iPad – great or not so great?

I don't like to hold devices for extended periods. Checking facebook on my phone is a 2 min task, and then I put the phone away. If i want to spend longer, I'd prefer to sit at a desk with my laptop.

I don't like the 'walled garden' of the iPad. I like mac OS because it's fairly open – apple don't control what apps you can put on it.

Although, if I had a desktop machine, the iPad would be a perfect portable solution, i think. For me though, my macbook is convenient enough for me to carry around and also robust enough to work on.

Maybe i'm living in a world five years behind everyone else, but I prefer to do my computing on a laptop. If the iPad was cheaper I would be more tempted.

as a mac user, i honesty and wholeheartedly think the ipad is a waist of time. if you have an iphone and/or a macbook, whats the point? srsly.
so basically i vote “no”.
it's not that i have anything against it, it really is a cool item, but it really isn't necessary.
however, if the ipad is your gateway to no longer being a PC user, go for it.

Nice to see you back here at the blog, Vicky! Missed you for a little while there while you were so busy with the launch of Eternity Invades. And congrats on releasing such a great album that's done very well for itself!

That article on the iPad is a great summary of the device! Love how you say that you don't have one… “yet.”

Mark Collins makes some great points about apps. As for my thoughts on the iPad though, I feel a little more like Linz/RawkAlways, it seems like a $500 toy. Outside of a backlit display for viewing PDF chord sheets on stage with, I haven't heard a compelling use case other than, “it's fun.” Talking with friends who have one, that seems to be the main thing they say. No question Apple makes a pretty cool product. For me, I'm entirely content with my 13.3” MacBook Pro. It's small and gorgeously designed while also being completely functional, and though I wouldn't mind it being a little faster at times when I'm crunching through a large directory of pics from a recent day's shooting, that's nothing that an iPad would solve.

Let's play devil's advocate for a minute though. Even if you figure an iPad is more of a frill than a need, if you think you'd really enjoy it why not go for it? What's the total cost of ownership? If you enjoy it for a year but use it less than you thought you might and decide to sell it, you could probably get $400 for it. So you paid about $8 a month for your fun. Practically nothing. And though you are wanting to be more productive rather than less, the truth is that everybody needs some down time too…

As for online friendships, I've really enjoyed a number of those. And a lot of my online friends eventually turn into non-cyber friends too. But the ones that stay cyber are great as well. And some face friends eventually turn cyber as we spread out around the world. Thank God for technology!

We-e-e-e-ll…

My iMac's currently dead. That's *hopefully* repairable dead, but if it's not repairable then I'd certainly *consider* an iPad as a replacement. If it ran Garageband, that would make it pretty much a done deal. But it doesn't. So…

Is that iMovie – second row on the left? Can't be, but I can't think what else that logo would be… *checks; nope, it's just the “Videos” icon*

All things considered, I think I'd be more inclined to go for a MacBook. I'm not convinced that there's much I'd get out of the iPad that I don't already get out of my iPhone.

I agree with John… I've had mine for a couple of weeks and used it for the first time in worship last Sunday. WOW! It was great! No more fumbling around with charts, or caring about the next color wash in purple coming from one of those 1000 watt “search” lights.

I've been a computer user since 1983. I'm actually jealous of some Apple products but I don't like the contracts or user agreements that come with products.

I've read ipad teardown reviews which is where someone takes the ipad apart and talks about it. A lot of the parts are epoxied in place making it rugged but it also causes difficulties if only one of the parts goes bad but you can replace the batteries. Epoxied parts means that it isn't really upgradable like a desktop and I believe it isn't powerful as a notebook. It makes it almost impossible to fix.

I had a computer last me ten years. If all you do is word processing then going out every three years to spend a couple hundred on a new computer is a waste of money. Another question is, “How much computer is enough?” If you need a computer to run the latest web application then you will be constantly spending your money but if a technology is built to last and has an operating system that is efficient then it could last you ten years.

How many people would be safe in this economy if they saved a thousand dollars? How many in this country would be able to start a business if they saved a thousand dollars? When you spend, you don't have. My elders remember the Great Depression when people didn't have and with the price of oil (petrol) being unstable, the lack of jobs and inflation, it is important to save because you get old quick and mortages tend to need to get paid off quicker or else you won't have enough for retirement, kid's college, grandkids, etc.

I lost my cell phone and my normal reaction is to be concerned because it has my personal information in it. I later found it. It fell off my belt and was run over by a car. It was rendered useless.

Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Matthew 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: