I have owned a MacBook for 3 years now before I purchased the first iPad last May I used it every day. Since then I am lucky if I use it once a month. The laptop is used by the family now the usual face book hot mail web browsing etc and eBay plus iTunes music and Picts We also have an older Apple TV so all music plus Picts are sync each day. The only time I need the Mac book is for back up of the iPads and iPhones plus iPod touch. The long and short is I really use the iPad 90% of the time. As a super mod I am in and out of both this site and iphoneforums.net all day with average time of 4 hours. I have about 170 apps installed inc 30 cooking apps yes Aussies cook and 12 news sites plus lots of games. My tiime is used a lot researching products and support sites to assist here.




One more thing I laugh sometimes I take my iPad to work each day so I can mod this site at lunch time. The iPad was on the lunch room table with a piece of A4 paper on it. A smart new sales person came in to the lunch room in said oh you don't have your new Pad with you I said yes it here he was shocked as he had not seen the iPad expected something much bigger. He ordered his to day....lol

Originally Posted by col.bris

I have owned a MacBook for 3 years now before I purchased the first iPad last May I used it every day. Since then I am lucky if I use it once a month. The laptop is used by the family now the usual face book hot mail web browsing etc and eBay plus iTunes music and Picts We also have an older Apple TV so all music plus Picts are sync each day. The only time I need the Mac book is for back up of the iPads and iPhones plus iPod touch. The long and short is I really use the iPad 90% of the time. As a super mod I am in and out of both this site and iphoneforums.net all day with average time of 4 hours. I have about 170 apps installed inc 30 cooking apps yes Aussies cook and 12 news sites plus lots of games. My tiime is used a lot researching products and support sites to assist here.

So for me the Ipad2 ( new) is the best thing out since sliced bread and is really a total replacement apart from sync for my MacBook. Bring on iCLOUD sync I can't wait....

Aussies cook? Oh, you mean BBQ! I must admit, my laptop which is a 17" quad core gets very little use these days. I use it for photo and high end video and music work. The PC is about to be replaced with a Mac ( I have a mate who gets us. Prices) but it's only really used for iTunes syncing these days. It's easier to grab a coffee, and my iPad in the morning than to sit at a computer screen!

Sent from my iPad using iPF

Some observations based on my own experience and comments here.

() Like many others I initially had the mistaken impression that the iPad is a small, thin, laptop. It's not. It's a giant iTouch. Designed primarily for content consumption by a single user. Trying to share an iPad among multiple users is a challenge since, among other factors, it's near impossible to create unique user experiences via multiple "accounts."

() On the other hand, it's a great alternative to a netbook, especially if I'm crammed into a middle seat in coach on a coast-to-coast flight. Adding a bluetooth keyboard and an Origami Workstation stand and I can be productive even when the a*****e in the seat in front of me insists on cranking his seat back to a full recline position. Those who suggest an iPad shouldn't be paired with a keyboard and stand aren't road warriors.

() Casual websurfing? It's fine. Serious research on the web? Not so much. The crippled Safari browser and even the alternatives simply aren't sufficient for serious work.

() Sufficient productivity in a corporate (Microsoft or RIM) environment? Nope. If you're trapped in an environment where you need fully featured Word, Excel, and PowerPoint tools (not to mention database access), an iPad doesn't cut it. And for those who rely on a Blackberry, same answer.

() Just for fun? Outstanding. Especially if your fun doesn't require a fire breathing quad core tool that needs a 750a power supply and a fan big enough to power a wind tunnel.

() Note taking? Have to say that I sympathize with those still dependent on pen and paper. The tools for electronic note taking are there but the skills they require call for more practice than I've yet achieved. But I'm working on it.

The bottom line is that there is no universal device that meets all my needs. I have to say, though, that my little 11" netbook that I pulled out on a plane is more or less obsolete now. I still need my quad core laptop and my desktop with multiple monitors. But for a session of sketching or playing Angry Birds with my six year old daughter, the iPad blows everything else away.