPad, but of course thought "Why not?" and so I picked it up. As soon as I slid the unlock slider over and the 4x6 app grid flew onto the huge screen, I knew it was something special. I just stood there for minutes and minutes browsing the web, pinching and zooming the gigantic screen, then switched over to iTunes and listened to the remastered version of Eleanor Rigby off of The Beatle's LOVE album (beautiful song), with the orange and yellow album art taking up the screen. And at that point I knew it was something special. You have no way of knowing how it'll fit in your life in the store, but I knew it was special. Sure enough, months later, the iPad 2 was announced and me AND my friend both preordered ours and received them (like four weeks later, mind you; back ordered). And that's my iPad story.

It may sound overly significant. It really wasn't. I don't know if it was just the good time I was having with my mom bleeding over into my view of the iPad, or my child(ish) wonder at the time, but it was a really cool experience using an iPad for my first time.

So, what's your first iPad story?
Click to expand...

What a nice story! It seems that your experience and the particular time in your life complimented the iPad purchase, making you remember it all that more fondly.

I queued up at the Lakeside store in the UK on launch day in 2010. Got there very early and on the way home got some McDonalds breakfast. Came home and opened it, having a play around. I was used to iOS but seeing it on the 9.7" screen was amazing; almost magical!

Then went off to play some WoW on my 24" iMac... Ahhh, so 2010!
 
Fireball Dragon said:
I queued up at the Lakeside store in the UK on launch day in 2010.

Then went off to play some WoW on my 24" iMac... Ahhh, so 2010!
Click to expand...

You got to line up on launch day? That's awesome! Kind of exclusive, too, since the iPad didn't really take off until the second generation.

WoW used to be the bomb. I used to play all the time. So 2010, indeed. :p
 
My iPad story starts with the iPod touch. I got the touch as an upgrade to my nano, and if you remember, the touch, when it first came out, really was just a touch screen iPod. Didn't have any apps other than clock, maybe calendar, I'm pretty sure it didn't even have contacts... anyway, it really didn't do much other than play music. Then about half year after it was released, it got a software update, that added what we now know as stock iOS apps, including Notes.

So I got the update, and I was on a bus, and managed to type up a letter in Notes during the ride. It was a great experience, I felt like I had a real computer in my hand. Only thing was, I wished the screen was just a bit bigger -- maybe about 5 inches, I thought.

Around that time, rumors started circulating that Apple was working on a tablet device. And based on my experience with the iPod touch, I was determined I would get an Apple tablet when they released it. So a year went by, then two, and finally, Jobs got up there and announced the iPad. And it was 9.7 inches! When I had been thinking 5! Whatever, I didn't care, as long as it was a bigger iPod touch. A lot of criticisms about the iPad back then said "it is just a giant iPod touch," but a bigger touch was exactly what I wanted.

I lined up to get the iPad on launch day. Never had lined up to buy anything before, but this was a product I just had to have the very first day. It is a computer you can hold in your hands, and take anywhere with you. Sure, iPhones and iPod touches are just as powerful computing-wise, but their screens are just a little too small to use for extended periods of time. A laptop, especially the 11-inch Air, is also portable, but the keyboard gets in the way for reading.

For me, the iPad hits the sweet spot of computing power + portability. I still need my other devices -- iPhone for a device that fits in my pocket, desktop/laptop for tasks that require intensive typing and/or big screen view, but the iPad is by far the device I use most often. It is weird, because the iPad is the device I least NEED -- if I was on a tight budget and had to trim down my devices, the iPad would have to be the first one to go. But it is the device I want the most, and use the most.
 
v0lume4 said:
Hello! Who's ready to reminisce?

I was thinking back to the first time that I ever used an iPad. For me, it was every bit as magical as Apple made it out to be. Almost exactly three years ago, a good seven months after the release of the original iPad, me and my mother took a vacation up to Bethesda, MD. I was seventeen at the time. I was having a stressful time in my life at that point so it was nice to just get away on a short weekend vacation. The morning after we arrived, I woke up by a decent hour, left the hotel alone while my mother was getting ready for the day, went and grabbed some Starbucks (their interesting Blue Java blend; flagship store), then took a small stroll down the street to the Apple Store. I went in, not even thinking too much of the iPad, but of course thought "Why not?" and so I picked it up. As soon as I slid the unlock slider over and the 4x6 app grid flew onto the huge screen, I knew it was something special. I just stood there for minutes and minutes browsing the web, pinching and zooming the gigantic screen, then switched over to iTunes and listened to the remastered version of Eleanor Rigby off of The Beatle's LOVE album (beautiful song), with the orange and yellow album art taking up the screen. And at that point I knew it was something special. You have no way of knowing how it'll fit in your life in the store, but I knew it was special. Sure enough, months later, the iPad 2 was announced and me AND my friend both preordered ours and received them (like four weeks later, mind you; back ordered). And that's my iPad story.

It may sound overly significant. It really wasn't. I don't know if it was just the good time I was having with my mom bleeding over into my view of the iPad, or my child(ish) wonder at the time, but it was a really cool experience using an iPad for my first time.

So, what's your first iPad story?
Click to expand...

With my Air. Which I bought at the same store you mentioned.
 
My first iPad story starts off with an iPod touch too. I had an old PowerBook which died and I needed a mobile computer for all the time at the hospital while my husband was getting a bone marrow transplant. Budget was either a netbook or an iPod touch --so went with the touch. It was like magic! Got one for my husband too. Loaded the Brushes app and other art apps and immediately wished for a bigger screen. We were so excited when we heard rumors about the iPad. I bid on a used iPad 1st Gen during Steve Job's keynote announcing the iPad 2. First app I loaded was Brushes. It was wonderful. I showed it to friends who were die-hard Apple haters and several of them now have multiple iPads, iPhones, iMacs and or Minis.
 
I took off work early the Friday afternoon that the iPad 1 went on sale and lined up at the Apple Store at Willow Bend, Plano TX. They went on sale at 5:00pm. By 5:30, I had picked up my first iPad, 64gig AT&T model, then I drove to dinner. As I waited in my car for a 6:30 dinner date, I took the iPad out of the box and put it in the black Apple case that I bought along with it, then I powered it on for the first time--I could do nothing until I got home and set it up in iTunes (this was before you did not have to tether to iTunes for setup).

No playing around before I bought it, I knew the basic concepts from my iPhone.
 
We preordered the iPad 1 and it arrived a day early.

I remember physically running from the bus to get home (I was kinda obsessed :p ) and just couldn't believe what it was.

Never before had it been easier to surf, play and watch on a device. Suffice to say, the iPad 1 has remained a mainstay in my tech life right until today!
 
As an instructor, I was aware of the Ipad when it first came out, but I didn't see the point of it. A smartphone made sense to me for it's portability, and a laptop made sense for it's power, but I didn't see where an Ipad fit in. And then the mini came out. Oh my, the form factor was just perfect! I bought one and used it constantly. The non-retina screen was a compromise, but to me the portability of the device made it worth it. And now of course I don't even have make that compromise.
 
I used one shortly after they came out. A friend of mine had gotten one from work and he brought it home. When I first used it, what impressed me most was that there really wasn't a learning process. I more or less knew how to use it instantly. That kinda sealed the deal for me, I bought an iPad 2 when they came out (I don't like to buy first gen anything).
 
I used got my first ipad 2 days ago - an ipad Air. So far the experience has been quite fustrating. Even though I've used Macs for 20 years, the iPad is a wildly different animal - I cannot figure out how to do simple things like copy and paste, save documents to the desktop, quote when replying to an email, access pop email in Yahoo mail, figure out how to delete unwanted programs and endless others. Worse, there's no place to go to learn all this elementary stuff. I tried downloading the ipad air user manual, but the download froze half way through. And I don't know where that partial .pdf went or how to delete it. I feel even more lost than when i bought and used my first Mac desktop computer (a Color Classic) in 1993!
 
kathyricks said:
I used got my first ipad 2 days ago - an ipad Air. So far the experience has been quite fustrating. Even though I've used Macs for 20 years, the iPad is a wildly different animal - I cannot figure out how to do simple things like copy and paste, save documents to the desktop, quote when replying to an email, access pop email in Yahoo mail, figure out how to delete unwanted programs and endless others. Worse, there's no place to go to learn all this elementary stuff. I tried downloading the ipad air user manual, but the download froze half way through. And I don't know where that partial .pdf went or how to delete it. I feel even more lost than when i bought and used my first Mac desktop computer (a Color Classic) in 1993!
Click to expand...

Copy and past is easily but not work perfectly... When I need to copy a URL or a name in an article, I most often need to zoom in the page then trying to select the name or URL...

You cannot save document to desktop... There is no desktop in iOS... Access Yahoo mail, you can either go to Yahoo mail page or download Yahoo mail app...delete unwanted application, just hold the app until it shaking p the tab the little x.
 
kathyricks said:
I tried downloading the ipad air user manual, but the download froze half way through. And I don't know where that partial .pdf went or how to delete it. I feel even more lost than when i bought and used my first Mac desktop computer (a Color Classic) in 1993!
Click to expand...

Download iBooks from the App Store, and then go to the iBooks Store and download the user guide from there.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/ipad-user-guide-for-ios-7/id709634245?mt=11

There is also an online version:
http://help.apple.com/ipad/7/
 
I lined up on launch day in Australia for the first iPad, it launched on a Friday at 8am and I received mine at around midday.

I took it back to work and almost everyone on my floor crowded around as I unboxed it. I work in media so naturally there were many people interested in the device, there were about 30 people trying to get look.

Once I unwrapped it from it's plastic and turned it on, everyone wanted to touch it and hold it. It really felt like a device from the future.
 
My iPad wishes came even before there was one. In 2009 I was in need of a new laptop and couldn't find a PC that I really liked. So I pondered the MacBook Pro but was hesitant about the huge cost compared with the PC laptops. I thought I would test the waters with An iPhone first. It was the 3G. I couldn't believe how much I liked the iPhone coming from a Blackberry. As much as I liked the iPhone, I really kept wishing for a bigger version. Then low and behold rumors were flying about Apple coming up with a new tablet like product. I was all over the websites looking for sneak previews and anxiously awaiting the release.

When they announced the release date, I called Apple to see how to get one and they told me that they would have buyers line up at 1:00 PM in the store for a 4:00 PM release. Standing in line isn't my thing, so I asked my husband to swing by Best Buy on his way home to see if they would have any iPads. He swung into Best Buy and walked out with the iPad - no waiting, easy peezy.

I've always been a fan of the iPad and each model I've upgraded to has been great. I've been very fortunate not to have gotten any defective screen issues.

So I guess I could say that my longing for the iPad came a year before the first one was even released.
 
I don't really remember, it was well after the launch and I went into an apple store to play within one. I'd have to say it wasn't until the following year did I finally take the plunge (about 3 months before the iPad 2).

No regrets over the purchase, but as time went on, I found the tablet too large for my needs, so I waited (and hoped) for a smaller tablet and Apple didn't disappoint.
 
I ordered two at pre-order for launch. My daughters 32 wifi and my 32 AT&T.

Hers got waylaid on the wrong ups truck so it was a long day of waiting and phone calls (it was 3 hours away).

I can't recall the actual moment of first use, I just know that I'm still using it and it was everything I knew it would be!!

Now I'm waiting for the air I'm upgrading too!
 
I also got an original iPad on the UK launch day in 2010. At the time there wasn't an Apple Store close to me but I just happened to be Brighton overnight. Got up around 7AM and headed over to the Apple Store to see what all the fuss was about. Stood in line for a while and then managed to jump the queue because I was just about the only one wanting a WiFi only model. 15 minutes later I had a 64GB iPad in my hands.

Went back to the hotel and had breakfast, got some strange looks when I whipped out the iPad and started surfing the internet at the table!

That was over 3 1/2 years ago, and it has served me well but a new iPad Air is now on order. My wife gets the old one.
 
I will start with saying, when the iPad was first rumored/announced, I predicted it would be a flop - or at best, less-than-expected seller. I also predicted that I would never want one.

When the iPad 2 came out, my wife started talking about wanting one. I didn't see why, but we started saving up for one for her. We had recently moved and my books were still in boxes. The basement flooded and most of them were ruined. So when she finally got her iPad 3 a year and a half ago, I started using it as an e-reader.

At first, I wasn't overly impressed. I already had an iPhone and I kinda looked at the iPad as just a giant iPod. I did love the size of the screen though. After getting a photo scanner, I decided to get my own so I could use it as my e-reader and a photo album. I've had mine for a little over a year now and I slowly find more and more uses for it. It's almost to the point where it almost could be a laptop replacement. My only complaint is typing on it. I am thinking of trying a case with a keyboard to see how I like that.
 
I remember the first time I used an iPad - I thought it was just a giant iPod Touch. Then I received the original iPad as a gift and, last year, the iPad 4 as a replacement. And I still think it's just a giant iPod Touch.

While I use it almost everyday for entertainment purposes, if I hadn't received it as a gift I don't know that I would own one.
 
yup, the first time I tried an iPad was probably in some ugly apple reseller store at my uni and the iPad just felt like a piece of gigantic ipod touch that I was using. Nothing new really. However, I was thoroughly amazed at the stand they had for their ipads. It was an amazing piece of clear, round, sloped slightly towards you, type of stand. I was moved by the stand more than the ipad itself. I thought the box comes with the stand but it doesn't. Disappointing.

I laughed at people with their iPads during lectures because it was no good at taking notes. I laughed and mocked at them because I was using a MBA efficiently during lectures and classes. Whereas the iPad was just a photo frame.

And then years later, I thought tablets may actually be a good thing. So I decided to get a tablet but I waited and waited until 2013, I so wanted to get an iPad but Apple took too long to release a new one. So I finally got my first tablet. It was a Nexus 7 2013!!

Till this day I still haven't spent a single cent on an iPad yet.
 
I was in my freshman year of college and I remember watching the "Stevenote" announcing the iPad live with my roommate and a guy down the hall who was a big-time Apple guy. I decided then and there that I was going to buy one the day it came out. Fast forward to April 2010 and I had saved up the money and decided that I would buy one on launch day, getting to the nearest Apple Store early the next morning. I had it all planned out and my poor girlfriend was going to come along for the..."experience." ;) Then, just my luck, I got a call from my employer that they were going to need extra help the next day and they wanted me to come in at 7AM. I was super bummed.

Went to work and planned on just waiting a few months to get an iPad, sure that they would be sold out. While sitting in the parking lot after work, I figured I would give it a shot and call and ask if the Apple Store had any iPads left, or how soon they would get more in. The guy on the phone said, "we have a ton," and I raced over. I went right for an employee and asked to buy a 16GB model. However, in those days, you had to wait to get home to connect to iTunes and activate an iPad. I couldn't wait to get home, so I stayed in the store holding the bag containing my new iPad and playing with the store demo for at least a half hour. I felt a little underwhelmed, like it was just a giant iPod touch, but I knew that it had the potential to become something truly great.

At first it was just a plaything to browse the web and watch YouTube, but my parents got me the keyboard dock for my birthday and it soon replaced my MacBook Air as my note-taking device of choice.

Fast forward to today and I have owned every revision of iPad except the iPad 4, which was too soon and too underwhelming after getting my iPad 3 on launch day. :D
 
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