Why I never bought an iPad

[palpatine]

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if you don't need something like you need a laptop, then it is a toy? i guess i have a lot of toys, then: smartphones, kindles, ipods...

some people buy it for games. some buy it for work. it's the same for laptops

 

[NateJamesMeyers]

dang I really shouldn't have used the word toy... I didn't mean to bring the iPad down and say it's only good for a toy. But it certainly works as one among other things

Now some of you have put up some good arguments for needing one with the college aspect. It seems like college would be the biggest reason to need one. The point of this thread wasn't to troll. just to get some opinions and different points of view. Maybe once I go to college and see if everyone is using an iPad to replace textbooks i'll get one. Who wants to lug textbooks around when you could have a tablet haha

keep your opinions to yourself

Perhaps you could follow some of your own advice?

Nah i'm just kidding. I'm not afraid of other people's opinions

 

[wackymacky]

I don't know if anyone is really happy with what they have.

I have my iPad (version one) and it is great at what it does, e-mail, surfing the net, reading documents on etc. (I will get the iPad 3 when it arrives)

Yes, you can create documents on it, there are apps that do MS office documents, and Microsoft are even putting out a iPad office suite, though I suspect release won't be to mid-next year.

Truth of the matter is when I create a meaningful PPT presentation on the move I want more than the iPad, so I am currently thinking on a MacAir / Power Book, to complement my 27" iMac in my office, 21" iMac in the Kitchen, my aging Mac Pro, iPad and iPhone. (I used to have a MacBook a few years back, but I gave it to my nephew)

The difference is I can afford these things 'casue I've worked for them and put in the hard slog.

As a student are you best not just better getting what suites your budget and get a mid ranged laptop, and get the more expensive toys later on?

 

[NateJamesMeyers]

As a student are you best not just better getting what suites your budget and get a mid ranged laptop, and get the more expensive toys later on?

pretty sound advice right there. The iPad seems like it would be a lot more worth it when you have all the other apple products to complement it.

Wow this thread actually got somewhere

 

[PDFierro]

You certainly can create documents in MS Word format on an iPad using Apple's Pages.

What parts of your school site do you think you can't read on your iPad? Would you care to give us a URL or two?

If those are the reasons why you gave up, I'd say you failed on your due diligence.



Why?



Here's an article where the Yale School of Medicine is giving iPads to all of its students: a very serious use by a prestigious school. How many examples would you need before you changed your opinion?



With all due respect, your OP in this thread looked like a troll message. You came to conclusions, but failed to give any specific facts or reasoning why you came to those conclusion. You had sentences that ended with a question mark but clearly were not questions. Many here are far more knowledgable than you are about the iPad, but you seem unwilling to listen to what they have to say.

I suggest re-reading what you said and re-reading the responses. Read my response. Why exactly is it that you "couldn't submit MS word documents" from an iPad? What exact pages do you think you couldn't access from your school's website on an iPad? These "facts" are in serious doubt.

This "toy" message appears like a troll, too. Look at the messages over the past 5 days from @palpatine. He's asked some great questions here about using his iPad -- and done a lot of legwork on his own. His iPad is a serious tool for his research and writing. If he can do it, so can you.

The best part about being in school is that you never know when the learning opportunities will happen. Consider the 17 dislikes as a learning opportunity.

I guess the OP is going to completely ignore that. The OP could have had a valid thread here, but instead it comes off like a troll.

You don't like the iPad and that's fine, but have you ever considered that people buy this thing because it does what they need it to do? I'd consider that to be important reasons. I doubt many people just buy it on a whim like you say.

 

[macingman]

Have ANY of you bought an iPad for good reasons? lets be honest here. Or was it for very unimportant reasons mixed with how awesome it is? I don't think there are many people in my position that would have to save for a while for it. Most people that decide they want one just go out and get it pretty fast. Is the iPad a very thought out purchase for any of you?

I use my iPad for research when doing work, I assume that's what you would consider a good reason.

 

[NebulaClash]

I use my iPad for research when doing work, I assume that's what you would consider a good reason.

I see Lexis/Nexis is coming out with an iPad app. I guess that's heavy duty work tasks.

 

[FloatingBones]

dang I really shouldn't have used the word toy... I didn't mean to bring the iPad down and say it's only good for a toy. But it certainly works as one among other things

By the definition you provided, virtually any computer could be labeled as a "toy". In other words, not a very useful definition.

Now some of you have put up some good arguments for needing one with the college aspect. It seems like college would be the biggest reason to need one.

Which of the reasons provided wouldn't also apply to high school?

The point of this thread wasn't to troll.

If that really is the case, the time has come to re-examine the fundamental assumptions you made in your first posting in this thread.

just to get some opinions and different points of view.

Your claim that you cannot generate MS Word format documents on an iPad is not correct.

Nah i'm just kidding. I'm not afraid of other people's opinions

Please re-assess the assumptions you made in your first posting here.

 

[KingFrog]

dude, are you trolling? why the hell would the sales of iPads be in teh millions while at the same time influencing multibillion dollar companies to follow in pursuit? think about that.

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"Have ANY of you bought an iPad for good reasons? lets be honest here. Or was it for very unimportant reasons mixed with how awesome it is?"

This sounds so unbelievably arrogant, like you got everything figured out.

 

[palpatine]

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seems like you just phrased your original post poorly. glad to see that you recognize the potential a bit more clearly. maybe next time you are in the market for a gadget you'll see a use for your own work. good luck in school this year!

 

[angusslo]

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I would add smoothness of use. On other tablets, everything is glitchy and it annoys me!

 

[porcupine8]

You try using a laptop while nursing a newborn baby, then get back to me on how the iPad is a non-functional toy.

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This sounds so unbelievably arrogant, like you got everything figured out.

Well, the OP is a high school student, that's their job. I mean, honestly, when you're in high school you barely need a computer to be much more than a toy, so of course it won't occur to you that of the billions of adults out there with an enormous variety of types of jobs and hobbies and life experiences, some of them use their devices differently from you.

 

[3N16MA]

I bought the iPad 1 original, and I regret it now. As the iPad 3 is going to be released soon, and everyone will move on to the iPad 4

It's a nice device, but my iPhone can do more than the iPad

I bought the original iPhone and when Apple released the iPhone 3G I did not regret my purchase at all. When they released the iPhone 3GS I did not regret my purchase at all. When they released the iPhone 4 I finally decided to upgrade. Of course when they release the next gen iPhone I won't regret my iPhone 4 purchase. Apple is going to release new iOS hardware every year so either upgrade every year or don't buy any iOS device from Apple to avoid regrets.

 

[thesiren]

pretty sound advice right there. The iPad seems like it would be a lot more worth it when you have all the other apple products to complement it.

Wow this thread actually got somewhere

are you serious? Have you learned nothing?
there are plenty of people in the world who don't own any Apple products other than the iPad. It's a stand alone product, it doesn't require anything else to "complement" it.
How exactly does having a MacBook or iMac complement iPad user experience anyway?
that's like saying stay at home moms would better appreciate cooking on an Electrolux stove if they had an Electrolux fridge and washer and dryer set too.

Gtfo.

 

[Illumination]

"Good reason" is different for everyone. An iPad can function as a travel laptop for some - long battery, easy access to email, facebook, the like. Obviously it isn't a laptop replacement for everything, that reason only being it runs a mobile OS. If they made a tablet that can run a full-blown OS, like Dell, HP and a few others have already done, it would be pretty cool. An iPad is a big iPod Touch with optional 3G essentially. Most people don't think about all of the capabilities of an iPod Touch because it is so small and "toy" like, but you can do a good bit with that little thing. Back to my point, everyone has their own use of an iPad obviously. iPads are not cheap things, either. A little thought has to go into buying one, fanboy or not.

You don't need a MacBook to go with an iPad, especially in the coming weeks when iOS 5 comes out. If you use iCloud, you really won't need a computer anymore if all you need is an iPad.

 

[Harvey Specter]

The 17 dislikes aren't cool for such a neutral post....

Doesn't matter if it's neutral, if it's irrelevant, unresearched, and repetitive, it will get dislikes too.

 

[palpatine]

are you serious? Have you learned nothing?
there are plenty of people in the world who don't own any Apple products other than the iPad. It's a stand alone product, it doesn't require anything else to "complement" it.
How exactly does having a MacBook or iMac complement iPad user experience anyway?
that's like saying stay at home moms would better appreciate cooking on an Electrolux stove if they had an Electrolux fridge and washer and dryer set too.

Gtfo.

i agree that the ipad can stand alone and works wonderfully in a windows environment.

however, in my experience some of the best apps are ones that sync well with native osx ones. probably this has more to do with the maturity of the app store (started out with developers who probably already worked in osx). one great example of this is voodoopad.

i must admit i also don't see why the op is so obstinate about clinging to the view that the ipad is not worth it (whatever it means). of course, it may not be worth it, but i haven't seen a reason why.

 

[Ruthjones]

Hmmm, do you consider using the iPad as a communication device for the disabled to be a good reason?
That's why 2 of my kids have them, a fraction of the price of purpose built machines (some 11000 plus) with the same capability, plus non of the social stigma a communication device has. Lots lighter too.
Look outside your life at the rest of the world before you make sweeping judgements about it's usefulness.

Ruth
P.s. I made an account, finally, because I just had to reply!

 

[Agent-P]

Being in college, I cannot just throw money at various expensive items just because I want them. However, I did make the decision to purchase the iPad 2 this summer. I chose it because for one, I could get my textbooks as eBooks (thus saving me money, and saving me from breaking my back by carrying them across campus). Also, the battery life can't be beat. In addition to using it for my textbooks, I use it for light internet surfing and I easily get three days out of a full charge. Plus, with access to dropbox on my iPad, I can view the notes I've taken on my MBP on my iPad while I also check the textbook. Since the iPad is more portable than my MBP, I can stud pretty much anywhere because carrying that around is no hassle at all. For me, the investment in an iPad was totally worth it.

 

[FloatingBones]

Hmmm, do you consider using the iPad as a communication device for the disabled to be a good reason?
That's why 2 of my kids have them, a fraction of the price of purpose built machines (some 11000 plus) with the same capability, plus non of the social stigma a communication device has. Lots lighter too.
Look outside your life at the rest of the world before you make sweeping judgements about it's usefulness.

Brilliant observation, Ruth. Welcome to the discussion. It's not only far cheaper but has no stigma. There are a bunch of interesting niches appearing for the iPad, but those using it for accessibility really warm my heart.

Please share your story to help encourage others to use these wonderful devices. The podcast iPad Today had an episode (#58) about accessibility apps back in August (video version here; audio-only version here). If you have feedback for them after watching the show, they have a phone number where you can call to share your own experience. Just keep it short (20 secs or so) and speak from the heart. Thank you!

 

[sapporobaby]

I know the search function exists, and I know other people have said stuff like this but just stay with me here.

So obviously the iPad sells by the millions and its "revolutionary" and pretty dang sexy and honestly probably the best part about it is the tablet form factor. You can take this thing Everywhere. Well I have been in the market for a laptop or a tablet for a while now. At my high school the majority of the work we do is on the internet so I do need a device for myself. When I first started shopping for these the iPad was on my list. And as I researched the iPad started moving to the top of my list (apple does a great job on their website).

Now, being a high school student I don't exactly have buckets of cash to spend. I didn't have any money until after the iPad was on the top of my list followed closely by stuff like the galaxy tab. And as I started saving, the iPad started to seem like a bad choice. I realized I couldn't submit MS word documents through it and some parts of my school site wouldn't work. After about a month or so I completely removed it from my choices. THE COOL FACTOR WORE OFF!

So getting to my question. Have ANY of you bought an iPad for good reasons? lets be honest here. Or was it for very unimportant reasons mixed with how awesome it is? I don't think there are many people in my position that would have to save for a while for it. Most people that decide they want one just go out and get it pretty fast. Is the iPad a very thought out purchase for any of you?

Are these types of threads still clogging the boards? Dear God, if you don't want an iPad why do you fee the need to share this with the world? Just don't buy and consider yourself smarter than those who have one.

 

[bufffilm]

are these types of threads still clogging the boards? Dear god, if you don't want an ipad why do you fee the need to share this with the world? Just don't buy and consider yourself smarter than those who have one.

+1

almost equally annoying are the ones that ask why they should buy an ipad. if the ipad isn't going to be useful enough to you to justify the cost, then don't buy one.

 

[smoking monkey]

[ Awesome advice on keeping opinions to himself - wonder if that post would have come out of woodwork if he had just loved and bought the iPad and was stating an opinion about it!]

Actually it is awesome advice!

Some 17 year old high school student couldn't imagine the myriad of amazing uses for an ipad/tablet so I advised him to not offer his opinion because his ignorance is embarrassing.

 

[Invincibilizer]

I know the search function exists, and I know other people have said stuff like this but just stay with me here.

So obviously the iPad sells by the millions and its "revolutionary" and pretty dang sexy and honestly probably the best part about it is the tablet form factor. You can take this thing Everywhere. Well I have been in the market for a laptop or a tablet for a while now. At my high school the majority of the work we do is on the internet so I do need a device for myself. When I first started shopping for these the iPad was on my list. And as I researched the iPad started moving to the top of my list (apple does a great job on their website).

Now, being a high school student I don't exactly have buckets of cash to spend. I didn't have any money until after the iPad was on the top of my list followed closely by stuff like the galaxy tab. And as I started saving, the iPad started to seem like a bad choice. I realized I couldn't submit MS word documents through it and some parts of my school site wouldn't work. After about a month or so I completely removed it from my choices. THE COOL FACTOR WORE OFF!

So getting to my question. Have ANY of you bought an iPad for good reasons? lets be honest here. Or was it for very unimportant reasons mixed with how awesome it is? I don't think there are many people in my position that would have to save for a while for it. Most people that decide they want one just go out and get it pretty fast. Is the iPad a very thought out purchase for any of you?

This person speaks the truth.

It's a shame how one sided Macrumors is to have this person at -35.

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Wow - 17 down votes for a perfectly reasonable post! People absolutely hate contrarians here. Surprise!
[ Awesome advice on keeping opinions to himself - wonder if that post would have come out of woodwork if he had just loved and bought the iPad and was stating an opinion about it!]

Anyhoo - I did not buy one because of the website compatibility (part of that is due to lack of Flash), poor multitasking experience, horrible notification system (watched a co-worker struggle due to it while using the iPad in work environment), lack of usable Wi-Fi sync and poorer integration with Google services.

Quite happy with my Galaxy Tab 10.1.

I COMPLETELY respect buying it as a toy. I know lots of people that have it for that and it keeps them entertained for years. So as a toy its great. And of course it can do your email and calendar and some serious helpful thing like that. But I can't seem to find anyone that Needed one the same way you need a laptop for school or something like that.

The 17 dislikes aren't cool for such a neutral post....

One at a time

+1 to both post

Still -10 and -34

Yet these people show share their opinions,I have a feeling that one user is creating bot accs to dislike anything against the iPad.

 

[sapporobaby]

This person speaks the truth.

It's a shame how one sided Macrumors is to have this person at -35.

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One at a time

+1 to both post

Still -10 and -34

Yet these people show share their opinions,I have a feeling that one user is creating bot accs to dislike anything against the iPad.

I gave you the -1 so there goes your bot accs theory. The problem that most are having here with the OP is that 2 years later and this is still an issue. It's not like the iPad was released yesterday or a week ago. It has been out for a few years and for the most part it's function has not changed. Second, why the need to tell everyone what you are and are not going to do? Just do it, or don't do it. Who really cares? Do you think the OP's adolescent ramblings are going to change the mind of someone that has decided to purchase an iPad? His thoughts would have been better served to his friends on Facebook rather than a site with admittedly Apple enthusiasts.