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| Here I am with my new iPad. |
I caved. I purchased an iPad. When the iPad first came out in the spring, I didn’t envision myself buying one in the future. While I knew the iPad had some sort of value, I didn’t quite know how it would fit into my life. I have BigMommaMac (iMac), iPod, iPhone, and a very old passed down iBook. So I was set in terms of available technology. That was until the very old iBook started to really show its age by being unable to connect to Wi-Fi and today’s intensely active websites were causing it to crash. I hadn’t realized how much I depended on that old iBook to read RSS feeds, research topics, and write all of which I mostly did at night in bed. A new laptop was out of question budget-wise and frankly I didn’t really need a laptop for what I was doing. The iPad had to be functional and fun, but mostly functional for me. It had to allow me to be productive which meant being able to check email, interact via Twitter/Facebook/LinkenIn, Internet research, write, and post to my blog. With productivity applications, all that was made possible. In fact, this blog post has been written on my iPad.
With all that said above, let me share with you my first 48 hours with the iPad…
Pros:
– Ease of use. It is pretty much plug and play. I’m an avid Apple user so most of this is second nature now, but I think most will not have any troubles using. I think the iPad is easy for people with mobility issues to use.
– Use of Key Broad. I was concerned it would be hard to use since I’m a pretty fast typists. Can I reach my top typing speed? Not yet, but I’m pretty quick. Would I use this to type a novel in one go? Most likely not, but sure I could write a short story or blog post. I may have an advantage because I have dainty hands so they fit the key broad.
– Size. It is light and compact even with a case, which I highly recommend getting one. It is fits in bags I already own. That’s a big plus because I don’t really fancy computer bags.
– Screen. The quality is amazing. Crisp and clear. It is odd going back to the iPhone to look at something.
– Applications. There are a lot of cool apps. The kid apps are wonderful and engaging. The NPR and BBC apps are great running circles around their iPhone versions. I can stream NetFlix if I have a Wi-Fi connection (I didn’t get a 3G one because I already give AT&T plenty every month and where I live AT&T service is spotty at best as well as running only the Edge network.)
Cons:
– OS. The current OS doesn’t allow switching back and forth between applications like the new iOS. I’m sure that’s in the works.
– Applications. The productivity applications are limited in my mind and pricier than your typical apps for your iPhone. I have Doc2 HD for word processing. So far it is good though lacking spell check. Keynote, the presentation app, opened a PowerPoint document without issue, but I’ve yet to edit or create in it. Dropbox is excellent for file sharing. The free social networking apps are weak. Tweetdeck is OK lacking the functionality as the desktop version allowing posting to Twitter/Facebook/LinkenIn. I’m logging into Facebook and LinkedIn via Safari. I’m disappointed in the NY Times app; they haven’t optimized it for the iPad.
– Availability. I went to the Apple Store looking to purchase the base model. They were sold out. I got the last 32GB model in the store so I ended up spending more money than I had planned.
All and all I think this was a good purchase. I plan on being very productive and having lots of fun with it.
UPDATE: The iPad version of Safari does not support the compose function. So you can’t insert photos, change fonts… so this is being uploaded on BigMommaMac.
