What is ipad made for?

[MacDawg]

im not an apple hater. just lets see, macbook makes use of computer more um.. enjoyable? but surfing the net IS more enjoyable on bigger screen of laptop. right? yup, connecting ipad to tv is better then laptop. completely agree. i prefer printed books. then ones on small screen. maybe will change my mid if try. and i really dont know much about apps. but just guessing that they are not something really worthy.
but where is ipad more enjoyable then macbook? im just afraid of buying something that i wont need. returning in russia is much harder since theres no apple store. but i do want one .

If I had to choose between a MBP and an iPad I would take the MBP no question
But I don't have to choose
I have a 17" MBP, an iPad and an iPhone
I use them all whenever appropriate

 

[RobesNo1]

As one example... I'm sitting on the couch watching tv and see a commercial that interests me enough to want to go to their website. Before I got my iPad, I'd have to think, "do I want to grab my laptop, turn it on, wait for it to boot up, launch the browser, and go to the website? Am I that motivated?" After I got my iPad I simply grab it, hit the browser and type the URL.

Don't know about adverts. But definitely for IMDB:

"What the hell is that actor from!?"
30 Seconds iPad use later.....
"Ah! He's the dude from Back to the Future and Charlies Angles"

Instant surfing, no fuss.

 

[psonice]

im not an apple hater. just lets see, macbook makes use of computer more um.. enjoyable? but surfing the net IS more enjoyable on bigger screen of laptop. right? yup, connecting ipad to tv is better then laptop. completely agree. i prefer printed books. then ones on small screen. maybe will change my mid if try. and i really dont know much about apps. but just guessing that they are not something really worthy.
but where is ipad more enjoyable then macbook? im just afraid of buying something that i wont need. returning in russia is much harder since theres no apple store. but i do want one .

I get where you're coming from here. I have a macbook, and an imac in the house, and wouldn't have bothered with an ipad, except that I write software for iOS, and decided to make an ipad app so I bought an ipad 2. Actually between the ipad and the laptop, I always pick the ipad. It IS more enjoyable for browsing, probably equal for email (I have a bluetooth keyboard for anything long mind), and it's great for ebooks.

The other thing I've found interesting is websites vs. apps. Quite a few of the websites I use (e.g. bbc news) have an app, and the app is almost always much better than the website, even though it just has the same content.

It's good for a lot of other stuff too - but mostly NOT the same stuff you do on your laptop. Mac software is designed for a mac remember, with keyboard + mouse input. That software doesn't translate well to the ipad in many cases. But software designed for the touch screen, that works great, and is generally a lot more fun. Classic example is garage band. The mac version is pretty good, with decent editing tools and such. But the ipad version is almost totally different, designed for touch input, and as a result it's incredibly cool, much more fun to use than the mac version.

 

[gkerr4]

when ipad 1 first came out - i kind of thought the same - i wanted one, but couldn't think of the use of it - at least not enough to warrant the pricetag!

but everyone i know who has one. loves it

so when ipad2 was released and I just got a bonus from work i took the plunge and bought one - now i can't imagine being without out (at the risk of sounding dramatic!)

it's not just about travelling - you will use it over your macbook for a lot of tasks - yes they will mainly be consumption tasks rather than creating stuff - but it's so quick and intuitive it makes little things like checking and reading email a pleasure and it is "instant on" so very quick. I use it to read magazines and books, to catch-up with video podcasts that I subscribe to, as a great twitter client and for other social networking as well as a some great business applications such as cnbc realtime, and sky news which make it easy to keep up with news, business affairs and markets. facetime is great on the big(er - than iphone4) screen.

i do agree though, that when you have a macbook at home it is a more difficult choice to make than if you had a desktop - but for me, it means that when my macbook pro comes due for replacement, i'd certainly consider (for the first time in years) an iMac for home and an iPad for portable use.

 

[REM314]

Its awesome for reading scientific pdfs and a large number of academics use it. /thread

 

[BlindMellon]

Everything I tried to do on my iPhone but gave up in frustration because it was too small. Also, Garage Band and AirVideo kicks ass.

 

[spiderman0616]

The iPad is a toy.
A very nicely made toy. (Yes, I own one).
But it is not a productive tool — unless you only do the most basic of word processing while checking emails — and of course web browsing.

Get one if you want another toy, but not if you are looking to use it as a full featured computer.

Of course, some posters here at MR would have you believe you need little else computingwise…
I remain unconvinced.




Exactly right.

I'd hardly call it a toy, at least for my lifestyle and how I used to use a laptop. I don't keep anything stored locally on my laptop. Anything I used on it was stored in a network location and I would just access it from my laptop, including music, movies, documents, etc.

That being the case, now that I have an iPad, who needs a laptop? In fact, now that I have an iPad, I find myself going to bed earlier. Instead of messing around with my computers all the way in the basement, I can just get in bed, do all the stuff I want to do on my iPad, and then go to sleep.

I also hate lugging a laptop anywhere, and netbooks suck IMHO. I hate taking laptops on the train, through the airport, or just walking around with one hanging in a bag on my shoulder for more than about 5 minutes. The iPad goes in a case and slips right into my backpack. I have a very powerful tower at home and a very powerful tower at work for if I need to do any really heavy lifting. If I need something quick and easy while I'm walking, my iPhone is right there.

I don't count it as a toy if it's single handedly streamlined all the things I used to do on 3 different devices.

 

[alex00100]

i have 2011 17" MBP. maybe some more mobility would be great.
i dont follow the ipad news, when will the next refresh be? 2012? early? late? anything known?

also, 3g models are not selling in china??? my friend is going for a trip there. the wifi models in china are much cheaper then in russia.

 

[spiderman0616]

i have 2011 17" MBP. maybe some more mobility would be great.
i dont follow the ipad news, when will the next refresh be? 2012? early? late? anything known?

also, 3g models are not selling in china??? my friend is going for a trip there. the wifi models in china are much cheaper then in russia.

If you have an iPhone or any other smartphone, the 3G model is kind of a waste--you can just use tethering and in a lot of cases it's cheaper than the 3G plan to add a tethering option to your cell plan.

The refresh should be next year in March or April. People who say there will be an iPad 3 this year are delusional.

 

[alex00100]

nope. no iphone or anything with 3g. and if i had, i could connect it to the phone and have the internet?
and do the wifi ipad have gprs connection?

 

[2 Owls]

It's pure distilled troll rage in tablet form, just have a quick browse at this very forum, it draws them in like the blue light in a fly killer.

 

[spiderman0616]

nope. no iphone or anything with 3g. and if i had, i could connect it to the phone and have the internet?
and do the wifi ipad have gprs connection?

Yeah, if you have an iPhone or other smart phone that is capable of using tethering, you can pay extra on your phone plan (usually about $20 more a month) and use it as a wifi hotspot. No need to pay for yet another data plan on your iPad when tethering is cheaper. Not sure on the gprs thing.

 

[ghoti]

My wife starts her college papers on it. she takes notes in class that have the audio sync'd with the typed or drawn notes for easy playback.

Whoa, that's awesome.
(1) Does she scribe with her finger or does she use a stylus? If a stylus, which one and do you recommend it?
(2) What app does this? It sounds sweet!

 

[bobright]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8G4 Safari/6533.18.5)

Magical stuff.

Rofl

 

[RWinOR]

Whoa, that's awesome.
(1) Does she scribe with her finger or does she use a stylus? If a stylus, which one and do you recommend it?
(2) What app does this? It sounds sweet!

I do not recall the app name, I will look at it tonight when I am home, she uses her finger. Great app for school and taking notes. Lets you focus on whats drawn on the board, or projector, and come back and listen to the details. Or (we know this never happens ) if your mind drifts off while the teacher is speaking you can go back and listen to what you missed.

I will post name later tonight.

 

[Night Spring]

I don't think the iPad OS for everyone. If you are happy with your laptop/smartphone/desktop combo for your computing needs, and never wished for something that was a little more portable than your laptop but had a bigger screen than your smartphone, well then, the iPad isn't for you, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Me, I've been waiting for the iPad for a long time. Probably as far back as when I got my first computer, even though back then, I didn't know the iPad was what I was waiting for. I just knew that laptops got too heavy if I held them in my lap for too long, and the keyboard got in the way when all I wanted to do was just read. PDAs were a good start, but they were too small and each screen could only hold a few lines of text at a time. When I got my first iPod touch, I thought we were finally getting closer, now if only the screen was bigger!

Yes, I still drag out my laptop if I need to type something long. But the iPad is good enough to get a bit of work done while on the bus or train. In fact, I'm typing this post right now on my iPad on a bus. I don't travel, but I do ride often on bus/train, and iPad is perfect for getting some work done in that situation, whereas a laptop is too bulky and awkward to use in train or bus. I've seen people typing on laptop on trains, but not on buses. I think iPad is better, even on trains.

When I left the house today, I left my laptop and walked out with the iPad, knowing I could get the work I needed to get done today on my iPad. Instead of carrying a heavy and bulky laptop bag, I just have a large purse that fits my iPad. Yes, I probably use the iPad more for consumption than productiviy, but in those moments when I can be productive on the iPad, it really is worth its price, and more.

But that's just me. Your experience will be different. Most of my colleagues feel they don't need a tablet, or they are waiting for something that fits their needs. (for example, one co-worker wants something the size of the iPad that opens multiple active windows at once) So if you don't have a need for an iPad, no need to get it. Save your money for something else you really need/want.

 

[TheWheelMan]

so, reading, watching, playing and surfing are the biggest things it can do? im somewhat surprised about how popular it is and how little it can do.

I don't understand that statement. How "little" it can do? What do you want it to do? Take out your trash? Do your laundry? Because it obviously doesn't do everything, and can't replace a desktop pc for some tasks, but it definitely does too many things to say "it does so little".

 

[nwcs]

Some interesting responses and some stupid ones in this thread. Ultimately the iPad is a lot like college: it's what you make of it. I write software for a living and I'm writing a healthcare app that will be used in hospitals for various tasks where mobile is the only way to go. Other iPad apps in our field include physician ordering systems, patient history review, and scheduling for those who are not able to be stationed at a desk (which is a lot more people than most realize).

People here over-focus on things like games and note taking and movies because it's representative of the demographics of macrumors members. Reality, of course, is quite a bit different. And if you see how iPads are being used for things like healthcare, sound setups in $500,000+ systems, and more you get a different perspective.

iPads aren't for every situation but again: it's what you make of it.

 

[RWinOR]

Whoa, that's awesome.
(1) Does she scribe with her finger or does she use a stylus? If a stylus, which one and do you recommend it?
(2) What app does this? It sounds sweet!

As promised, the app is called Soundnote. It works very well for us.

 

[ghoti]

As promised, the app is called Soundnote. It works very well for us.

Thanks! I'll have to check that out.

 

[Agent-P]

What is it for? You know all of the stuff you do on your computer that doesn't involve a keyboard? Mostly the stuff that you're scrolling with, or reading, or just passively sitting back and watching?

This is exactly right. I use it when I'm relaxing around my house and just want to do some leisurely web surfing. It's much quicker to turn on than my laptop and it's much lighter. But when traveling outside my house or doing real work (which will require more typing or more processing power), I prefer to use my laptop. For me, it's really just a leisurely consumption device and nothing more. Next year I do plan on using it to contain E-book versions of all my textbooks, but for now it's all relaxing stuff. I also use it for Skype/FaceTime when I happen to already have it in front of me.

 

[Matthew9559]

I use it to check my email, browse the web, and read Kindle books. This represents a majority of my computer time though so I use my iPad a ton.

Sometimes I watch podcasts and play games.

 

[alex00100]

yes, now i see that its quite a useful thing. ill think about buying. ill go to a store and check it out one more time when i will have time. thanks everybody! i wouldnt mind some more tips of how to use.

 

[nwcs]

People keep thinking only in terms of data consumption. The iPad is brilliant for work -- as long as you rethink how the work is being done. Sure it's not the best typing experience but there are MANY jobs out there where the iPad would make the work so much better.

When I had hail damage to my car earlier this year State Farm was evaluating my car (and thousands of others) using a tablet PC with a horrible interface. I had my iPad with me and talked to several of them about how an iPad app would speed up their work greatly. I had a couple State Farm people immediately offer to go into business with me.

To "get" the iPad, people need to stop thinking small and need to stop thinking keyboard. Think about new ways of getting the job done instead. Many things that previously were done with keyboards can be done with touch if the interface is designed right.