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.
Things you love about the ipad that you didn't expect
- Thread starter northernbaldy
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
After spending a bit more time with it I'd add just how little it feels like a version 1 product to the list. Sure there's a few rough edges but not many and that's really surprising these days. There's more to come of course but there's nothing here that screams out paid beta tester to me.
I never planned to buy an iPad but when I sold my iPhone 3GS 32GB for AU$700 on eBay just a couple of days before the iPad was released - now that's good timing. What inspired me to purchase it was the fact this had the latest A4 CPU which will be in the next iPhone before the new iPhone release, and once I read how popular these were and the features, I thought I would purchase the 64GB 3G version for AU$1,049. So technically I only paid AU$300.
Bare in mind before the iPad the only apple devices I owned were the iphone 3GS and the previous iPhone 3G, so the ipad is the first major piece of apple hardware I have ever owned. The iPad is an amazing piece of hardware, it feels solid built like a tank plus the ultra clear and bright IPS display - a world first in a portable device. Plus its ultra quick performance, and is the worlds largest GPS.
However in the back of my mind I regret not paying the extra and getting a MacBook / MacBook Pro as value wise I believe they would be better value and more features. I already own a Windows based laptop which is going perfectly. So yes I'm in a bind.
Bare in mind before the iPad the only apple devices I owned were the iphone 3GS and the previous iPhone 3G, so the ipad is the first major piece of apple hardware I have ever owned. The iPad is an amazing piece of hardware, it feels solid built like a tank plus the ultra clear and bright IPS display - a world first in a portable device. Plus its ultra quick performance, and is the worlds largest GPS.
However in the back of my mind I regret not paying the extra and getting a MacBook / MacBook Pro as value wise I believe they would be better value and more features. I already own a Windows based laptop which is going perfectly. So yes I'm in a bind.
Steve Jobs, I hate you!
Ever since you went back to work at Apple, you have made my life miserable! Every new item you put in the market somehow ends up in my home! 5 Macbooks, 7 ipods, 5 iTouches, 2 iPhones, 1 time machine, 1 iPad........ I'm probably missing a few. So Steve, next time you go to sleep, please stop dreaming, I can't afford you any more! lol!
Ever since you went back to work at Apple, you have made my life miserable! Every new item you put in the market somehow ends up in my home! 5 Macbooks, 7 ipods, 5 iTouches, 2 iPhones, 1 time machine, 1 iPad........ I'm probably missing a few. So Steve, next time you go to sleep, please stop dreaming, I can't afford you any more! lol!
Try the Zinio app. It has subsciptions and does a pretty good job as a magazine reader as well.
For me it was:
1.) The speakers were much better than I expected.
2.) The learning curve for typing on it wasn't as bad as I assumed.
3.) That just using it has been more addictive every day...there are times I take the thing out at work for no reason other than to hold it for a second and then put it away.
1.) The speakers were much better than I expected.
2.) The learning curve for typing on it wasn't as bad as I assumed.
3.) That just using it has been more addictive every day...there are times I take the thing out at work for no reason other than to hold it for a second and then put it away.
1. The display. Stunning quality, deep inky blacks, rich colors, perfect uniformity. The best display I've ever had (and tha includes some nice ips stand-alones). Pretty much the first thing others notice as well. I just love putting new wallpapers on it.
2. Build quality. Really, really good given the relatively low-cost of the iPad. I can't find a single fault.
3. User experience. I was buying into the whole "just a bigger iPod touch" until I turned it on and started surfing, watching videos, and typing in Pages.
Like I told my girlfriend the other day, I can't think of another device I've bought in the last ten years that has been so fun and utterly non-disappointing.
2. Build quality. Really, really good given the relatively low-cost of the iPad. I can't find a single fault.
3. User experience. I was buying into the whole "just a bigger iPod touch" until I turned it on and started surfing, watching videos, and typing in Pages.
Like I told my girlfriend the other day, I can't think of another device I've bought in the last ten years that has been so fun and utterly non-disappointing.
This is a strange thing, but I love the home button. Pressing home on my iPod Touch is never a nice experience, but on the iPad, the button just feels so GOOD to touch. It's so light and responsive, it's the closest a button can be to being a touchscreen.
Most of all, it's just how natural the touch interface is (I've never had an iPhone or any other touch screen device). It's so intuitive that today when borrowing a Macbook to do an iChat w/ my kid, I kept touching the icons on the screen to launch a program instead of using the touchpad. Took me a minute to figure out why touching the icon wasn't working. In two weeks I have so internalized the touchscreen interface that anything else feels so odd.
Sketchbook Pro - love it! I used to draw a lot as a kid but less so as an adult. Makes me feel like a kid again.
Battery life. I was traveling for 14 hrs yesterday and finished the day with 20% of the battery left.
How useful the auto-complete is once you get used to it.
I'm astounded by the quality of so many of the free and practically free apps.
I'm reading a lot more because I always have books with me and can take advantage of time spent waiting to read.
How useful it has been even in the small rural community I'm currently visiting. EDGE isn't quite as bad as I thought, at least for email and light surfing. Urbanspoon has info for even small town restaurants. I was able to deal with a work crisis without a laptop or cellphone. There were at least 5 or 6 occasions where people I was conversing with wanted a piece of information that i was able to bring up immediately on the iPad.
Sketchbook Pro - love it! I used to draw a lot as a kid but less so as an adult. Makes me feel like a kid again.
Battery life. I was traveling for 14 hrs yesterday and finished the day with 20% of the battery left.
How useful the auto-complete is once you get used to it.
I'm astounded by the quality of so many of the free and practically free apps.
I'm reading a lot more because I always have books with me and can take advantage of time spent waiting to read.
How useful it has been even in the small rural community I'm currently visiting. EDGE isn't quite as bad as I thought, at least for email and light surfing. Urbanspoon has info for even small town restaurants. I was able to deal with a work crisis without a laptop or cellphone. There were at least 5 or 6 occasions where people I was conversing with wanted a piece of information that i was able to bring up immediately on the iPad.
Same here (except 27in monitor).
Love the battery life, how you can prop it up on the fold down tray table on the plane while not worry about where to put your drink or if the person in front will crash into it when reclining. I love how everybody wants to check it out and can't believe how awesome it is once they see it in action.
I was really worried about having to prop it up all the time. But i have found that using it in the apple case is pretty natural.
The book apps. iBook is great, Kindle, B@N eReader. I can have it all on one device!
The Zinio app is great as well. The magazines look great on the iPad.
I'm having fun with the various photo and drawing apps. I just wish they had one big app that has the features of all the little ones. Waiting for Adobe to come out with something like that for photos.
The Zinio app is great as well. The magazines look great on the iPad.
I'm having fun with the various photo and drawing apps. I just wish they had one big app that has the features of all the little ones. Waiting for Adobe to come out with something like that for photos.
Can you tell me your set-up please?
What kind of Internet connection and what wireless router do you have as Safari is noticeably slower for me than my PC on a wired connection.
I'm pleasantly surprised with the quality of games, and wish Nintendo (or other BIG companies) would write games for it.
I love my iPad for more reasons that I can explain!!
Controlling my tv/cable through redeye and controlling my home music all around the house with Sonos is by far my favorite things to do with this beautiful device.
Not to mention with a side dish of a battery that lasts what seems like forever.
Controlling my tv/cable through redeye and controlling my home music all around the house with Sonos is by far my favorite things to do with this beautiful device.
Not to mention with a side dish of a battery that lasts what seems like forever.
Things I didn't expect:
1. Interacting with websites like Amazon, Ebay, and Craigslist in a whole new way because of their dedicated apps.
2. To be able to text (Text Plus) and make phone calls (Whistle).
3. The sound to be decent from the speakers.
4. The browsing speed on wifi (3G only when necessary, but even that isn't too bad).
1. Interacting with websites like Amazon, Ebay, and Craigslist in a whole new way because of their dedicated apps.
2. To be able to text (Text Plus) and make phone calls (Whistle).
3. The sound to be decent from the speakers.
4. The browsing speed on wifi (3G only when necessary, but even that isn't too bad).