iPad 2 - Is it just a fat iTouch?

[Myrm]

Hi

I currently have an iPhone 4 and a MacBook Pro (2011 edition). I am also considering getting an iPad 2, but I am wondering if it would just be a waster of money considering I already have the other two aforementioned products.

So, I would like to ask for your advice/opinions please on the following:

Is it really worth getting?
Isn't the iPad just a fat iTouch?
What are the Pros and Cons of an iPad?

Thank you

 

[chas_m]

This has been discussed approximately 8,335 times since the iPad came out; do a search.

The short version: no, it's not just a big iPod Touch. The larger screen size in proportion to your finger *changes the entire dynamic,* as well as other factors. Ask ANY iOS developer.

As to whether it's really worth getting, we can't answer that for you. I own all that stuff too (well my MB is older than yours but I have all three items) and for me the iPad was worth getting.

As for "what are the pros and cons" -- there aren't any "cons" that I've found so far. The "pros" for me include: not having to take the MB on vacation, being able to read in bed or game on the couch, bigger graphics that are easier on my tired eyes at the end of the day, and gaming is more fun on the iPad (iPhone 4, though incredibly lovely to look at, is just too small for reading or gaming). For me, the iPad has become "the leisure and vacation computer." YMMV.

 

[robduckyworth]

cons:

still dependent on a PC/Mac for data syncing
not powerful enough for tasks such as video encoding etc
no retina screen
no real data management (as in, there is no equivalent to Finder on iOS)

pros

its a tablet
its way better than any Android tablet you could buy

 

[chas_m]

Your first point (still dependent on Mac/PC for data syncing) isn't really a "con" IMO, but nevertheless it will be moot as early as next month maybe (whenever iOS 5 comes out).

I'd also say "no real data management" is also not a con, in fact it's rather a big PRO in my opinion. You're thinking of the iPad from a "nerd" point of view, not a normal person's POV.

 

[Myrm]

Thanks for the replies so far.

 

[robduckyworth]

Your first point (still dependent on Mac/PC for data syncing) isn't really a "con" IMO, but nevertheless it will be moot as early as next month maybe (whenever iOS 5 comes out).

it is a con, because some people want to replace their laptops with these things, and they are unable to because it is dependent (for now) on a PC/Mac for syncing and maintenance.

also, another big con is that there is no connectivity options beside the prorietary Apple USB connector.

I'd also say "no real data management" is also not a con, in fact it's rather a big PRO in my opinion. You're thinking of the iPad from a "nerd" point of view, not a normal person's POV.

Fair enough, but completely dumbing down an operating system to the point where you cant access your own files? Why is it I have to jailbreak to access those features? how many people do you think are "not normal", like me, that use these devices?

 

[chas_m]

File management is a task that only a nerd or an accountant could love. MOST PEOPLE use a computer to do roughly six things: Facebook, e-mail, web surf, (casual) games, IM, look at photos/videos. That's more or less it, maybe some MS Office if they are at work.

You can actually do all of this in just a web browser if you really wanted to (a huge number of people do exactly that). Who needs file management? Who even needs backups (other than the cloud) in that scenario?

The iPad is not a machine for file management, because it's not a replacement for a computer. It is, however, almost exactly the AMOUNT of computer most non-nerds actually need (outside of their "work" computer if they have one). It's not "dumbed down" at all: it's streamlined for normal-people use.

To put this another way: a motorcycle is not a "dumbed down" car. It doesn't do everything a car can do, but it does EXACTLY enough of what its owners want from it.

 

[BrianLachoreVPI]

Ugh - what a terrible analogy. I'd have to agree with Rob - the iPad definitely needs to improve its file management methodology. You don't need to be a nerd to want to organize files the way you want to organize files. Hopefully that will be improving soon and definitely iCloud will be a great addition across all Mac products, not just the iPad.

Yes - it is basically a large iTouch - but the iTouch is too small. The larger screen absolutely makes it much more usable and something you can integrate into your daily workflow if you really want to.

I don't think the fact that it's not powerful enough for video encoding is much of a con - afterall - as Chas does accurately point out - it's not intended as a PC replacement.

I have both an MBP and an iPad. My iPad travels with me everywhere I go, however, I must disclose that I do not have an iPhone, although I do have an iTouch, which now stays in my car as just a music player. The larger screen makes a huge difference in usability and fits nicely in the gap between PC and smartphone as a portable every day tool/toy.

 

[Discerptor]

Yes, it is a fat iTouch. Whether that's a good or bad thing depends on you. Try one out at an Apple Store extensively and decide whether it's something you'd actually use enough to justify the price tag. You seem to have your bases covered by having both an iPhone and a MacBook Pro, so you may find it superfluous. That said, I know people who manage to find uses for all three, so you might not.

 

[Oneironaut]

I wonder why people have this idea that a tablet should be a replacement for a real computer. Tablets aren't meant to take the place of computers so it's unrealistic to expect it to run like one. It's like expecting a bicycle to do what a motorcycle can do just because they're both two-wheeled forms of transportation.

 

[Discerptor]

I wonder why people have this idea that a tablet should be a replacement for a real computer. Tablets aren't meant to take the place of computers so it's unrealistic to expect it to run like one. It's like expecting a bicycle to do what a motorcycle can do just because they're both two-wheeled forms of transportation.

Before the iPad, the understood definition of a tablet was a full-featured notebook computer running a desktop OS that happened to use a touchscreen that could swivel to close back over the keyboard, enabling the device to be used as... well... a tablet. A great number of people anticipating an "Apple tablet" in the years preceding the iPad's release were actually dismally disappointed when it was announced because of it turning out to be a large iPod Touch. All this said, expecting file navigation is nowhere near asking for full computer functionality; Android and WebOS both support it, for example.

 

[mtbinva]

This is such a subjective question. I have a lot of Tech manuals, so many that I actively use that I had stacks of books with stickie note tabs all over the place. It made sense for me to get the iPad for that reason alone. Did I ABSOLUTELY need it no. Does it help with the books, yes. Did it replace my MBP, no. Do I use it a lot, yes.

 

[osxx]

There were tablets with a full OS but they were heavy and did not captivate sales.
Axiotron : Modbook Pro