Do you own an iPad? Tell us why
A lot has been said and written about the ‘magical and revolutionary’ (Apple’s words not ours) iPad. It has sold millions, but why?
If you own an iPad tell us why you bought it and what you love about it. Conversely, if you own an iPad and think it’s a waste of time and money tell us why? We look forward to your comments.
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I am a gadget collector. In my draw right now I have a Samsung Q1, Open Pandora Handheld, Psi)(pda and a Sharp PC-Z1 Netwalker. Would I say the iPad beats the other devices at gaming? No, the Open Pandora out shuns any other handheld device for gaming. Would I choose the iPad for work? No, the Psi)(pda is fantastic for working on.
However, in typical apple function, the iPad just ‘works’ out of the box. Usability wise, the iPad is fantastic – you know exactly how to use it and it is genuinely a fantastic made product. Overall, I’d say that if you didn’t see the iPad and think “I want\need one of those!”, you won’t change your mind.
My excuse for buying the iPad was to use iThoughts mind mapping software which I had used on the iPhone to good effect when conducting audits.
However since I got my iPad the iPhone hardly gets a look in apart from use as a phone. The browsing experience is amazing and the speed over 3G is unbelievable, on many occasions and quite surprisingly better than over wifi.
The freedom that comes with being able to access full websites anywhere is phenomenal. This week I’ve got a hire car with instruments in the middle and a very handy groove behind the steering wheel in which the iPad fits, thus providing an amazingly huge satnav device when coupled with Google maps, if you’re in the market for a new car and have an iPad get a Renault Modus!
Watching live tv via tvcatchup.com is excellent over 3G, so good for in car tv providing you are stationary of course.
For a real wow factor download iFishpond this is a virtual fishpond app in which you can drag your fingers through the water, you simply cannot believe how realistic this is until you try it for yourself.
yes….I design and develop a series of educational apps for kids. Buying the iPad was more of a reflex, but after having it only 1 day it was an amazing experience. Changes the mobile device experience completely….and will change the way we live.
John Popadiuk
nanoschoolkids.com
Chicago, USA
John Markey, if you had an iPad, it woud eliminate those devices and you’d only need 1 device instead of 2/3+. Also, the iPad has the fantastic App Store with tons of apps and is much better than any handheld device i have ever seen. The pandora looks a bit old fashioned and stuff, and the psiXpda runs windows, meaning that if it has low specs it is slow etc.
I purchased the iPad from a utility standpoint having a more comfortable device to read web pages, books, news, magazines, watch video on especially in situations where pulling out a full laptop or net book would be difficult or uncomfortable.
I use the iPad for a large number of things ranging from wire-framing designs for work, even doing some work with remote desktop tools, coding directly on the ipad, to reading books, magazines(would love to see an iPad version of Webdesignermag), watching videos. Answering emails having reference docs easily available without having to take up screen space on my dual monitor setup which is usually full. When waking up in the morning first thing i do is grab my ipad, prop my back up against the pillows and headboard and read my emails flag the important ones, skim over the news. I usually plug it back in and use it to control my audio in the house get my music playing and I also use it for home automation handling lights and other devices. The iPad makes this all easily available in a very cheap tablet thats comfortable to use. I do some mac/iphone/ipad development as well so its of course handy in that regard as well.
Could you do this stuff on other tablets? More then likely. However Apple presents it’s device with familiar Mac flare, strong usability, and a great price point.
Is it magical and revolutionary? From a technical standpoint no we’ve seen similar devices in the past just not on this scale.
From a marketing standpoint and bringing tablet accessibility to the masses and creating a much stronger market for tablet computing it absolutely is magical and revolutionary in that regard. All other prior devices released by countless other vendors have yet to create the appeal or buzz the iPad has or be on a similar price point which earlier tablets on the market were easily twice as much. It has strengthened demand for similar competing devices giving the tablet pc/computing market a much needed rebirth into the mainstream.
Hola, pues bien, me llamo Neftali Isai y soy Web Developer en México, creo que el ser uno de los pocos afortunados de tener en Mexico un iPad me abrira las oportunidades de desarrollar applicaciones y paginas web para este sorprendente dispositivo.
Crear paginas web es lo que mas me apasiona, aunque el codigo lo manejo bien (MVC-Patters-AgileOptimization-SEO) aun me falta en la parte de la creatividad, el tener un iPad sera algo muy comodo de llevar a todos lados y poder leer mis ebooks de Web Design y de Javascript, Rails, Django… XCode, Cocoa, WOW todavia no lo tengo y creo que ya pienso como explotar al maximo el iPad, creando WebApps en Mexico que vayan siendo genericas que se adapten a mi viejo server Windows, mi cel o el iPad ya tendre como crear mas codigo y como probarlo en distintos dispositivos, la siguiente parada, independizarme (Freelancer).
Why I own iPad? It’s simple – reading. Finally I can read all articles, ebooks, pdf mags, I can even read Twitter & Facebook now thanks to Flipboard app. All in one handy device with good size and quality display so my eyes won’t bleed after few hours.
Brandon Fields, you definately have a way with words! Exactly the point I was trying to make in my original post; it’s not what the iPad does that makes it so amazing to use, it’s how it does it. I’m sure you can do the morning routine quicker on the iPad than any other tablet about.
Tom – I do have (and love) an iPad, and I was certainly not saying I am not happy with it. However, as I was trying to explain previously, I would not use my iPad as my primary device (for gaming, working etc). Much like the multiple posts above, I use my iPad for many different things, big or small – But I could not use it for everything.
And lastly, do not knock the Pandora until you try it – It really is a fantastic gaming handheld, sporting some of the best gaming controls i’ve seen on a handheld.
I had one a week after launch in the UK.
At first I wasn’t sure about the iPad, before I recieved it.
Now, I’m completely converted. No need for the pretty rubbish netbooks and no longer a need for a over the top, battery hungry iPhone.
Since using my iPad, I can’t stand using my iPhone for anything other than making phone calls. The screens just too small, the iPad’s screen is a joy to use, its great for watching near hi-def vids, music, reading Web Designer mag (pls, pls add a preview feature for back catalogue), simple games, doing work and web browsing.
I’m a gagdet freak, having owed virtually every gadget made over the last 15 yrs, I can genuinely say that the iPad is biggest surprise to date, its impressed me massively when I initially thought it would pretty average.
I bought an ipad primarily for its sketching capabilities. It saves me from always having to carry around a sketchbook, pencils, pens and markers.
I usually get the best ideas doing random mundane things so having a portable device where I can type, write or sketch my ideas down quickly is very useful. The best thing about it is that I can email those ideas directly to my desktop for further fleshing out. Days where you pull out your sketchbook as reference or scan your pages to use on a desktop are things of the past.
With that being said though, the ipad is still far from being your first choice as a go-to device for the office. Even with having every stylus available for it, the lack of pressure-sensitivity is a big disappointment. Another disappointing thing about the ipad is it’s limited photo gallery app. Currently it does not support sub-folders or categories. During meetings where you’re discussing past campaigns, iterations or layouts, it would be nice to be able to drill down into sub-categories or sub-albums like you’ve got your photos categorized in windows explorer or mac finder. I also still find the best note-taking apps lacking in speed and efficiency.
Aside from all that, I love the fact that I basically carry around a digital portfolio with me wherever I go and can show friends and clients my work with the tap of a button using the slideshow feature. Reading magazines on the ipad with the ability to really zoom in to the photos is great and with mags like web designer, having the tutorial up on your ipad while following along on your desktop is great.
The more I use the ipad, the more I’m drawn towards it and see how it can only improve in the future. While it is still far from replacing your primary devices, it is definitely a step forward.
Having owned my iPad for now nearly 2 months I’ve used it in so many more ways than I originally anticipated. Just prior to it’s launch in January, I was in the market for a netbook. What I’ve discovered is that the iPad can do so many more things thanks to the App store. I use it for work with sign my Pad PDF app, Evernote, pages and Keynote. Every morning i browse the daily newspaper site, all of my banking is done on it, email and design based sites. Takes only 5 seconds to start up and has replaced 90% of all the functions previously done on my iPhone and is presented much richer and interactively than my iPhone 3G.
All in all, the iPad is not a replacement for a desktop or equivalent laptop, but basic browsing, e-reading, email, games and basic work duties are well executeable on it. Does it fail without Flash? No. Does it lack USB ports? Yes, but the Apple camera adapters also allow the use of some other limited USB devices. Does it fail without a webcam? Not for me. Seriously, how many people use these? I would imagine less than the number of people complaining about the lack of presence of one on the unit. It’s a nice to have but not essential for me.
Apple have been able to capture a larger slice of the market via the App store through the engenious abilities of the App developers.
The ensuing 6 – 12 months will present us with version upon version of tablets taken from the iPad, will it be iOS, Windows, Andriod or something different based?
I purchased an iPad to take with me to client meetings. To take notes, show them comps, etc. But I’m finding that it’s really changed my work flow. I now do all my reading on the iPad — sites, emails, twitter, blogs, and rss feeds. It’s highly portable so I get a lot of reading done in transit, while waiting, even in line at the supermarket. And it is great for notes, stray thoughts, sudden brainstorming sessions, and the odd site fix with Gusto.
Clients have fun using the web browser to look at the test site, or what have you. Their face actually lights up. Late at night I can get caught up on twitter and not wake my wife who is sleeping right next to me.
Now when I sit down at my desk, I get several hours of solid work down because there is no email in the background, no open twitter app, no open browser for anything except when I’m coding stylesheets. Putting all that distract and clutter onto the iPad was the best decision I’ve made in a long time.
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