School me on IPADS

[jdude]

I purchased a new laptop at the end of the year and in the process of setting it up i discovered i hate Windoows 8. My brother in-law has expressed interest in buying it from me for my purchase price and i'm thinking about a IPAD.

I currently have a laptop and desk top that both work fine but want to know how "useable" a IPAD would be for general surfing and basic computer tasks. I would like to use it for my business as i need to start filing my sales tax online and thought it would be handy for that purpose too.

I have a IPHONE and am familiar with the differences but not sure about general srfing as i don't use my phone for that purpose.

i also would like to get into photography and think it would be great to up;oad picture to/

If you have one, tell me how you use it and how that use compares to a computer.

 

[lachalen 82]

I'll give you my opinion on the tablet concept, I rock an Android tablet so I cant tell you about the apple part, but for my money the tablet was one of the best tech purchases I made in years. About the only thing I use my laptop for these days is whwn i got to type something long.

 

[Sfrandolph]

I have an ipad. If you are a mouse person or even a touch pad person (on a laptop), you may hate the ipad. In my case, my finger is way too big for most actions like selecting a check box or input box on a web site. So you have to constantly be dragging the page to a bigger size where you can select the target. Also, if you are used to using right clicks on a laptop or desktop to access extended functions, forget it on an ipad. With all that said, the ipad is good for casual surfing (reading articles, etc.) or for playing games like solitaire. If you currently go to sites that use Flash player for video or games or such, forget on ipad. Can't use Flash. It's an Adobe product and Apple hates Adobe. Hope this info helps with your decision.

 

[SaintsNSinners]

Pirates wear them. Usually they are black and accompanied by an avian

 

[Tripp11]

The basic uses of an iPad in our house:

1) Surfing the net
2) Checking emails
3) Watching movies, TV shows, etc... all downloaded on the iPad
4) Playing games

All of the above can be done in any room in the house, and it can be done without my legs getting hot from a laptop.

It's like an iPhone or Android smartphone, but bigger.

 

[Classic]

I use an old fashioned laptop (Alienware M15x) but my wife and daughter both love their iPads. The wife is on her second one, just upgrading from the 1 version to the 3. They use them for most everything and have the "submersible" covers for them so they can go virtually anywhere. I would likely have one too but I have a big investment in this gaming computer and I'm not ready to make the shift yet.

 

[Zombiekilloftheweek]

The basic uses of an iPad in our house:

1) Surfing the net
2) Checking emails
3) Watching movies, TV shows, etc... all downloaded on the iPad
4) Playing games

All of the above can be done in any room in the house, and it can be done without my legs getting hot from a laptop.

It's like an iPhone or Android smartphone, but bigger.

^^^^^^^^this^^^^^^^

I havent used a regular computer in years. iPad is all i use now. Some websites that require a flash player can be annoying, but i only run into that once in a great while. Its great for YouTube!

 

[xcalibur]

i also would like to get into photography and think it would be great to up;oad picture to/

^ Number one use for me....
A tablet is great for showing your collection of photographs to friends and family.

 

[tatic05]

Windows 8 is a touch based OS, toss it and get Windows 7 and you will be much happier, plus you dont have to waste money on an IPad.

IPad and/or another tablet is good as long as you are not doing much on it. If you are using to surf the web or watch videos and check email then it will work out great for you. As far as the photography aspect, I am not sure how happy you will be with the camera on the IPad itself. Its good for random shots here and there but if you are wanting to get into photography, (depending on how involved you want too) then using the camera on it is not the best choice. So for basic surfing its a great use and can have some cool things you might not normally use, but would end up using anyway.

 

[CitiusFortius]

i also would like to get into photography and think it would be great to up;oad picture to/

If you are serious about photography, avoid the ipad.
#1 - no removable storage. No usb or firewire ports. You can use cloud apps and drop box but it's not the same as having an external harddrive.

#1a - nothing gets on or off the ipad without internet.

#2 - apps are NOT programs. There just isn't an ipad app that = photoshop. There are some cool ones, but nothing that will give you the control you need.

#3 - i have an ipad2, the camera's not great. I've heard they have better cameras on newer models.

I have an ipad, it's a fun toy, but when I start dealing with graphic design work I fire up the old windows vista.

 

[HavokCycle]

tablets will not be able to replace a real computer, or even a laptop. whichever you prefer (I rock android tabs and phones) their productivity is minimal at best. if you have to do lots of typing, or anything that requires MS Office or lots of emailing, its not suitable. even with a physical keyboard, its still a pain. I tried to replace my office PC with one, didn't work well. ended up getting a micro PC with all the real hardware.

tabs are a gadget.

 

[jdude]

To clear up a few things, I would be uploading the pictures from a quality camers not using the one on the ipad. I have a functioning laptop with win7 and a desk top with vista that i don't use much.

The ipad would be for Email, facebook and probably Ingo along with some other gun sites i frequent. Just looking for opinions on how others use theirs.

 

[CitiusFortius]

To clear up a few things, I would be uploading the pictures from a quality camers not using the one on the ipad. I have a functioning laptop with win7 and a desk top with vista that i don't use much.

The ipad would be for Email, facebook and probably Ingo along with some other gun sites i frequent. Just looking for opinions on how others use theirs.

In that case, go for it. It's fine for light, recreational use. I'm using one now. The way the original post was phrased made it seem like an either/or decision. As long as you have regular machine and extra cash, knock yourself out.

Or spend the $500 on 4 bricks of .22

 

[Designer99]

#1a - nothing gets on or off the ipad without internet..

Except when you sync it with your computer. There's a USB cable for that. Most people have home wifi anyways.

#2 - apps are NOT programs. There just isn't an ipad app that = photoshop. There are some cool ones, but nothing that will give you the control you need..

Here's the official Photoshop app for the iPad:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/adobe-photoshop-touch/id495716481?mt=8

#3 - i have an ipad2, the camera's not great. I've heard they have better cameras on newer models..

Yes, the camera gets better with every version, but not something you want to take serious photos with. Editing, maybe.

I have an ipad, it's a fun toy, but when I start dealing with graphic design work I fire up the old windows vista.

You lost me at Windows Vista

 

[Lock load]

I've had an ipad for almost 2 yrs now.
It's not a replacement for a computer but it is a very handy thing to have.

If I could find a good holster for my Ipad. I would carry it with me as much as my pistol.

 

[MikeDVB]

I browse and post on INGO regularly on an iPad, and I regularly work from my iPhone (mini iPad that can make calls haha).

It is a bit different, but once you get used to it - it's quite nice.

I actually prefer to lay in bed browsing the net from the iPad or sit on the couch and check my email, etc... than to pull the laptop out. It is easier for me to do real work from the laptop but for most things I get by on the iPad just fine .

See if you can find somebody you know that has one, so you can play with it for a bit. One thing you will certainly find is there are millions of apps and a lot of them free. Great games and stuff, great productivity tools too.

 

[Paul30]

To clear up a few things, I would be uploading the pictures from a quality camers not using the one on the ipad. I have a functioning laptop with win7 and a desk top with vista that i don't use much.

The ipad would be for Email, facebook and probably Ingo along with some other gun sites i frequent. Just looking for opinions on how others use theirs.

A tablet is definitely not a computer replacement, but a handy device for basic internet functions on the go. I prefer the Android tablets, they seem more capable but the Ipads do most basic things also.

 

[Expat]

I am on my iPad now. For the uses you list it is great. If I am going to do much typing, I have a Bluetooth keyboard that holds the ipad into position and gives me a nice setup. Short replies like this, I get along fine with the on screen keyboard. I am not a professional photog so, to me, it takes great pictures. But I use it for browsing, email, IMing, pictures, music, reading books and magazines, all the time.

 

[CitiusFortius]

Except when you sync it with your computer. There's a USB cable for that. Most people have home wifi anyways.


Here's the official Photoshop app for the iPad:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/adobe-photoshop-touch/id495716481?mt=8


Yes, the camera gets better with every version, but not something you want to take serious photos with. Editing, maybe.


You lost me at Windows Vista

I do have wifi, i just dont understand the workflow of take a picture, upload it to computer - send to ipad - post to ingo - send back to computer to save to hard drive. Since he's not using the ipad camera anyway, why not just do what you need to do on the computer he's capturing with?

Have you read the reviews on the photoshop app?????

And yes, Vista is the bastard child of windows, but if you work with it long enough and know the quirks, it's sufficient for graphics compositing and light video editing.

 

[jkaetz]

Tablets are great until you want to type. Typing is monumentally slow on a touch device as touch typing is not possible. There are bluetooth and wireless keyboards that can be used, but if you are going to use them a lot, you'd be better off with a convertible laptop and windows 8. Windows 8 was designed for that purpose. Under the touchyness it is still windows, you just have to change your habits slightly and you can be just as productive with windows 8 as the older versions. I use a Nexus 10 around the house but if I'm seriously investigating something I'll likely pull out my windows 8 laptop for its keyboard and speed. The tablets are still not as fast as a modern laptop. Flash based web content will also be a problem on apple or android tablets.