What do you use your iPad for?

[applemike]

recently i have been contemplating purchasing an iPad

I have been saving up for a bit, and with my birthday next week i should be able to afford a 32GB model. or a 3G 16GB.

But what use do you have for your iPads?

I would typically use my iPad on morning commutes of about 30 mins to and from college, and at lunch with friends. currently we pass around my iPod touch and play games/watch movies, so I could replace my iPod with an iPad.

I would also use it in place of my laptop when around the house, and before i go to bed.

What do you think?

Worth the purchase?

 

[Perihelion]

I love my iPad and take it with me everywhere. Its a 32GB 3G model so I've got connectivity everywhere. On the commute and when I'm waiting for my wife to get off of work, I surf the web, check emails, Facebook, and watch movies. At work, I take notes at meetings and use it as a whiteboard so that I can email the results to the entire team. At night I do some casual gaming and email.

My iPad has effectively extended the life of my laptop if that makes sense. I was going to get a new laptop that was lighter with longer battery life, but now I leave the laptop at home like a desktop and just carry the iPad. I easily get 12 hrs of video playback before the battery dies...

 

[Clix Pix]

For the past hour or so I have been using my iPad out on my deck to catch up with email, forums, etc.....it is a fantastic take-everywhere device.

 

[Tom G.]

I do most everything I would do on a laptop on my iPad. I even write sermons on it. I do e-mail them to myself and print them from my iMac. I working on learning how to use keynote so I can use it as a teleprompter.

It is one of those devices that the more you use it the more uses you will find for it. As an example, the other day when we had strong thunderstorms in the area, I shut down the iMac and kept watch on the storms with the iPad.

 

[scwinsett]

I rigged up a little dock in my car. I push it, and it folds out, then I slide my iPad in and I can use it to navigate through my music or pull up Google Maps.

 

[bossxii]

I've pretty much found myself doing everything but creating large documents/spreadsheet or sales quotes on the iPad. I work in the building industry so with the ability to remote login to my work desktop, load house plans onto the iPad, edit PDF's etc... has made it my daily computing device. All the regular daily tasks such as email, web surfing, music, video, Slingplayer app for a nice ESPN sports center lunch at work! All have made this device my goto computer.

It started out a media consumption only device but as I found a few apps (Goodreader, CH Pro, Hulu, Slingplayer, PDF editor etc) that quickly expanded how I used it. I have yet to find a need to print anything as I email my clients. With Hulu+ coming out I now have access to TV shows anytime I want, as that was a "flash" based site I did miss. Sure it's 10 bucks a month but It easily saved me 50 bucks a month on my cable package as I drop it to the basics for live sporting events and keep up with my shows via Hulu.

 

[dizzy130]

I canceled cable a few months ago and now watch almost all of my TV online, via my Macbook hooked up to my TV. So I use my iPad to surf the internet and im, etc, while my Macbook sits on the shelf under the TV. I also use it to watch Hulu+ and Netflix in bed, and to read the news in bed or while I eat breakfast. I'm also planning to bring it on vacation to the beach for reading, internet surfing and video watching (in the house only!) It really is amazing. I've only had the iPad for a week, but I've hardly touched my iPhone 4 at home since. I don't have 3G on my iPad, though, and it's a bit big for carrying with me even though I'm a girl and always carry a big bag for work, so the iPhone still comes with me everywhere I go.

 

[NDimichino]

For the past hour or so I have been using my iPad out on my deck to catch up with email, forums, etc.....it is a fantastic take-everywhere device.

+1, can do pretty much everything your laptop can.

About to take mine on a plane for the first time for a Florida wedding. I'm sure the 3G will make it a (more) enjoyable trip!

 

[xraytech]

I use it so much that my MacBook Pro is now doing desktop duty.

Totally worth it.

 

[Metsfan7450]

Nobody has mentioned reading books yet, so I'll chime in. I LOVE my iPad as an e-reader. I use it mostly to read books and watch Netflix shows/movies while running on my treadmill.

 

[IrishVixen]

I use it so much that my MacBook Pro is now doing desktop duty.

Totally worth it.

+1

My 17" MBP is gathering dust.

Ebook reader, all my writing, cooking (that's one use I never would've considered before buying one), gaming, research, photo editing, and of course, the usual things like surfing, email, etc. About the only things I don't do with it are video and music--music's on the iPhone as I can dock it into my speakers.

I think for the most part, you can use it as much or as little as you set your mind to. I use mine constantly, finding a way to make it do what I need it to.

 

[sanPietro98]

I use it for everything except writing code, video trans-coding, and photo storage. My MBP hasn't moved off my desk since I got the iPad.

 

[xraydoc]

I use my iPad for pretty much everything I used my laptop for. My laptop sits mostly unused now; I use it maybe once a week, down from ~3 hours per day, since I got the iPad.

 

[Rooskibar03]

The bigger question is, what don't I use my iPad for?

The only point my Mac Mini serves anymore is to rip and store content to my Apple TV's. I don't even have a mouse and keyboard on it anymore, I simply use the Desktop app to remote view and control the machine.

My laptop sits in the corner and only gets used to sync/backup my iphones/pads/pods. It almost never gets opened.

My only wish is I could have more then one. My daughter plays on it, and the wife wants to use it to surf and I'm left using my iPhone.

 

[saberahul]

+1, can do pretty much everything your laptop can.

About to take mine on a plane for the first time for a Florida wedding. I'm sure the 3G will make it a (more) enjoyable trip!

Although true and I must first clarify that I love my iPad more than any other device ever as it does all my work and was bought after good research on the hardware + software (as Apps really define the device these days), I must mention that for me, an Engineer, I am often required to carry my laptop to work since many applications such as CAD or MicroStation aren't made available on the device yet.

 

[EthanNixon]

I mainly use my iPad to surf the web and watch videos or what not. However, recently I have pretty much perfected typing on the iPad and I now write my review articles on the iPad. They aren't super lengthy, but it just makes it so much better when I can start them at my desk and finish them in my bed. I just overall love the portability of the iPad.

Some suggestions from an iPad owner from day 1: don't use a case, take care of it, keep everything organized, keep a th in your bag or pocket for cleaning it, etc.

I have tried a few cases, but I always love the feel of the iPad when it is naked. It just makes it feel so much more real then with a case on it, plus you will appreciate it's thinness too.

 

[megster]

A novice here

I am curious how you watch tv on your computer. Can someone explain to this old gal how one goes about this?

 

[Tobster3]

I use it for everything that I used to use my laptop/desktop for except documents that require a lot of typing or large spreadsheets. Still loving it!

 

[zoziw]

I bought my wife an iPad back in June as she had really wanted one to replace her iPod Touch for apps.

When I got it I thought that she would use it heavily, but for me it would just be a novelty next to my MBP.

The primary thing I use my computer for is surfing the web and after having the iPad around for a couple of months I much prefer to use it rather than haul out that massive, heavy and clunky MBP to surf the net with.

I bought my wife the wifi iPad with 32gb of memory (she has a lot of music), and I am thinking about getting a 16gb 3G iPad for my birthday in September so I can take it to work with me.

Absolutely love the thing.

 

[Jaro65]

Nobody has mentioned reading books yet, so I'll chime in. I LOVE my iPad as an e-reader. I use it mostly to read books and watch Netflix shows/movies while running on my treadmill.

Same here. My iPad is used quite a bit as an e-book and PDF reader, as well as to catch up on Jon Stewart show while on elliptical.

 

[dizzy130]

I am curious how you watch tv on your computer. Can someone explain to this old gal how one goes about this?

I still get the networks and ESPN, CSPAN and ABC Family, mostly because Comcast wanted $75 for just internet but offered me the basic channels plus internet for $50. The shows I watch (30 Rock, Daily Show, Colbert, a few others...) are all available streaming from the network websites and/or Hulu. I have a season pass to Mad Men on iTunes. iTunes has the Sunday political talk shows and the network nightly news as free podcasts, as well as the MSNBC nightly shows (a few hours late). I also have Netflix and I'm debating Hulu+.

The thing that's really lacking is sports. I don't watch much sports and I'm mostly content to just check scores online, but a big sports watcher will probably not be satisfied.

 

[osxnewbe]

Now that I have a MyFi and MyWi in my iPhone, i am taking my iPad to work every day. I just read 2 journal articles online instead of digging the magazines out of my inbox. I am also uploading documents and reports to dropbox to read instead of carrying the papers around with me.

I am watching some videos online via netflix during lunch when I don't eat out... I akso read books for leisure as well and have the Kindle and Barnes & Noble app installed as well as iBooks.

I am using it for web browsing more than my personal or work laptop. Today i used it to look some information when i was on the phone in my work truck when I pulled over instead if having to boot up the laptop...

 

[EthanNixon]

Same here. My iPad is used quite a bit as an e-book and PDF reader, as well as to catch up on Jon Stewart show while on elliptical.

I read exclusively on the iPad now, minus text books.

 

[wackymacky]

e-mail, web browsing, books, I have a few hundred work related files, though most I just open via iDisk as needed.

If you and afford it I'd get at least 32 GB (I did and am wishing I got the 64 GB as I already have 16GB on board (though admittedly I could delete most of the music).

I do find 3G useful, because it is the mobility of the device that is so great. (I guess though that depends a little about where you live and the availability of WiFi hotspots.

 

[Mlrollin91]

I use it so much that my MacBook Pro is now doing desktop duty.

Totally worth it.

Same here, plugged my MBP 13" into a monitor and made a docking station, and will be using my iPad for school and everything but heavy duty stuff(which isn't really much).

At first I had problems justifying the purchase because it can do everything my MBP can, but at school it will be so much easier to deal with, and the overall usefulness of it.