Reply to: The I don't want an iPad(2) thread!

[lilelvis2000]

I've yet to even see the first iPad and I know nothing about the iPad2. I can't find a reason to buy a new mobile phone let alone a iWhatever.

[lightng]

The Ipad 2 now comes with a nostril cam. It's gotta be worth getting one just for that, surely.

[TimberWolf]

I wouldn't mind having one for £100 or so. But they're ridiculously expensive. You could get a pretty decent laptop for that price, and okay a laptop is heavier, noisier, and has less battery life, but is ultimately a much more useful thing.

Battery life is a big negative though, as is not being able to poke the screen. I agree the price is stupid, especially when the internet tarrif is added on top.

Some people are being paid $25/h to wait in line :
UPDATE: Apple IPad 2 Anticipation Draws Early Crowds - WSJ.com

[d000hg]

Your smartphone costs more than a decent laptop and does less things too. Those are the real rip-off. £4-500 on a phone, what a rip-off.

[VectraMan]

I wouldn't mind having one for £100 or so. But they're ridiculously expensive. You could get a pretty decent laptop for that price, and okay a laptop is heavier, noisier, and has less battery life, but is ultimately a much more useful thing.

[Dearnla]

I agree I can see no use for an iPad 2 - that's because I have 2 x iPad 1's....

[SimonMac]

The Motorolla Xoom looks very good, but lacking Skype is a non starter for me.

[2BIT]

1) Don't need flash, it's arse. You have the Youtube app for Youtube, TVCatchup iPad for watching telly, BBC iplayer app if you so want it, but best off all (which is what I do), sign up for a VPN provider hosted in the states and get the abc player app and sign up to hulu.

2) Bit of a pain in the arse, but it's easy enough to convert to mp4 once you've 'sourced' your avi's on the net. I use a couple of apps, they'll pick up the source resolution and audio settings and convert it for you. Leave 5 or 6 ticking away over a weekend, ready to sync on Monday morning. It really isn't that hard, most of these (like handbrake, etc) have most of the codecs that your avi's are being encoded with included.

3) Numbers is a great little app (iWorks) and is £6 on the app store, alternatively I think you can edit spreadsheets using google docs (not sure about word files) or you can get the Quickoffice suite £10. You won't be replacing your MS suite with them, but you can certainly use them to edit a few spreadsheets. Alternatively Goodreader lets you open office files for reading no problem, not editing though.

not having a dig at Incognito but these are three reasons I wouldn't buy an Ipad apart from DaveB's reason which trumps all. - what a faff!

[2BIT]

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/03/ipad-creation/

i was surprised when I read this (not that I'd buy one anyway)

[d000hg]

1) Don't need flash, it's arse. You have the Youtube app for Youtube, TVCatchup iPad for watching telly, BBC iplayer app if you so want it, but best off all (which is what I do), sign up for a VPN provider hosted in the states and get the abc player app and sign up to hulu.

Of course if you happen to use any of the million Flash/Flex apps which aren't TV-players you might be a bit stuck. For instance if you like arsing about playing web-games... which would be ideal for the iPad based on the casual/web niche it is perfect for.

Right now I haven't seen any tablet which matches the iPad on style but no doubt they will come.

[TykeMerc]

Yep.

It's a gorgeous bit of kit, but every time I find myself tempted I end up stopping and thinking, "what would I actually use it for?"

So far I dont have an answer.

I've a simple answer to that in my case, exactly nowt.

I've got a Kindle for reading books/docs and even basic browsing, small, light, great battery life, cheap and it can even be used as a USB storage device.
I've got an HTC Desire for phone type stuff and it can do the usual smartphone stuff.
I've got a netbook for lightweight computing and entertainment.

There's nothing that the iPad offers (for a ludicrously high pricetag) that I can't do at least as well if not better on other devices that I've already got, prefer to use and could easily replace if lost or damaged.

[cojak]

I have an iPad and trust me, it is far more than an enlarged iPod touch. The thing has replaced my laptops for everyday bored browsing.

1) Don't need flash, it's arse. You have the Youtube app for Youtube, TVCatchup iPad for watching telly, BBC iplayer app if you so want it, but best off all (which is what I do), sign up for a VPN provider hosted in the states and get the abc player app and sign up to hulu.

2) Bit of a pain in the arse, but it's easy enough to convert to mp4 once you've 'sourced' your avi's on the net. I use a couple of apps, they'll pick up the source resolution and audio settings and convert it for you. Leave 5 or 6 ticking away over a weekend, ready to sync on Monday morning. It really isn't that hard, most of these (like handbrake, etc) have most of the codecs that your avi's are being encoded with included.

3) Numbers is a great little app (iWorks) and is £6 on the app store, alternatively I think you can edit spreadsheets using google docs (not sure about word files) or you can get the Quickoffice suite £10. You won't be replacing your MS suite with them, but you can certainly use them to edit a few spreadsheets. Alternatively Goodreader lets you open office files for reading no problem, not editing though.

Only thing that isn't better on the iPad is forums, gets a bit tedious one finger typing, apart from that I love my iPad, I have all my OU manuals synched, always have about 10 videos synched, about 10Gig of music and a load of crappy games that'll occupy me for half an hour if I'm bored. All that in something that weighs the same and has the same dimensions as a school jotter.

Don't get the the 3g model, get a Three Mifi instead, works out about £60 saving you £40. Get the bose headphones with it as well, they're ******* ace.

Conclusion - iPad is the first thing I've bought since the original playstation and original iPhone which made me stop and go wow. Had it since it came out and still love it.

WIS

I use Danisoft (Danusoft?) to rip DVDs to iPad format. I use Nuance dictation, I use iBooks for free books, even Angry Birds are better in large format, and as for the driving games....

I use it for listening to the radio, my music, Oh and for music - I hold it to keep my ukulele lessons and songsheets. I use it to tune my instruments (cleartune - what an app!), I use omnigraffle for on the hoof business use, I use keynote to present, I use Mindo for mindmap creation, then I email to all meeting participants using my mifi.......

[Incognito]

When I'm away I have a laptop that does all of that and more already. As I said, I can't think of anything I'd use an iPad for.

Can you hold your laptop quite comfortably in the palm of one hand and not notice it's there? Does your laptop still amaze you at going days without needing charged no matter you've been hammering it?

The killer for me, can you be lying back on the couch flicking through the telly, scratching your arse and have your laptop comfortably resting on your chest doing some leisurely browsing (without leaving scorch marks).

The iPad is the ultimate lazy boy surfing utensil.

Best app by far is the Telegraph, it's free and it's top notch. I haven't bought a paper in over a year. I tell you, anyone who doubts they need one haven't really used one in anger. If you have a friend with one see if you can give it a trial run overnight.

[Incognito]

As it stands am I right to basically assume an iPad is just a big iPod touch?

I like the idea of the unit, and for most of my daily needs it would be fine, but there are some glaring omissions which are useful when I am away from the home and stuck in a hotel that mean I won't get one.

1) Lack of flash - Still a major bug bear for me as it means site like 4OD won't play so negating one of the biggest use's I would have of the device

2) No AVI support, most of the stuff I can't watch on demand I download as AVI's but again this is a nono on the iPad.

3) Updating Spreadsheets - mainly for expenses and mileage whilst on the road

I assume most of the Andriod tablets will solve these two issues, but is there any hardware that comes close to the iPad in terms of styling and functionality?!

I have an iPad and trust me, it is far more than an enlarged iPod touch. The thing has replaced my laptops for everyday bored browsing.

1) Don't need flash, it's arse. You have the Youtube app for Youtube, TVCatchup iPad for watching telly, BBC iplayer app if you so want it, but best off all (which is what I do), sign up for a VPN provider hosted in the states and get the abc player app and sign up to hulu.

2) Bit of a pain in the arse, but it's easy enough to convert to mp4 once you've 'sourced' your avi's on the net. I use a couple of apps, they'll pick up the source resolution and audio settings and convert it for you. Leave 5 or 6 ticking away over a weekend, ready to sync on Monday morning. It really isn't that hard, most of these (like handbrake, etc) have most of the codecs that your avi's are being encoded with included.

3) Numbers is a great little app (iWorks) and is £6 on the app store, alternatively I think you can edit spreadsheets using google docs (not sure about word files) or you can get the Quickoffice suite £10. You won't be replacing your MS suite with them, but you can certainly use them to edit a few spreadsheets. Alternatively Goodreader lets you open office files for reading no problem, not editing though.

Only thing that isn't better on the iPad is forums, gets a bit tedious one finger typing, apart from that I love my iPad, I have all my OU manuals synched, always have about 10 videos synched, about 10Gig of music and a load of crappy games that'll occupy me for half an hour if I'm bored. All that in something that weighs the same and has the same dimensions as a school jotter.

Don't get the the 3g model, get a Three Mifi instead, works out about £60 saving you £40. Get the bose headphones with it as well, they're ******* ace.

Conclusion - iPad is the first thing I've bought since the original playstation and original iPhone which made me stop and go wow. Had it since it came out and still love it.

[Spacecadet]

When I'm away I have a laptop that does all of that and more already. As I said, I can't think of anything I'd use an iPad for.

WDBS

Ipads look lovely but if I wanted to buy something expensive and pointless I'd rather spend the money on a weekend sports car