The jury is still out.
Should I get an iPad — or should I get something else? Like a MacBook Air. Or a Kindle. Or, hmm, a flat-screen HD TV with Oceanic’s full range of digital cable?
Don’t get me wrong: I get the wonders of the iPad. I know about its convenience, its portability, its awesome 9.7-inch high-resolution display. But even though I’ve tackled this issue in an earlier post, I still haven’t decided.
So I asked Nonstop’s tech-and-gadget guru John Garcia to break it down for me.
Let the convincing begin!
Got another reason why I should buy the iPad — or a reason I shouldn’t? Post your thoughts here. We love hearing from you!
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43 Comments
CAT: Cool interview. I like the studious look, matched the subject material. Bottom line is, as JG stated, if you got the dough go for the go! Me, i no got the dough, so iDunno.
I want an ipad!
@Melissa808 You’d love it, Melissa! Wish we had it in the budget to get you all an iPad! I’d totally drop the money. 🙂
@Melissa808 I’d buy you one too if I had the $$$ you’d love it. You need a Sugar Daddy ASAP!
LOL you keep asking Cat, I think maybe you better satisfy your curiosity already. For me the rumors are getting stronger about the second version coming out possibly by mid-2011 I’m willing to wait that long and see what happens. Here’s an article from CNET that might help you a little:
https://reviews.cnet.com/8301-18438_7-20025027-82.html
@808marv I know! I know! I think I’m going to wait!
My friends who live on planes say they never bring their laptops anymore, just the iPad. I can see the value there. People I know who have them just love ’em, but I can’t see having BOTH that and a laptop. I’d just think of other things I could use the money for… or save it. I know, boring.
@strobie I agree. As a travel companion, the iPad is amazing. Especially if you’re on a plane with wifi or airports with access. Seamless entertainment. Battery life is excellent and you can do everything from check e-mail to play Angry Birds HD without worrying about having a surface space, posture or screen angles.
If you already have a laptop and it still works, but is a couple years old, the iPad may breathe new life in to your workflow. As an Android user, however, I would recommend looking in to the Galaxy Tab as it would probably integrate in to your current electronic line-up better. I’ve heard good things.
@johngarcia Ooh, that’s good to know. Of course, all things will have to wait until after I get the MacBook Air. 😉
I Pad, I’ll eventually get one. But cost big $$$$$. And I just upgraded. I upgraded from a Commodore 64 to a an Apple IIC. So I”m on pace to get an I Pad in about 28 years. : )
Cat, I like your look with the eyeglassess. Very nice.
@CodyZamboni I still have the green screen Apple II monitor somewhere. I think we have the Apple IIe here in my office with the floppy disk too. =)
For me it wasn’t a matter of whether to get the iPad for Christmas. That was a no brainer. The hard part was deciding which one to get. Is it worth getting the G3 when you already have a smart phone? Now that’s a whole ‘nother decision and tremendously adds to the price. I’ve heard that a number of people bring their iPads to their business meetings. Way easier than lugging a laptop around.
@kaytee100 Great question — if I were to do it all over again, I would definitely drop the extra $100 for the 3G+wifi version. It’s month to month access and something you can fall back on in a pinch. It’s just easier if you don’t have to worry about connecting sometimes. I’d almost recommend getting the 16GB 3G+wifi over a 32GB wifi. All depends on what your intentions are and what kind of user you tend to be. If you want lots of static media like movies and music, the 32GB will come in handy. 16 might fill up on you. If you’re good at media management, 16 is fine. Most casual users can get by on the base model.
@kaytee100 I actually bought the BF an iPad — he doesn’t have a working laptop and uses his iPhone for web browising — and thought about that very question. Opted for the 3G+WiFI because the option is always there. He’s had it for months now and hasn’t subscribed to 3G yet. But he’s thinking about it.
@kaytee100 I got the WiFi only version and opted for a connection from Clear 4G. The bullet points are:
• 4G is Faster
• ClearSpot let’s me connect 8 devices, iPhone, iPad and MacBookPro @ the same time
• AT&T 3G $30 per month vs ClearSpot 4G at $40 (Apple only version $25)
• Free WiFi is freakin’ eveywhere
Hope this helps
@docrock @kaytee100 I had the same methodology. I currently have ATT and RoadRunner mobile with a cradlepoint and it works like a charm, but sometimes you don’t want to have to lug the hot spot around and wait for boot up. Quick and easy access. At work and at home, wifi is great!
that was informative: ‘tell me what you do & i’ll tell you which device is best suited to your needs.’ and right on re: John’s statement: (sic) “if you’re waiting for Apple, you’ll be waiting forever, because they are always coming out with something new.” my activity is more like Cat’s; surf net (not Queen’s), and comm with friends.
Oh, and the camera framing wasn’t my idea… 🙂
@johngarcia It’s not so bad. 🙂
@Cat Yeah — it’s grown on me. 🙂 I tried putting a checklist on the right but it was perfectly not enough space. haha
@johngarcia Of course it wasn’t enough space! wine the experience did a great job! 🙂
@Cat wine the experience haha perfectly unperfect! hahaha nah nah nah it’s not that bad!
I ordered a refurbished IPAD. Saved $100. Only thing is, I’m still waiting for delivery. They shipped it from China, then goes to Hong Kong, flew to Tennessee, went to customs, then on it’s way to Honolulu. Waiting for it to land in Hilo then get to play with it.
Google: Refurbished IPAD Right now they have 16, 32 & 64 with 3G. I got a 64 wifi for $599 (didn’t have refurb 3G). I use my DROID for email while on the road. I wanted something small that can do multiple tasks. My wife has a netbook so I didn’t want to have duplicates (good excuse yeah to get an IPAD 🙂 ) I’l see how good the refurbished unit are. Supposed to be set to factory standards. Hope I get it today. Come on FedEx, I’m in my office today.
Thanks John and Cat. Nice discussion. And it’s true. If you goinig wait for something better, you’ll never buy one,
How about a post of favorite IPAD Apps? I would love to know what works and what doesn’t.
@Ynaku Thanks for the comment! Nothing wrong with refurb equipment, especially from Apple. Good as new and still has warranty! Let us know what you think when you get it!
I’ll be doing an app rundown with @docrock sometime within the next couple weeks! Stay tuned. 🙂
@Ynaku Yep, stay tuned! You DON’T want to miss that!
Today’s Chat was excellent. Thank you John and Cat. I never wanted an iPad before today. Basic iPad, with keyboard docker and case is about $600. Not bad. My netbook battery and charger are both shot, and the iPad with all the available apps and iBooks is looking pretty inviting.
@WildeOscar Check out a video response by docrock with more great points about the iPad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAdPnxyhc90
@johngarcia @WildeOscar docrock the Cat Chat with John and docrock follow-up is powerful information.
@WildeOscar @johngarcia docrock Nice follow up docrock! Another thing you can do to save battery consumption is to go into “airplane” mode, that is if you’re doing everything on the iPad and not online… or, if jailbroken, use SBSettings to turn off only the components you don’t need.
Waitnig for the iPad 2 myself. Early guestimates are that it’ll ship sometime between Feb. and April.
As for a 3G model… Why pay extra? Just use tethering to your iPhone’s Internet. I do it with my MacBook Pro all the time. And it is actually quite fast!
@MaxMaxMax Hearing it’s going to be a smaller screen (7″) perhaps retinia, camera and a few other bells and whistles. Camera would be cool, but I like the size of my iPad now. Don’t think I’d dig a smaller screen than this. I find it to be a great surface size.
@johngarcia Yikes!!! A smaller screen? As much as i love my retina screen on the iPhone, I’d rather have the same size screen, even if it’s non-retina. Honestly I was waiting for the camera, but not at the expense of screen real estate. Hmmm… that would be a deal breaker!
Hello Cat!
For me it’s a matter of do I need it or do I want it.
If you need it, go for it.
Like the song that never ends, this question never ends–to wait, or…not?
WSJ hints that we “waiters” may hit a sweet spot in early 2011.
Among other things, Google and Acer bring a speedy AndroidOS
internet-only laptop to the party. Price war?–stay tuned!
My five fave iPad apps:
1. Stanza – Digital comics! Oh, and for those funny ebooks/docs with words only, too.
2. Square – Mobile cash register with push-button inventory. Comes with a credit card reader, as well (free). Kukui High customers love signing their name on the iPad, btw. 🙂
3. Flipboard – Visual news reader. Find your own feeds or add suggested ones. Lays out stories in attractive magazine format. Swipe screen to “turn” the page. Varied layouts keep it fresh.
4. Adobe Ideas – Sketchbook app. There are many out there, but Ideas also plugs in to your Adobe/Photoshop.com account from which you can pull in uploaded photos and projects.
5. Dropbox – Cloud storage. Install on each device for seamless file syncing.
Oh, and did I mention all of these were free? 🙂
@valdezign I used Stanza previously, but have really gotten into iBooks lately.
Dropbox is da bomb!
Great Cat Chat episode. I don’t think the iPad is a “instead of” but rather an “in addition to”. It’s a great device that compliments what you already have if you live in the iOS/Mac world. The one topic you mention will be moot this January when the OS X app store is launched so the Air will be able to purchase and download apps — voila!. One selling point that sometimes isn’t mentioned is the touch interface. Interacting with apps using touch on a big screen is a different experience and one you can’t get on the Air. My advice? Get the Air *AND* the iPad =)
Flipboard
HootSuite
Kindle
Zinio
Instapaper
And games games games! Too many to list here =)
@tokidote Just another thing for kdote to say we think alike. Nice B
@docrock he he he, as they say, great minds my friend, great minds… =)
Oooh Free Apps. Thanks. it’s a start. Anything else?
Cat, this may not “sell” you, but it’s certainly a “cool” use of the iPad:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn0mK71D8m0
I will say this: my father in law is basically physically attached to his iPad, and some of the games he has shown me would keep me busy for hours on end. If you travel a lot and do business while traveling, I’d take a serious look at an iPad. It is the perfect blend of mobile entertainment, work, and organization.
[…] The Blue Tomato received call-outs as a great gift idea by Lei Chic, nonstophonolulu and hapa|hale. Created by Alan Wong Ph.D. (that’s Dr. of Deliciousness), the newly released The […]