Is ipad 2 practical?

Tomorrow night at midnight I'm going to purchase my very own iPad 2 for school purposes. I also have a mbp 13 inch but i do not use it in school. The iPad is very useful when it comes to taking notes, good responsive keyboard, extremely portable. Overall iPads are practical when it comes to taking notes.

 

see the recent thread on an mba + ipad. i have also started threads related to the topic and discussed it there at length (see my profile).

some people see the ipad as a revolutionary tool for study/research (me), while others see it as a frivolous toy. it depends on how you use it.

 

Agreed. It also depends on your major. I am a senior right now in core business classes of a few hundred, I don't really get the tedious homework assignments to hand in every week anymore, and most of the learning comes straight from reading the text and analyzing the material on powerpoints - the assignments we do have are done in business computer labs with special software, so I think it would be great for me.

On the other hand, if you are a freshman or sophomore taking the university requirements and have to type research papers that require multiple tabs and applications open at once, or intro finance and accounting courses requiring excel profficiency, I would honestly stay away...

those are two examples of how an iPad could and could not be useful to a business major, not sure what other majors require so it could or could not apply to you.

 

What, you couldn't just read the existing thread?

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1279574

 

Buy it and try it. You have until January 9, 2012 to return it under the new Holiday Return Policy if you buy it online.

With finals week and review classes coming up, it think it would be a great time to see how it preforms under your stressful situations.

 

But that would take all the fun out of reading judgmental posts...

 

doesnt mention anything about a restocking fee, etc.

 

Trust me, as a person that had graduated without even bringing a laptop to class. I feel as though this would have given me the edge. There are so many useful apps out there to help you with taking notes. Also, now that icloud has launched, you can get in on your MBP too. I wish that the technology would have existed when i was going to school back in the day!

 

BS. Are you saying you would have gotten higher grades if you had an iPad in college?

 

not recommended

THERE IS NO FILE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. I bet this will cause you all kinds of problems at collage. Nice play toy but not a serious business or school computer at this point.

You can find a few work arounds to make it more useable, but I must say, I am shocked that apple has made the IPad such a strange device. It seems great for some media things, and it sure looks cool, but as a replacement for a laptop, (ok I know many will say it was never intended to be a real computer replacement) it is a total failure.

Until apple puts a real file management system, that works with the rest of the computer world, and makes it completely compatible with SD cards (Have they never heard of USB??? and I don't just mean the import pictures kind, I mean full data storage and delivery) the IPad is not a usable work/school device. Someone needs to tell them to get a clue about the real world and the need to play nice with all the other computer systems. Yea, I am sure they have heard this, they just have a different business plan. After all, big business is all about the money, not the consumer.

If you do get an IPad, you will need a computer to keep track of the notes needed to make the IPad a decent device. I have an android phone. It is a better work computer than my IPad.

Now if you just want it to play with, watch Netflix and buy music from ITunes, then I highly recommend it. It is a cool entertainment device.

 

Although, I understand the points this user is making, I have to disagree on several points.

First, a file management system is in place, just not the way it used to be in older model computers. I have no problems typing up or receiving documents and finding them later to add to, or to use in emails and presentations.

Second, although many might say that it is not a replacement for a computer, I disagree. I use my Ipad2 everyday for work, not just for emails, but manipulating spreadsheets, documents, pdf's and the like. I also use my ipad2 for logging into my company ERP software system, entering orders, creating pick slips and shipping tickets, running reports, and producing presentations for my customers. For my business the only thing I can not do on my ipad, to my satisfaction, is edit pictures.

Third, Although I might agree that big business is about the money and not about the consumer, Apple has one of the best customer service organizations in the world.

All the above being said, the ipad is a great device for business and personal use, however, it does have limitations. When communicating with other computer systems, for example, in the pages app, it can be hard to add footnotes in a format that is usable, when the product is opened in office, on a regular computer. There may be other issues too.

I would suggest that you look for students at your school, who are using the Ipad, and ask them what limitations they have found since using the Ipad for school, and whether they would recommend for the major you are in. Get real world answers rather then relying on people that may be trolling, or people who may be blinded by the "Kool-aid".

All the above being said, I would not mind if Apple added a usb port for all kinds of stuff rather then just the camera connection kit. Personally I have found the Ipad very useful in a business environment, and I know several students who have used it successfully for college. This however, might depend on the major, and most certainly depend on what apps you have installed

 

you're entirely off the mark about what the previous poster was referring to about a 'proper file system'.

 

I think an iPad is becoming more of a necessity.

 

Don't over-think it. Just start using it and the utility will become apparent, mostly because you'll likely find yourself wanting to do more with it and finding new enjoyment out of the same things you used to do on a computer.

I never thought I'd be using mine for as much as I'm using it for currently.

 

I think it stays a good idea to buy a IPad 2 to take Notes. You can sync your documents owith the MBP

 

To expand on that, I feel that a computer is more of a necessity and the iPad can be that computer for most people.

 

If your class lecture powerpoints are available before the lecture, like mine have been, you can download all the ppt's on your MBP and save them as PDF's. I then move them to the appropriate class folder within dropbox. From my iPad, I use iAnnotate to sync files stored on Dropbox and boom: lectures on your iPad. I enjoy taking notes by drawing/writing directly on the slides within iAnnotate. After lecture is over, I sync w/DropBox again and all my notes are saved. Then from Dropbox I can pull those notes up anytime, from any computer, iPad, or smartphone. Love it. This is the perfect "File Management" system for me and it's changed the way I study.

Alternatively, you can download PDF's (and maybe even ppt's, iAnnotate was recently updated), directly into the app.

 

Yeah, it's not easy to clean the paste off when you're finished with the collage...

You sound like somebody that hasn't used an iPad more than for a couple of hours and all of your knowledge is second hand. As for note taking and managing notes, Evernote is pretty great. They even have an app, which is pretty nice for the iPad.

Just because there is no finder, doesn't mean an iPad becomes a terrible computer for finding the things on there. I think some people are having a real issue on the paradigm shift of using tablets.

 

The iPad can be very useful in a university setting, depending on what your coursework is, and how well you prepare. Some people like buck2520 don't see it as anything more than an entertainment gadget. Others have discovered a rich potential for content creation in the device. In my case, I do the vast majority of my work on it, and it is all I take to campus. Your mileage may vary.

There are lots of threads about this, and I have posted extensively in them. Just click on my profile and look at threads I have started or posts I have made.

 

Re problems w/iPad

Here is my main issue with no file system. Business and school often make it most practical to create a file folder and put everything regarding this project or class into this folder. Text, graphics, spread sheets, video, a variety of file types all go to the same logical location. You can then bring up this folder and access all these files on a computer with a file system. You can copy, rename and move files around. You can email more than one file in an email. Your files are in one logical, accessible place. As far as I know you can not do this on an IPad. Maybe I just need to change the way I think, but then this kind of takes the usefulness out of the device to me.

This and the lack of a multi function USB port are what prevent the IPad from being a real computer. Again I praise its function as an media viewer and mobile Internet viewer. It has it's place, it is just not a full function portable computer.

 

Go buy one. Keep the receipt. Use it. Then decide whether you want to keep it. If not, return it.

Best Buy offers 30-day return policy, no questions asked as long as nothing is broken or missing, box included.

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There are many file managers for iOS.

Zen Viewer
Downloads HD
GoodReader
ReaddleDocs
iFiles

And some of these manage virtually any file type, from avi files to text documents to HTML, you name it. And once your files are sitting there in the file manager, you can usually open them with the app of your choice or just open them within the file manager.

You can also download whatever you like with, for example, iCab browser, and then open it (or unpack a compressed file) in, say Zen Viewer, by using the "open in" option that is system-wide.

There is nothing complicated about this. Just use the file manager of your choice to manage you file/document handling experience.

This sort of file management is more than enough for the average user. It need not be any more than this. Apple seems to have understood this.

 

OP is not looking for a full function computer - that's what his/her MBP is for. Read the opening post:

OP: The iPad 2 is perfect for you, IMO. Go for it. Alternatively, you could sell your MBP and get an Air. Mine has become my favorite computer of all time - you won't believe how huge and heavy your 13" MBP will feel after using an Air for a few days .

Anyhow, my iPad doesn't get quite the use it once did, since I no longer have to attend lectures or take notes, but it is still very useful and a joy to use.

 

I love my iPad so much but I still think file management system is a real problem with the iPad.

It like IRL you still need organize your stuff (book, document, reference,....)

The same for digital stuff, many app in AppStore present some sort of system management like folder, tag or try to provide a file management system for iOS (Goodreader, AirSharing, ReaddleDocs,...) except for Apple's own apps (Pages, Numbers, Keynote) and some rare apps.

But there are some problem because the limitation of iOS. It don't have something like "share document folder".
for example if you need move some files from a app to another app for edit, you will need copy one by one, then after edit you need copy it back, then you need delete duplicated files from both apps.
Sometime you can't even get your documents out of app (Pages, Numbers, Keynote), you need upload it to some cloud service then download it to other app.

Not to metion the "open-in" feature also have some limitation, on my iPad 2, it limited to 10(sometime 20) apps in the list and totaly random. I can't get pdf from Mail.app to GoodReader because so many app register for open pdf and take up the list. Funny thing is no matter what, iBooks always present in the list

sorry for my english

 

yep. the lack of a file system sucks. the lack of a usb port sucks.

but, for just about everything, there is a way around it. right? i can go for weeks without my computer. i can't go forever, and it's not a total replacement, but it does a lot.