There have been iPad keyboard apps with swiping for years.
A couple of years ago, a swipe keyboard became a built in feature.
Yes, I mentioned that. I haven’t tried that. It wasn’t an option when the iPad drove me nuts. And for a few years after it was sort of an option, Apple didn’t really support it, and people who used the feature told me it wasn’t worth it, due to various incompatibilities using 3rd party keyboards.
I know that Apple finally relented and built swyping into their OS, but I’m too jaded about my experience with an iPad to try it again. I now have a kindle for eBooks and a small laptop that can be flipped around into a “tent” that’s terrific for watching movies on an airplane, where there’s not enough room for the keyboard in front of the screen. And either the small laptop or my phone works for watching movies in bed. I’m quite nearsighted, so if I remove my glasses the phone screen is large enough to work pretty well.
The iPad still has the problem that it’s heavy to hold with one hand, and I can’t just rest it on my lap, or on the airplane tray-table. I have to actually hold the damn thing.
Despite my dissatisfaction, I recognize that it’s an incredibly popular device, and I will probably order one for my mom.
iPad Mini, die hard user after initial skepticism. So much larger than a phone/iPod for typing, keyboarding or looking at maps. But way smaller and lighter than a laptop for travelling. If you want to show someone your photos, def way better. Also much better to edit and manage your photos. Even watching media is much better than a teeny screen on a phone!
For me the best part is I have a texting client that enables me to text, w photos, internationally, all without a phone plan! (It even has phone feature but that sounds cumbersome so I’ve never bothered.) cost? 0$, so great when travelling?
That’s why I have a Surface Pro. Rip off the keyboard (literally!) and it’s a tablet with touch screen and virtual keyboard (when needed). But stick the keyboard on and deploy the built in kickstand and its a full featured laptop with the screen at whatever angle you want.
Size, in the retirement homes I have been in, people in wheelchairs find it easier to use. I, myself find typing on the iPad quicker and more accurate than on a iPhone max. I
Have a laptop, but because I can bring my iPad around with me most places where lugging around the laptop is inconvenient due to weight and bulk.
I used to have a tablet (not an ipad) which came as an extra to another product I bought 6 or 7 years ago. It was handy to use when watching sports while out in the garden or cooking. Bigger than a phone to keep a glance on with one eye elsewhere but without the hassle of having to make room like a laptop.
Tablets are great for my job where our computers are restricted to work-only websites and I can’t just sit and stare blankly at nothing when I’ve got down time (and right now I’ve got a hell of a lot of it).
Does it hold a convenient angle on your lap? I may be unusual, but I often use my laptop on my lap. Like right now. The keyboard is resting on my legs, one of which is straight and the other bent (and both are propped on my desk) and the screen is just shy of vertical, held up by the keyboard.
I’m not @peccavi, but I’m another Surface Pro fan as I described upthread.
I use mine on my lap when seated on a couch or in an airplane. Works great. I also use it while seated in an easy chair/recliner with an ottoman, so legs more or less straight out. Works great there too. The built-in kickstand that sets the angle between the screen and the supporting surface (lap, legs, table, etc.) is infinitely variable across a wide range. I bet you’d find it works well for whatever postures you like.
Truly a great invention. And they come in horsepower, dimensions, features, and therefore price from “darn cheap note taker / internet terminal” to seriously high powered laptop equivalent.
Laptop computers, despite their name, are really unwieldy for an actual lap (the MS Surface, with its kickstand, is exceptionally bad for this). If you want to use it like this, you need to sit upright with both thighs level, otherwise your computer will slide off in some direction. If you’re off-site and need to do actual computing that involves standard stuff like composing documents or editing presentation slides, a laptop works great; all you need is an actual flat surface to put it on.
A smartphone is unbeatable for portability. Fits in my pocket, and I can read/send emails and texts. But if I want to watch long videos or do serious web browsing (e.g. lots of reading, or browsing a site like Amazon), that tiny screen gets frustrating after a short time.
We have an iPad Pro that fills the gap between those two very nicely. Good for games/videos and extended web browsing, and easy to use with or without an actual flat surface. On an airplane? Put it on the tray table, and lean it against the seatback in front of you (careful not to configure it so that it can jam if the guy in front of you reclines his seat). Standing? Hold in one hand, touch screen with other hand. Sitting? Bear its weight on your thighs, prop it up with one hand or a pillow, or cross your legs to provide some incline for a better viewing angle.
When we travel, we bring all three, and choose whichever device is most appropriate for the use at hand. At home, the iPad finds frequent use while lounging on the sofa.
Not my experience. I use one lounging on the couch, lying in bed, and, of course, with a flat surface. I find the little laptop much more comfortable for watching videos on bed than the iPad was, due to not having to prop it up.
(I do have both a small laptop with a hinge that goes all the way around, and a larger one that only opens about 270 degrees. I use the little one in bed. The big one is good on the couch, or in a reclining chair, though.)
I use an iPad Mini for when a phone is too small and a laptop is inconvenient. Mostly it’s internet in bed (like now) or on an airplane.
There are of course lots of industrial or business uses which are outside the scope of the OP.
Yes, they use them in hospitals to let patients video chat with relatives because they are a lot easier to sanitize than a laptop is.
Well, I think this would be obvious, but the size of the screen, for certain applications. For instance, I play a mobile game that requires intricate multi-finger positioning on the screen to be effective, and this is much easier to pull off on a tablet than a phone (for me). Also, I don’t need to use glasses with the tablet, but I do on the phone.
Note, I only use a tablet at home. For most mobile experiences, a phone will suffice and have the advantage of being more portable.
I have a Microsoft Surface, an iPad, and a Samsung Galaxy.
The Surface came first, as a way to replace my ageing iPod, then I started watching Netflix and playing games on it when not near my desktop. Then the iPad, primarily to play BitLife, then we got a Ring doorbell so now I use it to monitor the doorbell as well. The smartphone came along because my old dumb flip phone died; I pretty much only use it to make calls and get a Lyft.
Not true. I use only a laptop, having no other computer, tablet, or smart phone. At least 50 % of the time I use my ultrabook on my lap, in all kinds of positions, no problem. Maybe laptop dilettantes have such issues as above.
Oh, and deposit checks; forgot about that because I hardly ever receive any.
I paid ~$100 Canadian for my brand new unlocked Android tablet with an 8" screen. If someone wants to sell me a brand new unlocked 8" smartphone for the same price, I’m open to offers but I didn’t see a lot of options in that price range when I last cheked.
I should add that my tablet has a case that folds in such a way that it stays upright when I’m using it. I would have very little use for a tablet you had to hold to use.
I haven’t checked, but if there was an android tablet with a physical keyboard that folded over in such a way where you didn’t have to hold it (I suppose similar to a surface), I might be interested (maybe not though since the screen would probably be too big to acommodate a keyboard…