I love the shape, the weight and the screen. But so far I have kept my money in the bank and the iPad in the Apple store. Is it the lazy person's laptop, lighter on the knee when sitting on the sofa surfing? Or is it the vital piece of kit that the business person cannot live without? It's not as flexible as a laptop, no print facility for one, neither can you have a conversation on it like an Iphone or even Skype etc on desk/laptops. I read books made the old fashioned way and don't fancy curling up with a piece of glass, plastic and aluminium. What do you use yours for and am I the lone agnostic in the Church of Apple? 80 million plus owners must be using it to some advantage and not just jumped onto the bandwagon.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Still can't work out what it's for....
- Thread starter p1kef1sh
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
it's not a laptop although it has caused me to leave my MacBook pro in the basement for days without needing it.
prints on every printer I have tried it on as long as that printer is a network printer or a wireless printer.
I make Skype calls on mine all the time.
you are not alone but you could certainly be missing out.
I only bought one cause i 100% expected to sell it shortly after purchase but i had to know what it was all about before i could diss it for all i thought it was missing so i bought one. within 2 hours (and the jailbreak being released already) i knew there was no way i was selling it. almost everyday i find something new it fulfills for my daily non-work related needs.
could it have more like a camera, usb port, more memory you bet but for round 1 I'm happy.
prints on every printer I have tried it on as long as that printer is a network printer or a wireless printer.
I make Skype calls on mine all the time.
you are not alone but you could certainly be missing out.
I only bought one cause i 100% expected to sell it shortly after purchase but i had to know what it was all about before i could diss it for all i thought it was missing so i bought one. within 2 hours (and the jailbreak being released already) i knew there was no way i was selling it. almost everyday i find something new it fulfills for my daily non-work related needs.
could it have more like a camera, usb port, more memory you bet but for round 1 I'm happy.
I agree it is not a laptop, but I use my Macbook just for a few things now.
What app do you use for printing? Does it support excel?
I use mine mostly for content consumption, e-mail, and general web surfing.
I'd never use a notebook on the couch, or in bed. Even the netbook is permanently parked on the kitchen counter and plugged in.
But the iPad is small enough that it moves around a lot, though it seems to have found a nice spot on the bedside table.
I'd never use a notebook on the couch, or in bed. Even the netbook is permanently parked on the kitchen counter and plugged in.
But the iPad is small enough that it moves around a lot, though it seems to have found a nice spot on the bedside table.
For light computing, iPad is all I need. It is super convenient to use by the TV, in the bed, while traveling, etc. I have been really enjoying mine and I look very much forward for its capabilities to continue to evolve - both from the h/w and s/w side. No regrets whatsoever.
Works great as a couch PC for me. It won't replace the PC, but at the same time, since I put most of my audio gear in the living room this time instead of the PC room, I'm finding that I'm using it a lot more than I anticipated.
Basically you have to ask yourself what your own needs are. If your needs are already met 95% of the time with what you already have, you probably don't need it. If you think that you can make life more enjoyable for yourself 30% of that time by using the ipad instead of what you already have (i.e. couch ipad vs netbook), consider jumping in.
Basically you have to ask yourself what your own needs are. If your needs are already met 95% of the time with what you already have, you probably don't need it. If you think that you can make life more enjoyable for yourself 30% of that time by using the ipad instead of what you already have (i.e. couch ipad vs netbook), consider jumping in.
I use it for about 60% of my computing needs, Reading mags and books, internet, photography, games for the kids when we're travelling, movies/music on the plane for me etc. I couldn't wait to get rid of my laptop, the person who named it a laptop obviously never actually tried to use it in their lap.
Welcome to MacRumors.
I'm not a lazy computer user, if anything the iPad has made me more mobile. I don't miss lugging around my 17" MacBook Pro.
Sorry I'm not a business type person so I can't comment on that.
Yes, not as flexible as a laptop but you can print to a network connected printer.
It's not an iPhone but you can use Skype on it.
I read books the newfangled way and don't fancy curling up with a stack of paper.
+1
For me, it is not a notebook replacement. I still need to do torrents and conversions on my MBP, but for general consumption - it is my go-to machine. I take it around with me instead. Lighter and more portable, and since I don't use it for business or presentations, it is my best choice.
It is simply a luxury item that no one really needs cuz the computer you sync it with does everything the iPad does anyway.
If you only buy stuff you need then it's not for you. That's all.
For me, it's more convenient and slick than my clunky laptop.
I'm spoiled, and I don't care.
If you only buy stuff you need then it's not for you. That's all.
For me, it's more convenient and slick than my clunky laptop.
I'm spoiled, and I don't care.
How do you use Skype with no camera? Does it have a mic? Or do you just use the chat facility?
It is simply a luxury item that no one really needs cuz the computer you sync it with does everything the iPad does anyway.
If you only buy stuff you need then it's not for you. That's all.
For me, it's more convenient and slick than my clunky laptop.
I'm spoiled, and I don't care.
I have no problem with being spoiled. I like spoiled! LOL. If the iPad could operate separately without needing to be synchronised then I would more easily see the point in owning one. I shall look out to see how they develop it.
I am far more mobile with my iPad than I ever was before wih any laptop I ever owned.
I haven't really needed to print from my iPad yet, ,but i t would be a nice feature.
I use it for business note taking and have demo'd some presentations on the device (not via a VGA projector).
I don't need phone or Skype since that is not how I see the device for me. I use it for e-mail, web browsing, and reading mostly. It is far more convenient than lugging a laptop, ,3G modem, and a bunch of books and/or magazines around. Now, I have everything I need when I leave the house in a nice portable device.
I'm sure this thing will evolve over time, but for a 1G product, I think they did a great job.
If you choose to buy one, enjoy. If not, I'm sure over time and as other devices are released you will get one some day. No worries.
I haven't really needed to print from my iPad yet, ,but i t would be a nice feature.
I use it for business note taking and have demo'd some presentations on the device (not via a VGA projector).
I don't need phone or Skype since that is not how I see the device for me. I use it for e-mail, web browsing, and reading mostly. It is far more convenient than lugging a laptop, ,3G modem, and a bunch of books and/or magazines around. Now, I have everything I need when I leave the house in a nice portable device.
I'm sure this thing will evolve over time, but for a 1G product, I think they did a great job.
If you choose to buy one, enjoy. If not, I'm sure over time and as other devices are released you will get one some day. No worries.
For me,iPad isn't a device that replaces my PC,but from the time I bought my iPad my usage with my PC is lower,because I enjoy surfing the web,watching videos,reading PDF and books when I am sitting on my chair more than doing them with a PC , I found iPad as a great device for light computing use and it hasn't let me down in that aspect.
riam said:
there are plenty of apps for printing but i personally use Print Central and HD Air Sharing.
not sure about excel prints but it probably can be found listed in the features of the printing apps.
p1kef1sh,
I bought mine with no intention of using it at work. I bought it to see how cooool it was (it is) and because I wanted to see where (possibly) the future of portable computing is headed.
For personal use it has (almost) eliminated my use of a laptop. I carry it everywhere. It is mostly a media consumption and portable entertainment device. I know that sounds limited but like another poster said, every day I find something new that it can do. I carry all my songs. I can store several movies and tv shows. Access the web (flash? overated) and generally do anything a netbook can do (but better).
I was pleasantly surprised about how easily it became a 'business device'. I use Bento for graphical parts catalog. I use pages, numbers, and keynote for all kinds of things...keynote lectures, material and data sheets, letters, and all the other uses a 'business' laptop would be used for. It's as useful at work as it is on my couch.
About the ONLY thing I routinely do that I can't use it for (yet) is manipulation of RAW image files. My hobby is photography and I take a LOT of picutres (matter of fact there is 6700 on my iPad...and those are recent). The iPad would be great with a regular P&S but I use a 5D and the files are quite large...and editing them takes some horsepower. That's the only thing I found I can't do on the iPad.
Worth the coin...
To me, the iPad is a companion internet machine that doesn't require me to go to the computer to get mail or check up on friends on forums.
It's also an excellent book reader that I take just about everywhere. I also read a couple newspapers on it.
Lastly, I enjoy the simple games and other interactive programs.
It's like a big Touch or iPhone. I love it.
It's also an excellent book reader that I take just about everywhere. I also read a couple newspapers on it.
Lastly, I enjoy the simple games and other interactive programs.
It's like a big Touch or iPhone. I love it.
I bought mine due to pure gadget lust. Within hours though i realised it was much more. This is the future of computing for 90% of people.
Its really hard to explain why, you just need to spend a bit of time using one. Apple should hire them out to potential buyers (well, if they ever get to the point where they're not selling every one they make).
The day i got it i was going away camping with my bike club. I lent it to a couple of guys for a few hours (close friends i could trust!), while i went for a ride.
As soon as i got back i had to fight to get it back off them. They both announced their intention to buy one.
Its just such a *NICE* experience. Sure, there are a few limitations. Flash i dont miss at all. Having to hook up to iTunes is a bit of a pain. Printing i dont miss either, i'm a photographer, i have a large format printer hooked up to a desktop Photoshop machine. Nothing the size of an iPad can ever replace that, and i dont expect it to.
My laptop hasnt been used once since i got the iPad though. It will eventually, as that's where my iTunes lives. Other than synching iDevices it no longer has a purpose for me.
Its really hard to explain why, you just need to spend a bit of time using one. Apple should hire them out to potential buyers (well, if they ever get to the point where they're not selling every one they make).
The day i got it i was going away camping with my bike club. I lent it to a couple of guys for a few hours (close friends i could trust!), while i went for a ride.
As soon as i got back i had to fight to get it back off them. They both announced their intention to buy one.
Its just such a *NICE* experience. Sure, there are a few limitations. Flash i dont miss at all. Having to hook up to iTunes is a bit of a pain. Printing i dont miss either, i'm a photographer, i have a large format printer hooked up to a desktop Photoshop machine. Nothing the size of an iPad can ever replace that, and i dont expect it to.
My laptop hasnt been used once since i got the iPad though. It will eventually, as that's where my iTunes lives. Other than synching iDevices it no longer has a purpose for me.
I run a charity and have wondered about presentations etc. I see an application in 1 on 1 presentations but not for larger groups. I'd like a camera though I do so much Skype related work that the absence of one makes it a real reason not to buy yet. I suspect that a camera can't be far away though. Thanks for your input though. That's really helpful.