Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iPad - as short term Mac replacement

G

Grolsch30

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 25, 2007
90
0
Bergen, Germany
Hi,

Being underwelmd by the Mackbook pro refresh and wanting to stear clear of buying a PC, I was looking at what options are available until the latter part of this year when hopefully a better refresh of MBP's can give me what I am looking for.


Anyway that aside,

Having looked at the UK ipad site it states that it has iwork applications such as pages & numbers.

Can anyone tell me if i can hook up my printer to the ipad and print documents and also scan from my printer into the ipad.

I am looking at the ipad firstly for a short term fix until I buy a MBP and would probably buy the wireless keyboard and docking station to like i say tied me over.

I don't know if the device has usb connections or would the ipad device be able to connect to a wireless printer via bluetooth?


Cheers now :)
 
Hi!

Sure it can print:

129158144980139872.jpg


Regarding scanning, no fix for now!

The iPad isn't supposed to replace a computer. It's a very portable device that does what the phone can't do, and does SOME things computers can do.
 
Fonzmeister said:
Hi!

Sure it can print:

129158144980139872.jpg


Regarding scanning, no fix for now!

The iPad isn't supposed to replace a computer. It's a very portable device that does what the phone can't do, and does SOME things computers can do.
Click to expand...


Thanks,

I am not looking to use it has a direct replacement but just to tied me over until I find and purchase a new laptop.

If the ipad can print and recive scanned documents from a scanner then that would be sufficient.
 
There has been no mention of printing and scanning for the iPad. I wish we could print too :-(.
 
The ipad is not an indpendant device. You need a computer with iTunes to activate, update, maintain or backup an ipad.

The iWork apps are a joke with such limited functionality they are unusable unless you use nothing but the most rudamentry features office type apps had 20 years ago

I love my ipad but it can't replace a computer
 
I would definitely buy a Macbook as an interim to your powerful laptop. Or get an iMac. That's just my 2 cents.
 
For $10 you can buy an app that lets you print (it's rumored to be wonderful). I am using the iPad and a netbook myself. Have not touched the netbook since buying the iPad. I do have a couple other macs so I'm not worried about what the iPad can't do for now.
 
jessica. said:
For $10 you can buy an app that lets you print (it's rumored to be wonderful). I am using the iPad and a netbook myself. Have not touched the netbook since buying the iPad. I do have a couple other macs so I'm not worried about what the iPad can't do for now.
Click to expand...

Which app?
 
Bottom line: the iPad is a companion to a fully credentialed computer, not a substitute.

I have no prob. taking the iPad w/ me instead of the laptop for a quick trip, but if I could only own one device then the MBP wins out.

You may be underwhelmed by the latest MBP update, but it is a solid computer. This year low end is faster than last years high end. That is pretty remarkable. If I were in your position (and actually I was a couple weeks ago) I'd buy the MBP now with the idea I'd sell it immediately when the next model arrives. If you are a regular MR reader, or any Mac info site, you'll have a good idea when the next models are due.
 
Using an iPad as a mac replacement is the equivalent of slapping a spare tire on your car and getting on the interstate expecting to coast at 80mph for a few hundred miles. Not the best idea.
 
If you do a lot of scanning then the iPad won't likely hold you over until you're ready to purchase a laptop.

I scan 1 - 3 pages/quarter max, and will use my iMac to do so while using the iPad for everything else.
 
The MBP line received a pretty significant upgrade. The next one or two refreshes will likely be little more then minor speed bumps. I wouldn't expect much to change any time soon.
 
Grolsch30 said:
Hi,

Being underwelmd by the Mackbook pro refresh and wanting to stear clear of buying a PC, I was looking at what options are available until the latter part of this year when hopefully a better refresh of MBP's can give me what I am looking for.
Click to expand...

I think your first mistake is wanting to avoid buying a new MBP when it was just refreshed. They are very capable devices, and the recent refresh is quite nice.

/Jim
 
I have a Macbook, a htpc Mac Mini, an Acer Aspire One, a Blackberry phone and an iPad. I'm planning to sell the AAO. I do not plan to get rid of either the Macbook or the Mac Mini hooked up to the TV.

The iPad just isn't there yet. I want it to be my only computer and there are some third party apps that make come awfully close, but short of jailbreaking I just can't get it there. That's ok. I don't mind having to have a Macbook for "real work" because the iPad still saves me a half dozen trips to the basement office every day. The iPad is appropriate for "couch surfing" and I'd rather grab email on my iPad than on my iPod Touch or my Blackberry. I'm a Verizon customer so an iPhone isn't an option for another billion years or so. So I carry my BB 8830 and my iPod Touch everywhere. My iPad has actually changed the way I use my iPod Touch. I now treat my iPod Touch as a backup for my iPad. When I would go to a meeting, I once had to lug the Acer Aspire One and paper notes as backup. Now I carry my iPad and my iPod Touch as backup.

I have posted an iPad review where I discuss some of the pros and cons of the iPad as a computer in more detail. In short, if you need a computer, get a Macbook or a Macbook Air. If you need a "road machine" and don't mind some limitations in exchange for light weight coupled with decent screen size, by all means get an iPad. Getting an iPad as an "only" machine is heavily dependent on what you use it for. For instance, I would have had no way to run Turbo Tax a few weeks back if my only computer had been an iPad and no my tax situation is complex enough I can't do my taxes in a web browser.

Hope this helps...
 
As an owner of an iMac, a MacBook, and now awaiting an iPad+3G since selling off my 3GS, I'm contemplating selling off the MacBook due to its comparative size and weight to the iPad.

I fully understand the limitations of the iPad in its current and predicted 4.0 OS state, but even with my MacBook, I find myself using a 3G connection to remote back to my iMac where most of my work is done. If I can do the same on the iPad with much less baggage, then I think I've found my solution.

The speed cannot be compared, even on my MacBook's 2GHz Core 2 Duo, because there is little overhead on a mobile OS and smaller applications on flash memory. Just getting my MacBook out of hiberation or sleep and waiting to reconnect to its 3G USB modem is no match for an iPad with integrated 3G. Don't forget the abundance of small, relatively inexpensive, "buy-once-for-all-devices" games on the iPad versus the more expensive, copy-protection-laden, single-license games for the Mac.

The only thing missing is a front-facing camera for iChat and Skype to talk to my wife and kids when I'm away, but I reckon we're not going to see that even in the second generation iPad due to Apple's "no camera on the iPod touch" mantra.
 
In general.

The ipad is the best portable movie / picture / magazine - book reader out on the market.

For everything else it's there are better options unless weight is the #1 criteria.

If that's what you use your laptop for then it's obvious that the choice of an ipad is the best for u. If you do other things much more then a laptop is better for your needs.
 
Some observations others may have already stumbled upon:

1. Doesn't print natively from Safari or iWork applications. Hopefully it's resolved in the iPhone OS 4.0 update.

2. Can't tether with a Bluetooth mouse (yet?). Some of you may be wondering why even bother, but if you're looking to replace a notebook, a mouse would be key, since you won't want to be tapping and sliding your finger around the screen of a docked iPad while using the keyboard. It's the same reason we don't have touchscreen iMacs, your arm will get tired of 5 minutes of keeping your arm up to pinch and slide around.

3. No "Back to My Mac" (yet?). Sure, LogMeIn and VNC clients are nice, but the iPad should have their own native remote desktop feature, including streaming audio. As far as I know, only streaming sound in remote desktop clients are available on the RDP protocol, meaning remoting to Windows boxes.

4. No universal/centralized file system (yet?). This sandboxed environment is great on the surface, but we're screaming for more already.

If none of the four bother you, then I recommend you grab an iPad and an Apple Bluetooth keyboard instead of a MacBook.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back