ipad's out now......

[Mitchell Andrus]

OK... 'fess up. Who's got one and what do you do with it?
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[Brian Kent]

I don't, but I want someone else to buy one so I can look over their shoulder and say, "Wow, cool!"

[Tim Morton]

I am debating right now....its between the iPad and a new smart phone...can't justify both.

http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010/04/15/verizon-wireless-and-htc-announce-the-droid-incredible/

[Bruce Page]

I bought a 64 gig itouch in January, kind of wish I would have waited for the ipad. :(

[Dave Hale]

Not yet. Wanted to check out the 3G version first, but I found an app, 'Air Video', which is awesome. Let's me play any movies, including Media Center recordings, that are on my PC to the iPhone. The iPad would make it even better. :D

[Greg Peterson]

I'm going to wait and see what other manufacturers bring to market and/or the 2nd generation IPad. I try to avoid first versions of when possible.

I don't care about 3G but a camera would be nice.

As for what I would use it for? Surfing! I plan on taking a trip this fall and want to shoot video and photos and post to my families blog at the end of each day. Also I can use it to show friend and relatives pictures.

I do think this device is as big a game changer as the IPod. People are still struggling with the digital concept. Having a device that serves you your newspaper and magazine subscriptions, plays movies, radio and music, pictures, email and WWW, all in a lightweight, highly portable unit will be an eye opener. I think some of the less tech savvy 'elders' will finally understand the utility of the Internet.

At least that is my opinion.

[Matt Walton]

I haven't gotten one, but I did get to play with it in the Apple store. I definitely plan on getting one. Saving up for it right now, actually. I don't know if it's for everyone, but I like to watch podcasts and stuff in bed, so that will be a lot nicer than my iPod Touch. also, I like to do electronic stuff, so It might also be nice for displaying schematics on that instead of a computer. As with Greg, I think I will probably wait for the 2nd gen, as I expect that the next gen might have a front facing camera. And even if not, let everybody else get all the kinks. ;)
Anybody plan on getting one?

[Mitchell Andrus]

I do think this device is as big a game changer as the IPod. People are still struggling with the digital concept. Having a device that serves you your newspaper and magazine subscriptions, plays movies, radio and music, pictures, email and WWW, all in a lightweight, highly portable unit will be an eye opener. I think some of the less tech savvy 'elders' will finally understand the utility of the Internet.



I see it as a natural evolution of the computer, but not of the main branch of the family tree... that is, content rules and wins out over the method of delivery. Until content fits onto an ipad better than a laptop, the laptop remains the main tool. Laptops and wireless cut the cords, now ipad makes the rest of the laptop optional.

I don't see the loss of the keyboard as a good thing for everyone. I'll be unlikely to learn to compose a fast email on a virtual keyboard. Maybe the 20 somethings will make it work for them.

I know some killer apps are just around the corner, but I haven't yet heard of an ipad doing something that my laptop can't - and reading a book on the beach for me will not involve checking to see if a battery is charged.

I can see it as a shop tool. A mount to hold it at a comfortable height next to the workbench would be great. The ability to annotate sketches and plans right onto the screen.... Hmmm. It'd be an extension of my laptop, not it's replacement and to use it as a dumb terminal seems wasteful of an emerging platform. I can do this now... with a real laptop with a touchscreen.
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[Tim Morton]

I'm going to wait and see what other manufacturers bring to market and/or the 2nd generation IPad. I try to avoid first versions of when possible.


HTC is about to release an android version soon.....should be interesting:D

[Bryan Morgan]

HTC is about to release an android version soon.....should be interesting:D

I want the Evo! And I hate phones... this seems more like a computer in your pocket!

[Eric DeSilva]

A friend dropped his off right after launch and I got to spend a few hours messing with it. The good points. First, it feels great--you hold it and you just feel like you are carrying the cutting edge. Second, for 4:3 video, like television programs via iTMS, it is fantastic to watch. Third, if you walk down the street with one, women will throw themselves at you. Seriously.

The bad points, which still--in my book--outnumber the good:

- First, I was scared of the damn thing--dropping it, that is. I suppose you get used to it, but after cracking the touchscreen on my iPhone, the iPad just felt like an accident waiting to happen.

- Second, and probably my biggest gripe... I can't type on it. I thumb type on my iPhone all the time, and one of the biggest surprises to me was that the auto correct is actually pretty good and the result of thumb typing is pretty legible. Unfortunately, I can't do it on the iPad. In portrait mode, my thumbs just don't reach across the screen. They really don't in landscape mode. That means I'm either resting the thing on something--like my lap--or holding it with one hand and typing with the other. Not good. And, the touchscreen just sucks for touch typing.

- Third, like any other 4:3 device displaying movie aspect ratios, you lose a lot of screen real estate--maybe too much--when watching movies. I thought it wouldn't be too bad, based on seeing HDTV on non-HD sets, but what I realized is that most movies these days have aspect ratios that are beyond 16:9. That means you don't get a particularly satisfying experience on the iPad.

- Fourth, it is missing the front facing video camera. It seems like it was designed for video skype, but it is missing that key feature.

If you travel a lot, I can see it for catching up on TV shows on a plane. But I still don't see how this fits into my life or the majority of people's lives.

[Tim Morton]

I want the Evo! And I hate phones... this seems more like a computer in your pocket!


yeah i hate phones too, but last month i tried out the HTC Eris and got sucked in, very cool. But i returned it to wait for this next week. The evo looks great, but i am tied to verizon in my neck of the woods.

http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010/04/15/verizon-wireless-and-htc-announce-the-droid-incredible/

[Steve knight]

if someone gave me one I would not complain. but I have no need for a laptop so it would be hard to justify it. my iphone does everything I need when on the go. I can't carry it in my pocket so it would have limited use.

[Eric Franklin]

I would buy one if I had the money. It's one of those devices that until you use it, you don't realize what it will do for you.

I would think it would replace a lot of personal computers because most people use the computer for surfing the internet, social networking, email, video and music. The iPad excels at all those in a nice portable device.

[Keith Outten]

I have a 32 gig iPad. Fabulous Machine!!!

The company was kind enough to provide it, it serves multiple purposes accessing The Creek for Admin chores and it is the best machine I have ever seen for showing pictures and video to sign customers. Its light in my backpack and has incredible battery life. I can load PDF drawings for sign installs and leave the full sheet paper drawings back at the office. The zoom feature is fast and works well for moving around documents. I am acclimated to the keyboard already and able to use it during meetings to take notes and provide project pictures that document the status of the job. I have all of my business contact information synchronized on my workstation, iPad and mobile phone now, this puts an end to the chore of having to move information from machine to machine once and (hopefully) for all.

For me the iPad is the hot setup that removes my need for a laptop based on the kind of work I do and the functions I need. One very serious downside is the lack of an email spam blocking feature. The email app is fine for some accounts but it won't work at all for SawMill Creek mail :(

The mp3 feature is a nice bonus particularly with the long battery life. No worries about workshop dust and the big screen is easy on the old eyes. This coming Friday I will be traveling to the ShopBot Jamboree, no doubt my iPad will be providing music for the trip :)
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[Shawn Pixley]

OK... 'fess up. Who's got one and what do you do with it?
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I have played with one and likely will buy one. I have an iPhone which is wonderful and does most everything. But if you are looking up something on the web, smartphone screens are still too small. The screen of the iPad addresses the poor quality of my eyes. (Slowly going blind, but that's another story). There other thing I like about its is the book feature like the Kindle. I travel and end up carrying 3-4 Books with me at all times - heavy and bulky. This would lighten my load and due to the font scaling address the eyesight issue.

No, it is not the be-all, end-all device, but nothing is.

Composed on my 10 year old Mac that require zero maintenance.

[Curt Harms]

This Cnet review (http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10443246-1.html) isn't all that rosy. Hard to know how objective it is. For my own business there's a need for a good EFB (electronic flight bag) platform. The existing ones seem either too bulky, too fragile or too short battery life.

[Mitchell Andrus]

to use it during meetings to take notes and provide project pictures that document the status of the job. I have all of my business contact information synchronized on my workstation, iPad and mobile phone now, this puts an end to the chore of having to move information from machine to machine once and (hopefully) for all.
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Software glitches and quirks can be massaged as time goes on, but if there's no camera, how do you avoid having to move information from machine to machine and still show clients photos? Is there a way (you mention 'sychronized') to share photos (contract edits, spreadsheet corrections, etc) via the 3G hookup - leaving the photos, etc. back on the 'home' machine for real-time use?

Would you have purchased one with your own money?

I'll wait for 2.0 and a few more features... are there built-in speakers BTW???
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[Tim Morton]

This Cnet review (http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10443246-1.html) isn't all that rosy. Hard to know how objective it is. For my own business there's a need for a good EFB (electronic flight bag) platform. The existing ones seem either too bulky, too fragile or too short battery life.

cnet always talks down apple:mad:

[Eric DeSilva]

One very serious downside is the lack of an email spam blocking feature. The email app is fine for some accounts but it won't work at all for SawMill Creek mail :(

Do what I do for the iPhone--run your email through gmail. I've got my gmail account set up to pull email from my other POP3 accounts; I don't usually send email from those accounts, but I think you can also make it look like mail gets sent from one of those non-gmail accounts so the gmail account itself never shows. The difference is that gmail applies a spam filter, so when I pull the mail to my phone from gmail, it is pre-filtered.

[Bryan Morgan]

But I still don't see how this fits into my life or the majority of people's lives.

Same here... nobody remembers the Qbe device... or the little Samsung and Sony devices... or any other of the dozens of small tablet like devices. Apple just nails it in the marketing department, like always... :)

[Bill Orbine]

iPad is a cool thing I don't need. Saw it in the store and thought it was cool. Common sense tells me it's a waste of money.

[Keith Outten]

Software glitches and quirks can be massaged as time goes on, but if there's no camera, how do you avoid having to move information from machine to machine and still show clients photos? Is there a way (you mention 'sychronized') to share photos (contract edits, spreadsheet corrections, etc) via the 3G hookup - leaving the photos, etc. back on the 'home' machine for real-time use?

Would you have purchased one with your own money?

I'll wait for 2.0 and a few more features... are there built-in speakers BTW???
.

No doubt Apple will continue to improve the iPad, there is a new operating system due out this summer I believe and plenty of new apps for the iPad already available.

I got a Mobile Me account that takes care of the synchronization issue. Pictures are uploaded to my iPad using iTunes, then it syncs to Mobile Me. Not having a built-in camera isn't a problem for me because I prefer to use my Canon camera for pictures. I never know when I will want to laser engrave or CNC route a picture so I always want a very large crystal clear picture to archive. There is a camera kit coming out soon that will allow you to both connect your camera to the iPad or to plug the SD card into an adapter to upload pictures directly.

I would definitely purchase an iPad with my on money, not because it is cool because it fits a business need. I don't think I would buy one for personal use though because I always use my desktop machine for real work and personal access to the Net. I have tried several laptop computers and one notebook through the years and I just don't like them.

Yes, there is a built-in speaker and it works reasonably well for demonstrations but it leaves a lot to be desired where music is concerned. The headphone plug is the ticket for ear plugs or for plugging in powered speakers.
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[David Sacks]

I ordered my 32gig the day the site went up. So I got it with the first batch.

All I do on my laptop is email, and Internet. Everything else is on my iPhone. I work from the house and am the president of my congregation, that's my life.

I do everything I did on my laptop, and haven't opened it in over a week now.

I have all of my board minutes, reports and spreadsheets on the iPad, along with every member of my congregation.

I respond to emails much quicker, and have no problem having it at with me during tv time. It just is like having a much quicker "always on" laptop.

If I had tiny fingers the iPhone would be fine, but this is just easier.

The wow factor is gone, and I'm still glad I made the move.

David

Written on my iPad