Ok in my last post I made the case why I didnt think tablests would last.
Since that time I have had chance to use them more, and a few weeks back bought an iPad. I have to say I was very torn between the iPad and the Asus Transformer, largely due to the fact that iPads wont play flash, however, they remain the best “tablet” and, as I already have a netbook, a laptop, a desktop all flash capable I did not see that as too much of a stumbling block, after all, the pad was to fill a gap in my life right!
So, why the change of heart? Well its portability and the fact it can be left on. There are many times when I quickly want to do something online and I either have to:
- Use my phone
- Boot up my netbook
My phones screen size is too small, and my netbook is slow to boot up, and for me, this is the gap the iPad fills. I can leave it on in a drawer and it wont over heat, and the battery lasts for hours, and charges back up really fast. You can just pull it out, use it and put it down again.
The fact it doesnt require a keyboard means its easy to use when your lying on the sofa, or if you are travelling.
It is fast for browsing the internet, and pretty stable, in fact the only app I have had any issues with is “IMO”, a great integrated messenger that handles Skype (text), MSN, Gtalk etc really well… until it crashes and forgets who you are… but that aside, the iPad is very stable.
So, I have one, I like it… what it is not however is:
- A work horse
- Value for money
Anyone who things they can “work” with an ipad really needs a rething, touch typing is very diffucult as you cannot feel the keys, processing documents is not easy, for example there is not a single app that will allow you to edit an open office document. A lot of text editors save in formats that do not translate well to PC.
In terms of value for money, you can get a laptop for less money than an iPad, I dont think there is much more to say on that!
So… why the change of heart, really? Well, one of the biggest barriers to the iPad as I saw it was the inability to transfer documents to and from your PC. There was no USB interface for example. What changed everything for me was the availability of DropBox integrated apps.
If you dont already use dropbox, try it, its great! You will find apps for all tablets and smart phones now, as well as support for all PC operating systems, with dropbox I can not work between all my devices and this alone makes a tablet many times more useful (for me at least)!