Is an iPad right for me?

[ssk2]

Hi all (and thanks in advance!)

I've just been debating whether an iPad is right for me and I've got very stuck! So if I give you some info, maybe some of you could offer some advice based on your experiences.

I currently do all of my home computing on an 9 inch notebook. 99% of my activities are browsing the web and this is by far my primary usage. I also use it for writing and editing personal documents on Microsoft Word and might also use Excel from time to time.

Due to the nature of my work, I can't take any documents away from the office, so it I'm really looking for a 'leisure' machine. I think the iPad would work for me, but is typing and editing easy enough on it?

My only other concern is that I recently got rid of my iPhone as I fancied a change of OS environment - will this be a problem in terms of syncing data?

 

[palpatine]

Hi all (and thanks in advance!)

I've just been debating whether an iPad is right for me and I've got very stuck! So if I give you some info, maybe some of you could offer some advice based on your experiences.

I currently do all of my home computing on an 9 inch notebook. 99% of my activities are browsing the web and this is by far my primary usage. I also use it for writing and editing personal documents on Microsoft Word and might also use Excel from time to time.

Due to the nature of my work, I can't take any documents away from the office, so it I'm really looking for a 'leisure' machine. I think the iPad would work for me, but is typing and editing easy enough on it?

My only other concern is that I recently got rid of my iPhone as I fancied a change of OS environment - will this be a problem in terms of syncing data?

hi. the ipad is great for media consumption. i use it every day to browse the web and read pdfs. in combination with apps like evernote, it is really powerful.

the ipad is also great for media creation, if by media we are talking about emails. i hook up a usb keyboard and often type notes into it. i touch type and find the keyboard on the screen to be usable, but rather unpleasant, and far slower. it can be done, though, and is fine if you are just typing something short.

the ipad is awful for editing. really, truly awful. you cannot use a mouse with the ipad, so you have to try and manipulate stuff with your fingers. it gets old quickly. even typing the post in this box would have been miserable, because you cannot move around to edit. there are workarounds, but long story short, for articles, reports, or any other kind of extensive writing project, i can't recommend it.

syncing with what? if you have a computer you will have no problems syncing. could you be more specific about the connection with the iphone you got rid of?

 

[ssk2]

hi. the ipad is great for media consumption. i use it every day to browse the web and read pdfs. in combination with apps like evernote, it is really powerful.

the ipad is also great for media creation, if by media we are talking about emails. i hook up a usb keyboard and often type notes into it. i touch type and find the keyboard on the screen to be usable, but rather unpleasant, and far slower. it can be done, though, and is fine if you are just typing something short.

the ipad is awful for editing. really, truly awful. you cannot use a mouse with the ipad, so you have to try and manipulate stuff with your fingers. it gets old quickly. even typing the post in this box would have been miserable, because you cannot move around to edit. there are workarounds, but long story short, for articles, reports, or any other kind of extensive writing project, i can't recommend it.

syncing with what? if you have a computer you will have no problems syncing. could you be more specific about the connection with the iphone you got rid of?

Thanks so much, this is brilliant!

Regarding syncing, I was just wondering whether if I got rid of all forms of computer other than the iPad, my Android wouldn't be able to be backed up or synced.

I'm a little worried about the editing issue - though, like I said, it would only be a tiny percentage of my usage so maybe I shouldn't worry too much.

 

[palpatine]

Thanks so much, this is brilliant!

Regarding syncing, I was just wondering whether if I got rid of all forms of computer other than the iPad, my Android wouldn't be able to be backed up or synced.

I'm a little worried about the editing issue - though, like I said, it would only be a tiny percentage of my usage so maybe I shouldn't worry too much.

Glad I could help

If you got rid of all forms of computer other than the iPad, there would be no syncing, unless you do so through some kind of third-party app. For example, you could sync evernote between the two. type a note in evernote on the iPad and read it right away on your Droid. Otherwise, I don't see a conceptual connection here between your Droid and iPad. Your Droid will not connect directly to your iPad. If you want to backup your Droid, or do anything with it that involves cables, then that is between your Droid and your computer. Your iPad is a separate entity with no physical connection.

The problem with your plan, is that the iPad works really well with iTunes, and takes a bit of work without that app. Podcasts, for example, do not automatically download into your iPad. This might change with iOS 5. More importantly, at least at this point (perhaps to be fixed shortly with iOS 5), you cannot download software updates to the iPad without a computer.

I can go for weeks without hooking up my iPad to my computer. Other times I do it several times a day (to transfer PDF files quickly). It depends on how you use the device, but in the end, it's nice to have a computer around just in case. It sounds like you have one, so just turn that on whenever you need to sync with iTunes. It sounds like you probably won't need to think about it much, given your activity.