I currently have a laptop, and that is my only computer. I am considering buying an iPad. I am not “computer savvy”, but are they fairly easy to use? Several of the stores in my local mall that sell them offer classes to learn how to use them, but was wondering if you folks think they are fairly easy to use. Also, I read somewhere that people are not buying laptops as much anymore, as iPads are becoming very popular. Besides being much lighter, what are the advantages of iPads vs. laptops?
First of all, I reported the thread so it can be moved to In My Humble Opinion, our forum for those seeking advice. Second, what do you need the iPad or laptop for? In my experience, an iPad is best for viewing photos, videos (TV shows, movies, etc), playing games, reading websites, articles and books, etc. It’s not ideal for word processing or using a spreadsheet. In other words, use the laptop to create content and use the iPad to consume content.
If what you need to do is surf the web, check email, play games and take pictures and iPad is the way to go. If you need to actually work Excel worksheets or Powerpoint presentations you could do it on an iPad but would most likely be limited in what you could do; that’s when a laptop is nice to have.
I use a laptop for work and rarely if ever use my PC at home anymore since I got a tablet (not an iPad).
They fit more into my wife’s non-computer user lifestyle of “I want to do <insert task> right now without waiting for anything to boot or worrying about the popup telling me my virus definitions are out of date”
She loves it. She does one thing at a time, which is the way the iPad wants things done. Open Facebook, catch up for awhile… Open email and send a couple of notes… Surf a little… Watch Netflix or Amazon Prime videos.
I also sent one to my mom, another non-computer person, and she is happy.
Don’t get rid of your laptop, so you have something to use when you need to print a document (possible but tricky with an iPad) or some other laptop activity such as spreadsheets.
Functionally, there aren’t any advantages. Think about it this way - would you replace your laptop with an iPhone? Would you want to do everything you’re doing now on one? The iPad is a larger, more comfortable to use, iPhone, but it’s got all the same shortcomings.
People that see it as a viable replacement for a “real” computer typically weren’t doing much on their computers - mostly stuff that could be done with a web browser and Flash. I say this as someone that’s rarely without his iPad - it’s great for reading books, watching video, getting directions with Maps, and various other content browsing. But when I need to create content, like a Word document with lots of formatting, complicated spreadsheets, and other stuff I used to close my browser and load full-blown software to do, I still do on my laptop with full-blown software.
Your main question is about ease of use, and they’re easy to use. There are a few little quirks that you need to learn about but mostly they’re fairly intuitive. I wouldn’t pay money for a class unless you are very challenged by technology. There is an online manual available (maybe PDF file, I can’t remember) and plenty of other online resources.
I have had an iPad for about a year and agree with most of the opinions above. Good for consuming, not effective for hardcore office work. There are programs that will allow you to edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files but they do not support all the original features and to me they are useless except for just reading. The iPad did not replace my laptop, just extends it.
The portability can’t be beat, very convenient to use on an airplane, more discrete to take to anyplace where you don’t want to haul a laptop around like a coffee shop or to do something while you’re waiting for your turn at the barber shop.
A case is a must. You might also like to have a keyboard; I have one but I don’t use it nearly as much as I thought I would.
There are some advantages for functionality, contrary to some of the above opinions. There are apps available for an iPad that either aren’t available for a PC, aren’t suitable for a PC, or are much more expensive for a PC. I have a musician’s app that cost about $15 that you can load with chord changes for songs and it plays the rhythm section parts for the song. Great practice tool. There are apps that are designed for touchscreen use, like drawing/painting apps, which work a lot better on a touchscreen than if you tried to use a mouse.
Because it has no USB port or optical drive, you pretty much have to do data transfer of any kind over a WiFi connection or the optional 3G connection. The 3G requires a data plan with a wireless carrier, and I didn’t want to bother with the extra expense. There is WiFi most places I would use it, and I have a hotspot on my phone for everywhere else.
My wife has one. She lives in the Apple world. I don’t.
I believe (and she’s beginning to agree with me) that a MacBook Air would be better for her. A real computer that’s nearly as portable as the iPad. But that’s her – she does want to do word processing and stuff on the go.
Consider an Android tablet. Just as many useful apps, but more buying options, generally better prices, more customizable, and doesn’t come with the Apple cult baggage.
Likewise, my work laptop (Windows) is my only computer. 2 years ago I got an iPad and absolutely love it. I am not a techie, and I am not a gadget guy. I’m a pretty simple guy. I took the Apple Store’s intro classes and that helped a lot. It’s very intuitive, and once you understand the user interface (again, their classes), it quickly becomes natural.
I agree with most comments in this thread. One thing not mentioned that is really great is the maps. With 3G, while driving around, I see exactly where I am. Zooming in / out, while driving around any new places, it helps me to go “exploring” and poke around and just follow my nose. Much better than a GPS for doing that. I’ve explored some great places because of the iPad’s maps and its GPS showing my location real-time. If you’re driving to a place where you’re unfamiliar with its parking options, you can use the map satellite view to spot the options.
One key thing for me is this case, Speck Products’s HandyShell. It makes a world of a difference: securely holding with one hand, and multiple viewing angles. While driving I can hold the iPad with one hand, the iPad held at the center of the steering wheel, while quickly glancing at the map as needed. Also, I can (and have) clipped my iPad with a carabiner to a rented scooter’s handlebars while exploring Barcelona, Spain, and viewing the maps real-time with my location shown. I got around easily, and it was my first time there.
The iPad is great. The Speck holder makes it greater.
YMMV. Good luck,
echo7tango
I have that Speck case for my iPad too and it’s great. The handle does come loose and the back cover protecting the screws falls off regularly but the screws are easily tightened and it does make the ipad very easy to use. And well protected.
I’ve had that Speck case for a year now. The small cover protecting the screws did fall off, but the handle hasn’t come loose at all. Not yet, anyway. I’ve been meaning to glue on that small cover.
nothing wrong with the iPad, but the notion that tablets are ready to be people’s primary computing devices is ludicrous. typing on tablets is better than on a phone but is still a pain in the ass. especially when it comes to having to compose/edit text like here or on any other message board. iOS is especially horrid for this; simply trying to place a cursor in a text box is an exercise in frustration. android is only marginally better.
simply put, if you like the iPad then go ahead and get one, but don’t let anyone con you into thinking it can do things it’s not really good at doing.
I don’t even think tablets are all that good for web browsing. I always have many tabs open when browsing, and they’re not good at that. Switching between tabs is fiddly, and the devices seem to run short of memory and consequently have to reload tabs you haven’t viewed in a while.
For viewing one or two web pages at a time, yes they’re OK. More so if the pages are optimised for tablets, i.e. no small clickable areas and what have you.
[ul]
[li]Both iOS and Android are intuitive and easy to use. There are a few “tricks”, but I certainly wouldn’t pay money for any classes. Google is your friend.[/li][li]As mentioned already, tablets are good at consuming content, poor at creating it. Multitasking is also very limited, which I personally find very restricting. [/li][li]While tablets are more portable, how important is this to you? I do most of my computing sitting down behind a desk and I always carry a backpack when moving from one desk to another. I found that 10" tablet does not fit into a backpack any better than 15" laptop. I barely feel those few extra pounds. But 7" tablet is small enough to make a real difference. In summer it fits in a pocket of my cargo pants, and in winter if fits into the coat pocket.[/li][/ul]
My iPad was a gift. Never having owned an Apple product, I was a little freaked out that there was no manual in the box. It was so intuitive, that I managed to power on and start using it right away. Apple made a convert based on that alone.
Like kayaker, my iPad was a gift, too, and my first Apple product. I posted upthread, here some thoughts.
… and I type this from in bed, lying on my side, holding the iPad with my left hand in that Speck case while typing with my right hand (as I did that earlier post). Was that TMI? Anyway, very convenient, but it’s certainly not as fast as touch typing.
Also consider a hybrid like the ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T. This combines a tablet with a detachable keyboard. Very fast, versatile, good looking and long battery life.
The upside of Apple is that it is everywhere and the apps are pretty reliable.
The upside of the rest, that use Android in various incarnations, is that they are more versatile. If, like me, you are a photographer, you can plug the camera’s card straight into the side. Memory is easy to expand the same way. There are lots of useless apps, but many brilliant ones too.
iPads are designed with folks like you in mind. As others have said, laptops are better suited for more professional applications, like working with spreadsheets, writing computer code, etc. For personal computing (web surfing, email, watching videos), tablets are equal to or better than laptops in most cases.
You might want to consider what size tablet you want.
A full size iPad is way too unwieldy for me to use out and about, in bed, etc. I also have no intention of getting rid of my laptop, so a big iPad is pretty pointless in my case.
I love my Nexus 7 because it’s very easy to carry around with me. It has better battery life than any laptop I’ve seen also. I feel like it actually has a distinct function from either my laptop or my phone. I’m sure the iPad mini would be much the same in those ways.
So yeah, that’s just one thing to consider.
I find that a full size iPad, with the Speck holder, is not unwieldy at all. In bed, walking around, standing and waiting in line, driving around, etc…
It’s the Speck holder that is really great, and then I’m grateful for the large display format of the full iPad.