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Why in the world would you surf on the iPad?

P

powpow

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 19, 2004
98
0
unless you were out and about and had to by necessity? I get the general sense that new iPad users are surfing on their iPads as opposed to their desktop computers, even at home...???

This must just be new toy glow that hasn't worn off yet. Seriously, on your real computer you have tabs and flash, not to mention tons of extensions one click away on your browser toolbar (Twitter, Gmail and Google reader, among tons of others). On your iPad you have to close out and open a new app for each one. So antiquated.

I'm not flaming as I'm a proud MacBook/iPhone owner and I have interest in the iPad as an app/reader toy.

That said, iPad surfing leaves much to be desired.
 
Actually, surfing on the iPhone is great, just too small. So my iPad (on order) will be a dream.

Besides, after a few minutes surfing on the couch, my MacPro and Cinema Display, while on my lap, cut off circulation to my legs.
 
Wrong forum.

But anyway you need to use one to know. It's fast and light and seems to never run out of battery. Maybe it's because I'm used to a pc but everything just works like it should making it not just a link to the net but fun. It's almost intuitive.

I'm sold.
 
powpow said:
unless you were out and about and had to by necessity? I get the general sense that new iPad users are surfing on their iPads as opposed to their desktop computers, even at home...??? .
Click to expand...

My desktop is in my den with my 21" TV. If I had an iPad it would get HEAVY usuage in my living room where the 55" HD TV is.

Watching movies I love to read up on them on IMDB.com. Same for deciding which movie to watch when I see it listed on the guide channel. I'd use it when watching sports, especially if they have have flash on it or the networks start to include iPad/iPhone compatible video.

There are many other reasons to use it to surf when not in your PC's room. Use it in bed, in your kitchen/dining room at certain times, out on the back porch, or in the yard to read an ebook under a shade tree etc etc.

need I go on?
 
Simple as this. Portability.

Unless I'm doing work: photoshop, dreamweaver, Reason, or video etc.. I don't need to be at a computer so I'm not.

Leisure surfing on the computer when you have an iPad makes no sense unless like not I'm doing work which gives me a NEED to be at the computer.
 
My desktop is for heavy tasking primarily. When i am lounging in my home, i want to do it on my couch wih my feet up. Yes, this can be done with a laptop, but i don't have one of those. The iPad is perfect for around the house.
 
I actually prefer the experience of surfing on my iPhone to my PC, it's just a bit too tiny. iPad seems just about perfect.

Wish I could afford one.
 
powpow said:
unless you were out and about and had to by necessity? I get the general sense that new iPad users are surfing on their iPads as opposed to their desktop computers, even at home...???

This must just be new toy glow that hasn't worn off yet. Seriously, on your real computer you have tabs and flash, not to mention tons of extensions one click away on your browser toolbar (Twitter, Gmail and Google reader, among tons of others). On your iPad you have to close out and open a new app for each one. So antiquated.

I'm not flaming as I'm a proud MacBook/iPhone owner and I have interest in the iPad as an app/reader toy.

That said, iPad surfing leaves much to be desired.
Click to expand...

Well. Mobile Safari does have tabs. No Flash is not a big deal for me 99% of the websites I go to either don't use it or have a Flash-less version. Actually, I consider no Flash to be a feature. For YouTube, there's the native app which is great - and a LOT faster and cleaner than the website (no ads either).

Twitter.com (the full website not the mobile version) looks great on the bigger iPad screen. Gmail has a great layout now specifically for the iPad...but I use the native mail app anyway.

Browsing is just much more comfortable than even my 15-inch MBP. And the iPad is going to really shine with 4.0, because (imo) 3.2 was made simply to get the iPad shipping without having to wait until June/July. We haven't seen all the iPad can do yet.

phototz.jpg
 
I think thats the main reason I want one, laying on bed before I go to sleep and casually surfing the net. During the day I could look up a recipe and lay it on the bench. Its just about convience and that is what you get.
 
I don't have one, but the reason I'm looking at getting one is "comfort." Seriously, is sitting at a desk the most comfortable position to do a lot of things?

Most people want to lounge to do casual reading. With iBooks as the big new app and the availablity of a Kindle app, a lot of the allure is for ebooks. That's one of my allures. I like the portability of books on my iPhone, but I also like the real estate I have to read on my 20" desktop monitor from the Kindle app for Mac. An iPad would give me the best of both worlds. For textbooks, it's about a much lighter device and the ability to hold all of your books in one small device.

As for Web, news sites are one tout of the iPad. The iPad seems to give you a much closer representation of a newspaper or magazine than a monitor because you can hold it and decide which way to read it, landscape or portrait.

Yes, the desktop situation has its advantages. But the iPad sounds like it fills a need that people may not have known they had before with its extreme portability. I also think multitasking will be addressed soon -- Thursday.
 
I went to best buy the other day and messed around with the iPad and I have to say, it's really fast. Everything loads instantly and as soon as a touch the screen it registers. There was one thing that annoyed me; however, over time I'm sure it will subside: the onscreen keyboard. It was really difficult for me to get my fingers on the keyboard and i would accidentally press buttons. Does this happen for other people as well?
 
why in the world wouldn't you?

If the browsing is anything like the iPhone then i'd use it all the time for websites. The fact it doesn't use flash is a bonus and sooner flash is killed off the better!

You don't have to try and justify a reason not to buy it though ;)
 
Extrapolating from my iPhone surfing experiences, casual surfing should be great on the iPad for me.

Sure, using the on-screen keyboard will probably be a bit of a hassle, but I don't have to type all that often for casual surfing, nor do I feel the need to open up gazillions of tabs like I do when I sit in front of a computer.

As far as Flash go I use ClickToFlash on the computer and only one of the sites I go to actually requires Flash (and they're currently developing an iPhone app). My surfing experience on the computer really improved after installing ClickToFlash.
 
Why in the world would you...

Why in the world would you post this in the wrong forum? This is forum is for App Store. Says so at the top of the page, and when you click on the link to the forum. :confused:
 
It's perfect for when you're watching tv and the commercials are on, you just grab your iPad and start surfing... I would prefer this than a laptop or my iPhone.
 
aluren said:
It's perfect for when you're watching tv and the commercials are on, you just grab your iPad and start surfing... I would prefer this than a laptop or my iPhone.
Click to expand...

Problem is that I tried watching the same show on my DVR the last three nights only to be completely distracted by the iPad! I'd pick it up to "check something real quick"... Two hours later. :)
 
Sleazy E said:
Until you own one you probably will never fully understand it ;)
Click to expand...

Have to agree. I used to read books and magazines in bed until falling asleep... now I lie cozy in my bed with the covers pulled up and the iPad resting comfortably on my belly, surfing the web, reading iBooks, watching TV shows... the iPad satisfies and delivers media pleasure in ways that a laptop can not. You can not hold or balance a big clunky laptop like you can the iPad, and the display looks really good..
 
It's a lot harder to drag your iMac into bed late at night when you want to relax as it is an iPad.
 
sorry but surfing without adblock? yah i don't think so. i don't know how some of you still have such antiquated browsing methods but yeesh. i just used my friends ipad and i definitely felt like i was back on the internet of 5-10 years ago when ads/banners were everywhere.
 
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