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

ipad will replace notebook?

N

nicklelu

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 23, 2011
1
0
I wrote almost this entire column using an iPad which partially answered my biggest question about the device. Can it replace a laptop PC? So far, the answer is a qualified yes. (Scroll to end for my Sunday morning update on why that yes is "qualified.")

As a writer and radio commentator, I wanted to see if I could use this device for my work.

I knew that the screen would be big enough and that the processor would be adequate for word processing but I wasn't sure about the software or the ability to type on the device. Sure the onscreen keyboard is bigger than what you get with an iPhone or iPod touch, but it's still not adequate for touch typists who want to use it to write long documents.
 
Was it good enough to replace a notebook 6 months ago? Is it good enough today? No

At the moment, document management on iPad is a huge pain in the as, it simply doesn't 'just work'. That's part of the reason why I switched back to a Macbook Air after using the original iPad.

Mind you, in a few months when iCloud becomes publicly available, that'll all change. We'll finally have good solid document management on iPad, and it'll totally be able to go toe to toe with a notebook.

I'll be switching back.
 
iCheddar said:
Was it good enough to replace a notebook 6 months ago? Is it good enough today? No

At the moment, document management on iPad is a huge pain in the as, it simply doesn't 'just work'. That's part of the reason why I switched back to a Macbook Air after using the original iPad.

Mind you, in a few months when iCloud becomes publicly available, that'll all change. We'll finally have good solid document management on iPad, and it'll totally be able to go toe to toe with a notebook.

I'll be switching back.
Click to expand...

Document management issues can be solved with solutions like Dropbox or Sugarsync. But, I agree that it'll be nice to have a solution that's integrated into the OS itself.

I'm still holding out for a full-fledged or nearly full-fledged Office-compatible suite. THEN I will fully be able to use my iPad as more or less a laptop replacement considering my line of work.
 
I think most of what iPad might do is suck up a lot of people who either didn't own computers of their own -- i.e. The Flintstones -- or just have crappy ones and/or desktops.

The iPad has obvious limitations that will never allow it to "replace" a notebook. Try to kill the optical disc all you want, but you're going to need a notebook or desktop to use old CDs if you have them. You will also need a notebook if you need to connect peripherals like a digital camcorder. If I wanted to use Livestream to live broadcast an event through a decent camera, I need a FireWire port and the software to do it with. That solution doesn't exist on an iPad or iPhone. It works with Ustream using an iPhone camera, but you never know what you want to use.

If you are a HEAVY typer, I would instantly suggest a MacBook Air. I have a wireless keyboard I can use for my iPad, but dammit it's just not the same, especially when moving around the document without my trusty mouse clicks.

iPad has many different advantages over notebooks, but it's nowhere near a true replacement for many. But I really do think iOS 5 and iCloud will allow a lot of lower-end users to cut the cord on a PC of any type and just own an iPad or iPhone.
 
iCheddar said:
Was it good enough to replace a notebook 6 months ago? Is it good enough today? No

At the moment, document management on iPad is a huge pain in the as, it simply doesn't 'just work'. That's part of the reason why I switched back to a Macbook Air after using the original iPad.

Mind you, in a few months when iCloud becomes publicly available, that'll all change. We'll finally have good solid document management on iPad, and it'll totally be able to go toe to toe with a notebook.

I'll be switching back.
Click to expand...

The cloud isn't going to address all the shortcomings of no sandboxed documents area...you'd still be limited to syncing with other devices or emailing, no FTP, no web upload, no inter app operability. This is easily the largest deficiency of the iPad...and the reason why apple does it, simple...a keyboard dock and this would negate the need for expensive laptops for most of the users out there. If the iPad had an asus transformer like dock, and real document management...it would be the perfect device. Wile the asus has both, it is no where near good enough in most other areas.
 
h00ligan said:
The cloud isn't going to address all the shortcomings of no sandboxed documents area...you'd still be limited to syncing with other devices or emailing, no FTP, no web upload, no inter app operability.
Click to expand...

The thing of it is that I don't need web upload, FTP or the ability to interface with other apps. All I need is the ability to simply get documents on and off my iPad, and iCloud will solve that. Mind you, I'll be limited to using iWork apps from go, but since iCloud has storage APIs, soon many desktop and mobile applications will support iCloud.

The biggest hassle for me with the iPad was putting the documents I had been working on with a Mac on it, and getting those documents back off of iPad when I had worked with them. iCloud solves that by automatically pushing the documents to my devices.

It doesn't matter if there is sandboxing between applications on the device, I don't really care about that. What iCloud does is remove the separation between devices, that's what matters.

It doesn't matter if I can't easily move documents from Pages to Dropbox on iPad, I don't need to. The only reason one would move a document from Pages to Dropbox was for easy access on a Mac later on...but iCloud solves that issue by automatically pushing that modified document from Pages on iPad back down to Pages on Mac.
 
Michael CM1 said:
I think most of what iPad might do is suck up a lot of people who either didn't own computers of their own -- i.e. The Flintstones -- or just have crappy ones and/or desktops.
Click to expand...

Id have to disagree. I'd say most people who own iPads more than likely already had a computer. The iPad is still a new device. If u didn't have a computer before, you aren the type to go out and buy an iPad. Of course there are always a few exceptions.
 
iCheddar said:
The thing of it is that I don't need web upload, FTP or the ability to interface with other apps. All I need is the ability to simply get documents on and off my iPad, and iCloud will solve that. Mind you, I'll be limited to using iWork apps from go, but since iCloud has storage APIs, soon many desktop and mobile applications will support iCloud.

The biggest hassle for me with the iPad was putting the documents I had been working on with a Mac on it, and getting those documents back off of iPad when I had worked with them. iCloud solves that by automatically pushing the documents to my devices.

It doesn't matter if there is sandboxing between applications on the device, I don't really care about that. What iCloud does is remove the separation between devices, that's what matters.

It doesn't matter if I can't easily move documents from Pages to Dropbox on iPad, I don't need to. The only reason one would move a document from Pages to Dropbox was for easy access on a Mac later on...but iCloud solves that issue by automatically pushing that modified document from Pages on iPad back down to Pages on Mac.
Click to expand...

So you don't ever need to upload say, a resume? Or a photo to flickr? You want to launch an iPhone app for the latter? You don't need to get a doc to a group of people at work...or a 100 Meg zip file of images and a presentation?

The sandboxing is necessary for security, it has nothing to do with your needs.

The problem with the present workflow is, even with the cloud idea (which no everyone wants apple to be in control of) it doesn't fix sharing to others. Sure you can email a photo..great.. Now make a large keynote presentation and send it to 50 people for a presentation. It may sync back to your computer, but share it from your iPad.

Plenty of people need access to FTP, WebDAV, web upload. Especially common in marketing, branding, publishing.
 
Any device with no file system access cannot hope to EVER replace a laptop for anything but the most basic of tasks like email or browsing(and you can't even access many websites due to pack of flash). Ipad has the exact same OS as the iPhone and I don't think anyone replaces a real computer with one..

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk
 
Yeah...I've had to do basically none of those things...ever....and I imagine that the average user doesn't either.

The iPad is a 90/90 device. It does 90% of the things that 90% of the people want to do. Any time I have ever shared a document with anyone, I've done it with email, and iPad handles email perfectly well. Can iPad replace a laptop, by God you bet it can...can it replace a business laptop...perhaps not.
 
The only possible way

The only way this would be possible.
1. By running Mac OS
2. Be able to connect Bluetooth mice, keyboard, and headsets.
3. storage capacity would have to increase drastically (100GB minimum)
4. Apple A# chips would have to increase to have good enough processing speed and graphics to run games like WoW, Stacraft2, etc.

These are just some things off the top of my head that would need to be done to the iPad before they could replace notebooks entirely.
 
As a person who does heavy amounts of programming the iPad is essentially useless for my work in its current condition.
 
iCheddar said:
Yeah...I've had to do basically none of those things...ever....and I imagine that the average user doesn't either.

The iPad is a 90/90 device. It does 90% of the things that 90% of the people want to do. Any time I have ever shared a document with anyone, I've done it with email, and iPad handles email perfectly well. Can iPad replace a laptop, by God you bet it can...can it replace a business laptop...perhaps not.
Click to expand...

we will have to agree to disagree. Limited storage for things like photos come to mind.. enough room for apps and family videos?

the average person has at least created an account on a job site which opens with uploading a resume.. or linked in..

Many people manage blogs.. some features are not possible.

I think the correct statement from my pov is that for a small percentage, it can, but for the vast majority it cannot be the only device.,, but it's all opinion :)

I will give you that some of this can be accomplished by borrowing.. and it can definitely add life into an older machine, which will see much less use.

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
 
iCheddar said:
The thing of it is that I don't need web upload, FTP or the ability to interface with other apps. All I need is the ability to simply get documents on and off my iPad, and iCloud will solve that. Mind you, I'll be limited to using iWork apps from go, but since iCloud has storage APIs, soon many desktop and mobile applications will support
Click to expand...

Apple has found this sweet spot for me that makes my netbook obsolete with th help of apps like splashtop. I don't need to connect physical devices like cameras and if I want to do anything that needs a bit more PC capabilities I log in to my work or home PC at the cost of only $4.99 one time.

I haven't even picked up my netbook since I got it.
 
For some it will and others it won't. Depend on what you need it for.

I'm in school so I do a lot of typing. I am engineer so I do a lot of drafting. Therefore, an iPad will never replace my MacBook air for those two reasons.

Will I buy a iPad anyways? Yes. It will be neat to carry to class to use for presentations and many other things. However, it won't replace my notebook.
 
Totally replaced my notebook. Haven't used it in months.

Hasn't replaced my iMac, but I use the iMac much less than I used to before I had an iPad. The only thing the iMac does that the iPad doesn't is Xcode (for writing software.) For everything else, research, billing, banking, stock trades, study, proposals, spreadsheets, finance, and word processing, the iPad wins. Much more convenient and responsive than a bulky MacBook.

As far as document management goes, I never use iTunes for that... I store all of my documents in either iWork.com or DropBox in the cloud. Local file systems are rediculous now days.

For uploads, get a good 3rd party browser like iCab. If you're a geek using Gopher, FTP, Usenet, FidoNet, RT-11 on DEC, or CP/M on Altair... there are Apps for those legacy things.
 
I think that it is worth to decouple the will iPad replace notebook question from the will the iPad replace desktop OS computer question. It is clear that the latter simply will not happen for most people in the next several years.

I would argue that people should realistically assess what their mobile needs happen to be. I think a lot of people like the idea of doing meaningful work on the road, but when it comes to actually pulling out that notebook on a plane or on vacation to do work, it's a different story.

If I didn't actually have to work while traveling, I would love to not have to buy a new notebook and have just an iMac and iPad rather than a MacBook.
 
The only issue with that is the MacBook pros are more upgradable than te iMacs! But that's another discussion.

Perhaps it's just different fields of experience. I agree that on the road for a vacation an iPad will do. Most of the end users in my organizations either travel endlessly or take their machine home to work (and do regularly).
 
Don Kosak said:
Totally replaced my notebook. Haven't used it in months.

Hasn't replaced my iMac, but I use the iMac much less than I used to before I had an iPad. The only thing the iMac does that the iPad doesn't is Xcode (for writing software.) For everything else, research, billing, banking, stock trades, study, proposals, spreadsheets, finance, and word processing, the iPad wins. Much more convenient and responsive than a bulky MacBook.

As far as document management goes, I never use iTunes for that... I store all of my documents in either iWork.com or DropBox in the cloud. Local file systems are rediculous now days.

For uploads, get a good 3rd party browser like iCab. If you're a geek using Gopher, FTP, Usenet, FidoNet, RT-11 on DEC, or CP/M on Altair... there are Apps for those legacy things.
Click to expand...

Perhaps you can correct me. But.

A) icab is the only browser that follows php download links

B) it cannot browse dropbox for uploads or to copy files locally. (this is a big issue for me, are there ways to move files into icab without drag and dropping to iTunes?) for example. If I am gettig ready to move a document to sharepoint after working on it in something like docs2go or pages, how can I move that file into an area icab can access? Opening a file from dropbox to icab (like a heavily formatted word doc) seems to covert it to text and blow out the formatting.

Thanks for the info, maybe I'm just missing a how to. That said. One would wind up with an awful lot of copies of files rather than a central location.

Any recommendations for an app that can decompress?

Btw, I have good reader, and I know that an decompress.. The issues I'm most curious about, is how one manages all that. It seems arduous with all the app opening.

One scenario: browsing a Webpage need to upload file, switch to dropbox app to move file to icab, icab opens file, but formatting is wrong, click to download file, back to original webpage, click upload link, upload file, delete file from icab.

That's a lot of steps to do something so basic, a central docs location would be much easier, as would compliant browser.

Again, I'm very open to hearing there are easier ways, but another thing I need to check is if files are getting mangled in the process of opening in so many apps that don't understand the formatting (probably not as they aren't saving).

Cheers.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back