I think it’s inevitable that I get one. The question is whether it’s today or next month or at the end of the year… I do have this nagging feeling that maybe something that works just as well for me is going to be available shortly for maybe half the price, or even less.
I have an iPhone 4S, an iPad 3, a Lenovo 13" laptop, and a Gateway netbook.
The iPhone is what I use for listening to music, making phone calls, and surfing the web when I don’t have wifi access (I didn’t get a data plan for my iPad). I find it pretty much the same as the iPad except for the major difference that the screen is too small to watch movies or read anything lengthy without getting a headache. So for short bursts of surfing, I’d use the iPhone, but for anything more, the iPad.
The laptop is too heavy to lug around everywhere in comparison to my other devices, so if I need an actual computer to do stuff with, I use the netbook. Unlike the iPad, it has a keyboard. It also has Windows (I realize this doesn’t matter to you Macbook people), and can use all file formats, and has MS Office.
I do like my iPad and I don’t regret buying it. But I think I would be more frustrated with it if I didn’t have the other devices as options for when I needed a different kind of use out of a computer.
IIRC the data plan is optional and runs $30 a month on a month-to-month basis. So the most you’d lose would be around $15, and that only if you opted for a month of data coverage. The iPads that are data capable do cost more than the wifi-only models though. Somewhere around $150 to $180 more, IIRC.
Yeah, I’d ask myself at this point whether I really wanted and needed the 3/4G version and plan, or whether I’d be happy with just WiFi. It really depends where and how you’re gonna use it.
I’m the opposite case. I bought one expecting to be disappointed. Instead, I’m thrilled.
No, really. I bought one for myself for Father’s Day as a present because
A) Hardly anyone else remembered, and I was depressed in general, and
B) There is literally nothing else I can think of that I want that there was to buy. I have every other toy I’d need.
So I said, hellwithit, and went and got a 32GB iPad 3, no 3G. I had buyer’s remorse ten seconds after I left the store, because I felt like there just wasn’t room for it. Most things I do on the computer or on my iPhone; it seemed like the usefulness-space for it just wasn’t there.
Goddamn, though, I love it. Love it. It’s far more useful than I expected, and replaces many things I would have done on my other devices. It was worth every penny and then some.
I don’t miss 3G, by the way. Maybe twice I’ve wished I had it.
I love mine.
I use this case, for secure one-handed use. It’s great for when standing in lines, lying in bed (like now), in an airplane, etc…
I have an iPhone 4. I switched to iPhone after my early-model Droid, just to see what the fuss was about. I was underwhelmed. In particular, a huge drawback is the lack of google maps functionality for navigation. To get a decent GPS you pretty much have to pay for it. I can’t even describe to you how good Droid’s navigation function is compared to iPhone options.
…Until recently. I found a free social navigation app with real-time traffic updates called Wayz. I haven’t tested it out, but if it’s as awesome as the 3,000 five star reviews says it is, then it will substantially increase my opinion of the iPhone.
The other thing I don’t like about iPhone is the way it forces you to use iTunes for everything. iTunes is awful. I used Rhapsody on my Droid and that’s really what I prefer. Droid in general is much less controlling about the content you can use (isn’t it open source? Or originate as open source software?)
When I first got the iPhone I was 90% sure I was switching back to Droid next time. Now that I’ve discovered some cool apps and functionality, I’m more like 60% sure.
You know, I used to have a MacBook Pro, and in my most regretted act of generosity I gave it away. I loved that thing-it was superior in every way to a PC laptop, IMO. So I assumed all Apple products would be amazing. Not so. As far as how iPhone differs from iPad, it doesn’t really. It’s smaller and it makes phone calls. The iPad is more fun for games, the iPhone is good for music.
The thing to remember with products like this is that there are an awful lot of people who buy based on buzz, without any idea of what it can do or what they might use it for - or worse, a totally mistaken idea of what it can do. Lots of people have bought iPhones and Droids for the same reason, and then don’t use even 5% of the capability of them.
I remember back when the first computers were coming out. Sinclairs and Commodores and shit like that. I knew plenty of people who bought them just to see what all the fuss was about, then discovered that beyond a few simple games, they really had no use for it.
I was underwhelmed until I took it with me on my first trip. I travel a lot for business, and it is indispensable when I am out of town. It’s more convenient than a laptop for consumption, less so for production. Meaning, if you just want to surf the internet, read the dope, read books, listen to music, it’s fantastic. If you’re trying to type very long emails or create documents, it is not ideal. But I took it overseas with me recently, figuring that if it was lost or stolen it would be a lot easier to replace than my MacBook Air, and it was absolutely awesome to have. But again, it depends on what you’re using it for. It won’t replace your laptop. It will make it easier to surf the web on your couch comfortably.
This is my experience as well. Google Navigation on the Droid blows every other navigation app, including standalone GPS devices, out of the water. Like you, I can’t adequately express just how good it is. If it were just for this, I would stay with Android, but there are other reasons also.
I’d be interested in knowing more about Wayz, but even if it actually is as good as Google Navigation, I wouldn’t switch to the iPhone.
Yes! I hate, hate, HATE that Apple tries to force everyone to use iTunes with their mobile devices, INCLUDING the iPad. I can’t stand iTunes! And their cloud solutions are clunky. Android provides a much more versatile user experience. You work the way you want to work, unlike Apple’s restrictive, mobile environment, which forces you to work the way they want you to. And what’s the logic behind not allowing the user to change the battery on any Apple mobile device, including the iPhone?
Many Android apps are comparable, and increasing in number, and their devices, in some cases, are cooler, such as the Galaxy SIII (I know it’s a Samsung device and not Android, but it runs the Android OS).
You’ll have to take my MacBook Pro from my gnarled, acid-laden fingers. 
I love it so much. However, one of the reasons I do is because it doesn’t have any of the ridiculous restrictions Apple’s iPhone and iPad do.
Well, I switched over to Android once I became thoroughly disenchanted with Apple’s mobile devices and seeing how freeing the Android environment is. I do admit that I purchased the iPad for the reasons you stated.
Heh. Yep, I did this too, but I was a dumb kid when I purchased my Commodore VIC-20, which I still have, by the way. 
[quote=“ladyfoxfyre, post:29, topic:628225”]
I was underwhelmed until I took it with me on my first trip. I travel a lot for business, and it is indispensable when I am out of town. It’s more convenient than a laptop for consumption, less so for production. Meaning, if you just want to surf the internet, read the dope, read books, listen to music, it’s fantastic. If you’re trying to type very long emails or create documents, it is not ideal. /QUOTE]
Exactly what I was going to say.
I’m too cheap to pay $30/month for a data plan because most of the time I’m at home and have access to wireless. I will say that it is a bit inconvenient to hunt down hotspots when I want to access the internet. But it’s still worth it to not have to lug around a laptop.
When I travel, I now leave my iPod at home and listen to music and play games on my iPad.
What I take away from this story is that you should have spent $200 on a comfortable desk chair. 
A great use for the iPad is the Maps app. I prefer this to using a GPS. A GPS, while a great tool, gives you point-to-point directions but isn’t convenient for looking at your current location on a large-scale map. Looking at Maps gives me perspective of where I am, where I’m going, what’s around me and nearby, and where can I route myself when going from Point A to Point B. It is also continuously scalable.
Maps requires a cell signal, but I’ve also downloaded OffMaps², which loads maps locally on my iPad so it works in remote areas. I explored Barcelona, Spain by scooter this way, and got around effectively on my first and only time there.
I love the Maps, and the iPad’s large format is great for viewing them.
Actually, given that, you may want to wait a bit for the Win8 tablets that will be coming out later this year. Ipads make a great media consumption device, but I’d think dumping docs would be easier in something that can accommodate thumb drives and such. I’ve been running the Win8 release preview, and it works really well on a tablet.
Or, for that matter, the android tablets may be worth a play. I can’t say much about those, as I’ve never messed with 'em.
I am, as you said, feeling underwhelmed right now. I feel that the iPad doesn’t do anything that the iPhone can’t. Actually, I think what’s limiting mobile devices is the software. The hardware is there, but want to read USB media? Nope. Proper editing and file management? Try again. Multitasking? Out of luck.
Perhaps this is because I don’t use it enough to find good uses for it, though.
[QUOTE=Onomata]
I’d be interested in knowing more about Wayz, but even if it actually is as good as Google Navigation, I wouldn’t switch to the iPhone.
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, let’s be honest. My next phone is going to be a Droid.
Underwhelmed isn’t a strong enough word. It’s an expensive email and web browser.
I CANNOT wait for the Windows 8 tables to come out in Aug-Sept.
I got one from my parents as a gift, and I like it but don’t love it. It’s a fun little device that I use for surfing and reading my email. (I’ve never had reason to actually compose an email using it, so I can’t speak to it. I don’t find typing on it all that onerous, but I’ve never typed much, either. A web address or search terms, mostly.)
I also have a netbook that I use mostly for the same things, as well as being where I store any movies that I’ve ripped, some photos, and all my music. I don’t have these things on the iPad because I have only the 16 MB version and I’m really not certain how much it’ll hold before getting full. (I have an iPod Touch as well, the 8 GB version, and it’s already full with music.) The criteria I use for choosing one or the other boils down to: how long am I going to use it vs. how long it takes to boot? If it’s a short, quick lookup or just futzing around outside on the patio, I generally choose the iPad for its superior instant-on feature (unless it’s too bright outside; the backlit screen sucks. Granted, this is also an issue for the netbook, but I can at least adjust the screen angle without having to hold it there.) If it’s a longer thing, I’ll use the netbook.
I don’t read books on it - I have a Kindle and I don’t think the MOBI format is compatible with the iPod without conversion. And the Kindle is easier to read on in any environment, and I’m lazy.
I do read threads like these to see what I’m missing, and to see if there’s a way I can make the iPad do more. But, to be honest, I don’t do much else with my netbook either, so it’s rather a wash. If I need to do real work, I’ll use my husband’s laptop or I’ll bring my work laptop home. It’s a fun toy, but I don’t know that I’d buy one or have use for one if I didn’t receive mine as a gift.
No USB port on an iPad? Are they crazy?
If you are not sure about the iPad, I would recommend waiting for Windows 8 tablets and see what they have to offer. The Surface has created a lot of buzz and there are some interesting devices like the Lenovo Yoga and Samsung Hybrid.
Personally I don’t think the iPad or other similar tablets offer enough to justify a separate device. My Galaxy Note has a big screen and is pretty good for media consumption. I also have a laptop. I don’t see room for another device in between.
What I would like is a laptop that I can also use as a tablet. And Windows 8 offers the promise of an OS that can do both reasonably well. The Hybrid, for example, has a screen with a detachable keyboard. Take the keyboard off and you can use it as a tablet mostly in the touch-friendly Metro mode. Plug the keyboard in and it should be a full-fledged Windows laptop. We will have to wait and see if it actually works but in principle that is the kind of device I want.
Also check out the Nexus 7 which has received stellar reviews. It packs in a lot of great hardware for $200 and the new Jellybean version of Android appears to be great. While the 7 inch screen means less room for media consumption, it’s much more portable and at a pinch even pocketable.