ipad users - please tell me about your ipad

[Maya]

Hello dear ipad users

Could I ask you a few questions please? The UK is so technologically impoverished that we don’t have the ipad yet and I have to do an essay on it for next Monday, so it would be a great help and much appreciated!
I need your answers by the end of Fri 21st May:

1) What was your main reason for getting an ipad?
a. Did you buy it yourself? If not, was it a gift, provided by work, or what?

2) Did you intend to use for particular purposes? If so
a. What were they?
b. Have you found it good for those purposes?
c. Any issues?
d. Have you found it more useful for things you had not foreseen?

3) What applications do you tend to use it for most?

4) What applications have particularly pleased you, and why?

5) Is it comfortable to use? Any issues?

6) Do you use your phone or laptop (or any other equipment) less, or differently, as a result? Does it fill a gap that they didn’t cover?

7) Has it changed your life in any way, for better or worse?

Thank you so much to anyone who answers!

Maya

 

[Dragonrider]

1) What was your main reason for getting an ipad?
[A replacement for a business travel laptop]
a. Did you buy it yourself? If not, was it a gift, provided by work, or what?
[Personal Purchase]

2) Did you intend to use for particular purposes? If so
a. What were they?
[Business presentation & travel related R&R]
b. Have you found it good for those purposes?
[10+ presentations; 9 E-reader; 10 video & airplane games; 10+ unexpected uses]
c. Any issues?
[Accessories still sparse - can't show a presentation on the iPad and projector at the same time]
d. Have you found it more useful for things you had not foreseen?
[A ton]
3) What applications do you tend to use it for most?
[Safari, weather, maps, Keynote]
4) What applications have particularly pleased you, and why?
[Keynote's super; WSJ (free) is a treat (but no individual copies like the Kendal), iPad version of the Kendel is 10+

5) Is it comfortable to use? Any issues?
[Tad heavy, but OK - needs a case that's better than Apple's, so it's easier to carry & use on the street (location checking)]

6) Do you use your phone or laptop (or any other equipment) less, or differently, as a result? Does it fill a gap that they didn’t cover?
[It replaced all of those plus my iPod, video glasses, and Kendal]

7) Has it changed your life in any way, for better or worse?
[Better - no more dragging out the laptop at the airport. This is the road warrior's dream machine]

 

[henry2]

1-going lighter when traveling with the laptop and laptop gear for i get rid of about 15.pds of gear that i carryed with me on the trips along went down to a slimeline set up of 4.1/2.pds now for travel in the slingbag ..
a-bought it my self

2-personal use
a-persoanal use for it got rid of two things that i carryed with me for travel -x-1-ipod for music -x-2-laptop for basic web surfing and game playing 3-keeping track of the dvd and book library programs
b -i love the screen size on the ipad for my iphone screen was a little hard to read

3-games and dvd and book library and music websurfing here and there .
a-game i have a lot of games i like to play when iam back at the hotel and have a little time to kill along with when at work and there is a problem with the install .. i will break out the ipad and play a card game when i wait for them to start back ..
b-music for after work and i need to destress i put on something soft mellow to listen to allow me to destress from my playlist i made
c-basic websurfing for checking the email and webpapes i like

4-the games applications that i have on the ipad and the library programs on the ipad unit

5-to me it not that bad to use when sitting down or on the bed for most times it on something flat and iam looking at that way or on my back with it in one hand useing it ..

6-my iphone went back to beening a phone again and i went over to a desktop computer for the basic computers need that i have .for i really only use the desktop to watch tv and surf the web along keeping track of my favorite websites i vist daily and track the items i have bought over the internet and print and make playlist from the cd music collection i have ..

a-it did replace the laptop for travel for me it a basic a no brainer unit to use for i keep it with me all the time when iam away from the desktop

b-along with it keep my grocery shopping list along with my pantry list for the house..

c-packing check list of gear for work to make sure everything is packed into the hardshell travel trunk for work to be carried with us for travel

d-clothing check list of cloths for the diff areas i will travel to in winter time-summer-fall and spring times for the diff areas have diff cloths and jackets ..if New York in feb time frame then i know to pack the following cloths and access items for some of the places we done installs where unheated so it was better to have a lttle extras in the way of winter clothing than not have them ..

along with the way the airlines are chargeing you for everything i try now to keep it in one carry on sized travel bag for work ..

7-- i would have to say it made my life a lot better for it allows me to keep track of things here and there without a lot of problems with trying to read the iphone screen ..that was the big selling point for me was the screen size for it use the basic iphone o.s system and i could move the stuff from the phone to the ipad and still use them without any problems ..

 

[Maya]

interesting information! thank you

d. Have you found it more useful for things you had not foreseen?
[A ton]

Just wondered, Dragonrider, if you have a spare moment, could you tell me a little more about this - the kind of extra things you are finding it useful for?

Thank you both, Dragonrider and Henry2, for taking the time to answer my questions, really helpful of you.

 

[augie]

1) What was your main reason for getting an ipad? When I travel for work I don't have to carry a kindle, ipod, and personal laptop since I don't use work laptop for anything personal

a. Did you buy it yourself? If not, was it a gift, provided by work, or what?
Purchased myself

2) Did you intend to use for particular purposes? If so
a. What were they? see #1

b. Have you found it good for those purposes? Yes

c. Any issues? No

d. Have you found it more useful for things you had not foreseen?
Its easy to grab to look something online instead of going to the laptop,

3) What applications do you tend to use it for most?
Web, email, and ebooks

4) What applications have particularly pleased you, and why?
Sportstap, kindle, ibooks,

5) Is it comfortable to use? Any issues?
Its not the easiest to grip without a case but you get used to it

6) Do you use your phone or laptop (or any other equipment) less, or differently, as a result? Does it fill a gap that they didn’t cover? I use my laptop less for basic we surfing

7) Has it changed your life in any way, for better or worse?
I wouldn't say it is the pinnacle of my life and can't live without it but its cool to use

 

[Maya]

great stuff, keep it coming!

I'm beginning to want one bigtime!

I've been wondering - how do you tend to work with it, in your lap or on a table, or somehow else? using both hands, or holding it in one hand and working with the other?
I see Henry2 does both, but isn't quite heavy to hold in one hand?

 

[Seadog]

1. Personal purchase for work, travel, and recreation.
2. To bridge the gap between my needs for a laptop and iPod. It has met those needs above expectations.
3. Web browsing, maps, email, and books.
4. Too numerous to mention.
5. Still getting used to it, but the right case can be a big help.
6. Slightly less use of my laptop, but mainly when I move around the house. A lot more use of the iPad as a travel companion.
7. It has been a big help in the short period I have had it.

 

[henry2]

I see Henry2 does both, but isn't quite heavy to hold in one hand?

i learned a trick from days of reading manuals in military by placeing the ipad or book againest the large hotel towel that been tightly rolled around a pillow and safety pined into place for use in the bed i can place it my stomach and read emails or listen to music in bed ..i do not have E-books on the unit for i love the feel of a old fashion book in my hand ..when i need to type back a reply i just use the one handed hunt and peck on the keyboard with the other hand holding the ipad ..


when in a coffee shop in the morning i lean the ipad againest the sling bag at a angle by useing the hardshell eyeglass case that been layed flat inside the bag to act as a flat hard surface .when typeing out a message on the unit in landscape mode or when i need to lay it flat it a little better than the hunt and peck message reply in the hotel room that has Wifi in the room ..

plus i bought a voice email program for my iphone and with the bluetooth headset i just talk what i want the message to say and it worded like a regular email that been written on the iphone keyboard and the email message is composed and sent to the person email box on the account that they used ..most of the time it reading the emails on the ipad because of the screen size makes so much easlyer to read then the phone screen and then sending them on the iphone.so it a good system for me ..

there is tricks to useing the unit all you have to do is learn what works for you and what does not work for you in the long run

 

[Maya]

great tips

Thanks Dragonrider (like the name!), Augie and Seadog, and big thanks for the tips Henry2!

I like the one about the towel and the pillow, and finding clever ways to tilt the screen when you have a table - that would definitely make it more comfortable to use.
One of the modules I'm studying is ergonomics - it's important to avoid working for long periods with your head tilted down as it puts strain on your neck, glad you are taking care of yourself!

 

[kheldour]

1) What was your main reason for getting an ipad?

I love gadgets, I love Apple gadgets, but the main reason was, that the iPad is in my eyes, the next big thing in IT

a.Did you buy it yourself?

Yes

Did you intend to use for particular purposes? If so
a. What were they?

Replace my laptop whenever possible.

b. Have you found it good for those purposes?

Definitely

c. Any issues?

Lack of printer support, USB ports and camera

d. Have you found it more useful for things you had not foreseen?

not really

3) What applications do you tend to use it for most?

Safari, Mail, Goodreader, abc-player, Pandora radio.

4) What applications have particularly pleased you, and why?

Goodreader, because it allows me to take most of my documents from where ever I have stored them.

5) Is it comfortable to use? Any issues?

It is very comfortable to use. Issues? Yes, keeping my kids away from it is an issue.

6) Do you use your phone or laptop (or any other equipment) less, or differently, as a result? Does it fill a gap that they didn’t cover?

For sure - now I use my iPhone mainly for what a telephone is designed for. My MacBook is only on for applications, which won't run (yet) on the iPad, or for synching with my iPad.

7) Has it changed your life in any way, for better or worse?

It changed my IT, Multimedia, and news gathering life big time. It is ALWAYS with me and I'm actually getting a 2nd one next week, so this one here can go over to my wife..........she won over me - finally......

 

[Dragonrider]

Maya - This is a project that I would assign to a class...

I am a PhD, running a company creating human and veterinary diagnostics (with occasional teaching episodes) - I find the use of the iPad catches and attracts attention when graphics are needed, and the iPad is perfect for quick sketches of ideas - like a dry erase board at lunch... displaying images from our clinical trials, and molecular images have already been very useful. Finally, we have created short forms for our trials that use the iPad as data entry.

The unwieldily nature of a laptop is emphasized with the use of the iPad.

I own Mac #128 - I believed it to be a paradigm changer, as this is too.

 

[Dragonrider]

BTW, I also ride a Honda Valkyrie - hence the Dragonrider...

 

[Maya]

Thanks!

Rebecca, I'm looking forward to checking out all those apps because I can see I'm going to have to get an ipad the minute I get a job - your wife is very fortunate Kheldour, to have the talent for persuasion!

...so if anyone here gets tired of their ipad and doesn't have a wife/husband/kids to hand it on to, perhaps you like to send it to an appreciative MSc student in one of the world's less technologically advanced countries? (me/UK )

Thanks very much Dragonrider for coming back to me with that interesting information - oo, owner of an ipad, a PhD AND a Honda Valkyrie - you sound an amazing character!!!