I am interested in buying an iPad 2 and was wondering if I can get some SERIOUS input. No sarcastic replies please. I am a full time college student and currently own a 2010 MacBook Pro. I can see myself using the iPad in class or in between classes as its very light. My real question is, what do you people do on the iPad that differentiates it between a notebook and iPhone/iPod Touch. I will be getting the next gen iPhone whenever it comes out. Never owned an iOS device before. Played with them and love the feel to it. So can someone please enlighten me on what exactly you use your iPad for? Thanks
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Why the iPad?
- Thread starter MattMJB0188
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The iPad gives you a much nicer experience than any smartphone (iPhone or otherwise) because of the large screen, but it is still light and easier to carry than any laptop (MacBook Air 11" included). Instant on and built in 3G make it extremely convenient device. However, it is NOT a computer. Depending on your needs, that may not matter. I use the iPad for work. Calendar, connecting to work email, browsing the web, and PDF file management can be done on the iPad very well. But I always go back to my Thinkpad (or now my MacBook Air 13" 
) to work on that Powerpoint or to use FTP or do all manner of things that having access to a REAL file system allows you to do.
Some people can live with just the iPad as their portable computing device. Others need the laptop. Others make do with just the smartphone. It is a matter of both personal taste and what EXACTLY you need to do while you are walking about on whether an iPhone, iPad, MacBook, iMac, or combination thereof will work for YOU. Only your SPECIFIC application and need will determine whether there is a right or wrong answer.
The iPad is a fantastic device. I've owned one since launch day of the iPad 1 and currently have an iPad 2. But there are times when I just need to upload a file to a website, and the iPad's restrictions make me crazy. I can't do Quicken for Home and Business, I can't update my Escort Radar detector, etc. etc. Specific things I want to do that may be different from what YOU want to do.
Hope this helps!
) to work on that Powerpoint or to use FTP or do all manner of things that having access to a REAL file system allows you to do.Some people can live with just the iPad as their portable computing device. Others need the laptop. Others make do with just the smartphone. It is a matter of both personal taste and what EXACTLY you need to do while you are walking about on whether an iPhone, iPad, MacBook, iMac, or combination thereof will work for YOU. Only your SPECIFIC application and need will determine whether there is a right or wrong answer.
The iPad is a fantastic device. I've owned one since launch day of the iPad 1 and currently have an iPad 2. But there are times when I just need to upload a file to a website, and the iPad's restrictions make me crazy. I can't do Quicken for Home and Business, I can't update my Escort Radar detector, etc. etc. Specific things I want to do that may be different from what YOU want to do.
Hope this helps!
Second that. For example, some people can type quickly on the iPad, some can't. I can't. I use it a lot, but not because of the on screen keyboard. If you have a friend that has one, play with it long enough to figure out which category you fall into, or get used to the idea of carrying around a bluetooth keyboard also.
Completely pointless post.
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The iPad gives you a much nicer experience than any smartphone (iPhone or otherwise) because of the large screen, but it is still light and easier to carry than any laptop (MacBook Air 11" included). Instant on and built in 3G make it extremely convenient device. However, it is NOT a computer. Depending on your needs, that may not matter. I use the iPad for work. Calendar, connecting to work email, browsing the web, and PDF file management can be done on the iPad very well. But I always go back to my Thinkpad (or now my MacBook Air 13"
Some people can live with just the iPad as their portable computing device. Others need the laptop. Others make do with just the smartphone. It is a matter of both personal taste and what EXACTLY you need to do while you are walking about on whether an iPhone, iPad, MacBook, iMac, or combination thereof will work for YOU. Only your SPECIFIC application and need will determine whether there is a right or wrong answer.
The iPad is a fantastic device. I've owned one since launch day of the iPad 1 and currently have an iPad 2. But there are times when I just need to upload a file to a website, and the iPad's restrictions make me crazy. I can't do Quicken for Home and Business, I can't update my Escort Radar detector, etc. etc. Specific things I want to do that may be different from what YOU want to do.
Hope this helps!
Really appreciate your input!!!
plenty of people have posted in prior threads about what they found the ipad useful for [and what it was not so good for], including responses from college students and some of whom also owned laptops.
so no, my post was not pointless. you just don't want to put in the time to do the work, eg. actually search thru threads and read...that would be too much effort.
tell me, do you have someone cut your food too?
You know what? Some of your people on here are the most arrogant people. Someone asks a simple question and you all respond by telling them to search or MROOGLE. Maybe I did search and didn't find a relevant enough thread so I decided to post my own. Isn't that the point of an online community? Well apparently not anymore, but being a sarcastic ass**** is.
one of the points of an online community is that contains a vast amount of feedback posted by lots of people over a long period of time. your question is hardly unique, the information is already there if you'd only bother to look.
but ok, i'll play your game and answer your questions.
>>So can someone please enlighten me on what exactly you use your iPad for?
i use my ipad to read books & pdfs, watch movies, browse the internet, and on occasion, vpn to work.
>>what do you people do on the iPad that differentiates it between a notebook and iPhone/iPod Touch.
everything that i do on my ipad i have also done [and continue to do] using my laptop. so i can't say that there is much differentiation between the two.
there...did you find that helpful?
Don't let him get to you. Just ignore his post. Lead by example. Is what he should have done when he read yours and felt the need to respond.
Sticks and stones may hurt my bones, but pointless MacRumors posts will never hurt me!
Don't let him get to you. Just ignore his post. Lead by example. Is what he should have done when he read yours and felt the need to respond.
Sticks and stones may hurt my bones, but pointless MacRumors posts will never hurt me!
He's not. Not only him but I have read several other threads in the iPhone sections and MacBook Pro section and there a lot of really sarcastic/arrogant people on this site. Shouldn't be that way at all. TipB has a much nicer community. Another huge theme on this site is how everyone tells a new poster to use MROOGLE. Seems as if many are easily agitated on this site. I let people get to me that easily on the internet well then I couldn't imagine what life would be like when I interacted with someone on a daily basis. Oh well.
I own an iPad 2, iPhone 4, and a Macbook Pro. It's true that there's a lot of duplication of functions and features, but the form factors of each device suit very different uses. Each device has a very particular set of strengths and weaknesses, and although there might be some redundancy between the devices, they really do compliment each other well.
I work full-time and attend MBA classes in the evening. The synergy between these three devices really help me get through the day.
Anyway, here's my take on each device
iPhone
The iPhone is primarily a mobile communication device. It's small enough to keep in my pocket and can reasonably be kept on hand 24/7. It's an absolute essential device for personal, work, and school phone calls, e-mails, and messages. It's also my primary calendar device and scheduling assistant.
The iPhone is also the only device that makes sense as a mobile music player. While I often hook my macbook pro up to the home theater at home, when I want to play music while working out or in the car, the iPhone does the job.
The iPhone has a great deal of application support and a good browser, however, the small screen is less than ideal for any serious reading or web browsing. It would not be practical to read a textbook or do any heavy web browsing on the iPhone. That being said, in those situations where I do not have my iPad and/or Macbook on hand, being able to access the web, a document, or an App that I need on the fly is an absolute god-send. Beyond that, my jailbroken iPhone serves as a mobile hot-spot for my iPad and Macbook!
iPad
The iPad is honestly my main go-to device these days. It isn't as portable as my iPhone, but its portable enough that I can keep it nearby pretty often. I usually keep it locked in my glove compartment when I'm out and about. While I wouldn't type a paper, work on an spreadsheet, or anything like that on the iPad, all of my textbooks, notes, school and work documents, articles etc etc are stored on it, and because of that, I can read/study just about anywhere. I took my car in for service earlier today, popped in some headphones and got some reading done while I waited.
The battery life is good enough that you could spend several hours on it at multiple times in the day and have 50% battery by the end of the day (my MBP would be dead in about 4 hours).
The biggest draw of the iPad, IMO, is the form factor. You can comfortably read and browse on it just about anywhere, and the screen is big enough that you can do some heavy reading/browsing, which is rather impractical on the iPhone. Reading for extended periods of time on both an iPhone and Laptop is very awkward and uncomfortable.
Web browsing and viewing documents and books feels like a novelty on the iPhone. On the iPad, web pages and documents are displayed as intended.
Oh and virtualizing my Macbook, work computer, and home PC from my iPad is pretty useful to, and has been a great help to me a few times.
Macbook Pro
This is my mobile workstation. Its portable, but very cumbersome to bring around and use. But its absolutely necessary for heavy word/excel work, photo editing, and hardcore gaming. The iPhone and iPad are very capable devices and can perform a lot of the same functions as the Macbook, but there are times when a large screen, trackpad/mouse, a full keyboard, and a desktop OS are absolutely necessary. I would not dare touch a document from work on the iPad and risk screwing up the formatting.
There are a lot of compromises involved in bringing desktop functions to a mobile device, and there are times when the iPhone and iPad just don't cut it. My macbook pro also serves as a home theater PC from time to time, a task that neither the iPad or iPhone could hope to take on.
The macbook pro is also the 'home base' of my iPad and iPhone. Most of the documents loaded to my iPad and iPhone are first downloaded to and (if need be) processed on my Macbook.
That being said, the size and form factor of my macbook does not make it a practical replacement for textbooks and documents. Additionally, in times when I need a textbook or document to work on something on my macbook, its MUCH easier to access that document outside of my Macbook. I need all the real estate on my macbook to work on, and switching back and forth between a textbook, document, or webpage and the word document or excel sheet I'm working on really slows things down. When I'm into any serious work, its very helpful to be able to access documents on a separate screen via my iPad. The alternative to doing so would be printed copies of documents.
I work full-time and attend MBA classes in the evening. The synergy between these three devices really help me get through the day.
Anyway, here's my take on each device
iPhone
The iPhone is primarily a mobile communication device. It's small enough to keep in my pocket and can reasonably be kept on hand 24/7. It's an absolute essential device for personal, work, and school phone calls, e-mails, and messages. It's also my primary calendar device and scheduling assistant.
The iPhone is also the only device that makes sense as a mobile music player. While I often hook my macbook pro up to the home theater at home, when I want to play music while working out or in the car, the iPhone does the job.
The iPhone has a great deal of application support and a good browser, however, the small screen is less than ideal for any serious reading or web browsing. It would not be practical to read a textbook or do any heavy web browsing on the iPhone. That being said, in those situations where I do not have my iPad and/or Macbook on hand, being able to access the web, a document, or an App that I need on the fly is an absolute god-send. Beyond that, my jailbroken iPhone serves as a mobile hot-spot for my iPad and Macbook!
iPad
The iPad is honestly my main go-to device these days. It isn't as portable as my iPhone, but its portable enough that I can keep it nearby pretty often. I usually keep it locked in my glove compartment when I'm out and about. While I wouldn't type a paper, work on an spreadsheet, or anything like that on the iPad, all of my textbooks, notes, school and work documents, articles etc etc are stored on it, and because of that, I can read/study just about anywhere. I took my car in for service earlier today, popped in some headphones and got some reading done while I waited.
The battery life is good enough that you could spend several hours on it at multiple times in the day and have 50% battery by the end of the day (my MBP would be dead in about 4 hours).
The biggest draw of the iPad, IMO, is the form factor. You can comfortably read and browse on it just about anywhere, and the screen is big enough that you can do some heavy reading/browsing, which is rather impractical on the iPhone. Reading for extended periods of time on both an iPhone and Laptop is very awkward and uncomfortable.
Web browsing and viewing documents and books feels like a novelty on the iPhone. On the iPad, web pages and documents are displayed as intended.
Oh and virtualizing my Macbook, work computer, and home PC from my iPad is pretty useful to, and has been a great help to me a few times.
Macbook Pro
This is my mobile workstation. Its portable, but very cumbersome to bring around and use. But its absolutely necessary for heavy word/excel work, photo editing, and hardcore gaming. The iPhone and iPad are very capable devices and can perform a lot of the same functions as the Macbook, but there are times when a large screen, trackpad/mouse, a full keyboard, and a desktop OS are absolutely necessary. I would not dare touch a document from work on the iPad and risk screwing up the formatting.
There are a lot of compromises involved in bringing desktop functions to a mobile device, and there are times when the iPhone and iPad just don't cut it. My macbook pro also serves as a home theater PC from time to time, a task that neither the iPad or iPhone could hope to take on.
The macbook pro is also the 'home base' of my iPad and iPhone. Most of the documents loaded to my iPad and iPhone are first downloaded to and (if need be) processed on my Macbook.
That being said, the size and form factor of my macbook does not make it a practical replacement for textbooks and documents. Additionally, in times when I need a textbook or document to work on something on my macbook, its MUCH easier to access that document outside of my Macbook. I need all the real estate on my macbook to work on, and switching back and forth between a textbook, document, or webpage and the word document or excel sheet I'm working on really slows things down. When I'm into any serious work, its very helpful to be able to access documents on a separate screen via my iPad. The alternative to doing so would be printed copies of documents.
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Wow. Great summary. Thanks for taking the time to post this. I hope other people find it useful, as I find it well thought out and written.
The ipad is a very nice "general" device to have considering it can do so many things. I'm not sure what you plan to use it for, but it can be used as a book, for typing notes, browsing the web. The main thing I like about the iPad are the Apps since on the iPad, they are just beautiful and intuitive. For example, the CNN App. (there are more, just can't remember off the top of my head).
Well, I was going to donate 10 minutes of my time to helping you out, but what if I type the same things that you didn't find relevant in those other threads? I'd be wasting my time.
It sure would be nice of you to tell us what you found already and explain why it wasn't useful and ask us exactly what it is you still need to know. That way I don't waste my time typing things for you to come back and say "seen it already...not relevant!"
Seems funny to me that you're calling that other guy rude when you're the one coming in here and asking people to waste their time.
There's nothing wrong with starting a new thread that's specifically about you, but if you really did search and found and rejected info, you need to tell us that up front. Otherwise we're just gonna tell you the same stuff all over again.
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