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HiFiGuy528

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jul 24, 2008
1,876
65
I bought the iPad the day it came out. Lately, I have not been using it as much and I'm paying $30 a month to keep the unlimited 3G. What bothers me about the iPad are the following.

- too heavy to hold long time
- back hurts from slouching over with iPad on lap
- can't type fast on it without a keyboard
- don't have full Safari, not same experience on a Mac
- screen is not as vivid as my iPhone 4

I am thinking of selling it and get the next 11" MacBook Air. Currently, I don't need a MacBook Air, but I would like to see what comes with the next 11"; maybe with 3G support? I alone with this feeling.
 
Dude, you are waiting for the next Mac Book Air which will not come out till this time next year? And the Ipad 2 will be out in April? Go Ipad 2 bro...The Ipad is not heavy...you are just not holding right...most laptops including the Air are heaver...get a case that has a kickstand in it.
 
If you think that 1.6 pounds is too heavy.....not sure how getting a 2.3 pound device will help that.

Since you asked for advice.....if the iPad is not for you then get rid of it. If it is just that you don't want to pay $30 a month, every month for a service you don't use, then cancel that service. Don't slouch when using it if it hurts your back, plenty of ways to use it and not slouch.

I agree the experience with safari is not the same as the laptop, it is better IMO.

But overall if it isn't for you then don't use it. Sell it or give it to someone that will get good use from it.
 
It doesn't make sense

I bought the iPad the day it came out. Lately, I have not been using it as much and I'm paying $30 a month to keep the unlimited 3G. What bothers me about the iPad are the following.

- too heavy to hold long time

I am thinking of selling it and get the next 11" MacBook Air. Currently, I don't need a MacBook Air, but I would like to see what comes with the next 11"; maybe with 3G support? I alone with this feeling.

How can you whine about a 1.5lbs device being heavy, and then want a 2.3lbs computer?

Bruce
 
I bought the iPad the day it came out. Lately, I have not been using it as much and I'm paying $30 a month to keep the unlimited 3G. What bothers me about the iPad are the following.

- too heavy to hold long time
- back hurts from slouching over with iPad on lap
- can't type fast on it without a keyboard
- don't have full Safari, not same experience on a Mac
- screen is not as vivid as my iPhone 4

I am thinking of selling it and get the next 11" MacBook Air. Currently, I don't need a MacBook Air, but I would like to see what comes with the next 11"; maybe with 3G support? I alone with this feeling.

-Too Heavy.....lay it down
-slouching.......get a case that tilts it while on table or in lap
-can't type fast........practice more
-doesn't have full safari.......this excuse is starting to annoy me.
-screen not vivid enough.................CHILD PLEASE!!!!
 
-Too Heavy.....lay it down
-slouching.......get a case that tilts it while on table or in lap
-can't type fast........practice more
-doesn't have full safari.......this excuse is starting to annoy me.
-screen not vivid enough.................CHILD PLEASE!!!!

Agree---people who complain that the iPad screen is not "vivid enough" as their iPhone 4 are spoiled 1st world country children. It always sickens me to hear that complaint. These people are never satisfied.
 
-doesn't have full safari.......this excuse is starting to annoy me.
It might be annoying, but its true. And its a valid reason to sell something.

Agree---people who complain that the iPad screen is not "vivid enough" as their iPhone 4 are spoiled 1st world country children. It always sickens me to hear that complaint. These people are never satisfied.
Sickens...really??? Try being a little more dramatic. There is a noticeable difference between the two screens. If you are used to the iP4 then the iPad's does look inferior. Notice I said inferior and not awful, and I'm talking about the quality, not the size. Its can be a valid reason to sell the iPad. Is someone not supposed to return a gadget they aren't happy with? By your shaky logic, the fact that you bought an iPad makes you a spoiled first world child because you could have used that money to buy food for the needy.
 
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I have both the new MacBook Air (13") and an iPad. The both fill very different needs for me. While I love the MacBook, I would never use it for reading an ebook. I read a lot on my iPad....books, newspapers, magazines, PDFs. Far better experience on the iPad.
 
I guess the advice part is maybe you guys can talk me out of it. I am on the fence so I value your opinion, good or bad.

I am typing this reply on my iP4 because it's more comfortable and faster. I know I can get a kb dock for the iPad, but that's another piece of hardware I have to carry around.

How many of you are typing your replies on an iPad, especially those with long replies? I love the iPad because it's easy to use and I like the screen size, but I am just not using it as much as my iPhone. The iPad is NOT that portable.
The MacBook Air is heavier, but it is more comfortable to sit in bed and browse the web because I don't have to hold it with one hand. A dock or stand for the iPad doesn't work in bed. My wife has the 13" Air and it works better in everyway sitting in bed.

Are you guys using your iPad as much as you intended when you first bought it?
 
I use the iPad much more than my Macbook mainly because its easy to whip it out to take a look at something real quick. I agree with the typing issue but if its that important, I simply wait until I get to my Macbook or iMac.

As far as the $30 dataplan, why are you even worried about keeping it if you don't use it that much? Simply shut it off or move down to one of the cheaper plans. If you don't use it that much in the first place, you won't bust the data limits.

Even though the display quality of the iPad is inferior, the fact that it's bigger makes it better in my opinion. Trying to do certain things on the iPhone 4 screen is cumbersome.
 
i think you just want people to chime in saying 'keep it! don't sell it!'
just sell it dude. it's your ipad - why are you asking other people's advice or thoughts?
or better yet - ask your wife/girlfriend.
 
Are you guys using your iPad as much as you intended when you first bought it?

I am, but each person is different. Just because I prefer the iPad to a notebook/netbook when reading in bed, and don't think the on-screen keyboard is too terrible to type on (it's slower than typing on a physical keyboard, but the tradeoff for more portability is worth it for me), doesn't mean you will or should feel the same. If you prefer the notebook form factor, then the iPad might not be the best fit for you, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

-typed on my iPad-
 
Time to eat more wheaties:D

Heh. It does get heavy after a while if you just hold it in your hands with no support. I keep a cushion for it next to my bed, and when I'm on the sofa I usually grab a lap pillow. The problem is when I find myself reading the iPad at my desk. I end up grabbing anything handy -- books, wallets, wrist rest on a mouse pad -- to prop it up.

-still typing on my iPad-
 
I've owned the original MacBook Air since it was introduced but my iPad has been my traveling companion since I bought it. Better on airplanes, on my train commute, in the car, around the house (needed a recipe in the kitchen last night and pulled it up on the iPad in a few moments - not only is it a smaller footprint on the counter, but it's easier to move around one-handed).

I don't believe I have superhuman strength or flexibility, but I read for 1+ hours at a stretch and have never found the iPad to be heavy. As for "vivid", I truly don't know what you're talking about. Do you sit there pulling up websites on both side-by-side all night for comparison? I own an iPhone 4 and haven't once thought that the iPad is inferior to it in any respect (including the goofy "retina display" argument - anyone who says they prefer reading a book or watching a movie on an iPhone 4 over an iPad is smoking dope).

Do what you want, I'm not here to convince you that it doesn't work for you, I just find all these "excuses" to be unbased.
 
I use my iPad a lot more than my MacBook pro for almost everything, even for typing for long periods of time. After a short time of getting used to typing on the screen, I have gotten quite quick, and I actually like typing on the screen.

The portability of the iPad makes it so much more usable to carry around and just whip out, rather than having to take out your laptop and have to find a surface to put it on.

Posted from my iPad :)
 
I bought the iPad the day it came out. Lately, I have not been using it as much and I'm paying $30 a month to keep the unlimited 3G. What bothers me about the iPad are the following.

- too heavy to hold long time
- back hurts from slouching over with iPad on lap
- can't type fast on it without a keyboard
- don't have full Safari, not same experience on a Mac
- screen is not as vivid as my iPhone 4

I am thinking of selling it and get the next 11" MacBook Air. Currently, I don't need a MacBook Air, but I would like to see what comes with the next 11"; maybe with 3G support? I alone with this feeling.


i did this and never look back. MBA is awesome
all things you mentioned were eliminated. really the advantage lacking is the battery vs ipad. but man MBA 11.6 is awesome!

speaking of portability. it is the same as ipad.. its like ipad with keyboard. you can hold better than ipad
 
It sounds like you want to use your iPad as a primary computer. Maybe that is what you really want?
 
...

How many of you are typing your replies on an iPad, especially those with long replies?

...

Are you guys using your iPad as much as you intended when you first bought it?

I've done about 400 posts on MacRumors, nearly all of them written on my iPad. I type on the glass. I bought an Apple Bluetooth keyboard, but only really use it to make sure the Apps I write support the keyboard well. The best investment I made was the book style "incase" iPad case. Makes the iPad easier to hold, props it up at different angles for reading or typing, and makes it easier to toss the iPad into a bag without worry of mangling it.

When I bought my iPad, I intended to do mostly ebooks and light web browsing. Instead I've found that the iPad has basically replaced my Windows Tablet PC (a Toshiba), and my MacBook. I use the iPad for just about everything but writting software. (and even then, my project plans are on the iPad, as well as my development books and reference PDFs...)

The next MacBook Air won't be out for another year. Get a decent case for your iPad and give it a chance. If you really can't get value out of it, sell it on eBay or Craigs List, or better yet, sell it to a friend.
 
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