With iPad, have you stopped using your laptop/desktop?

[willcoq]

Right now, I have a desktop PC and an iPhone. I'm saving up for an iPad. I'm going to be doing some international travelling/working next year, so I obviously can't be taking my uber Windows gaming machine with me. In fact, I accept that I may have to put all PC gaming on hold while I do my travelling.

Given that I'll be purchasing an iPad by the time I begin my journey in June 2012, do you think I'll be fine without a computer at all?

1. Does your iPad meet all of your e-mail/surfing/blogging/watching/listening/streaming/downloading needs?
2. Does it work well with Google Docs (documents/spreadsheets)?
3. Can you type long e-mails/blog posts with the on screen keyboard without becoming frustrated? I know there are keyboards and cases with keyboards attached, but I want to make this thing as lightweight and portable as possible.

The main thing I'm concerned about is having no way to troubleshoot problems if my iPad fails in some way. For example, I won't have a PC or Mac available to restore it. Also, I won't be able to update iOS without a computer, right? Not to mention the lack of backups...

Anyone else have an iPad but no other computer?

 

[GoPackGo]

1. No. I use my laptop to download. My 16GB iPod couldn't hold my music or photos. I have an external hard drive I manage with my laptop. I didn't buy a word processing app(yet), but my iPad does fulfill my basic computer needs - browsing, etc.
2. Yes, there are apps for that, I just don't have them. They cost a little money but I've heard they're worth it.
3. Yes, absolutely. The split keyboard with ios5 made it that much easier.

Once your iPad has iOS 5, you technically won't need a computer to sync it with iTunes anymore. Amd you can restore an iPad - rather easily. You also can back up your iPad, again easily...

 

[kwgrimes]

1. Yes, my iPad does all my basic needs and does it very well. I would not lug a PC to do what you've mentioned here. This is what the iPad was born to do!
2. I use DocumentToGo and it works fairly well for basic "Office" needs. It's especially useful if the files were originally created on your laptop and you only need to do small modifications. It's not very good at heavy excel files, for example.
3. You are going to want/need a case anyway. The smart case that comes with it is very good at protecting the screen and such, but I would highly recommend looking at the Logitech case they made together with Zagg. It only adds a fraction of an inch to the size and that nested keyboard is awesome.

 

[Mtnmedic]

1. Yes, to some degree. I have a desktop I use for a lot of stuff but my iPad is the thing I use the most, by far, for emails, web surfing, reading books and magazinesmas well as playing games. I haven't used my laptop (rare exceptions like updating and astrophotography work with my camera at the telescope) since the first iPad over a year ago. It's now a backup PC in case the desktop crashes, since the two are identically configured.

2. No. I don't use Google Docs. Never will.

3. Yes, to some degree. Depends on the type of document or message I'm working on and the time of day/my location at the moment. I use a really nice rotating stand and the Apple wireless keyboard with the iPad at the breakfast bar if I'm going to be in the kitchen for a while, for example.

Michael "Spam, spam, bacon, eggs and spam. Hold the bacon and eggs." Sent from my iPad 2 using iPF

 

[Kaykaykay]

Everyone's work and needs differ. For best prep, I suggest you try spending a few weeks before you travel using an iPad exclusively. Then you can see whether you can go without a laptop or PC.

I work internationally sometimes, but can't make do with an iPad. As much as I like my iPads, they're mostly for content consumption. I have a BT keyboard, but use it rarely. I tried using Google Docs on iPad, but it didn't work well, even though we often use Google Docs at work on PCs. Even for personal use, I still need a laptop. I just bought a new one, actually.

 

[Somerled]

Now, keep in mind the iPad was never intended to be a replacement for a full PC. It is meant to augment, or enhance, the entertaining part of the PC experience. That being said, it is possible to forward most of the tasks performed by the PC to the iPad with some creative thinking and app purchases.

1. Yes - I can do all that easily on my iPad. My question is with "Downloading" needs. What are you downloading that cannot wait until you get home?
2. Forget Google Docs. Get a free Dropbox account for documents and spreadsheets. For an editor, I highly recommend Documents To Go Premium - will work with Dropbox and will edit Word and Excel docs easily.
3. Once you get used to the keyboard, split or otherwise, it is easy to type on the screen. Using a stand will help, even the smartcase. I have an Otterbox Defender on mine right now and can type easily and for quite a while.

You main concern is now pretty much null and void with the release of iOS 5.0 and the iCloud. I have my iPhone backing up to the iCloud and my iPad still on my PC. If I didn't have the iPhone, the iPad would be backing up to the iCloud. You should be fine using the iCloud. If you need more space for your trip to make sure you get good backups, get more space for the months you will be gone. Then when you get home, switch over to backing up to the PC and relinquish the extra space in the iCloud and save the money.

I will always have a full-blown PC. I have to. It is the nature of my work. However, the iPad allows me to step away for a while and not feel lost.

 

[s2mikey]

1) - 99% yes. I do all of those tasks with the iPad 2

2) Dont use them

3) Ive done a few e-mails that were longer but I dont think Id ever type a big document on the iPad. Probably use my Laptops for that.

For me, the iPad 2 has certainly taken over as the most used "PC" around the house. Its also easily the most portable. I can see our household thinning out the laptop collection and adding iPads. We arent storage hogs so we dont need big hard drives to keep our stuff on. Noone is doing any heavy duty desktop publishing or whatever either so we can probably get by with tablet systems. I dont see us ever getting totally away from having at least one laptop always available though - there are still some cool games and things I prefer to do on a good old laptop

 

[Jockscrap]

I have hardly touched the laptop since getting my iPad.

I use my desktop fairly frequently as it is linked to my printer and I occasionally need to print things. Also, I use some graphics programs that are on my pc. I also use my pc to convert DVDs to an iPad format, and to store music and photos, send photos for developing etc. I don't use my desktop on a daily basis now, but several times a week.

My iPad is used all day every day for listening to music, watching catch-up tv, surfing, emails, word processing, spreadsheet creating (my new favourite thing), the odd time wasting game, reading books, diary keeping, reminder lists ( love this new built in app), note-taking etc etc.

As others have said, it definitely isn't a pc/laptop replacement but if you already have one of those, it may well be all you need to do the vast majority of what you currently use your computer for.

 

[AdmiralAdama]

You know you can have the best of both worlds while traveling. Get the iPad and take your gaming mobile. Alienware M11xr3 should do. $1100 with better than decent frame rate.

AA

 

[chris59]

Nearly !The Ipad is much more convenient and user friendly and I find Apps a fantastic way of doing all kinds of stuff electronically.For extensive photo files of several GB copying Cd,s and certain business functions its not quite a laptop replacement YET.I Cloud is a step closer to giving independence to the indvidual devices yet giving them seamless links and I see this becoming the way people work in the future.IE a big cloud memory of as much gigs as needed with a master device uploading and then iphones /ipads using the info ss the preffered method of access.

Chris

 

[MoonlitSonata]

Right now, I have a desktop PC and an iPhone. I'm saving up for an iPad. I'm going to be doing some international travelling/working next year, so I obviously can't be taking my uber Windows gaming machine with me. In fact, I accept that I may have to put all PC gaming on hold while I do my travelling.

Given that I'll be purchasing an iPad by the time I begin my journey in June 2012, do you think I'll be fine without a computer at all?

1. Does your iPad meet all of your e-mail/surfing/blogging/watching/listening/streaming/downloading needs?
2. Does it work well with Google Docs (documents/spreadsheets)?
3. Can you type long e-mails/blog posts with the on screen keyboard without becoming frustrated? I know there are keyboards and cases with keyboards attached, but I want to make this thing as lightweight and portable as possible.

The main thing I'm concerned about is having no way to troubleshoot problems if my iPad fails in some way. For example, I won't have a PC or Mac available to restore it. Also, I won't be able to update iOS without a computer, right? Not to mention the lack of backups...

Anyone else have an iPad but no other computer?

I use the iPad when not at home or I'm away from my laptop, which is too large to carry everywhere. Laptop still gets used 80% of the time.

 

[Asharp]

1. Yes, it completely meets my email and Internet needs. I rarely use the other options you mentioned related to question 1, so I can't say.

2. I don't use Google Docs.

3. I could never just depend on the onscreen keyboard for typing in spite of having very small hands. I switched to using my keyboard halfway through typing this post because I find hunting and pecking simply too frustrating although I'm getting better at it after 5 months.

I need my laptop for scanning, printing and uploading to a network that doesn't work with my iPad.

The iPad cannot currently replace my computer because there aren't app versions of some of my most important software programs. I knew that before purchasing an iPad, but once I discovered remote desktop apps, I realized I didn't need to be as concerned about this issue.

Ironically, once I started using Splashtop, a remote desktop app, I started using my computer more often because of my ability to freely acess laptop exclusive functions remotely from anywhere with a wifi or 3G connection.