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iPad as primary computer
- Thread starter celo48
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Any one who could get by with the iPad as their primary computer does not need a computer to begin with!
Until IOS runs Quick books, Office and AutoCad is will simply be an Internet Appliance and no more.
What is worst is it COULD do more except Apply has chosen to keep it tethered to iTunes.
Until IOS runs Quick books, Office and AutoCad is will simply be an Internet Appliance and no more.
What is worst is it COULD do more except Apply has chosen to keep it tethered to iTunes.
I don't think I would ever want to use Office on an iPad due to the lack of a physical keyboard. Yes, you can get a BT one, but then you might as well get an Air. Similarly with AutoCAD - the lack of screen size/resolution would make it impossible to do any real work.
However, as an "Internet Appliance", the iPad can be far more useful than a PC running Quick Books (if that is all you are using for your accounting). There are loads of web-based ERP apps out there, or you could write your own or use a Filemaker database.
Like I said the iPad is no more than an entertainment device for the Internet for me. I would not expect it to do much serious. Reading and answering email is as practical as it gets.
All of my files are stored with the Cloud (DropBox) and works great!
Right, but just because you bought it & use it purely for entertainment & have no expectations that it can do "much serious" doesn't mean that the device is inherently incapable of being used for work. It just means that you have decided to limit the device. With a bit of imagination it is capable of being a tremendous productivity tool & it is invaluable for real work.
I think it would be fair to say though that normal laptops and desktops are more efficient for productivity purposes than the iPad, except in very specific circumstances.
I think the iPad has a ton of potential though and it seems to me that touchscreen is the future for Apple. It will come in time.
I would have to respectfully disagree. Admittedly, the scope of "productivity purposes" is vast and if you are talking about video work/photo/graphics/word processing/etc then yes obviously a laptop/desktop is going to be better. However if you define "productivity" as "getting a job done quicker/better/more efficiently" then I would struggle to think of a business where using an iPad as a complimentary device would not be advantageous. Of course you would have to decide whether the cost of the device(s) can be offset by the time/stress you will save.
One example I came across recently: the maître d' of a restaurant (not a fancy one at all) I visited recently had an iPad that he used to check the status of the tables when customers came in. He had all the reservations etc on the iPad plus live updates of which tables were empty or estimated times for when customers would be vacating tables (provided, I assume, by his waiting staff). This meant he could say to the customers straight away "Your table is ready" or "There will be a 10 minute wait" etc, without having to go and check. It was very slick! I should've asked him what app it was (I will next time I am in!)
It's becoming my primary device, yes. I sold my 2010 MBP and got a 32-At&t. Portability and network everywhere is excellent. It's nice to be able to use the device all day without lugging around a power adapter and cable.
I have an iMac at home and in the past week and a half since launch day I've used it for World of Warcraft and batch converting DVDs to iTunes MKV format. Last night I had a dream that I was playing World of Warcraft on my iPad on a plane. Alas, mere whimsy.
I have an iMac at home and in the past week and a half since launch day I've used it for World of Warcraft and batch converting DVDs to iTunes MKV format. Last night I had a dream that I was playing World of Warcraft on my iPad on a plane. Alas, mere whimsy.
I have a desktop mac at home, powermac g5 to be exact, and then i have my portable, a macbook pro 17", and now my iPad 2. I have been using it everyday nonstop after work and it has replaced my laptop. It's an amazing device. The more I use it the more I find a reason to love this thing. Only time I use my laptop is at work. But 85% of the time when I'm at home, it's the iPad.
I'm an obvious Yes here (see my signature..)
There are still some workflow quirks to deal with, but on the whole I think I can pretty confidently say that I will likely never return to using a device that weighs more than the iPad (1), doesn't have a touch UI, and a battery that lasts and lasts and...
There are still some workflow quirks to deal with, but on the whole I think I can pretty confidently say that I will likely never return to using a device that weighs more than the iPad (1), doesn't have a touch UI, and a battery that lasts and lasts and...
I use the iPad for almost everything. We sold my laptop when the first iPad came out since I basically only used it for internet and games -which wasn't very practical considering the horrid battery life and hard drive crash within 8 months of owning it. My husband has a 27" iMac for when I want to do more intensive photo editing or work on bigger projects. I don't think I would want to have the iPad as my only 'computer' in the house, but it's what I use about 95% of the time.
Agreed. I love my iPad, but I bought it as a toy to use for game, surfing the net, displaying pictures, reading the news etc.
I need a PC for things like MS Office, my statistical analysis programs (SPSS, Stata, SAS, Lisrel, ArcGIS for crime mapping etc.) to do my work on.
I do wish it had Office (or something truly 100% compatible for going back and forth from iPad to PC without messing up formatting) and USB port or accessory. Then I could at least take it to conferences instead of a laptop, work on my slides in Powerpoint on it, move them to the USB drive to load on the PC in the conference room to give my presentation etc.
So I would like to see them add some more basic work functionality to it. But even then I'd still always need a PC as my main work machine as no tablet is ever going to be good for all the data analysis work etc.
So you're right that it can only be a main PC for people who don't really need a computer and just need an internet appliance/e-reader type device.
Once Xcode is on iPad then maybe . But it would also need a better way to manage all the files needed for development.
I don't know if I could get used to the small screen though, and I would definitely need a BT keyboard. I already use a ton of keyboard shortcuts and would need them even more without a mouse/trackpad.
But since Apple won't allow arbitrary code execution on iOS I don't think Xcode will be available for iPad anytime soon.
Now if Panic would make version of Coda for the iPad I could move some web development stuff over...But I would still need a more full featured image editing suite.
But right now I do use iPad for mockups, putting ideas together, some vector graphics work, and a few other things but it is far from replacing my MBP.
. But it would also need a better way to manage all the files needed for development.I don't know if I could get used to the small screen though, and I would definitely need a BT keyboard. I already use a ton of keyboard shortcuts and would need them even more without a mouse/trackpad.
But since Apple won't allow arbitrary code execution on iOS I don't think Xcode will be available for iPad anytime soon.
Now if Panic would make version of Coda for the iPad I could move some web development stuff over...But I would still need a more full featured image editing suite.
But right now I do use iPad for mockups, putting ideas together, some vector graphics work, and a few other things but it is far from replacing my MBP.
I use the iPad a lot, outside of work, but it's a long way from having the capability to be my primary computer. The platform could mature into that role, but I imagine it will take at least a few years.
Agreed. I find the iPad keyboard oddly nonresponsive for the way I type. Delays in hitting a key before its registered. OK for short posts but horrible for long transcription.
Plus there's no way I can do my web design on an iPad. But reading, watching video, listening to music, playing games, etc. these are all more natural on an iPad to me.
Not a chance
Love my iPad but I need an actual computer to get done things I need.
Writing documents is still much easier on the iPad as is multiple tabs, etc...
I keep the iPad for a on-the-go incident or nighttime-in-bed area
Love my iPad but I need an actual computer to get done things I need.
Writing documents is still much easier on the iPad as is multiple tabs, etc...
I keep the iPad for a on-the-go incident or nighttime-in-bed area
It's been my only computer for a little while now. I didn't know what to expect as I'd never had an iOS device. After the eye opening experience of having my android mobile blow my iPad out of the water in terms of functionality I'm unlikely to buy an iOS device again. iOS 5 may change that, but it would need some big improvements.
In the meantime I'll switch to my MacBook air when it arrives in a week or so. At least apple still have the best laptops
In the meantime I'll switch to my MacBook air when it arrives in a week or so. At least apple still have the best laptops
I don't think it will ever be my primary computer because I type pretty lengthy documents weekly for work and still nothing even comes close to the feeling of typing on a physical keyboard.
I pretty much only break out mt laptop now for college homework or photo processing. Everything else is done on iPad.
