Self Sufficient iPad

[ipedro]

iPad has the potential to replace PCs in most homes because few people need a full PC to browse the web, e-mail, organize their music, video and photos.

The current first generation iPad doesn't allow a user to get rid of their PC however. You must pair your iPad to a PC/Mac version of iTunes and you can only back up your data via a computer.

What will it take to make iPad self-sufficient?

√ e-mail
√ internet
√ importing photos
√ purchasing and managing music, movies, tv

x light photo and video editing
x data back up
x AppleTV syncing or streaming

An improvement in the Photos and Videos apps or iPad versions of iPhoto and iMovie would solve the first shortcoming. Cloud computing will solve the remaining ones. A mobileMe upload of all your photos, media and app files would allow you to keep all your data safe and also allow cloud streaming to an AppleTV.

What other practical improvements would you like to see to ditch your computer for good?

 

[Streethawk]

Oh, it'll come, only had mine a week and it's pretty obvious to me that this is the future for home computing, if perhaps not businesses. I'm sure Apple will release an iPad that doesn't rely on desktop iTunes within the next two revisions.

 

[phpmaven]

The current first generation iPad doesn't allow a user to get rid of their PC however. You must pair your iPad to a PC/Mac version of iTunes and you can only back up your data via a computer.

You don't have to have a computer to use an iPad. Apple will set it up for you in the store. You are correct about backing it up however.

 

[ipedro]

I guess you don't have to own a PC but one is still necessary to set up the first time and for all the subsequent firmware updates so you're still encouraged to have a PC.

 

[glitch44]

One thing they'll need-- an ipad app for the Airport Utility. The only way to manage the Airport or Airport Extreme currently is through the OS X or PC Airport Utility application. You can't log into the router through a browser like most routers.

 

[danpass]

Going beyond its current form would turn the iPad into a tablet PC.

A couple of extra bells and whistles (like a Finder/Windows Explorer) would be an improvement.


Laptop replacement ... sure. But not a desktop replacement.


My current setup is desktop with the heavy stuff and iPad for the light stuff AND to remote into the desktop to continue with the heavy stuff.

 

[jclardy]

Over the air software upgrades would be awesome, even if it was just for minor version releases like 4.01, 4.02 etc. Having to re-download the entire iPhone OS image every time they release a minor version is fairly annoying (Plus it would save Apple's servers a ton of bandwidth!)

Being able to download and upload files from Safari would be necessary IMO. iPad would not work as a solitary PC for a student in college even if all they had to do was creating Word documents, because they can't upload them to the schools assignment turning-in system.

 

[Fraaaa]

The iPad can be a standalone computer as is needed to be sync to iTunes just once to use it; in fact I keep thinking on buy a 3G one for my father which has no internet and computer so that he could browse and use mails/chat with me through skype. In the other hand for the same reason I keep thinking on buy him the new iPhone as I know he won't be using a computer anyway.

Tablets are a different concept of laptop but both can be minimize to "house" purposes such video, music, photos, mail and browsing. Netbooks could be better than what they are if they were redisegn for the cloud and having an App Store. I would be happy to have a MacBook Air less powerful and cheaper optimize for such thing, the iPad is the same but the touch screen of course open another door on tecnology.