New Ipad 3 user thoughts from a PC/Android user.

[johnw100]

Hi All

I`ve owned an ipad 3rd gen for a few months now, its my first Apple product (apart from a cheap ipod stick years ago) and I thought i`d share some of my thoughts. I`m a long term Windows and Android user, I use windows 7 and have an android htc desire phone.

Purchasing.
I bought it from the Apple store in London. Wasnt the best first impression. there were lots of staff around but whenever I went upto one and said i`d like to buy and ipad3 they said , oh sorry thats not my department you`ll have to ask one of these people. After 3 attempts I found someone who was willing to sell me one, although he seemed as bored as hell with his job. I felt guilty for wasting 5mins of his time.

First thoughts, was its heavy! and after about 30mins of use the edges are too sharp. So I went out and bought a rubber case for it which made it easier to hold. But the interface and screen are beautifully designed, so slick and clean. Very impressed with the operation of the ipad, its now my number one choice for web browsing. But there are a few things that I dont like. Firstly, itunes. Its horrendous! i`m amazed this is the main library software for Apple it feels so basic. I have many mp3`s in different folders and dont all have album names,etc just track names. So now I put them in itunes and where are all my folders? All the mp3`s are scattered all over the place and there is no way of sorting by folder structure. The same applies for photos. You can only sync from one folder and its sub folders. But I have photos in lots of other locations and its impossible to sync to different folders and drives. And when on the ipad it doesnt show the sub-folders in puts everything into a main folder, which creates a huge mess when viewing.
Coming from windows and android the whole syncing and itunes feels very restrictive. On android i just plug in my phone and i can view every folder on the device. I want that with the ipad.
The other negative is the cost of apps, I have the same apps on android and theyre free, i check on the ipad and the same apps seem to charge, and not small amounts neither. For example jriver is free on android but $9 on the ipad. Even paid android apps are alot cheaper, and theres no significant difference in their design to the ipads. I guess this is apple ripping off its users with a large percentage of the takings. i dont mind paying for apps, but they are too much on the ipad.
Also, on Android if you dont like an app you can get a refund within 15mins of downloading, I dont see a way of doing that on the ipad?
Oh and i miss android widgets. You can change the appearance of the home screen much more and add news , weather, etc widgets to those screens. Its a shame ipad doesnt have them.

Dont get me wrong, I *love* the ipad. I looked at other tablets but the ipad seemed the clear winner and still is imo, but it could be so much better with a bit less "dumbing down" of its os and less costly apps.

If anyone has work arounds for the above i`d really appreciate it.

Thanks

J

 

[sjleworthy]

Your attitudes and opinions are just fine and typical coming from an andriod&windows background. I had similar confusions and frustrations when i ipadded last year. (20 years + windows experience under my belt).

I think it literally is just something to fit into with time. Yup, Apple and ios are completely stand alone and 'closed shop', but as i say, if you love your ipad and continue with it, you fast get used to Apple's ways. It does take time to adjust.

For me, a year and a half down the line, i think nothing of it. I love using my ipad to bits, and dont think twice of Apple's individualistic ways any more.

I too hate itunes, as do many others. I use it as little as often. Just weekly backups mainly. I dont listen to music and watch movies on it so i have not much syncing needs luckily. As for app refunds, these are usually straight forward. Just inform Apple.

 

[twerppoet]

Just want to point out that it the developer, not Apple, who sets the price point on their app. Apple takes the same 30% that Google Play does, so it's nothing to do with anything but developers and community expectations.

Apple users are a bit more likely to pay for apps, so developers are a bit more likely to follow that revenue model. On Android developers are more likely to pursue other revenue models due to different customer expectations.

Though, the freemium model has gained a lot of ground in the App Store lately, mostly with games.

 

[Bosvaark]

Hi All

I`ve owned an ipad 3rd gen for a few months now, its my first Apple product (apart from a cheap ipod stick years ago) and I thought i`d share some of my thoughts. I`m a long term Windows and Android user, I use windows 7 and have an android htc desire phone.

Purchasing.
I bought it from the Apple store in London. Wasnt the best first impression. there were lots of staff around but whenever I went upto one and said i`d like to buy and ipad3 they said , oh sorry thats not my department you`ll have to ask one of these people. After 3 attempts I found someone who was willing to sell me one, although he seemed as bored as hell with his job. I felt guilty for wasting 5mins of his time.

First thoughts, was its heavy! and after about 30mins of use the edges are too sharp. So I went out and bought a rubber case for it which made it easier to hold. But the interface and screen are beautifully designed, so slick and clean. Very impressed with the operation of the ipad, its now my number one choice for web browsing. But there are a few things that I dont like. Firstly, itunes. Its horrendous! i`m amazed this is the main library software for Apple it feels so basic. I have many mp3`s in different folders and dont all have album names,etc just track names. So now I put them in itunes and where are all my folders? All the mp3`s are scattered all over the place and there is no way of sorting by folder structure. The same applies for photos. You can only sync from one folder and its sub folders. But I have photos in lots of other locations and its impossible to sync to different folders and drives. And when on the ipad it doesnt show the sub-folders in puts everything into a main folder, which creates a huge mess when viewing.
Coming from windows and android the whole syncing and itunes feels very restrictive. On android i just plug in my phone and i can view every folder on the device. I want that with the ipad.
The other negative is the cost of apps, I have the same apps on android and theyre free, i check on the ipad and the same apps seem to charge, and not small amounts neither. For example jriver is free on android but $9 on the ipad. Even paid android apps are alot cheaper, and theres no significant difference in their design to the ipads. I guess this is apple ripping off its users with a large percentage of the takings. i dont mind paying for apps, but they are too much on the ipad.
Also, on Android if you dont like an app you can get a refund within 15mins of downloading, I dont see a way of doing that on the ipad?
Oh and i miss android widgets. You can change the appearance of the home screen much more and add news , weather, etc widgets to those screens. Its a shame ipad doesnt have them.

Dont get me wrong, I *love* the ipad. I looked at other tablets but the ipad seemed the clear winner and still is imo, but it could be so much better with a bit less "dumbing down" of its os and less costly apps.

If anyone has work arounds for the above i`d really appreciate it.

Thanks

J

Music and iTunes:
Take the time and learn iTunes,it is not as horrendous as you think ,but quite a powerful music manager, If your mp3 are kept on a pc , and they don't have a digital tag with album and artist , this is not iTunes at fault but the way your mp3 were ripped, renaming a song from Track 1 for instance doesn't create a digital signature embedded in the song.
If you drag a mp3 into a iTunes play list with a correct digital tag , it shows artist ,album and other info.
You can also add artwork to your albums.
Create playlists and drag whole albums or songs into a playlist, then synch only the playlist to your iPad.
It will keep all the album ,artists ,song info and artwork, see pic as to how it will look.


As for paid apps , most of the apple /android cross platform apps are similar in price, i just checked and in my experience free apps are just teasers for the pro version.
Some of the free iPad apps I have are brilliant but most are adware driven.

 

[johnw100]

Thanks for the responses.

Im sure after some time I'll get use to how the apple side of things work but every time I pick up my android phone or use a media manager on my pc I think why can't it be like that on the iPad.

In regard to the mp3 tagging, the problem is I listen to a lot of mix electronic music that come in folders, or I organise by folders. So they won't have album names just track or artist labels. So it's impossible to group them in iTunes. On my android, I just drag the folders over in windows to my android mp3 folder and they're all kept together. I don't want to have to edit the mp3s each time I want to put them onto the iPad, although I guess I could batch add album name in media monkey the details.
I have used iTunes in the past, and it's usually uninstalled after a day and then I return to it about 6months later to see if it's improved, which it never seems too. I'll give it another go but. Ive resorted to using Picasa online app to get my photos onto the iPad rather than iTunes as its more flexible.

I disagree about the app costs are similar in price to android. yes there are some great free apps on iPad but there are many more expensive apps on it than on android. They're usually x3 the price or more and less are free or trial like on android.

And one final annoyance which im not sure if there is a work around is the lack of arrow keys for editing on the keyboard. If I want to go back and correct something I've typed I spend ages stabbing at the word I want to changing watching as the blue bar jumps back and forth to every place apart from where I want to edit. Why can't they add arrow keys to the keyboard. Or do a long press on a key so you can slide the cursor along a line with your finger.


Thanks

J

 

[DefBref]

Or do a long press on a key so you can slide the cursor along a line with your finger.

You can, a long press will bring a magnifying glass up allowing you to place the cursor where you want.

 

[johnw100]

You can, a long press will bring a magnifying glass up allowing you to place the cursor where you want.

So you can, thats great! Thanks

 

[Bosvaark]

Thanks for the responses.

Im sure after some time I'll get use to how the apple side of things work but every time I pick up my android phone or use a media manager on my pc I think why can't it be like that on the iPad.

In regard to the mp3 tagging, the problem is I listen to a lot of mix electronic music that come in folders, or I organise by folders. So they won't have album names just track or artist labels. So it's impossible to group them in iTunes. On my android, I just drag the folders over in windows to my android mp3 folder and they're all kept together. I don't want to have to edit the mp3s each time I want to put them onto the iPad, although I guess I could batch add album name in media monkey the details.
I have used iTunes in the past, and it's usually uninstalled after a day and then I return to it about 6months later to see if it's improved, which it never seems too. I'll give it another go but. Ive resorted to using Picasa online app to get my photos onto the iPad rather than iTunes as its more flexible.

I disagree about the app costs are similar in price to android. yes there are some great free apps on iPad but there are many more expensive apps on it than on android. They're usually x3 the price or more and less are free or trial like on android.

And one final annoyance which im not sure if there is a work around is the lack of arrow keys for editing on the keyboard. If I want to go back and correct something I've typed I spend ages stabbing at the word I want to changing watching as the blue bar jumps back and forth to every place apart from where I want to edit. Why can't they add arrow keys to the keyboard. Or do a long press on a key so you can slide the cursor along a line with your finger.

Thanks

J

Sounds like you should have bought a Galaxy instead, seeing as you knew all along that iTunes wasn't your preferred choice of Music Manager and was limited as you put it.
You of course could JailBreak your IPad , Hey it might even come close to the cluttered mess of a windows / droid system.

 

[MattIM]

Sounds like you should have bought a Galaxy instead, seeing as you knew all along that iTunes wasn't your preferred choice of Music Manager and was limited as you put it.
You of course could JailBreak your IPad , Hey it might even come close to the cluttered mess of a windows / droid system.

Okay Bosvaark, good points made have you! (My inner Yoda just came out.) We have to be nice to new people so we can turn them into Applefans and not Droidroids. Okay? <S>

 

[AQ_OC]

I agree with Bos......some folks will just be happier with android. I'm a 30 year windows user and an android user (I have both android and iOS). I get sick and tied of the ads you see in every android app....that is one reason the phones have gotten so big, because so many ads steal screen space that you need a bigger screen for the free/low cost apps....but iOS has better apps and I'd rather pay than look at ads....and i agree that iTunes sucks big time, but I don't use iTunes that much, so I don't worry about it. Get Spotify and your need to load music goes to zero (i use it on ios, android, and my PCs). I get movies via third party app, so iTunes is no longer in the picture. But if the OP can't make the leap, he/she should check out the google nexus 7 or the asus transformer infinity pad. But for me, the iPad is king through I do love my google nexus 7.

 

[johnw100]

Sounds like you should have bought a Galaxy instead, seeing as you knew all along that iTunes wasn't your preferred choice of Music Manager and was limited as you put it.
You of course could JailBreak your IPad , Hey it might even come close to the cluttered mess of a windows / droid system.

Actually music isnt that important to me on the ipad, as i listen to it on mainly on my pc and phone. And I had forgotten how bad itunes was at ordering things that dont have the correct metadata, and I have never had to sync with itunes in the past to anything so that was an oversight. All I was saying is that i`m surprised how limited itunes is compared to other media managers, but i guess i`ll have to stick with it. And no i shouldnt have bought a galaxy as the ipad is better, happy now ;-)

 

[Kaykaykay]

I use Windows, Android and iOS because none of them delivers everything I want.

I do the minimum on iTunes, especially since firmware updates and backups moved to the cloud. There also have been rumors of an iTunes overhaul in the works, so we'll see.

I like to keep my options open as a consumer. If better hardware comes along, no matter from what maker, I want to be able to easily switch and access content that I've already purchased. So Amazon ebooks and music appeal to me, for instance, because I can use them across iOS, Android and Windows with cross-platform apps like Kindle and Amazon Cloud Player.

 

[LannyC]

iTunes is just as bad, and iPad's lack of a file system just as frustrating, to lots of us Mac users, too. It's the price we pay for not giving a second thought to malware.

It's a shame, though, that Apple doesn't enforce more standardization in the user interface. Too many apps have mystery meat navigation, making you guess at what they do, much less how to do it. The consistent UI was one of the Mac's major attractions, back when Apple still cared.

milliHelen: amount of beauty required to launch one ship.