I'll cut right to the chase: if you spend a lot of time traveling - either long distance or a long daily commute - I consider the iPad to be an essential piece of gear. What does the iPad do? Basically, it is a giant iPod touch. With the iPad you can: - read books (either with the iBook reader or with the Amazon Kindle app) - listen to your iTunes music library - watch tv shows and movies - view photos - surf the web - email - thousands of other tasks/functions/games using third party apps Here's the iPad next to the Amazon Kindle and iPod touch:
Compared to the Kindle I read at least two books a week - electronic only, I'll never read a paper book again if I can help it! As a book reader, I prefer the iPad. The screen is slightly larger, and it is backlit, so I can read it no matter what the ambient lighting. In very dim light, you can switch from black letters on a white background to white letters on a black background - this makes it much easier on the eyes. I also like the fact that you turn pages with a flick across the screen versus hitting a physical button on the Kindle. MaryBeth wouldn't let me read my Kindle in bed because the clicking of the button drove her crazy. No problem with the iPad. And of course, using the Kindle app you can read all of the books you purchased for your Kindle on your iPad. I have not tried the iBook application, so I have no comment on that. There are some reviewers that claim that the Kindle's non-backlit screen is easier on the eyes, but I have not found this to be the case. The only downside compared to the Kindle is the heavier weight, but I'm willing to live with that. Compared to the iPod touch The iPad and iPod have basically the same functionality. Pretty much anything you can do on the iPad you can do on the iPod. However, the screen on the iPod is so small that I never even bothered with some of the functions. Email and web surfing on the iPod is just plain painful. With the exception of simply listening to music, everything is much more fun on the iPad. Watching movies, reading, email, web - it's all better on the iPad's big gorgeous screen. Compared to a laptop So if the iPad is better than the iPod, isn't a real laptop better still? Not really. A laptop is definitely far superior to an iPad if you're doing some serious work, writing long emails, etc. However, it's much more cumbersome. If I'm on the road and I'm eating dinner at the hotel bar, I'd much rather pull out my iPad and have it instantly on rather than trying to boot up a big laptop. It's just much more unobtrusive. Try lying down on the couch reading a book on a laptop - not so fun. The cover Apple sells a case that in my opinion is required. You definitely need something to protect that big gorgeous screen from scratches. This cover does that job, but it also folds over to prop up the iPad. This puts it in a nice position for reading when you're at a table. At $39 it's overpriced, but you still need it.
Any complaints? Yes, one major drawback. The iPad does not support websites built using Adobe Flash. HTML only. This of course limits your web browsing severely. Thumbs down for Apple on this one. They could have enabled Flash, but in their rivalry with Adobe they decided to freeze them out. Despite their weak explanations, this was clearly a business decision on Apple's part - not a technical one. Supposedly they're working on a fix. It can't come soon enough. For photographers For photographers, the biggest reason to love the iPad is to have your portfolio with you at all times on a big, beautiful screen. If you meet your clients at Starbucks, this would be a handy tool to have. The bottom line: If you read a lot, travel a lot, or both, and have $500 to spend, there's no reason not to get the iPad. It will make life much more pleasant. Laurence Kim Workshops email to book your one-on-one session in-person or via Skype |
