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Things you love about the ipad that you didn't expect

northernbaldy

northernbaldy

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 13, 2010
776
137
the north, UK
For me (so far)

My legs aren't on fire
I can't hear any fans
I can hold it close enough to my face, to use without glasses


There will be more, but I'm still in bed and not quite awake
 
Bearing in mind I've been up all night being unwell and may be a tad sleep-deprived at this point:

1) The 'warmth' of the whole device. It's hard to describe but it just feels very very different somehow to a laptop or even my iPod Touch. For the first time in, oh, almost 30 years of playing and working with computers this is a device that really does make me WANT to interact with it for no reason other than to use it rather than for a specific task.

2) The quality of the screen. I'd heard it was good (both in reviews and from a friend who got to play with a sales droid's import model) but wasn't expecting this. It's a wee bit more reflective than I'd ideally like but nowhere near as bad as, well, as virtually any glossy laptop I've used or seen in the last few years and the trade-off in terms of image quality is just jaw-dropping.

3) The way the physical size and weight makes using the accelerometer so much easier. I've had a few racing games on the iPod Touch for a while now and while they were good always annoyed me at how sensitive they were and how awkward it was to both play and see the screen. After trying the pixel-doubled version of Real Racing (so same game) on the iPad it was like stepping into a whole new world (and yes, the HD version got bought immediately afterward). Really looking forward to getting to grips with this as a gaming platform now.
 
I Never Expected This . . .

-- My wife shops much more quickly.

It used to be I'd drop her off at the grocery store, mall, wherever and I waited and waited for her to return. Now, it seems that I hardly get into my favorite book, game, or news feed and she's back already!

Also, my grandchildren seem to want to be with me constantly now. ("Pappy, can I use your iPad?")

Amazing!
 
I think the first thing that really struck me was just how good the screen is. As the above poster said, I'd heard it was good but seeing it in person really wowed me. There were plenty of people who were crowing about the fact it wasn't OLED etc., but honestly, when it looks this good who cares!

I think the second thing is really how good an Internet device it is. There is something genuinely brilliant about using the Internet on this thing, which sounds bizarre because surely the Internet is the same everywhere. Just having it in your hands and having it so close makes a massive difference!

The most telling thing about the iPad really is the fact that I walked into an Apple store yesterday with no intention of buying one, somewhat skeptical having been dissapointed by the keynote. Having played with one for 30 minutes I was completely converted and bought it immediately! Moral of the story? Don't listen to anyone who hasn't used one because it's a whole different story when you do!
 
martynmc7 said:
I think the first thing that really struck me was just how good the screen is. As the above poster said, I'd heard it was good but seeing it in person really wowed me. There were plenty of people who were crowing about the fact it wasn't OLED etc., but honestly, when it looks this good who cares!
Click to expand...

When I first saw an OLED screen, I was surprised how great it looked. It resembled a backlit transparency.

The iPad screen gives the same sort of experience. The colors don't change and invert from off-angles. It is surprisingly bright and full of contrast.

Last year I bought a Sony laptop. The LCD viewing angle was so bad, there was no single place to sit that offered a clear view of the entire screen. Whatever the angle, part of the screen was dim. The funny thing was the Sony laptop was marketed as having BluRay playback. What's the point of 1080p video if the screen is so utterly unwatchable?

Returned the Sony to the store a week later.

C.
 
a must have

it sells itself to unconvinced people..

just show it and suddenly they grasp that it is something that they need.

beforehand they would just argue that their portable was more than sufficient
 
I expected the screen to be good visually but what has surprised me is how accurate the touch sensors are. OK, I have small fingers, but even so I can easily "click" on the link that I want in any web page, however tightly packed it is in amongst other links, and I seem to get the right one every time. Only on about 2 occasions in about 12 hours of surfing have I felt the need to zoom in before clicking on a link.

- Julian
 
2 things really.

1. Typing; I really like typing on the iPad and now my Mac Pro's keyboard feels heavy as hell...(what you mean I actually have to apply force to type? Oh that is so 20th century :p)

2. Magazines. I bought "wired" just so I could say I had given it a go but I can say now I will be buying every future issue as well. Never would have bought the paper version ever. If wired is any indication of magazines in general on the ipad then I am a new found convert to magazines :). If it isn't typical then other mag makers take note, this is how you do a digital mag!
 
I was never too excited about ereaders, but after trying iBooks I started reading most of my books digitally.
 
WytRaven said:
2 things really.

1. Typing; I really like typing on the iPad and now my Mac Pro's keyboard feels heavy as hell...(what you mean I actually have to apply force to type? Oh that is so 20th century :p)

2. Magazines. I bought "wired" just so I could say I had given it a go but I can say now I will be buying every future issue as well. Never would have bought the paper version ever. If wired is any indication of magazines in general on the ipad then I am a new found convert to magazines :). If it isn't typical then other mag makers take note, this is how you do a digital mag!
Click to expand...

I'm also amazed at how much I love magazines on this thing. I down loaded Vanity Fair and wow. It is beautiful to look at, easy to read and there are amazing possibilities here. They even included special iPad features and video. As a pro photographer who has worked for many, many mags, I also think it could be just the thing our industry needs. Many publishers have suffered because of the easy access to free info online. I also love the fact they will not be taking up space on my floors!

I just would like them to do subscriptions... Instead of pay per issue... And I want more of them. I will go check out Wired too. Dwell has one but the reviews were pretty bad... This for me is huge because it something my two other competing devices (kindle & MBP) can't do.

I also LOVE the eBay app!
 
The fact that Goodreader finds my bonjour'd shares and I can grab stuff from them.

The fact that jailbreak/multitasking was available so quickly.

How gorgeous the OS/screen is + games, etc.
 
Earlier today, my iPad capitalized the word Klingon for me (hey look it did it again!)

Including sci-fi races as proper nouns? I can't say no to that.
 
3 things

1. The clarity of text in iBooks - Leading up to release all I had heard was how it would never be any good since it wasn't e-ink. Never having used an e-reader before I was unsure of how I'd like iBooks but once I got my hands on it I fell in love. I find the text just as easy to read as a book and I can honestly say my eyes don't tire from reading large amounts of text.

2. The importance of orientation-lock - Maybe the best decision they made in the iPad's development was the orientation-lock switch. I constantly lock and unlock the orientation to suit what I'm doing and it makes the device so much easier to use knowing you can turn off the accelerometer when you don't need it. Using my iPhone really shows off how much it's needed.

3. How amazing pictures look - Photos just look AMAZING. I currently have a little Canon P&S Digital Elph... it's like 8MP and takes ok photos. But on my iPad they look fantastic... looks like I have a 15MP high end DSLR. I'm just amazed at the color and clarity.
 
It does not feel superfluous. Even with how much I wanted it I did worry it would feel not quite worth the price-usefulness ratio. I find myself using the iPad for games and such FAR less than I expected not becuase they are not great but because I am making more using of it through other means like ToDo. I will never deny it feels like a bit of a luxery, but so does a nice phone or shoes. Because it is a better versionof something tried and true is a good thing not a bad.

Also I agree about photos. I was looking at pictures of some drawings I added to my iPad as possible wallpapers and some looked so close to a real drawing on paper I was awed.
 
1. Typing -- I can type faster than a regular keyboard by far. No lie.

2. Battery life -- I've had other devices gloat about great battery life to only suck when I first started using said device.

3. Smudges -- they're like invisible when you turn the device on. How cool is that?

4. Work -- the stuff vie been able to do. Each week I own this, the more I realize my netbook and laptop have become worthless.

5. Mom -- that each time I see her, grabs my iPad out of my hand and kicks my ass in bowling more often than not. 75 year old mom ;).
 
Nice thread topic btw


1. Battery is awesome
2. So light and portable
3. Always ready and its pretty fast
4. Exclusivity ... I like how supply is so short but I have one!
 
JodyK said:
Nice thread topic btw


1. Battery is awesome
2. So light and portable
3. Always ready and its pretty fast
4. Exclusivity ... I like how supply is so short but I have one!
Click to expand...

Yeah, always ready is a good one. Beats booting up my netbook or desktop to surf or what not.
 
I really like that I'm pretty much on a 3G contract now.
Didn't see that one coming!

Now I can plan to have 30 bucks less every month and not just a few months here and there so it has helped me to keep my finances in order. :rolleyes:


Everything else I love about it I totally expected. :)
 
martynmc7 said:
The most telling thing about the iPad really is the fact that I walked into an Apple store yesterday with no intention of buying one, somewhat skeptical having been dissapointed by the keynote. Having played with one for 30 minutes I was completely converted and bought it immediately! Moral of the story? Don't listen to anyone who hasn't used one because it's a whole different story when you do!
Click to expand...

X2, I went into the Apple Store just to see what it was like. I had no intention of buying one, but 30 minutes later I walked out of the store with one :rolleyes:
 
msavwah said:
I really like that I'm pretty much on a 3G contract now.
Didn't see that one coming!

Now I can plan to have 30 bucks less every month and not just a few months here and there so it has helped me to keep my finances in order. :rolleyes:


Everything else I love about it I totally expected. :)
Click to expand...

You kinda nailed it. Was thinking I would add data when going out of town but now things have changed and I gotta renew each month. Thanks AT&T!
 
I didn't expect to subscribe to magazines... Love that.

I didn't expect to take handwritten notes on it... Love that.

I didn't expect I'd get used to the virtual keyboard so fast... Love that I can type nearly 75 wpm on it.


I didn't expect my MacBook Air would be so neglected as a result of owning the iPad... Poor MBA doesn't love that.

Hoped to use it as a portable digital sketchbook... Didn't expect how good it would be for that... LOVE SketchBook Pro!

Never been a portable gamer myself... Didn't expect to play any games on the iPad... Turns out I love Parachute Panic and Plants vs. Zombies!

Battery life was a GREAT surprise. My mother must be the only person on the planet complaining it doesn't last long enough - because she's never owned a laptop that barely got 5 hours.

Love the camera connection kit... Didn't expect it to be quite so useful!
 
JodyK said:
You kinda nailed it. Was thinking I would add data when going out of town but now things have changed and I gotta renew each month. Thanks AT&T!
Click to expand...

You do realize that this is a silly line of thinking, right? If you only pay for it when needed, unless you're going to download gigs and gigs worth of data, you'll likely spend a whole lot less per year if you only pay for when you need it? It's ONLY worth auto-renewing unlimited if you are 100% sure it would cost you most that $360 per year for the data you do need.

Me personally, I'll NEVER come close to that, so I'm letting unlimited go.
 
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