

The iPad doesn’t need to do everything - vibhavs
http://www.marco.org/608396721

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ghshephard
Totally agree for myself - I still use my Laptop from 9:00 - 6:00 AM) - The
iPad doesn't do everything. In fact, it doesn't do a _lot_ of things very
well. I use my (unJailBroken) iPad about 3-4 hours a day. Here is where it is
Bad:

    
    
      o Multi Tasking (Switching between 
        email, irc, IM, web, Terminal - 
        don't even try to do all at once.
      o Long Form Typing
      o Terminal Sessions
      o Sunlit Use
    

Here is where I _really_ use it:

    
    
      o Games (Field Runners, PinBall, MirrorsEdge, PvZ)
      o In Person Social (Photos, Web Pages, Games 
         when hanging out)
      o Video (I watch all my TV through iTunes on my iPad)
      o WSJ - Guaranteed - 45 minutes a day.  Awesome App.  
      o Good Reader (for PDFs)
      o Kindle - though not as much as I thought I would.
      o Email/Calendar - though not that much 
        better than my iPhone.
      o Time Magazine. (First time I've read Time in 4+ Years, now I read it weekly)
      o Marvel (I'm addicted)
    

With the exception of meetings in the office, where I still carry my Laptop,
the iPad hasn't been more than 15' away from me in 30 days.

Can't wait to see what Applications are built over the next year.

~~~
mikeyur
I almost exclusively consume video content through the iPad. I download almost
all of my TV shows and have my video podcasts download via RSS.

I then stream it to the iPad with Air Video. Probably the most kick-ass app
I've seen in awhile. TV shows are almost all XviD or X.264 and Air Video
converts them live on your machine and streams them over WiFi to your iPad
(both local and remote).

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megaduck
At this point, it looks like a consensus is emerging: The death of the general
purpose computer is greatly exaggerated.

The iPad is a great tool for consuming information, but not so good at
communications or creation. A month in, I've never heard of anyone doing
serious work on an iPad despite Apple's efforts to shoehorn a full office
suite into the thing.

However, people love it despite the limitations. The iPad's a device that's
just plain _fun_ , and that counts for a whole heck of a lot. Apple will
probably sell millions of them, and it looks like they have a good shot at
creating an enduring category.

~~~
stcredzero
Another prediction: the iPad is going to become a multi-purpose interface
device. Look at the interface tools that already exist for programs like Pro
Tools. If someone can make a profit on an input device to augment Final Cut
that's just a knob with a button, imagine what you can charge to enable a
multi-touch adjunct to the same program?

Have gaming interfaces appeared yet? It would be easy to undercut lots of
"gaming keyboards." Especially since one has no manufacturing and shipping
costs.

~~~
whatusername
I'd wonder how the lag time would compare for a straight FPS.. But if you
loaded it up with Macros..

I agree with the point - the iPad makes a great input/interface device..

~~~
stcredzero
Highly context-specific macro sets would be where it's most useful.

------
petercooper
My iPad gets a ton of usage. It's almost replaced paper for me. Instead of
sketching out notes and ideas on paper, I use Adobe Ideas on the iPad.. I get
a permanent record and it's even better than paper (bigger canvas, colors,
etc). This is about the only "content creation" I do with it, but a _very_
essential activity.. I'm getting a lot more done thanks to this.

Beyond that, it can't be beat for checking e-mail and the Web just before
going to sleep/after waking up, in the bathroom, or while sitting on the
couch.

I've also started to read a lot more. I haven't had any weight issues with it
at all, but I have a 9 month old baby so I'm used to holding a ton of weight
in awkward positions for ages.. :-)

~~~
stcredzero
_Instead of sketching out notes and ideas on paper, I use Adobe Ideas on the
iPad_

Try using Popplet as a mind mapper. This has the potential to subsume the
entire functionality portrayed in the Microsoft Courier ad.

~~~
petercooper
Looks cool - a bit like Infinote (which I have, but don't use incredibly
often) but with a cuter design. Since it's free, I'll get it.

I doubt I'd stick with something like that, though. I want to write notes,
scribble things, underline things, draw circles and lines around stuff, etc..
not type. So a sketching type app always works better for me.

~~~
stcredzero
You can sketch inside of a Popplet. I don't think of this as an app so much as
an organizer. If I were Apple, I'd acquire this and let Files from various
apps populate a Popplet, with the App "zooming" to view or edit each file.

Something like that would pretty much be the full equivalent of Courier.

------
stcredzero
The iPad is an information display and user interface device which can also
leverage computation.

Take a look at the music applications available. TouchOSC is revelatory. It
doesn't make music. It's a meta-tool. It lets you construct your own controls
for musical instruments. (Actually, other devices can use Open Sound
Controller signals as well.)

------
tel
I love to use my iPad _with_ my computer. When doing work it's a calculator,
notepad, every scientific PDF I own, another browser window, email. It goes
under paper and notebooks, gets tossed around. In a very real way it's a
computer window I've pulled out into meatspace. I kind of want another, though
the price is too much for two.

My computer is almost exclusively emacs or maybe Illustrator/Photoshop.

In this sort of setup, the iPad _shines_ for me.

------
zyb09
Why do we need to rationalize this device? Didn't we all agree in January that
the iPad is indeed a slick product, but serves really no purpose for the
average hacker. Now it's out and you bought it anyway because you couldn't
resist Apple of course. And your defending yourself with statements how much
fun it is to play games or read news websites on it. Congratulations. RDF in
action.

~~~
KirinDave
I am an average hacker. The iPad is the BEST research and whitepaper tool I've
ever owned. Thank you, Papers. An amazing product.

------
DrSprout
What I'd really like to see is some research into how much of the difference
between Apple and its competitors is the placebo effect. People expect Apple
products to be easy to use, and when they find something that's difficult, "It
wasn't designed for that."

You look at Android or Windows or Linux by contrast, and when it's difficult
to do something, it's because their design teams are much weaker than Apple's.
Sure, the iPad doesn't have to do everything. But if you approach a netbook or
a non-Apple tablet with the same "It's an Apple, so it must be good"
mentality, is the iPad really worth the price premium?

~~~
zeemonkee
"Placebo effect" == Steve Jobs' Reality Distortion Field:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_distortion_field>

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sjs
Marco is right on as usual. My use of the iPad is similar anyway.

While you might be better off with a MacBook Air if you find yourself using
iPad + keyboard a lot, it's still about $1000 cheaper to get the iPad.

~~~
stcredzero
How about iPad + Bluetooth keyboard?

------
jasonlbaptiste
iPod in 2001: physical click wheel, 500 dollars, 5gb and Mac only

iPod in 2010: touch screen, 199, 16gb, and makes calls/high speed Internet

It will get there.

~~~
cubicle67
I have a first gen iPod Touch, and that's 16GB. I think they're 64GB now

------
wooster
I've read 11 books so far on my iPad. So, as a reading device, I'm very
satisfied with it.

