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

People always ask "Why do you even need an iPad?" So, what is the purpose of an iPad?

My husband tells everyone "she has that iPad close to her at all times", lol. And it's true. I do just about everything on mine, very few things I need a desktop or laptop for these days. Whatever I need or want to do, I just figure out how I can do that on my iPad, sure I may have to learn or adapt to a different way of doing something but I am one of those people who really does enjoy learning new things, the iPad makes it fun and portable. And usually after I've figured out a way to do something...it's easier and quicker than my desktop or laptop.

Now with the iPad Pro....I'm loving it, and looking forward to new software development that optimizes its power and beautiful screen size.

What do I do with an IPad....anything I want to
 
  • Like
Reactions: Osty, artfossil, Jasmynp and 1 other person
iPad Mini is what finally made the iPad viable for me. Mainly for books and web browsing. It's perfect for books. iOS and overall integration with other Apple products is an added bonus.
 
My original Air 2 was used mainly for games and note taking. The Pro I now my only source of computing, apart from my iPhone :) and no, I don't have a backup desktop to fall back on :p
 
I use my iPad for everything. I use it for browsing, media, gaming and to do some light work tasks too. I study design so I often use Adobe sketch app to do some quick sketches. Then I just send them to Creative Cloud and finish my work in Photoshop on my Mac.

Basically, I don't need my Mac for anything else but finishing my projects. I use iPad for everything else because it's more convinient and enjoyable to use.
 
I use mine mostly for reading and watching movies, but I also just got a new folding Bluetooth keyboard for it, and now that Medium finally supports landscape mode, I've even been writing on it. Even though it is the mini 3 and not the Pro, I still do a lot of things on it that used to only be done on my laptop. I have owned several iPads since getting the iPad 2 in 2011, and in all that time I spent one month without one--late last year when I stupidly thought I didn't need an iPad anymore. After a month I was on eBay looking for another one. I had always wanted to try a mini, and so far I am loving it.

That being said, I still love my rMBP to death. Best laptop I have ever owned, hands down. I sometimes use it for my day job when I want to be a bit more mobile, and it's great for all the heavier lifting that iOS just can't handle yet.
 
I don't NEED an iPad, but I want one. I've had an iPad Mini, an iPad Air, and now an iPad Pro. I haven't had all three at the same time, though.

I was very skeptical of the iPad during its first year of existence, then I got one as an open-box floor model. It is great for media consumption. For those of us who deal with PDFs and magazines in 8.5 x 11 format, the iPad Pro is a wonderful thing. I also have much admiration for the Air. In addition, I have found myself using the Pro increasing for tasks like modifying resumes and other light writing. I don't use a physical keyboard, so that makes the iPad much thinner and lighter than my laptop. Basically, my laptop now stays plugged into my external monitor and I use it more like a traditional desktop computer now, thanks to the iPad.
[doublepost=1452828345][/doublepost]
Tom G. said:
If you can't figure out what to do with one then you don't need one. ;)

But for me, reading (iBooks), writing (Pages), 'rithmetic (calculator apps), photo, and video editing, weather watching, shopping, and much more.
Click to expand...
If you have to figure out what to do with an iPad, then you don't need one or really want one. Don't spend money you don't really want to spend; use it for something else.
 
Yea, "need" is a funny word.

I wanted an iPad since I got my first iPhone. Unfortunately I had to wait three years.

I was on call, and needed my phone to be charged all the time - just in case. I bought an iPod Touch so I could read ebooks without discharging the iPhone. It was great: silent, self-lit, handheld. It was also too small.

When the iPad was announced I knew I wanted one, but I waited till the first reviews came out on the day they were available just to make sure it was a decent device. That night I went to the Apple store and bought one (the store was empty - it seemed that no-one knew what an iPad was yet).

I have never been without one since. I switched to iPad minis because my primary use is reading books, but my original iPad is right here on my desk on a TwelveSouth Compass stand, running the Breaking News app.

A.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jasmynp
I get asked this every day. and I love explaining what i use my Ipad for, and now even more so with my ipad pro as it's nicer with the largest screen.

I work for a tech company, and I work exclusively on my macbook pro, connected to two 27 inch monitors, it's nice. However, i often have to leave. I pick up the pro, and head out. Once i get to where i'm going, i connect to the VPN, and open slack, then side window open safari, and log into the software we use ( web ). From here, i communicate with my team, and check e-mails, and work in the app we use ( online ). From here i'll use cmd + tab and toggle back to just my email. I'll write a few emails using the keyboard, then i'll cmd back over to slack / safari. I'll see something i wanted to take notes on, so i'll cmd + tab, open notes, then re side view slack. Then i'll take the notes i wanted. By then it's likely meeting time, so i'll open up skype, and have my meeting, also while on slack, monitoring in the mini side window. I'll do this for a few hours, and alternate between being at my desk, and on the go. Eventually i'll wind down, cmd +h , and open amazon, and buy some stuff.

My pro is one of the most useful tools for me, and i literally wouldn't be able to go mobile as much as i do without it. the air 2 did me well, but with this new screen, life just got much better for me.
 
I am a teacher. I have pdf copies of my students' textbooks and connect my iPad to the projector and solve problems and give notes. I also take notes during meetings or sermons. I use my iPad to read sheet music while I play piano and look at chords while playing the guitar. I also read books.
 
Alrescha said:
Yea, "need" is a funny word.

I wanted an iPad since I got my first iPhone. Unfortunately I had to wait three years.

I was on call, and needed my phone to be charged all the time - just in case. I bought an iPod Touch so I could read ebooks without discharging the iPhone. It was great: silent, self-lit, handheld. It was also too small.

When the iPad was announced I knew I wanted one, but I waited till the first reviews came out on the day they were available just to make sure it was a decent device. That night I went to the Apple store and bought one (the store was empty - it seemed that no-one knew what an iPad was yet).

I have never been without one since. I switched to iPad minis because my primary use is reading books, but my original iPad is right here on my desk on a TwelveSouth Compass stand, running the Breaking News app.

A.
Click to expand...
Same. I had the iPad 2, iPad 3, and first iPad Air. When I bought my wife the original mini, I was super jealous of that smaller, more compact form factor, so my current iPad is a mini 3. I have not regretted it so far. I don't really do anything with an iPad that requires a huge screen. I prefer the portability over everything else.
 
I think the definition of what an iPad is needed for and used for has changed drastically over the years and I think it's going to continue to do the same for years to come. When the iPad started out, it really was barely anything more than a huge iPod touch. Nowadays, the iPad has gained the momentum of being a major player in the computer industry and I don't think that growth is going to stop. In the recent months, we've seen the release of the iPad Pro and I think Apple is trying to establish a concept with it. I think that Apple wants to know how many people out there are interested in using their iPad as their main computer, how many people want to do their work on their iPad, and if people are truly receptive to the idea of tablets replacing laptops.

Think about it; Apple has now established the same product line for the iPad and they have for the MacBook. You have your Pro line, Air line, and an additional mini line. Granted, even with the iPP and all that it boasts in terms of power and whatnot, we're still not there yet...but I don't think that "there" is too far off in the future. For the most part, you can already do all of your basic computing needs on an iPad. Both Apple and Microsoft have released their own office suites, Apple has created versions of a lot of their other popular software to be used on an iPad, and countless others have stepped up to bring apps to the table that allow us to do what we never thought would be possible on a tablet. I, personally, use my iPad about just as much as I do my MacBook Pro for things involving school and even for my creative endeavors. Am I ready to give up my MacBook Pro yet? Absolutely not. There are still many things that I can't do (or at least, can't do as well as I'd like) using iOS vs. OS X, but I suspect that will change in the next couple of years. I think the biggest thing that Apple needs to do in order to establish the iPad as another viable option as a computer versus a standard laptop is to build iOS into a better operating system.

I'm not saying that it's bad, but there are things like a filesystem, the simple ability to download things from the internet and have them saved to the desktop, and others that iOS needs in order to be the kind of operating system that people who use computers for more than email and web browsing would feel at home using without the slight nagging feeling of limitation.

I don't think we'll see the Mac pass on for years and years to come, but I do believe there is an argument there that Apple is trying to establish something with the iPad and personally, while I love my Mac and have loved them for years; it excites me to think about the future of the iPad.
 
Only people who don't own a tablet device say this goofy spiel.

Once you realize you can browse the internets and apps in bed, on your couch, etc by pressing a button for instant on that's more comfortable to hold than a phone in your hand you feel like a complete jabroni.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BallparkDreamer
Expanding on what I wrote earlier, I was originally motivated to get an iPad mini, because I had a number of books in PDF format I wanted to read. Of course I could read them on a laptop, but this felt like an awkward way to read a book. I tried printing out copies of the book, punching the pages and putting them in three ring binders. That was a pain, and awkward even after I'd done it. A phone was just too small for PDFS that couldn't be easily reformatted for a smaller screen. I bought an e-ink kindle reader, but it didn't handle PDFs at all well, especially ones with lots of technical notations and diagrams. Then I saw the iPad mini and fell in love with the form factor. Now I carry my reading in material in my suit jacket pocket.

The iPad mini has a number of other uses which, while perhaps not enough to justify the purchase to me by themselves, are awfully handy. The larger screen makes it more convenient as a portable GPS, web reader, e-mal client, and note taker than a phone would be.
 
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