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What's the point of the iPad? (honest question)
- Thread starter motulist
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The iPad is amazing.
Since getting my iPad 2 a year ago I am now 95% iPad and 5% Macbook Pro.
The iPad is soo amazing for reading in bed or bring down to the beach.
I use my iPad for E-Mail, web browsing, E-Books, music, movies, etc. etc. - it simply does that all better than my MacBook Pro
Although I do use my MacBook Pro for typing out longer documents and photo editing.
Since getting my iPad 2 a year ago I am now 95% iPad and 5% Macbook Pro.
The iPad is soo amazing for reading in bed or bring down to the beach.
I use my iPad for E-Mail, web browsing, E-Books, music, movies, etc. etc. - it simply does that all better than my MacBook Pro
Although I do use my MacBook Pro for typing out longer documents and photo editing.
For me, the iPad interfaces with the internet as well, if not better, than any notebook, at a reduced size, weight, and price.
The battery lasts longer.
I can pull it out and interact with it while standing on the street. I can not do that with a notebook unless I have somewhere to rest it.
I can pull up maps anywhere I have a 3G/LTE signal. No go on my MacBook.
I can show people my photos with far greater ease and simplicity on the iPad, on a much higher resolution screen.
The OP doesn't seem to put much stock in 3rd party apps. The iPad is just a slab of hardware. It's the apps that complete the equation. Sure, with just the stock apps it comes with, one could argue that the iPad might be redundant along side a slim notebook. But when populated with apps like Pulse, Djay, Paper, Flipboard, certain Newstand publications, etc., that simply don't exist outside of the touchscreen realm, the iPad transcends mere hardware and becomes a whole new medium.
The point of the iPad? It's not really an answerable question. It's like asking, what is the point of a blank canvas? If you have no use for a blank canvas, then there is no point for you. But for the next person, a blank canvas may hold infinite possibilites.
The battery lasts longer.
I can pull it out and interact with it while standing on the street. I can not do that with a notebook unless I have somewhere to rest it.
I can pull up maps anywhere I have a 3G/LTE signal. No go on my MacBook.
I can show people my photos with far greater ease and simplicity on the iPad, on a much higher resolution screen.
The OP doesn't seem to put much stock in 3rd party apps. The iPad is just a slab of hardware. It's the apps that complete the equation. Sure, with just the stock apps it comes with, one could argue that the iPad might be redundant along side a slim notebook. But when populated with apps like Pulse, Djay, Paper, Flipboard, certain Newstand publications, etc., that simply don't exist outside of the touchscreen realm, the iPad transcends mere hardware and becomes a whole new medium.
The point of the iPad? It's not really an answerable question. It's like asking, what is the point of a blank canvas? If you have no use for a blank canvas, then there is no point for you. But for the next person, a blank canvas may hold infinite possibilites.
Here's one that I bet most people do not think of. My iPad allowed me to get rid of 1 of my cable boxes, saving over $10/mo. I may get rid of a 2nd as well, leaving me with only 1. The savings will pay for my new iPad. My cable company has an app which allows me to turn my iPad into a portable TV (the same app allows my iPhone to be a TV, but there is no similar app for android). There is an app available to turn my laptop into a TV but for some reason it is FAR more annoying.
It may not be "better" for you, or for a lot of people. But the overall design of the iPad is far more organic, natural and intuitive than a traditional personal computer--at least for a large segment of the population. When you get into specific commercial apps, the touchscreen, portability and built-in cellular data make for a very powerful combination.
I like to create flowcharts and network diagrams with OmniGraffle on my ipad because I can touch the objects I'm working with. I think some things take longer (like perfect alignment) but others are just a joy.
I also do mockups of apps or modifications to apps. iMockups is pretty easy and in some ways you can make it look like the app is already functioning through creative linking.
All in all, I feel I can over come 'writers block' with the ipad. If I sit in front of the laptop, I get stuck.
BTW: I just picked up the logitech keyboard cover and my MBA see's even less use. This thread should become more about what practical reasons are there for a laptop.
I also do mockups of apps or modifications to apps. iMockups is pretty easy and in some ways you can make it look like the app is already functioning through creative linking.
All in all, I feel I can over come 'writers block' with the ipad. If I sit in front of the laptop, I get stuck.
BTW: I just picked up the logitech keyboard cover and my MBA see's even less use. This thread should become more about what practical reasons are there for a laptop.
That's like asking if a car can take place of a motorcycle. Different devices, very different uses. Sure, some people might find a MacBook Air fits their needs better, just like some people need a car and a motorbike just won't do. But people who want a bike are looking for something different from a car in the first place, and it's the same with iPads.
again?
Love the fascistic demanding tone of this post. Hope your not in marketing. The reason apple has sold a bizillion of these is that users have adopted the new form factor to a large number of needs, as reflected by the depth of offerings in the app store. The minute I saw Jobs using a computer on a sofa chair, I knew this would be a extremely useful form factor. Its the perfect tool when I'm in landscape mode.
Love the fascistic demanding tone of this post. Hope your not in marketing. The reason apple has sold a bizillion of these is that users have adopted the new form factor to a large number of needs, as reflected by the depth of offerings in the app store. The minute I saw Jobs using a computer on a sofa chair, I knew this would be a extremely useful form factor. Its the perfect tool when I'm in landscape mode.
Actually, I tried that exact scenario, and honestly I found that the Macbook Air did not do a great job of displacing my iPad.
At the time, I had an iPad 1 (64 GB + 3G), and I thought that a Macbook Air with the 128 GB drive would more than cover it. But, the things that the Macbook Air (or any laptop) is good at, are different from what the iPad is good at.
In my particular case, I tend to read on my iPad a lot. Newspapers, magazines, etc. The interface is sharp and responsive. On the Macbook Air, it never felt like natural 'reading' to me.....you always had to prop the MBA up on something (even reading in bed, or in the "library"). The iPad was just easier and felt more natural to use.
Also, the casual gaming environment is better on the iPad than it is on the laptop (I previously travelled globally for work, so plenty of time on airplanes). Whether it was chess, or PvZ, or even just card games....it worked better on the iPad than on my MBA.
Finally, the built-in 3G allowed me to get online just about anywhere. Yes, I can buy a MiFi or USB stick that allowed me to do the same thing, but it just became one more dongle in my laptop bag to carry (and potentially lose).
In the end, I swapped the MBA 11 for a MBA 13, and eventually just travelled with the iPad + MBA 13 combo. Nice and lightweight, and gave me the best of both worlds!
Patrick
You go to the beach and you take an iPad? Why not just stay at home if you got to break an ipad out to enjoy yourself. You must be fun to take on vacations.
You go to the beach and you take an iPad? Why not just stay at home if you got to break an ipad out to enjoy yourself. You must be fun to take on vacations.
My wife said the same thing when I had every intention of bringing mine out on our honeymoon.
Then when we left Horshoe Bay in Bermuda, and I plugged the camera connection kit into the iPad and we got to see these incredible shots with the gorgeous retina display she got it. We also enjoyed the Facetime with the large screen when talking with her kids.
I think the instant assumption is that the iPad will be picked up and used wherever one goes.
While I tend to agree with most here regarding the somewhat questionable attitude with which the OP has approached this discussion, I will put in my own two cents.
First off, I would argue that when comparing a light-weight laptop, like the MBA, and an iPad, there will be a lot of overlap in capability, even to the extent that one could argue that each device could do almost everything that the other can. Not precisely everything, mind you, but almost. I would further argue that you could make such comparisons with other types of devices, too. For example: desktop vs. workstation class laptop; workstation class laptop vs. light-weight laptop; light-weight laptop vs. tablet; tablet vs. smart phone. Now, that said, rather than asking the question "what can X do that Y can't?", the better question is, and I grant that this is the question that you seemed to settle on, "what things does X do better and what things does Y do better, and why?".
Now, stepping back into a moment of criticism of the attitude with which the OP has seemed to approach this discussion, when someone offers something that the iPad can do better, if the OP wanted clarification on that, then he should have asked for that, rather than responding with an argument for why that person was wrong and the MBA would work just as well or better in the given situation.
Moving past all of that, which seems to me to be prelude to answering the actual question, I do have an iPad (which I'm using to write this post), and I do have various usage situations which I feel that the iPad excels at far beyond a MBA.
First, there is the reason that I originally got an iPad. I sit on a commission. During our public hearings, we routinely need to have various resources at our disposal. Some of my fellow commissioners show up with several 3" three ring binders that weigh many pounds. Prior to getting my iPad, I tried using my iPod Touch (screen was too small) and my MBP (having a laptop screen up between me and the attendees of the hearings felt like it created an inappropriate barrier). I so disliked both of these solutions that I went back to paper until I got an iPad. Hands down, the iPad is the only effective solution in this case.
Now, when I got the iPad I expected my commission work to be the only place that I would actively use my iPad, but I quickly discovered how wrong I was. While it is true that I have a MBP not a MBA, I did routinely take my MBP with me when I was going places. I quickly discovered that the vast majority of what carried my MBP around for, the iPad was capable of doing quite easily. On top of that, there were a vast array of activities that were suddenly opened up to me. Many, many places have wifi, and because I carried my iPad far more often than I would ever carry a laptop, even if mine were a MBA rather than a MBP, I found myself pulling out my iPad in stores to check reviews of products on site, rather than waiting until I got home.
When I got my iPad 2 a year ago, I got a 3G model, and even more possibilities were opened up. At one point I was in a park with my son and needed to call his grandparents to talk about schedules. I tried their home, their work and their cell numbers. No answer. Now, I didn't really care which of them I got in touch with, and I didn't really want to leave five different voicemails and start a massive game of phone tag, so I pulled out my iPad and sent an email instead.
Before owning an iPad, I never really read an ebook. Since owning an iPad, I vastly prefer reading ebooks. Why? Well, first off, reading a book on a computer screen was truly never comfortable to me. Because of this, I expected to never want to move from real books to ebooks. The iPad changed my mind because of the ability to read in a dark room with far less light than having a lamp on, an important feature when someone is sleeping next to you, as well as the fact that it is easier to always have your current book with you (not to mention much of your library) where ever you are, in the event that you have a moment and want to stop and read for a bit.
Before my iPad, I regularly would watch movies in bed on my MBP. It generally always had to be plugged in, so I was wrestling with the cord. It would warm up, even through a lap-desk. (My wife frequently expressed concerns about certain parts of my body getting overheated, and thus adversely effected by the heat from my MBP). My pad, by contrast, is light, cool, and has a battery that makes it so I usually only have it plugged in to charge overnight when I'm not using it (frequently every other night).
Long and short, there are many, many areas where the iPad excels beyond any laptop, simply from a convenience and ease of use standpoint, many others where it matches a laptop, and many others where it falls short. We live in a world where we don't need to have just one tool, but can have several and choose the right tool for the right job. Many, including myself, have found that the iPad is the right tool for much of our computing needs, with the full computers, be they MBAs, MBP, iMacs, MPs or PCs, reserved for the heavier lifting that they excel at.
First off, I would argue that when comparing a light-weight laptop, like the MBA, and an iPad, there will be a lot of overlap in capability, even to the extent that one could argue that each device could do almost everything that the other can. Not precisely everything, mind you, but almost. I would further argue that you could make such comparisons with other types of devices, too. For example: desktop vs. workstation class laptop; workstation class laptop vs. light-weight laptop; light-weight laptop vs. tablet; tablet vs. smart phone. Now, that said, rather than asking the question "what can X do that Y can't?", the better question is, and I grant that this is the question that you seemed to settle on, "what things does X do better and what things does Y do better, and why?".
Now, stepping back into a moment of criticism of the attitude with which the OP has seemed to approach this discussion, when someone offers something that the iPad can do better, if the OP wanted clarification on that, then he should have asked for that, rather than responding with an argument for why that person was wrong and the MBA would work just as well or better in the given situation.
Moving past all of that, which seems to me to be prelude to answering the actual question, I do have an iPad (which I'm using to write this post), and I do have various usage situations which I feel that the iPad excels at far beyond a MBA.
First, there is the reason that I originally got an iPad. I sit on a commission. During our public hearings, we routinely need to have various resources at our disposal. Some of my fellow commissioners show up with several 3" three ring binders that weigh many pounds. Prior to getting my iPad, I tried using my iPod Touch (screen was too small) and my MBP (having a laptop screen up between me and the attendees of the hearings felt like it created an inappropriate barrier). I so disliked both of these solutions that I went back to paper until I got an iPad. Hands down, the iPad is the only effective solution in this case.
Now, when I got the iPad I expected my commission work to be the only place that I would actively use my iPad, but I quickly discovered how wrong I was. While it is true that I have a MBP not a MBA, I did routinely take my MBP with me when I was going places. I quickly discovered that the vast majority of what carried my MBP around for, the iPad was capable of doing quite easily. On top of that, there were a vast array of activities that were suddenly opened up to me. Many, many places have wifi, and because I carried my iPad far more often than I would ever carry a laptop, even if mine were a MBA rather than a MBP, I found myself pulling out my iPad in stores to check reviews of products on site, rather than waiting until I got home.
When I got my iPad 2 a year ago, I got a 3G model, and even more possibilities were opened up. At one point I was in a park with my son and needed to call his grandparents to talk about schedules. I tried their home, their work and their cell numbers. No answer. Now, I didn't really care which of them I got in touch with, and I didn't really want to leave five different voicemails and start a massive game of phone tag, so I pulled out my iPad and sent an email instead.
Before owning an iPad, I never really read an ebook. Since owning an iPad, I vastly prefer reading ebooks. Why? Well, first off, reading a book on a computer screen was truly never comfortable to me. Because of this, I expected to never want to move from real books to ebooks. The iPad changed my mind because of the ability to read in a dark room with far less light than having a lamp on, an important feature when someone is sleeping next to you, as well as the fact that it is easier to always have your current book with you (not to mention much of your library) where ever you are, in the event that you have a moment and want to stop and read for a bit.
Before my iPad, I regularly would watch movies in bed on my MBP. It generally always had to be plugged in, so I was wrestling with the cord. It would warm up, even through a lap-desk. (My wife frequently expressed concerns about certain parts of my body getting overheated, and thus adversely effected by the heat from my MBP). My pad, by contrast, is light, cool, and has a battery that makes it so I usually only have it plugged in to charge overnight when I'm not using it (frequently every other night).
Long and short, there are many, many areas where the iPad excels beyond any laptop, simply from a convenience and ease of use standpoint, many others where it matches a laptop, and many others where it falls short. We live in a world where we don't need to have just one tool, but can have several and choose the right tool for the right job. Many, including myself, have found that the iPad is the right tool for much of our computing needs, with the full computers, be they MBAs, MBP, iMacs, MPs or PCs, reserved for the heavier lifting that they excel at.