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NateJamesMeyers

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 10, 2010
97
0
do you think the ipad will remain a device to be used alongside your personal computer? or will it ever (meaning in the next few years) become a replacement for your computer?
 
Already is a replacement for my laptop. Some people will not use it that way, but I no longer have a need for my laptop.
 
see but you own a laptop. im talking about a complete replacement.

Not until it doesn't need a computer to sync up with iTunes. It needs to be a little more versatile in that regard---I am hoping that the upcoming cloud functionality will solve some of the issues I have with the way things sync up.
 
Not until it doesn't need a computer to sync up with iTunes. It needs to be a little more versatile in that regard---I am hoping that the upcoming cloud functionality will solve some of the issues I have with the way things sync up.

But then what about security. Someone gets a hold of your locked iPad, they need to plug it in to a 'truck' computer to use it. It's plugged in, and the hardware encryption key is wiped. Yep it's their's now, but your data is gone.

I sync my iPad about once a month to back it up. There are too many easier ways to get data on my iPad to fiddle with iTunes daily.
 
Maybe not in the next few years, but I'm hoping that somewhere down the line, tablets and desktop OS will converge, and we'll all have "docking stations" like this one:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/t...ml?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=all

Combine above with a tablet that runs a tablet/desktop hybrid OS. When we are outside the range of a station, it acts as a multi-touch tablet. When we are in range, it turns into a full desktop, with keyboard, big screen, and big storage drives to backup our data and hold our media.
 
do you think the ipad will remain a device to be used alongside your personal computer? or will it ever (meaning in the next few years) become a replacement for your computer?

The iPad will never be a replacement for my computer until it can at least be activated without using a computer.
I also could not type paper quick with the iPad keyboard, i know there is work arounds to this but not very convenient in a classroom. I have a large media library as well that would never fit on an iPad unless they tripled the storage.
The iPad needs several improvements before it could replacement my computers.
 
I was thinking about this because of the direction that android is going with their tablets. now that they added the option to plug in a mouse or keyboard or a game controller its pretty obvious at some point it will be able to take the place as your personal computer.
 
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