I have ordered the Ipad and think I may have made a mistake.

I thought you could plug devices into it via the connection kit.

Am I right in thiking that it wont recognise much more than a SD type cards & cameras ?

Can you connect

1. An Iphone
2. External hard drives
3. External DVD drive
4. USB sticks

(is there anything else it does or does not connect to)

Also I didn't realise that facetime doesnt work with Iphone & Ipod touch unless it it the latedt version.

I believe that you are right in thinking that at the moment it will not accept much more than a camera and an SD card (provided an adaptor is used). The SD card will allow you to transfer photos but not much else.

A 500 Gig wireless hard drive was announced a while back but I'm not sure how well that works. Nonetheless, I think you should try to hang on to it. Good Luck.

Originally Posted by DazzyBee

I have ordered the Ipad and think I may have made a mistake.

I thought you could plug devices into it via the connection kit.

Am I right in thiking that it wont recognise much more than a SD type cards & cameras ?

Can you connect

1. An Iphone
2. External hard drives
3. External DVD drive
4. USB sticks

(is there anything else it does or does not connect to)

Also I didn't realise that facetime doesnt work with Iphone & Ipod touch unless it it the latedt version.

Hmm, there are ext hard drives which will connect, hyperdrive is one such device (a search on here will find others).

When you say connect an iPhone, do you mean for tethering or sharing files or what?

Ext DVD I am pretty certain is a no no!

No idea about USB sticks.

All that said, with the advent of the iCloud shortly you should be able to do pretty much anything you want as far as connectivity goes without plugging anything into your iPad..........however, it really depends on what you want to do.......maybe you would have been better telling us what kind of files, etc you want to load onto your iPad?

The Archangel

Sounds like you have misunderstood the equipment. The camera connection kit can be used to transfer photos and videos off a camera or SD card. It will also work with an externally powered USB hard drive and some but in no way all USB sticks. But you can only access a fixed location because it assumes the disk is from a camera. You do not have access to the full file system of the attached disk and the apps you can use it with are limited in number.You cannot use devices such as optical drives and webcams. There are no drivers for a start...

With a jailbroken device you can access the full file system, but there is NO jailbreak for the iPad2 yet.

I don't normally try and talk folks out of an iPad but I suspect your expectations are way off what the reality of an iPad really is... Sorry.

Just a comment meant in no way to criticize the OP. His/Her expectations are understandable but unrealistic. The massive growth in the iPad customer base seems to be coming from two very different audiences: (1) those who own (or want) smartphones, including the iPhone and expect a device that improves on the user experience with the apps available in that environment; and (2) those who believe the iPad is a laptop (or even a desktop) computer replacement.

In fact, it is neither. But those who expect a super smartphone are more likely to be completely satisfied than those who want to substitute an iPad for a computer. Unless, that is, those in the latter category adjust their expectations.

I know because I came from the latter group. And even worse, I was used to a PC environment and all that that entails. I have found that the iPad is an adequate substitute for my travel-centric netbook once I added a bluetooth keyboard. On the other hand, the iPad can't replace my desktop replacement category laptop even when I travel, much less my quad-core multi-monitor desktop system. It wasn't designed to do so.

And for the record, it doesn't mean I can do without my Android smartphone, either. Apart from the obvious fact that I can't use the iPad for most telephone calls, I can't put it in my pocket, either. And when I'm in the car, I'd rather have the turn-by-turn navigation my phone provides.

The iPad does what it does very well. I'm delighted with it. It fills about 80-90% of my (casual) internet browsing needs. Its great battery life (compared to my laptop and even my netbook) means it's significantly more portable. The display is wonderful in comparison to my phone, but I'd rather watch movies on my laptop, desktop monitor, or my TV. My wife's Kindle is better for reading books, but the iPad is nearly as useful. And then there is functionality that only the iPad provides. Note taking that combines typed text with handwritten diagrams. Sketching applications that pass the time even for a non-artist like me. And interactive books and games I can play with my daughter on the living room couch.

The bottom line is that the iPad covers a market space that neither computers nor smartphones cover as well. But that doesn't mean it's a universal device that replaces either completely. At least for the present, consumers should understand the limitations as well as the strengths of devices like the iPad.

Originally Posted by jsh1120

consumers should understand the limitations as well as the strengths of devices like the iPad.

Exactly. People should do their research before getting the iPad. But some don't ~ and that will never change.

Originally Posted by jsh1120

Just a comment meant in no way to criticize the OP. His/Her expectations are understandable but unrealistic. The massive growth in the iPad customer base seems to be coming from two very different audiences: (1) those who own (or want) smartphones, including the iPhone and expect a device that improves on the user experience with the apps available in that environment; and (2) those who believe the iPad is a laptop (or even a desktop) computer replacement.

In fact, it is neither. But those who expect a super smartphone are more likely to be completely satisfied than those who want to substitute an iPad for a computer. Unless, that is, those in the latter category adjust their expectations.

I know because I came from the latter group. And even worse, I was used to a PC environment and all that that entails. I have found that the iPad is an adequate substitute for my travel-centric netbook once I added a bluetooth keyboard. On the other hand, the iPad can't replace my desktop replacement category laptop even when I travel, much less my quad-core multi-monitor desktop system. It wasn't designed to do so.

And for the record, it doesn't mean I can do without my Android smartphone, either. Apart from the obvious fact that I can't use the iPad for most telephone calls, I can't put it in my pocket, either. And when I'm in the car, I'd rather have the turn-by-turn navigation my phone provides.

The iPad does what it does very well. I'm delighted with it. It fills about 80-90% of my (casual) internet browsing needs. Its great battery life (compared to my laptop and even my netbook) means it's significantly more portable. The display is wonderful in comparison to my phone, but I'd rather watch movies on my laptop, desktop monitor, or my TV. My wife's Kindle is better for reading books, but the iPad is nearly as useful. And then there is functionality that only the iPad provides. Note taking that combines typed text with handwritten diagrams. Sketching applications that pass the time even for a non-artist like me. And interactive books and games I can play with my daughter on the living room couch.

The bottom line is that the iPad covers a market space that neither computers nor smartphones cover as well. But that doesn't mean it's a universal device that replaces either completely. At least for the present, consumers should understand the limitations as well as the strengths of devices like the iPad.

I was in the latter category, thought mine would be a laptop replacement.
At first I was very disappointed, even a Tad angry at myself for believing the reviewers who said its a great laptop replacement and not testing my sisters deep enough to see it is not.
Me being me and not willing to accept failure I have researched forums, reviews, pages, markets, tried different apps and settings (icab browser is what I needed for a browser tied into dropbox and photobucket) and in doing so have found it is an acceptable alternative and if I need more powerful computing I just need to access my desktop remotely from my Ipad.

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Originally Posted by SweetPoison

Originally Posted by jsh1120

consumers should understand the limitations as well as the strengths of devices like the iPad.

Exactly. People should do their research before getting the iPad. But some don't ~ and that will never change.

I just do not understand the people willing to drop at lease $500.00 on any device and they do not know what it does.

Look past the market hype and figure out what the device will do for you, does it fit your needs. Talk with other users, I have found apple salespeople less then helpful. They are good and serving the apple kool aid but are really bad and selling the apple products based on what they can do.

Originally Posted by DazzyBee

I have ordered the Ipad and think I may have made a mistake.

Can you connect

1. An Iphone - Only to share the GPS or internet connection in the iphone
2. External hard drives - Nope not really
3. External DVD drive - NO
4. USB sticks - NO

The first thing you have to understand is the Ipad uses Apps, and its file management system is very limited. Each app stores its data in its own way, that why there are problems with doing productive work in say Word, Excel or others.

For surfing the web, reading e-mails, the Ipad is great. If you are looking at creating a spreadsheet or writing a book its not the best option.

Where the Ipad shines in the app (small programs) that have been written for it. There are hundreds of thousands of apps in the app store.

If you ave not already done so install Itunes, you will be required to have it any way to setup your Ipad. Then looks at whats in the app store and see what will make the ipad worth it for you

I have found the app store anything but a help. It's a mess to use, no intuity at all for new users.
What helped me the most was Google, this forum and an admin on an Android forum who is an Apple owner of multiple Apple devices. Every time I ask the average user anything they always ask "why do you want to do that? It's not made for that" instead of "dunno, haven't tried"
There are many work around ways to make the Ipad more than just a big iPhone or iPod
Splashtop and Team Viewer, and others will allow you use your more powerful computer while away from it like it's an app on your Ipad.
Sunday I uploaded some photos on my desktop to Dropbox from my Ipad, chose the ones I want on my Ipad and phone while in line at the grocery store. You can put a DVD in the computer player and watch it on your Ipad, watch July from the desktop or use free apps on your Ipad like Crackle to watch movies and TV shows.
Hope that helps you feel a little more at ease

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