# Still Using Your iPad? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 17, 2010, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/still-using-your-ipad/547019 "2010-07-17T10:09:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/still-using-your-ipad/547019/61 "2010-07-19T17:02:34Z")
As to the OP’s question: My brother gets all the Apple products free because of his job, so I’ve started test-driving them through him. I just bought the iPhone 3GS (heavily discounted now that 4 is out) and I used his iPad for a couple of weeks. It’s a handy little tool but I’m just not interested in it at this point since I’m currently in a place where I need a productivity boosting (smartphone) rather than absorption gadget. I like the feel and heft of books and I read the media I need to access (WSJ, NYT, Barrons etc.) on my laptop. My sis and I have been thinking of buying one for my dad, though, since he’s switched over entirely to e-books. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/still-using-your-ipad/547019/62 "2010-07-19T20:26:02Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > It is possible, malware authors will follow popular platforms. I feel comfortable that the AppStore approval process will provide a decent level of protection. AFAIK, no malware has made into the iTunes AppStore, but it has happened with other App markets. > > Phones which are Jallbroken or allow unknown app sources do not benefit from the same level of protection. To add to this (and to Todderbob’s comment), both Google and Apple have the ability to ‘remote wipe’ your entire phone or specific Apps. If I were a betting man, I’d say that the phone companies insist on this - they would not want the reputation of being the company that allowed a malware app to empty customer’s bank accounts or worse. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/still-using-your-ipad/547019/63 "2010-07-19T21:52:41Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > Hmm, I feel confused about how many people here are buying multiple apple products. I sense that some of the posters in this thread are not buying their first apple product in the iPad. Conversely, people who have never purchased apple, ever, (like me) might be skewing the stats the other way. > > My questions: > > 1. Is the iPad your first apple product? > 2. If it’s not, does the iPad increase your overall use of related technology or as your iPad use went up, the time spent on your other devices go down? > > Imho, it seems so far that the responses are clearly divided between people who would buy apple no matter how lame or useless it was and people who would never use apple no matter how good or useful it was. I started this thread, and this is my first Apple product. And reading back, I don’t know how you came to the conclusion that only Apple fanboys were praising the device. And I find computer platform wars to be a colossal waste of time. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/still-using-your-ipad/547019/64 "2010-07-26T02:18:08Z")
What is the iPad’s “PC” equivalent in terms of quality? ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/still-using-your-ipad/547019/65 "2010-07-26T02:27:22Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > What is the iPad’s “PC” equivalent in terms of quality? That depends on what you mean, exactly, by quality. Do you mean the seamless interface? There isn’t one, but OS X is as close as it comes. I really can’t recommend the new Mac minis enough, used as an HTPC is fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![Hallucinex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba9def/32.png) [@Hallucinex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hallucinex)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/still-using-your-ipad/547019/66 "2010-07-26T05:26:17Z")
> [@Todderbob](#): > > > [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > > > What is the iPad’s “PC” equivalent in terms of quality? > > That depends on what you mean, exactly, by quality. > > Do you mean the seamless interface? There isn’t one, but OS X is as close as it comes. Is Ají asking that, or asking “Mac is to PC as iPad is to ???” ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/still-using-your-ipad/547019/67 "2010-07-26T05:35:26Z")
There’s nothing else like iPod out there. There are a few tablets on the way, running Windows 7 and/or Android. We’ll see if any of them can measure up. By Christmas there should be a couple on the market. Asus has a small 7-inch tablet, and Dell is making a 5-inch one, I believe. But the iPad’s strength is its UI and ecosystem that comes with it. That’s going to be hard to beat for quite a while, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/still-using-your-ipad/547019/68 "2010-07-26T06:04:44Z")
> [@Hallucinex](#): > > > [@Todderbob](#): > > > > > [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > > > > > What is the iPad’s “PC” equivalent in terms of quality? > > > > That depends on what you mean, exactly, by quality. > > > > Do you mean the seamless interface? There isn’t one, but OS X is as close as it comes. > > Is Ají asking that, or asking “Mac is to PC as iPad is to ???” HP makes the touchsmart tx2, which I own, and in a sidebyside comparison is inferior in every way, with exception to the ability to use it as a laptop. It is heavy, the screen is difficult to use, it sounds like a leaf blower, and the fucker still burns my leg. And it runs windows7, which is a piss poor touch screen OS. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/still-using-your-ipad/547019/69 "2010-07-26T07:21:29Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > But for reading books, surfing the web, playing games, doing productivity apps, the iPad takes an experience that is just okay on the iPhone and makes it great. Nah, playing games still mostly sucks on the iPad, and will continue to until Apple overcomes its fear of buttons. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/still-using-your-ipad/547019/70 "2010-07-26T13:41:24Z")
My wife has had hers for about two weeks now. It has become our primary web browsing tool as it is much easier to peruse the morning papers on over a cup of coffee. She has pretty much swapped from using her ipod touch for all email and calender stuff to the iPad. Also it is in constant use for books and films when in bed. It is mildly annoying that it doesnt have a web camera as we use skype a lot for the kids to stay in contact with the grandparents, so it would have been nice to do that in the iPad. No great loss though. One of its biggest fans is our 3 year old. It is sometime quite hard to get him off of it as it is his Blues Clues and memory games portal. Great device, id buy one myself if i could get it hookrd into the corporate wifi as most of my days are spent moving around to meetings, and it would be great for notes etc. Does it do powerpoint and excel? PCM ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/still-using-your-ipad/547019/71 "2010-07-26T14:29:57Z")
I’m thinking of getting an iPad soon (yay, credit card rewards!). I’ll definitely be getting a 3G-enabled model, but I’m not sure about how much on-board storage I might want. I don’t anticipate putting much from my iTunes library on there, if at all, and I assume that Apple books (or any Kindle stuff I put on there) don’t take up a ton of room. I assume the Kindle will still be my primary reading device, and my iPhone will be my podcast/music listening device. If I get the iPad with the smallest amount of memory, how fast will I use it up, and what will eat it up? As a data point, my iPhone shows about 19GB used, and it’s got my complete iTunes library on it. I don’t buy video from iTunes, so I’m not too worried about eating up capacity with that. Anything else I should be thinking about? ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/still-using-your-ipad/547019/72 "2010-07-26T14:59:12Z")
> [@carlb](#): > > I’m thinking of getting an iPad soon (yay, credit card rewards!). I’ll definitely be getting a 3G-enabled model, but I’m not sure about how much on-board storage I might want. I don’t anticipate putting much from my iTunes library on there, if at all, and I assume that Apple books (or any Kindle stuff I put on there) don’t take up a ton of room. I assume the Kindle will still be my primary reading device, and my iPhone will be my podcast/music listening device. If I get the iPad with the smallest amount of memory, how fast will I use it up, and what will eat it up? > > As a data point, my iPhone shows about 19GB used, and it’s got my complete iTunes library on it. I don’t buy video from iTunes, so I’m not too worried about eating up capacity with that. Anything else I should be thinking about? If you’re getting the 3G version, the initial cost is going to be less than the long term, and storage might come in handy. You can stream movies over 3G, but it’ll closet you an arm and a leg. I have the 32 gig version, and I’m nowhere close to filling it up, even with 18 gigs of music and a few movies. Just remember, you can’t upgrade the internal storage later, and to use a memory card you need to purchase the external reader dealie. > [@Precambrianmollusc](#): > > My wife has had hers for about two weeks now. It has become our primary web browsing tool as it is much easier to peruse the morning papers on over a cup of coffee. She has pretty much swapped from using her ipod touch for all email and calender stuff to the iPad. > Also it is in constant use for books and films when in bed. > It is mildly annoying that it doesnt have a web camera as we use skype a lot for the kids to stay in contact with the grandparents, so it would have been nice to do that in the iPad. No great loss though. > One of its biggest fans is our 3 year old. It is sometime quite hard to get him off of it as it is his Blues Clues and memory games portal. > > Great device, id buy one myself if i could get it hookrd into the corporate wifi as most of my days are spent moving around to meetings, and it would be great for notes etc. Does it do powerpoint and excel? > > PCM yes, it does powerpoint and excel. But if you’re going to use it for data betray, get a blueetooth keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/still-using-your-ipad/547019/73 "2010-07-27T13:28:22Z")
> **[iPad Owners Are 'Selfish Elites.' Critics Are 'Independent Geeks.' Discuss.](https://www.wired.com/2010/07/ipad-owner-are-selfish-elites-critics-are-independent-geeks-says-study/)** > > It’s not exactly official, but should also surprise no one: According to a new study the psychological profile of iPad owners can be summed up as “selfish elites” while have-not critics are “independent geeks.” Of course the “haves” would probably... I want you to know that all you iPad users are _very bad people_. Because you have money. Whereas I, who do not have an iPad, am clearly a hip and with-it kind of guy. Because I have no money. If I had money, I would have bought an iPad, and then become a very bad person… whut? I don’t get it either. Read the link, try to make sense of it, wouldya? ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/still-using-your-ipad/547019/74 "2010-07-27T16:16:08Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > [http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/07/ipad-owner-are-selfish-elites-critics-are-independent-geeks-says-study/](http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/07/ipad-owner-are-selfish-elites-critics-are-independent-geeks-says-study/) > > I want you to know that all you iPad users are _very bad people_. Because you have money. Whereas I, who do not have an iPad, am clearly a hip and with-it kind of guy. Because I have no money. If I had money, I would have bought an iPad, and then become a very bad person… whut? > > I don’t get it either. Read the link, try to make sense of it, wouldya? Basically, you’re jealous. You can’t afford to be a dickwad, or you would be a dickwad. But we can afford to be a dickwad, so HA! It’s like people who bitch about rich people having mansions, and wasting resources. They don’t actually hate mansions, they just hate that _they_ don’t have a mansion. No, I’m going to go back to playing with my Mansion, and Ferrari, while I laugh at the hideous poor people accumulating outside begging for bread. Let them eat cake. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/still-using-your-ipad/547019.md?page=3)