02-16-2010, 11:31 AM

Hello!

Just wanted to share some thoughts with the forum community regarding the iPad.

Let me start by saying I am a Mac convert. Over recent times I have switched ALL hardware at home to Apple... I love the way they develop, and the hardware they produce fits in with all aspects of the way I use technology perfectly!

With that in mind I have been looking at the iPad! I got very excited in the build up in January. I have never allowed myself to be sucked up by media hype before but it was genuinely exciting! Even to the point where I monitored the keynote through a blogging website. When they announced the iPad I was blown away by it... The device is amazing (or maybe Steve Jobs is just great at presenting).

Since then I have been thinking about how I use my laptop (MBP 15) and am finding that the iPad pretty much caters for everything I use my laptop for! Great! However this leads to a problem I have in justifying the purchase straight away... Without the book store being available is there actually a reason to buy it?

Let me iterate what the problem is for me. I have a laptop and an iPhone, both of which fulfill my needs to a degree. The MBP is a bit larger than I would like for just surfing the web, and on my lap it does get hot, but it is perfectly adequate, and the iPhone is great for contacts and calendar operations. The real reason I would buy an iPad would be for books (and probably games ) but as yet there is no details of a book store in the UK!

Does anyone, in their experience of interacting with Apple, have any idea of when the book store would become available? Are we talking by the release of the device or afterwards, and if so how long afterwards?

Any help is much appreciated...

Cheers

Moxen

02-16-2010, 12:53 PM

It was to my understanding that the iBoookstore would launch along side with the iPad next month, but that the iBooks App would only be available here in the states. I'm sure it will eventually become available in European countries within the next year or possibly sooner.

The reason I think an iPad is worth getting is its ability to combine the key features of a smartphone and a labtop. So, like you said, you have both an iPhone and Macbook Pro, but the Mac is of course too big for some quick travel options, like being on a train. And the iPhone doesn't pack the punch of being anything more than a phone with some applications. I'd definitely recommend waiting to purchase an iPad with your case since you mostly want books, but I'd suggest you buy a Kindle if you want books so badly.

02-16-2010, 01:31 PM

This is a big question to be sure. I'm optimistic about seeing a lot of titles fairly quickly, based on Apple's track record - it didn't take long to populate the App Store, that is for sure.

02-16-2010, 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by moxen

Let me start by saying I am a Mac convert. Over recent times I have switched ALL hardware at home to Apple...

Since then I have been thinking about how I use my laptop (MBP 15) and am finding that the iPad pretty much caters for everything I use my laptop for! Great! However this leads to a problem I have in justifying the purchase straight away... Without the book store being available is there actually a reason to buy it?

Welcome to Mac-Forums.

Firstly you couldn't have switched ALL hardware at home to Apple...since Apple no longer sells Apple branded printers (assuming you use a printer at home).

As far as your 2nd statement...well of course if your current laptop does everything that you will use the iPad for...then you don't NEED the iPad. The iPad (to me) is more about the convenience & experience of using the device...unless it had abilities beyond those of a laptop.

Also if the "iBookStore" is the only reason you're going to get the iPad...who is to say that the iBookStore will only be available for the iPad?

There's absolutely no reason why you couldn't read digital books on any laptop. So why would digital books from the iBookStore not eventually (if not right away) be available for laptop users as well. Apples goal (like any business) is to make money...and alienating laptop users from the iBookStore would just reduce revenue.

2 cents,

- Nick

02-18-2010, 12:44 PM

Originally Posted by moxen

Hello!

... Without the book store being available is there actually a reason to buy it?

This is pretty much the same usage as I plan for my iPad.
We have been told that the iPhone APPs will run on the iPad, I take that to mean Kindle Reader as well. If so, there is no need to buy a Kindle to access the Amazon Kindle books--I currently use it on my iPhone and it works quite well.
Another alternative is Stanza and Calibre--this is to me so far the best combined iPhone APP/Desktop APP match to date. Again, I assume Stanza will run on the iPad as it currently does on the iPhone, if so a whole galaxy of Public Domain and for Purchase ePub books becomes available.

So, I do not see the iBook Store as a neccessity, or even potentially a major asset for books on the iPad unless Stanza and Kindle are crippled or disabled on the iPad.

02-18-2010, 12:57 PM

Originally Posted by Closerframe

It was to my understanding that the iBoookstore would launch along side with the iPad next month, but that the iBooks App would only be available here in the states. I'm sure it will eventually become available in European countries within the next year or possibly sooner.

The reason I think an iPad is worth getting is its ability to combine the key features of a smartphone and a labtop. So, like you said, you have both an iPhone and Macbook Pro, but the Mac is of course too big for some quick travel options, like being on a train. And the iPhone doesn't pack the punch of being anything more than a phone with some applications. I'd definitely recommend waiting to purchase an iPad with your case since you mostly want books, but I'd suggest you buy a Kindle if you want books so badly.

Does the Kindle have an extra monthly fee? If so what carrier? I was waiting for the iPad also but in weighing it against the Kindle the iPad is higher priced and carries an extra monthly fee with AT&T (which I do not want to go to).

02-18-2010, 01:26 PM

Originally Posted by PapaNoHair

Does the Kindle have an extra monthly fee? If so what carrier? I was waiting for the iPad also but in weighing it against the Kindle the iPad is higher priced and carries an extra monthly fee with AT&T (which I do not want to go to).

An iPad is really different from a Kindle. With a Kindle you only read books. With an iPad you do much more. If you only want to read books buy a Kindle but the iPad will offer you much more.

02-18-2010, 01:47 PM

There is no monthly fee with the Kindle. There is no monthly fee with the iPad either unless you want to purchase and pay for 3G service.

We've had a Kindle for over a year now. There has yet to be an occasion to purchase and download a book from anywhere except at home. Now this could be different depending on how much some folks travel. But, if you already have a wireless network set up at home, then there still is no cost to downloading all the content you want without 3G.

Cost - the iPad is $10 more than the Kindle DX, 16 shades of black vs full color and no stupid book light required to read in bed - no choice for me without anything else on the iPad. For most folks, there shouldn't be much need for the 3G. If you do get the 3G version, and want to pay for the service for internet access while out of town on vacation or something, it's $15 per month and no contract. Meaning you could take internet on your travels for $15 and then cancel when you get back home. To me, that's not too bad to alleviate depending on some hotel's wi-fi setup. Or if you're like us and do out of the way B&B's that quite often don't have any internet connection available.

02-18-2010, 02:30 PM

Originally Posted by moxen

Hello!

Just wanted to share some thoughts with the forum community regarding the iPad.

Let me start by saying I am a Mac convert. Over recent times I have switched ALL hardware at home to Apple... I love the way they develop, and the hardware they produce fits in with all aspects of the way I use technology perfectly!

With that in mind I have been looking at the iPad! I got very excited in the build up in January. I have never allowed myself to be sucked up by media hype before but it was genuinely exciting! Even to the point where I monitored the keynote through a blogging website. When they announced the iPad I was blown away by it... The device is amazing (or maybe Steve Jobs is just great at presenting).

Since then I have been thinking about how I use my laptop (MBP 15) and am finding that the iPad pretty much caters for everything I use my laptop for! Great! However this leads to a problem I have in justifying the purchase straight away... Without the book store being available is there actually a reason to buy it?

Let me iterate what the problem is for me. I have a laptop and an iPhone, both of which fulfill my needs to a degree. The MBP is a bit larger than I would like for just surfing the web, and on my lap it does get hot, but it is perfectly adequate, and the iPhone is great for contacts and calendar operations. The real reason I would buy an iPad would be for books (and probably games ) but as yet there is no details of a book store in the UK!

Does anyone, in their experience of interacting with Apple, have any idea of when the book store would become available? Are we talking by the release of the device or afterwards, and if so how long afterwards?

Any help is much appreciated...

Cheers

Moxen

Hi Moxen,

Welcome to the Forum. I personally will be getting an iPad on Day 1 I currently have an iPhone but no Macbook. I had been thinking about getting a MBP for some time. I was interested in the 15 inch version but was hesitant because of the price and weight of the MBP.

When Apple announced the iPad I was very happy. It's really going to do just about everything thing that I needed the MBP for such as web surfing, email, music, videos, and photos. Plus I have a couple of iPhone apps that would work a lot better with extra screen space that the iPad is going to provide.

I'll also be downloading ebooks so that I have some reading material when I travel. I'm also hoping that magazines will jump aboard and provided subscriptions at a lower rather than their print versions. We'll just have to wait and see on that.

I'll be getting the WiFi version only. Wifi is pretty available in my area so I shouldn't have too many problems connecting to the Web when I need to plus I didn't relish the thought of forking out an extra $130 dollars up front plus another $30 to AT&T.

As others have stated the iBook store is supposed to be available when the iPad is released. Not sure how many titles there will be but I'm definitely looking forward to it.

My situation is a little different from yours in that you already have a MBP and I don't so there may not be a big need to go out and buy it unless you really want to use the iBook store versus Amazon's Kindle. When the iPad is released you should go down to your local Apple Store and take a look at it to see if the experience on the iPad is superior than the Kindle and that might be the deciding factor in your decision.

Good luck!!!

02-18-2010, 02:46 PM

Since you mentioned the UK, Jobs mentioned trying to have something in place there by maybe June or July in the Keynote. Probably the U.S. will be the only country with the bookstore available from Day 1.

02-20-2010, 10:25 PM

The book store was one of the reasons I was planning on buying an iPad.

In New Zealand so the Kindle in any shape or form is Not available, now no iBooks available on the iPad either. Just hope it doesn't take too darn long to get sorted.

02-21-2010, 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by torchy

The book store was one of the reasons I was planning on buying an iPad.

In New Zealand so the Kindle in any shape or form is Not available, now no iBooks available on the iPad either. Just hope it doesn't take too darn long to get sorted.

If Stanza works the same as it does on the iPhone you can still purchase and read or downlead free ePub books.

02-21-2010, 12:26 PM

People seem to be stuck on this idea that the current capabilities and apps available for the iPad are completely static and nothing else will ever be made, especially not for the iPad. That's just ridiculous and untrue.

Clearly a lot of developers are very excited about this device and are likely going to make a lot of apps that will leverage the the specs of this device to create value that can't be matched on laptops or phones.

That's what made the iPhone so great. That's what's going to make the iPad great. People just need to open their minds a crack and realize this.

02-21-2010, 07:13 PM

On the subject of iBooks....Does anyone know if books for the Kindle (I am assuming from Amazon) will be compatible with the iPad or only from the iBook store? There are alot of college text books my wife would like "e" versions of which are available on Amazon, so I am wondering if I can use them on the iPad?

02-21-2010, 11:05 PM

Originally Posted by fleurya

People seem to be stuck on this idea that the current capabilities and apps available for the iPad are completely static and nothing else will ever be made, especially not for the iPad. That's just ridiculous and untrue.

I agree totally. What excites me about the ipad is bot what is already there for it now. No no. That I really am looking forward to is what the future has install for the ipad. New apps. Business and other sectors finding new and innovative ways to use the product. New ways this product can link into the other products we have and also how it could further link into our daily lives.