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What sold you to get your iPad? Have you found it to be what you wanted?

DougFNJ

DougFNJ

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 22, 2008
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I was using E-ink Sony Readers since the first one (PRS-500) was released. These Readers worked as great single use devices for me for quite awhile.

The last device I had was the Sony Daily Reader. It also used AT&T for downloads, it was a very useful touchscreen, got my Daily NY Post Subscription delivered every morning for my lunch reading. Also had my full Reading Library on the go in a nice small package. Great device except at night when I had to break out the book light to illuminate the top half of the screen. Night reading was not so much fun. Overall it was like an iPod for books, loved the concept.

Then came the iPad announcement. I was skeptical....like many I thought it was a big iPod Touch. The closer to launch the more I read through forums, watching a few early youtubes on what it could do, slowly but surely getting sold. It could do what my Reader does, plus SOOO much more. High Resolution photos, incredible internet experience, instant on unlike my Windlows Laptop, I am no longer just tied to Sony ePub, I could open my world to Kindle books as well...... I felt....hmmmm I could sell the Daily Reader and be halfway there on the funds....I've got a little hobby money. I ended up Ebaying the Sony Reader to end the night before the iPad launch as I had my iPad reserved and plans to be there that Saturday morning before I headed out to my mothers in PA for Easter.

I had gotten the 64 Gig and was initially disappointed with screen issues, light was leaking BADLY on one after the other....the reps verified every time I was not out of my mind and being too nitpicky.....it was BAD They were helpful with replacing, when the 3G came out, I asked to upgrade on the last exchange which seems to had done the job.....

Bottom line is this iPad is completely as advertised. It has been exactly what I hoped it would be, and I have been loving the experience. It's my ebook reader, mobile web browser, mobile word processor, great for long emails, on top of that I have high quality video, youtube....this really is an incredible device....I am REALLY happy I made the investment, it has been worth every dime.

So how about you?
 
I bought mine on Day 1 and have not doubted or regretted my purchase for one second. Each day I find new and wonderful ways to use this incredible device. I don't remember life before it and I don't want to.
 
I hated being with AT&T for my phone service, my dream was an iPhone without a phone plan. This is that and better. :D Surfing, email, reading, games. Pretty much all of my time-wasters wrapped into one lovely package I can take with me anywhere! :p It is weird to think that this cost twice as much as my Xbox 360 yet feels worth it.
 
For me it was a chance to get into the Apple world of products. For work and other reasons, I must Windows PC's and carry a BlackBerry. Never had a single Apple product before, ever.

But I kept hearing about the iPhone and all the cool apps -- and how easy Mac's were to use. I figured this was my chance to get into the Apple world while still keeping my Windows desktop/laptops and BlackBerry's.

It worked. Love the iPad.
 
I wanted flexible mobile email and internet plans, which IMO the iPhone does not offer, (even tho I have a jailbroken iPhone on T-mobile, but no data plan). I did not want a contract.
The iPad offers all this, a no contract 3G plan, and a cheaper 250mb option. So besides all the other goodies, the iPad 3G options are superb IMO. If I already had a iPhone ATT data plan I would think otherwise I guess.

I think this is a precursor to more FLEXIBLE cell phone/data plans. I say bring it.
 
I mostly want mine for practicing guitar, using the tabtoolkit app.
I also want something for browsing, gaming etc on the sofa and in bed so I'm not *as* unsociable as I am sitting in the home office on the iMac, or using the tiny screen of my iPhone.
 
I'm not really into ereaders (my wife has bought probably over a hundred books on her Sony ereader). But I did find myself using my iPhone more and more for casual web browsing. I always thought to myself if only the screen was larger? Then came the iPad announcement and I knew I had to have one. I own almost every generation of apple touch devices starting from the 2g iPhone. I love the iPhone OS and IMO it will only get better and better.
 
I wanted it mainly for web browsing at home and Internet access on the road and an occasional game during downtime. It has satisfied and more. I don't even use my desktop for simple browsing at home anymore.

Plus, I've never been a big reader when it comes to books, but I find myself not being able to stop reading books I've installed via iBooks! It's turned me into a different person in that regard.

Definitely an excellent purchase and well worth it. I'm still impressed with this little device and not one bit disappointed.
 
I bought mine primarily to browse the web and check email on the go. It has fulfilled that wish 1000%.

I was hoping it would replace my Archos 5 as a media player. Jury still out on that one, mostly because my entire video library is not iTunes friendly and I am not looking forward to re-encode it, and then pick and choose what to load (as 64GB aint enough).

I had no illusions of it replacing my Garmin. My Motorola Droid with free Google Navigation is doing that.

I am trying out PDF Reader and Goodreader to see if I can use it to do PowerPoint presentations. So far converting to PDF is the only way to go, and I need it to support the VGA out connector (bought it, haven't had a chance to play with it yet).

So I buy into the tablet concept, but not sure I am warming up any more than I was previously into the whole Apple/iTunes/Appstore paradigm. I want to load what I want to load, and I don't want any one company deciding what formats I can or cannot play, what apps I can and cannot load, and what content I can view and cannot view.

That being said, the iPad is one cool device. :cool:
 
...

I was one click away from buying a Kindle when I decided to wait on the iPad. I am glad I did, I enjoy reading books on the iPad, i still use the kindle app as opposed to iBooks and I am not sure if i will ever use iBooks. I like to keep my books in one place and for now, that is on the Kindle app besides Amazon has far more books that does Apple.
 
I bought mine to serve as my primary computer (see my signature...) and haven't looked back. Using. 64gb 3G model and it's all i hoped it would be.

Have gotten used to the productivity workarounds currently required, and have little doubt things will get better over time..
 
Great responses so far :)

anthonymoody said:
I bought mine to serve as my primary computer (see my signature...) and haven't looked back. Using. 64gb 3G model and it's all i hoped it would be.

Have gotten used to the productivity workarounds currently required, and have little doubt things will get better over time..
Click to expand...

This is the most interesting so far, I definitely look forward to hearing more about your experience using this as your sole computer.
 
I am not as blown away by it as I feel I should be. AT&T's 3G service (which is stupid slow) may be a bigger part of that than it should be though.

The screen is brilliant, touchscreen great, and I have enjoyed many of the iPad apps much more than their iphone versions. I think the biggest problem I have is the missing functions of various apps. Calendar for instance doesn't allow you to invite people. I have to come back to my mac to do so. I won't buy any of the iWork apps until printing and iDisk functions are implemented.
 
I'm just 2 days into my 3G but Apple has a real toaster on its hands here - i.e., a device almost everyone can use and will one day want. I wouldn't ever count on it replacing my MBP/24" display (I like that huge screen) but it unchains me from my home desk and that's great. I haven't taken it on the road yet but I love its PDA capabilities - nice big calendar and notes and e-mail. And I have used the Kindle app as an e-reader (ibooks charges too much, Steve) but I do prefer the e-ink screen of my Kindle. We'll see.
I've never wanted one device to do it all, so I can see myself taking both i and K on the road. Maybe.

Best news, this is just the beginning of the iPad app explosion.

I think Steve was right when he said this would be his legacy. Changing the nature of computing for the masses.
 
I've wanted a book reader for a while, but could just not justify buying a device that only does one thing... that felt like a step backwards to me. I also don't enjoy reading much on my iphone - screen is just too small.

The iPad gives me something that I can take with me instead of a laptop. It acts as a book reader. It doubles as a photo album (I'm big into photography). It even acts as a portable sketchbook (something I've longed for). I can do my email, web browsing, datebooking, even a little HTML and photo editing if needed (though I rarely do those things on-the-go). I love taking notes with it (handwritten ones)!

It's portable and the battery life is outstanding. What more could I ask?

I've already really enjoyed taking it with me everywhere... I only expect that to continue! I'm looking forward to soon using it on my first real weekend get-away since I got it!
 
Mine is mainly for email, web and content (video, books...) and really has been a great tool. So portable it is perfect for what I needed!
 
What sold you to get your iPad?

I had conceived of one in my mind ever since I first used a touchscreen phone -- that is, a bigger wireless touch device. So I was sold way before Apple announced it.


Have you found it to be what you wanted?

Yes, and a bit more.
 
What sold you to get your iPad?

I've been waiting for non e-ink e-reader.
color is indispensable for photography books
I have lots of technical ebooks that i use for reference i also have a safari booksonline and abooks 24/7 subscription
as well as some fiction books mainly Robert Ludlum's

Have you found it to be what you wanted?

Couldn't say still haven't gotten it. but for my primary purpose which is reading I doubt it would that much different than reading books on my iphone.
although due to the screen size my reading speed would be diminish
 
I sold my 13" MacBook to fund the iPad purchase. It was a good buy for my needs.

I'll be travelling to Korea later this year and the battery life, video watching, email, music and lastly using iPhone apps sold me. Seeing the additional free update for AirVideo and LogMeIn to use the larger screens made it even more worth it for my uses. Under 2 pounds.

If I need the additional functionality, its not while I'm out and about. For CD/DVD burning and video editing, programming I can do that on my desktop. And in a pinch I could do the programming or access my desktop remotely via the wifi and logmein.

I find I'm using the iPad for all the same uses as my MacBook was used for in the day-to-day use. Combining the iPhone and apps with a smaller form factor and larger battery put me over the top.
 
The same thing that sold me about the iPhone which is Safari. I didn't plan on getting one but when I tried it out at the Apple store I loved it! Not to mention the battery life. I spend a lot of time where no internet is available so just having it to browse the web without having to carry a laptop with me is great. Netflix over 3G is good quality too! Makes things so much more convenient for me. I am very happy with my purchase.
 
I owned an iMac and an iPhone prior to my wireless iPad. I had been considering getting a Kindle for some time, but the lack of color support was a huge drawback for me. Then I started writing a book about six months after buying a desktop, and my primary hobbies became writing, reading, and photography. Tough to indulge in those when I needed to keep an eye on the kids outside. Deciding to purchase the iPad came down to two things: being able to read books on it and being able to write and edit my own writing on it.

Everything else is a complete bonus for us. We also got rid of our cable tv in the meantime, and have never had a tv in our bedroom. We can now stream Netflix in our bedroom.

So I get everything I needed, with a device that I can curl up with like a book, something I absolutely could not do with a folding laptop.
 
What sold you to get your iPad?

It's a bigger ipod touch.

Seriously, ever since I got my first ipod touch nearly three years ago, I've wanted one with a bigger screen. Almost anything that you do with the touch can be done so much easier and comfortably with a bigger screen. And Apple exceeded my expectations by making the ipad screen so much more vibrant and responsive than the touch! Only thing I find frustrating is the clunky file management system. I really hope Apple gets this right soon, because then the iPad would be a true productivity device, as well as a superb mobile entertainment platform.
 
When I use my Ipad I think this is the future, the same way that I felt when I got my first Ipod (1st gen). While the Ipad is not perfect, in the future it will come closer. I love every second I am using the Ipad.

Steve
 
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