How many iPads collecting dust?

[Don Kosak]

My iPad is my primary business machine. I use it for nearly all of my content creation work other than hard core software development.

Even when I'm developing software on my iMac, I still have my iPad open to various manuals and reference books.

My Macbook is gathering dust though... Haven't really used it in over a year. The iPad is just much more convenient for everything I used to do on the Macbook.

 

[ixodes]

Nothing in my Mac inventory gets dusty. I use them all. Lately I'm using my iPad3 a bit more and it continues to satisfy.

 

[ARSC]

I use my iPad a lot and since day one I have kept it in a proper leather case and clean it once a week.

 

[CrAkD]

I use mine everyday at work. first thing in the morning I need it to log in to the back computer via logmein and input data. once im done with that I use it for light web surfing during the day. sure a macbook air would do the same job but the ipad is easier to setup I can just lay it down on the counter where a macbook wouldn't fit. plus my work wifi is so terrible the 4G LTE speeds things up.

 

[biscuitsxluv]

I love my Mbp and can't imagine being without it. I use my computer for most of the day.. When it's evening I shut off my laptop and grab my iPad and lounge. So to answer your question.. it collects dusts early mornings and afternoon but always used at church, coffee shops, on the road, and in bed/couch.

 

[A Hebrew]

Obviously the iPad does not have work in mind like it has just casual fun and school. Office won't be coming to the iPad because it will be a great selling point of the Surface and other tablets for Microsoft.

 

[thewitt]

Obviously the iPad does not have work in mind like it has just casual fun and school. Office won't be coming to the iPad because it will be a great selling point of the Surface and other tablets for Microsoft.

Doesn't have work in mind? It's critical to my work processes and gets more use than my PC

 

[foiden]

I use my iPad 3 all the time. It gets fairly heavy use. Mostly because when I do media consumption, I grab for that device first. Since Photon (Web browser) came out on the iPad, hardly anything out there is beyond my reach on the thing.

Of course, the other aspect is the great music software on it, and I've created a number of things off of it. The most notable thing is Auria, which is a fully-working capacity Digital Audio Workstation for doing large track studio recordings. Sure, I have logic and everything, but I love how exportable a lot of iPad stuff is so it really can be a usable portable studio for you to create stuff out in the middle of nowhere without the need for power sources before you may decide to bring it back home to finish it off (if need be). Only the iPad could I trust to take with me, go without a power-adaptor. Finish a whole session, balance, tweaks, review, and not even be around an external source of power until I get home. Outlet dependency be darned. Of course, it's still not as fully loaded as a computer with Logic Pro or Protools. It's missing a lot in terms of midi, samples, and such, as that one is made specifically for live recording, at this time. But it does indeed work with plug-ins like the big boys do. Still, I'll whip out the Garageband for some quick work when midi-based songwriting comes into play. The iPad Audio-Clipboard allows me to share recordings and data across different Audio Workstations and virtual instruments.

I also use it for Documents and such, on the go. Even spreadsheets on the go. Those docs are shared to my home computers.

I like to consider it, the convenient workhorse that is usable in a lot more environments. However, it isn't a main workhorse. For obviously big projects I use the computer. But for starting big projects without the convenience of being somewhere that I can use the computers, or for smaller ones, the iPad gets used.

I normally use the iPad to use and answer on this forum. It's just that this time, I'm at the computer. Both, of course, allowing me to use voice dictation to enter this stuff.

 

[ronjon10]

The iPad 2 has replaced 95% of the functions my MacBook pro used to do at home. I don't use it much at work. I never use my iMac anymore.

 

[racer1441]

(And no. Numbers/Pages aren't the same as Word/Excel in a professional work environment. I didn't make that rule... it's just the way it is.)

And that's where I stopped reading.

 

[SprSynJn]

I don't really use my iPad for work, but I'm on it constantly regardless. Be that at home or actually at work. I cannot stay off it, and it's been that way for the near two years I've had it. Not sure why anyone's would be "collecting dust".

 

[scaredpoet]

Nope! breaks one of my FIRMEST requirements and is a no go!

The Iron Rule - Thou shalt not expose oneself or ones data to potential invasion of privacy and manipulation by outside influences through submission of one's data to a nebulous third party entity such as - 'THE CLOUD'.

Have you ever used e-mail?

Congratulations! You've been using and committing your personal communications to the world's oldest app on "THE CLOUD."

Oh, and this forum? It resides on a server in a datacenter hosted by a third party for which you never engaged in any contract with, and yet they have physical possession of your writings. In "the cloud." If you've logged in here, you've committed any personal information in your profile, and your ideas posted here to "the cloud." Those ads at the top and bottom of the page? All targeted based on your browser viewing history.

Ever used google? Yup! It's "cloudy."

To me, the 'Cloud' is where big companies and big brother romp freely and with impunity. I've been 'on the inside' so I know.

If you truly were "on the inside" then you'd have a better grasp of what the "cloud" actually is. But, your use of the term seems to indicate either a marketing or management background with little true IT training, which are the people those of us "on the inside" blame for the whole "cloud" jargon in the first place.

So now, can you share a NON-Cloud based solution to interoperability offline?

Nope. The iPad is a beast that lives online and needs a data connection to survive. If that paradigm isn't for you, then neither is an iPad, iPhone, Windows tablet or smartphone, Kindle, Nook, or Android device, pretty much.

You should also probably stick to pre-2010 versions of Microsoft Office, too, and not use any windows operating system newer than XP.


Also, don't buy or use any mac made since 2007. Just saying.

 

[Krazy Bill]

Obviously the iPad does not have work in mind like it has just casual fun and school. Office won't be coming to the iPad because it will be a great selling point of the Surface and other tablets for Microsoft.

Bingo. But others seem to disagree with us.

My challenge with the MS-Surface would be getting it to "blend" and play nice with my Mac and iPhone.

 

[daveishere]

Yeah, probably a loaded thread but 6 months ago my wife insisted on getting one. She's a heavy MS Office user on her MacBook and I basically told her the iPad doesn't do anything compared to her Mac and is severely limited especially in a work environment. So now it sits, unused except for the occasional game on a plane.

Go back to January. I notice my work colleagues begin showing up for Staff meetings gleefully pecking away at new, shiny iPads.

They say to me, "You need one of these things Krazy Bill!"

I reply over the top of my MBP13, "Why? It doesn't do anything."

Suffice it to say, by May... *all* 10 of these people had abandoned their iPads and were split between using various laptops and good old pencil/paper. I asked them "where their iPads were" and got a flurry of answers... none too specific.

From a general business perspective, the iPad needs 3 things:

1.) a semi-real Keyboard
2.) MS-Office
3.) The muscle to handle #2.

The keyboard is available and iPads are getting more powerful with each release. The problem I see is getting MS-Office for iOS. Honestly, with Microsoft about to release their very own tablet, it would be stupid for them to make one of their flagship products for the iPad. (And no. Numbers/Pages aren't the same as Word/Excel in a professional work environment. I didn't make that rule... it's just the way it is.)

So... after the luster has worn off, anyone else relegate their iPads to the dust bin?

I completely agree with this post.

I laugh when people in a work environment either say they want iPads or get iPads.

They are great for playing games, light web browsing, etc but if you want to do anything really other than that a laptop is the way to go.

Maybe i'm old fashioned, but i'll always choose a laptop over an iPad for serious work.

 

[Krazy Bill]

Maybe i'm old fashioned, but i'll always choose a laptop over an iPad for serious work.

The key word being "serious", I think most people will. Reading all the responses here, I can't imagine I'll ever own one myself. I still see the iPad (and other tablets) as leisure devices. I can use my iPhone for most of those things and I'm not a serious gamer.

Looking forward to what MS-Surface has to offer.

 

[eastercat]

I won the ipad in a raffle. Never would've gotten it personally, but it's turned out to be really useful for e-mails and web browsing. It's also great for reading e-books and watching movies/tv shows on trips; I stopped taking my computer along on vacation.

If I was willing to buy a bluetooth keyboard, I could use it for word processing or something similar. Andy Ihnatko writes his columns on his ipad with this method, so it can be used for serious work.

To answer the OP's question, mine is definitely not gathering dust.
A question I do have for the OP is why the ipad hasn't been sold off?

 

[thewitt]

The key word being "serious", I think most people will. Reading all the responses here, I can't imagine I'll ever own one myself. I still see the iPad (and other tablets) as leisure devices. I can use my iPhone for most of those things and I'm not a serious gamer.

Looking forward to what MS-Surface has to offer.

Oh now that is FUNNY.

You are criticizing the iPad and you DON'T EVEN OWN ONE !

Have a bit of a credibility problem now....

 

[glen e]

Once again we have a thread where someone has determined because of the way that they see something, that there can't be any use for anybody else.

Hogwash.

I use an iPad every day Monday through Friday doing presentations and it absolutely kicks the crap out of the laptop because it's so portable with my projector that I'm able to Pack a lot less....Once I get home I switch to my MBA if I'm producing new content but for being on the road, for having 10 hours @ airport to to surf email and the web the pad is perfect.

 

[Abazigal]

I like that one person gets to define what "serious" work entails, and then decides an ipad can never get those jobs done. Guess what? I do create presentations on my ipad, and find the touchscreen interface to be more intuitive than dragging stuff around on a mouse/trackpad. I can annotate on pds, do online research, those strike me as being pretty serious, work-related stuff.

Shall we go back to the beginning and start unpacking just what this sort of serious work involves?

 

[Technarchy]

I'm on my iPad now.

The kids or wife will get it when I upgrade, so it will have many years of use ahead.

 

[alecgold]

I've had the first iPad and gave it away to my mom. (she can use it really well as she has nerve damage to both her wrists and a mouse is painfull, but an ipad not/much much less).
I couldn't use it enough for work, I need to work with some small programs that only work in windows, so I need my MBA11 for that to use a VM.
The other thing I do a lot is typing a lot. Really a lot. And working in large excel sheets. Both don't go very well on an iPad, at least not for me. Problem with numbers is that it doesn't open always excel files perfectly and when I send them to windows users, they often get gibberish.
So I used a Macbook Air 11" with a thunderbolt screen. Unfortunatly the 11" isn't very strong when you haul it around shipyards, machining shops, maintenance etc. Within 5 months it had a crack in the mobo. I had been very very carefull with it, there wasn't a dent, scratch or even the smallest nick. (1800 Euro's is really a lot, IMHO) Was replaced under warranty, but the genius told me I would need to use a hard case (like a Peli storm case) or risk another repair. And it would not be likely to be replaced again under warranty. The repair cost 1050 euro's. Ouch.

so I started to rationalise my Macbook (pro/air) use and noticed I had bought a new one every 11 months on average for the last 6 years... Ouch again.

So with that in mind I have gotten myself a second hand Panasonic CF-19 with touch and digitizer screen, 3G/HSDPA+ build in and you can work with it outside in the rain, drop it from 1m80 and it will keep going.
It will twist into a big, heavy tablet, it has a good backlit keyboard altough a little bit smaller than full sized and you can actually read the screen outdoors in full sunlight! Something I've never been able to do with a Macbook.

When the iPad 3 came out I was tempted again, bought it, had it for a week. Then the graphics card in the Macbook Pro 15" of my inlaws went south. Gave them the iPad 3 and never missed it!

So I guess I'm a rare one here that doesn't miss the iPad. But I can see the advantages of use in a (elementary) school setting and the likes.

 

[MartinTH]

I actually bought an iPad twice. But because I couldn´t find any real use for it the iPad just lay on my desk collecting dust. Sure, it was a joy to browse the web and look at my summer photos on it but I wasn´t really able to justify the price tag when my laptop and cell phone do those things as well. The 32 Gb Wifi model costs $790 here in Sweden after all.

 

[Ladybug]

The ipad is for consuming media, surfing the web, checking on trip advisor. Its not ment to do "proper" work on. If you need to do MS office, retouch some photos or write a book you would definitely be better of with a desktop or laptop...for everything else an ipad cant be beat.

This! Mine never collects dust. Wish it came with a 365 day battery.

 

[zephyrnoid]

Have you ever used e-mail?

Also, don't buy or use any mac made since 2007. Just saying.

How funny. Of course I freely allow myself to be spied on, on certain of my computers, but others of my laptops are totally offline and shielded

I've written this before. But here goes again- briefly

THE CLOUD is a strategy to eventually and totally eliminate offline processing, storage, archiving and security. It is the ultimate gift to the intel bureaus worldwide. So be my guest. Send all your data online. Try to invent something and keep it secret- go ahead. try it
No thanks. Security is tough enough already, CLOUD computing. makes it a specious exercise in self deceptive foolishness.

 

[ChrisTX]

I have a 15" MacBook pro that gets used a lot at home(typing this reply on it now), and my iPad 3 m-f/9-5 at work. I've owned all 3 iPads so far, and none of them have ever collected dust.
P.S. I also own the Logitech solar keyboard folio so it makes typing on the iPad, a breeze.