The iPad: A Review/Story!

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I picked up my iPad about 2 weeks ago. When I first got it, I view the iPad as a pure entertainment, media consumption device... Here is what I found within those two weeks and how my views changed slightly.

The first time I picked up my new gadget I was in awe at how well constructed the hardware was. The amazing attention to detail and the simplicity of the hardware. Simply put, this device is beautiful.

Sync'd up with my MacBook and all the Apps, Music, Movies and Photos where on the iPad and it was ready to Rock n' Roll.

The UI elements are exactly like the iPhone, no surprise there. But the extra screen real estate makes it much more of a pleasure to interact with the iPad. I will not bore you withe the usual, oh the screen is beautiful, the interface is great... Everyone has said that already and it all is very true.*

That being said, the iPad came into my daily routine and it enhanced a few things. I wake up in the morning take a shower, and pick up my iPad and check all the news while eating breakfast. No wasting time jumping between websites. The different news Apps are so snappy and fast, no time is wasted in loading a website. BBC, REUTERS, FINANCIAL TIMES, FRANCE24 (if you haven't downloaded their app, do your self a favor and go do so now, you can stream a live feed of the channel for free. As well as watch a 30min delayed feed right in the app.)

I head off to work, I take a long my iPad. Before I used to take my MacBook just in case I wanted to get some personal browsing in as well as keep up with different news sources (frowned upon from the company's laptop since the northeast zone was taken down by a bad virus) the iPad saves me the trouble... Better yet. I work on a big university campus and need to travel between different locations for work (15 min walk) lugging a lot of paper work and manuals, though I always had the option of taking my heavy laptop... No need any more. Zappa all my manuals and documents to DropBox and access them throughout GoodReader on the iPad for offline viewing and I only carry 1.5Ib device compared to my 6Ib underpowered laptop. Did I mention how snappy the iPad is compared to the laptop (Dell running Win XP), with instant on instead of waiting for the laptop to power up, even from a standby it take quite a bit longer.

Another thing... Battery Life, oh good God. I can't seem to kill the Battery in the course of 10 hours. On average it lasts me about 12 hours. That includes playback of music, some gaming and web browsing. Haven't seen a netbook with that much juice no matter what you try to preserve the battery, to get a decent netbook you are talking about 3 hours tops in battery life.*

At home again, after a long day of work. It's just much simpler to pick up the iPad and check Facebook, Twitter, and some other websites. Heck even Veetle works for the iPad now (Veetle , again if you haven't heard of it, go now and check it out). I can just chill on my couch, see what going on in the world before I go to bed. Life is good.*

All in all the all iPad, at least in my daily use, is not a Laptop replacement. It is more like a legendary sidekick that my laptop can't live without. Now my laptops can do the serious work, all my coding and telnetting and downloading, and compiling of new programs, while my iPad streams music, video, or if I am stuck in figuring out a line of code, it comes to the rescue with the Python Documentation (App, $0.99) or some other programming book. Now my computers are free to do the serious work, while my iPad keeps me entertained while doing my work. It's a win win situation.*

Hope I didn't bore you all, I just felt compelled to share this with you.*

By the way,

This was typed on the iPad in the EverNote App and copied to the forums.*

Cheers.*

MMM
 
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Great story/review!
I've only had my iPad for about 28 hrs now so I'm still getting used to it all. I'm interested in why you chose GoodReader over any of the free pdf reader apps. And Dropbox has piqued my curiosity, seeing as I use Google Docs for some things and they don't have an app for the iPad (yet).
 
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I checked out a few reviews for different apps that opened PDF files. GoodReader always came out on top and it had a few extra features.

I like the fact that you can set a local WiFi server and connect to it from within the app and download the files directly to the app. It also supports different file formats, though I haven't put them all to test.

Initially I though the DropBox iPad app. Unfortunately it didn't really do it for me. I couldn't access the documents offline. With GoodReader I can access my DropBox and download the documents I need for offline viewing.

One feature that I like about GoodReader , though it is still in beta, is what they call PDF reflowing where it turns the PDF into a text file where you can copy text strings from the file to paste somewhere else.

It's also much better at opening power point presentations that what the iPad would do natively. It integrates really well with all the other apps that need to open documents, you can just choose to open in GoodReader.

Hope that answers your question.

Cheer,

MMM
 
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Great review.

I really want an iPad, just cant decided on what size and 3G or not.
 
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I was in the same boat, for a while at least.

I decided on the 16GB for the sole reason that I utilize the available cloud storage services available and they are mostly free. Also I stream a lot of music, video and the such. Which saves me tons of space.

I went for the 3G iPad because I travel fairly frequently to the east coast and the mid west. Recently I've been noticing more and more airports charging for the WiFi, and I also hate lugging my laptop with me on those trips. Also I am a big guy so having a laptop to watch a movie or play a game during the long flights across the country is out of the question. The iPad is gonna be perfect for that.

Cheers

MMM
 
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Great review.

I really want an iPad, just cant decided on what size and 3G or not.

If I may, my Good Sir, get the 3G. I was in the same situation, and I bought the WiFi only. I had regrets after an hour. I've ordered a 3G and gonna sell the WiFi only.
 

dtravis7


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Excellent review MinaMACMan!! Thanks for sharing with us at Mac Forums.

After really getting some hands on the other night I really want an iPad now also! :D
 

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Great review MinaMACMan. I have had similar experiences with my iPad. I took mine to school for a couple of weeks before the end of the year. Reactions from the kids and faculty was interesting. ATPM 16.06 - Segments: The iPad Goes to School: Creating a Vast Army of iPad-Carrying Minions?

Since then I have taken it to a home center about an hour from where I live. Between the note taking ability to write lists of what we needed and the driving directions the salespeople we talked to were suitably impressed. They were especially impressed with the hybrid view showing street names and terrain.

The iPad has caused one change in my surfing habits that I only noticed during the NBA playoffs. Twice now I have missed the end of a game. About thirty seconds after I shut down the MacBook I realize I could have checked the score on the web. The Mac Pro media center is on but headless so that's not a good option. In the time it takes to power up the laptop I can check the score on the iPad and be ready to shut that down agin.
 
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Thanks fellas...

Dtravis... That's exactly what happened to me. I wasn't really planning on getting on, then I went to the apple store and played with it and was amazed, I saw all the stuff k can use it for. It really is a great device.

Slydude... I work on a university campus, and the iPad is catching on like a flame in a dry field. Even the book store is taking reservations for it, which is impressive. Also given that I am starting my Master's soon the iPad is gonna be real handy to have.

I am glad that everyone likes my review, I appreciate all the good feedback.


MMM
 
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Nice review. It's good that you mentioned the iPad is not a laptop replacement. I still don't understand why someone people can't understand that and still criticizes the iPad for not having the abilities of a PC tablet. Tablets have already been invented and the lack of popularity they had just shows that it seems most people don't really want a tablet.

As your review shows there are people like yourself who wants this new category of device that falls between the iPod Touch/iPhone and laptop. I actually don't want an iPad myself as of right now but I perfectly understand why others want it. Your review shows that the iPad isn't just some gimmicky fad but rather it actually fills a useful need.
 
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I mean, I view the iPad as a luxury after all. I don't need it by any means. But I wanted it :D

That being said, it integrated really well with my general needs and it met the expectations I've set for it when I got it.

In all honesty some people will view it as a laptop replacement. If you only use your laptop as portal to the Internet, email, social networking then yes by all means the iPad will fulfill that and then some. But for me personally and all the folks out there that do some heavy computing, the laptop is still king.

The best thing would be to say the iPad is a net book replacement. It fulfills everything I wanted on the go. Gives me quick access to the Internet. It's a device of convineince and it does it's role well.

MMM
 
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I mean, I view the iPad as a luxury after all. I don't need it by any means. But I wanted it :D
That's pretty much I was trying to say. For example, nobody needs a gaming console. It is a luxury item that gets used for a specific reason but the key point is that serves a useful function. I see the iPad fulfilling a specific niche too.

In all honesty some people will view it as a laptop replacement. If you only use your laptop as portal to the Internet, email, social networking then yes by all means the iPad will fulfill that and then some. But for me personally and all the folks out there that do some heavy computing, the laptop is still king.
I agree if a person's laptop uses are as simple as you said then it can be a laptop replacement. Some people really don't need a traditional computer if they are just surfing the internet and checking emails. A laptop is actually overkill for their needs. We have progressed to a point where more average users are using computers for everyday activities rather than just for work. The iPad fits very well as a dedicated digital media consumption device to fill this need.

What I was saying is that some people were criticizing the iPad for not having the full capabilities of a laptop meaning it can't perform more of the heavy work related tasks. This was not the intention of the iPad.

The best thing would be to say the iPad is a net book replacement. It fulfills everything I wanted on the go. Gives me quick access to the Internet. It's a device of convineince and it does it's role well.
Well what I like about the iPad is that is that you don't really have to place it down somewhere to really use it. Even a netbook is rather clumsy to hold with one hand standing up while using it. A netbook is light which makes it really portable but all laptops really should be used on some type of surface. It's not like the iPad/iPhone in that you can use while walking or in other less than ideal working areas.
 

RavingMac

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Good review!
Can't imagine giving up my iPad now . . . Having been thoroughly spoiled by it. :)

I agree that it's not a laptop replacement. On the other hand my MBP sees a whole lot less use than before.
 
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Good review!
Can't imagine giving up my iPad now . . . Having been thoroughly spoiled by it. :)

I agree that it's not a laptop replacement. On the other hand my MBP sees a whole lot less use than before.

I wholeheartedly agree with ya there. Now that I have the iPad and put it to so many good use in both my professional and my personal lives I can't see a reason to let it go.
 

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