Hi, I'm not yet an ipad owner, but I am intrigued and very interested in them.

I have lots of PC/Android experience, but no apple/Mac experience. Will I find it easy to use? Or will it be a pretty heavy learning curve?

Also, the *SIZE* of the ipad... just seems a little BIG to be carrying in my purse. I have seen the Kindle Fire and that's just a wee bit *small* (at 7").

Is there an ipad size IN BETWEEN... maybe 8 - 8.5 inches or so? For me, that would be juuuust right!

Thank you!

Originally Posted by Tiskers

Hi, I'm not yet an ipad owner, but I am intrigued and very interested in them.

I have lots of PC/Android experience, but no apple/Mac experience. Will I find it easy to use? Or will it be a pretty heavy learning curve?

Hi there

I am a pc/windows user of over 20+ years, with a liking and wealth of experience with it. i have an old ipod Touch, but the ipad2 is my first 'proper' modern bit of Apple hardware.
I love my ipad. why? well, basically it's a breeze to use. almost too easy. and that's Apple's whole ethos. it really does 'just work'. as i've said before in a previous post, even an untrained chimp can use one immediately. and, even more shockingly, my parents and grandparent can use one. it's soooo intuitive and easy to use. you use it as naturally as blinking or breathing.
This cant be said of the Androids or other tablets. even i find those a faff.

Give it 20 mins and you'll be an expert. and hooked. it is a different way of operating than windows, but it's so intuetive and easy you dont think about it or question it. an open mined windows user can love it in mins.

Originally Posted by Tiskers

Also, the *SIZE* of the ipad... just seems a little BIG to be carrying in my purse. I have seen the Kindle Fire and that's just a wee bit *small* (at 7").

Is there an ipad size IN BETWEEN... maybe 8 - 8.5 inches or so? For me, that would be juuuust right!

Thank you!

unfortunately there is no in between. the size is what it is. Tablet size. but the screen is a dream for working with and surfing with. i suggest you go to your nearest Apple shop for a play. If all you want is www, then the smaller Fire might suit, but that cant do a fraction the ipad2 can. for me it's literally replaced my old laptop. glad i dont own a purse :O

Hello Tiskers, welcome to the forum. So far there is only one size iPad-->9.75 inches. However, there have been rumors about a smaller version iPad, which is not yet released. There is a rumor going around that the new iPad3 will be available in March. If so, then you will see the iPad2 certainly drop in price.

As to usability, learning curve from PC/Android, very little required...when the iPad came out almost two years ago, there was nothing to migrate from...so it is very easy.

S and M,

Thanks for the replies! Great info!

My (first and only) smartphone is an Android, and yes, it's *finicky*. I am looking lustfully @ my sisters' iPhones. So I figure when my VZW contract is up, I'll probably switch to an iPhone @ that time.

And who knows? Maybe by then, there'll be a smaller iPad, too??! LOL!

Came to the iPad with extensive Windows and Android experience. As others have said, you'll find the iPad to have almost no learning curve, whatsoever. But that comes with a caveat. If you're accustomed to customizing the user experience in a variety of ways you'll find the iPad somewhat frustrating. It's easy to learn and use in part because it is rigidly structured and cannot easily be changed. Personally, I'm willing to accept the limitations in return for a device I don't have to "manage" or "administer" at all. But if I were trying to customize the iPad for specific tasks and to work the way I want it to work, I'd be very frustrated.

As far as size is concerned, we have a Kindle Fire in our household. I do find it a bit small for extensive web browsing and for some magazines that have had their content optimized for the larger screen of the iPad. Otherwise, however, the size is near ideal. My wife loves its portability and weight. And perhaps surprisingly, the form factor for video is not a major disadvantage since the 16x9 aspect ratio of the KF means the full screen is filled for movies while the iPad's 4x3 aspect ratio frequently means movies are "banded." Likewise, of course, the KF supports Flash while the iPad does not.

By the same token, of course, the iPad has many advantages. The 4x3 aspect ratio combined with the larger onscreen keyboard and bluetooth support for an external keyboard makes the iPad much, much better for content creation. But for email and limited note taking, the KF is fine.

Finaly, if you're looking for a "tweener" size, I believe Samsung now offers an 8.5 inch version of their Android tablet. And while I may be mistaken, I believe Toshiba may offer one as well.

J, Thank you for the informative post.

I actually ordered a KF from Amazon during the pre-order time period, but got a lemon. Apparently they (lemons) are few and far between, but a lemon it was nonetheless. CS and Tech support could not resolve the problem(s) and they sent me a postage-paid label to return it. Thus far, I haven't reordered... kinda waiting to see what the inevitable KF2 will be!

And in the meantime, my sister taunts me with her new iPad2!!! LOL!

So... hmmm, as far as (lack of) customization and the iPad, what kind of things are you referring to? Can you give me some examples, please?

And also, what would be some situations where the iPad's not supporting Flash would be a disadvantage?

Again, thank you!

Originally Posted by Tiskers

...
So... hmmm, as far as (lack of) customization and the iPad, what kind of things are you referring to? Can you give me some examples, please?

And also, what would be some situations where the iPad's not supporting Flash would be a disadvantage?

Again, thank you!

Simply stated, the iPad 2 cannot (yet) be jailbroken. And in my opinion it may never be possible to do so, at least conveniently. In contrast, if you care to do so, the KF accepts downloads (.apk files) from the Android Marketplace. And if that is not enough customization for you, the KF can be "rooted" (the rough equivalent of jailbreaking an iPad) to provide almost unlimited customization possibilities. These include custom launchers, flexible arrangement of screens, addition of "widgets" (live apps that run in the background and update your screen, and of course many apps that Amazon has not chosen to include in its own "app store."

Much of this may not be important to you. Frankly, it's not to me despite (or perhaps because) I have extensive experience "customizing" pc's and smartphones to meet my (and others') specific requirements. I do much of that work on various devices (I'm in the software business) and don't really care to invest my time managing a tablet. So I'm willing to put up with the restrictions (some of them very annoying) that Apple imposes on the iPad. But there are times when the annoyance really gets to me. I can set up a "space" on the KF, for example, where my seven year old can have her games and other apps and not run the risk that she'll mess up the settings of the KF. That's impossible on a stock iPad.

As far as "Flash" is concerned, that's a topic that has been beaten to death ever since the iPad was released. Suffice to say that for good technical and bad political reasons Apple elected not to support Adobe Flash on the iPad. This means that many websites with flash enabled video are difficult or impossible to view on the iPad. There are workarounds in the form of some browsers that do a terrible to tolerable job of getting around that limitation but it's a limitation, nonetheless. And you'll run into it if you do a lot of web browsing.

On the other hand, Adobe Flash is being replaced with newer software technology that is not so power draining and more flexible. In another couple of years few websites will likely use Flash enabled video or animation features. Even now, I wouldn't say it's a major weakness. In fact, it mainly shows up in internet commercials that I don't care to watch anyway. But some people, especially those who play online games that require Flash find it problematic on the iPad. And if you're a YouTube fan, you'll find that some videos are difficult or even impossible to access on the iPad. (But frankly, it's not a big deal imo.)

Bottom line is that there is simply no question that for most consumers the iPad provides a better user experience than any Android device (the KF included.) But at least for the present, if you are looking for a more portable device than the iPad and a bigger screen than a smartphone the KF leads the pack as a reasonable media consumption device. I like ours very much. I wouldn't replace the iPad with a KF but it makes a great companion device in our household.

I went to best buy the other day and i messed around with the ipad for like 20 mins and i was allready surfing the web lol.
it's a really cool machine. and its loads web pages pretty fast. iam geting one because iamsick on my desk top lol i will still use it a little bit lol

As others have eluded to, Apples claim to fame is usability and slickness. They get that right pretty much every time. I'm a PC guy that has enjoyed the iPad 2 immensely. It has almost replaced the laptops in the house. The portability and battery life are just incredible. It. Just. Works.

I also enjoy my iPad. It is a nice device and a joy to use. But because there are so many fans of doing your proper research around here, I feel compelled to offer a couple of bewares:

a. you mention flash (or lack thereof). Personally, I am not sure that I have missed it at all. Still, there will be an occasional web page or video that won't play for you. I would not avoid the iPad for this reason.

b. do you like widgets? Forget about it here. Like flash, though, it is a minor annoyance that simply limits the applications that I can envision for an iPad.

c. File management is, at this point, my singlemost frustration with the iPad. It does not work like you are likely accustomed. It can result in having files on the iPad that you can't get to with certain apps (at least not without a lot of technical gymnastics). Apps don't share single copies of files. Without getting into a lot of details, make sure you understand how this works before making your decision.

For web browsing, reading, watching videos, watching TV (provider dependent), showing off pictures, playing games, it is, however, as good as it gets.