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What can the iPad do that the iPhone can't?

dacapo said:
I would buy it in a heartbeat; it's just that it'd make a much better case and happier family if I can get my pragmatic better half (my wife) to agree.

Movies? She'll say, we can watch movies on the TV.
Email? We already have a laptop (3 laptops!)
GPS? You got that iPhone instead of the iPod Touch, remember?

So, that's why I'm asking for some practical applications that would make her say, "hmmm, maybe that'll be really cool!" (After all, it's not like she's a total prude.. she's just a bit more practical than I am, thankfully.)

Or, maybe I need to come up with some creative future uses of the iPad? ;)
(If Steve Jobs had put in a webcam, she would have already said yes!)
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You don't NEED an iPad...you WANT one. Next question.
 
dacapo said:
Yes, I know it's different size-wise, but what specific activities are just way better on the iPad for you?
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Too focused on the "what" - think about "how." In general, everything is way better on the Ipad, honestly. I don't like browsing the web on the Iphone. It's too small to really enjoy doing any serious browsing, and I relegated it to "if I have to," resorting to individual website's apps for things I needed (Amazon, Mint, Facebook, etc.) I don't need those on the Ipad - I just go to their sites. Same goes for email, or typing in general.

The only place that I've found the Iphone to be superior is games. Maybe I'm alone in this but I have no desire to play games like Bejeweled, Trism, etc., on the Ipad. I want those on a small platform, not a giant rectangle that I have to twist and turn (depends on the game, obviously.) That just seems awkward. I think we're going to see a new trend in games just for Ipad, Scrabble being the first to really take off on this platform, but more may that take the "boardgame on steroids" approach than larger versions of Iphone games.
 
eawmp1 said:
You don't NEED an iPad...you WANT one. Next question.
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This. It's not too complicated. If you already own a laptop, desktop, iPhone, etc, the iPad is ONLY a luxury item. It is obviously not a replacement for anything (especially if you have the iPhone, with GPS). The GPS on the 'pad and the optional 3G service is what is really pushing me to buy one.

If you have the spare cash, and like the way it works, get it. If not, oh well.
 
malnar said:
Too focused on the "what" - think about "how." In general, everything is way better on the Ipad, honestly.
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Completely agree.

malnar said:
The only place that I've found the Iphone to be superior is games. Maybe I'm alone in this but I have no desire to play games like Bejeweled, Trism, etc., on the Ipad.
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I'll have to disagree with you here. Scrabble and Plants vs. Zombies are far better on the iPad than on the iPhone.
 
For one, I am a part time musician, so I am always interested in music apps on iPhone. There are plenty, but the tiny display just makes anything that could be awesome a hassle. Since I got my iPad I downloaded iElectribe, a digital version of Korg's Electribe-R rhythm synthesizer. The apps controls are awesome because the screen is larger and the hardware is faster. With this I can actually make music, unlike the iPhone counterparts.

And this is less than a week after the launch of only the WiFi version.

The iPad in its current state isn't going to replace peoples laptops any time soon, but there are just so many applications that would benefit from having a touchscreen interface.
 
nStyle said:
This. It's not too complicated. If you already own a laptop, desktop, iPhone, etc, the iPad is ONLY a luxury item. It is obviously not a replacement for anything (especially if you have the iPhone, with GPS).
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Exactly. I have an iPhone, iMac (upstairs), and a laptop (windows supplied for work). I NEVER use my laptop for home stuff other than for Microsoft DBA work.

I RARELY ever used my iPhone 3G for web browsing while I was as home or office; only on the go and even that is rare.

Since getting the iPad I practically ONLY use my iMac as my media server and for movie ripping etc; funny that a thing like an iMac is actually being used as a server for my purposes. The iPad really is a nice device for doing a lot of those simple things you do often. Rather than going upstairs to browse the web I use the iPad, same thing as email. It really is very fast and a pleasure to use IMO. I've found that it is very nice to have in the kitchen as well when I'm using a recipe online. Playing games is also a joy for myself and my 6 yr old.

I will have to say that it IS a luxury item for most. It's hard for me to understand why anyone would NEED an iPad. Since I have an iMac, yes, it would be nice to have something portable like a MacBook but it was never worth it to me to buy as a device I'd not use very often. The iPad filled EVERY need I would have had for a MacBook at a cheaper price and a lot of fun to use. When I'm at home or a friends house I never use my iPhone for anything other than texts and voice calls because the iPad is so much faster and more pleasant to use.

Anyway, my uses and my opinions... Good luck!
 
diabolic said:
I'll have to disagree with you here. Scrabble and Plants vs. Zombies are far better on the iPad than on the iPhone.
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I guess I wasn't as clear as I meant to be. I haven't played Scrabble or Plants vs. Zombies, but I was specifically pointing out the Bejeweled "type" games don't work so well on the Ipad. I pointed out Scrabble as being a particular success because of the Ipad's size. I'm saying the accelerometer-based games (and I knew Bejeweled isn't, I'm jus' sayin') seem to be more awkward than fun on the Ipad, at least to me, where other types of "just play 'em" types of games, or more immersive games like Plants vs. Zombies, will really work well on the Ipad.
 
What's apple's return policy anyway? Could you take one home for a few days and if it's not for you could you get a full refund? I should know this but I've never had the need to return anything.

I say this because I wouldn't have "got it" just by playing with it in the store. I didn't realize how much I would have liked it into I used it in my home for a day.
 
dacapo said:
I would buy it in a heartbeat; it's just that it'd make a much better case and happier family if I can get my pragmatic better half (my wife) to agree.

Movies? She'll say, we can watch movies on the TV.
Email? We already have a laptop (3 laptops!)
GPS? You got that iPhone instead of the iPod Touch, remember?

So, that's why I'm asking for some practical applications that would make her say, "hmmm, maybe that'll be really cool!" (After all, it's not like she's a total prude.. she's just a bit more practical than I am, thankfully.)

Or, maybe I need to come up with some creative future uses of the iPad? ;)
(If Steve Jobs had put in a webcam, she would have already said yes!)
Click to expand...

Okay, i'm going to tell you something, and ymmv....

My better half, who isn't really a pain in the ass when it comes to my tech habit.... (however, she thinks I take it too far) has been using the iPad more than I have.

Women love it. I don't know why, all I know is i'm probably going to have to buy a second one.

The truth is, if you are looking for a "need" to fill, you aren't going to find it. It's a lifestyle device, plain and simple. It DOES however make some basic computing tasks more convenient and quite frankly, more fun.

I use my iPad alot, and i'm finding more and more uses for it everyday. The truth is though, I didn't need this device.

I wanted it, and I wanted it to do some cool things. That's really what its about.

So, with that in mind, how bad do you want it? :D
 
malnar said:
I'm saying the accelerometer-based games (and I knew Bejeweled isn't, I'm jus' sayin') seem to be more awkward than fun on the Ipad, at least to me, where other types of "just play 'em" types of games, or more immersive games like Plants vs. Zombies, will really work well on the Ipad.
Click to expand...

I'd agree with you. I don't think waving the iPad around for motion control is all that fun.
 
jclardy said:
For one, I am a part time musician, so I am always interested in music apps on iPhone. There are plenty, but the tiny display just makes anything that could be awesome a hassle. Since I got my iPad I downloaded iElectribe, a digital version of Korg's Electribe-R rhythm synthesizer. The apps controls are awesome because the screen is larger and the hardware is faster. With this I can actually make music, unlike the iPhone counterparts.

And this is less than a week after the launch of only the WiFi version.
Click to expand...

This I like!
 
To put it simply, it makes the experience more luxurious and enjoyable. I never watched movies/videos on my iPhone. Have tried that even while traveling on a plane and it's just not big enough.

Watched a movie last night on the iPad and it was amazing. iPhone wins on convenience, but iPad wins on luxury and usability.
 
OP, the speed and size.

If you need more tangible reasons...it's magical.

Are your other devices magical?
 
MigsVuitton said:
To put it simply, it makes the experience more luxurious and enjoyable. I never watched movies/videos on my iPhone. Have tried that even while traveling on a plane and it's just not big enough.
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That reminds me of a recent experience I had, riding a plane with our two kids, one of which is a toddler. I took both a netbook and obviously my iPhone, loading them up with kiddie TV shows. To make a long story short, I couldn't get my netbook booted up fast enough to console the toddler. So, instead, I quickly turned on the iPhone and she was consoled in 10-15 seconds tops.

So, I guess the iPad definitely would win out in a real-life situation like the one above, although, it might be too big to hold in one hand while holding the other child in the other arm.
 
Have Major Issues With WiFi


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The most practical application in which the iPad excels over the iPhone is simply reading.

I've loaded numerous technical PDF's onto the device for viewing, something that proved difficult on the iPhone due to the size of the screen.

But in addition to that you can actually do work on the iPad. The iPad excels (pun possibly intended) at spreadsheet input in mobile situations, more so even then a laptop. It is instant on, loads the application quickly, and has a very natural one handed interface for entering data.

In contrast, to accomplish this on a laptop I would have to find a flat surface to put it on (otherwise I'd have to balance it with one hand), navigate by trackpad to the correct application, and have the problem of entering data using an alphanumeric keyboard without a numberpad (although several laptops offer a superimposed numberpad over the alphanumeric keys). Laptops are also heavier, so I wouldn't carry it with me in most situations, and also aren't instant on even with resume from standby mode.
 
iPhone will not be able to run apps made specifically for iPad. It may not mean much today. In the future when iPad becomes very popular, more development will design apps with iPad in mind, that won't work well with iPhone. App store is truely the limitation of iPad today, but this will change in the near future.
 
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