iPad iPad Enthusiasts - Why is the iPad a no-brainer for you?

[mgmueller]

I'm no enthusiast.
As with most products, after some time of experimenting I still find serious deficits.

But still it's a no-brainer because:
- Instant on. I still need my UMPC for specific tasks, i. e. travel expenses (JAVA app). I was surprised, how annoying it was to wait for 45 seconds from hybrid for starting.
- Form factor. It's a beauty. My UMPC is about 2.5cm thick and way heavier. iPad has about the measurements of Kindle 2, wow!
- iTunes. To me, it's a stroke of genius. Movies, TV shows, music, apps, .... all from a single source. Just one thing: I don't want to change my accounts. I'd like to be able to change only the email address. Now the user name is the same as the email address - and the email doesn't exist anymore, meaning I don't receive the bills.
- Battery duration. It always could be more of course. But 8++ hours beat all of my notebooks.
- Price. It's in the range of media players, whereas "real" tablets are at least twice as much.

What I don't like:
- Same as with iPhone: It's not even close to being a business tool. When in webmail, I can't copy from one browser window to the next - essential for eMails. I can copy to notes or iMail though.
- Quality of most apps. There are only few "major players" and you see it. I'd prefer apps for, let's say, $ 30 - and having the respective quality. $ 5 on average is nice, but the quality reflects the price very often.
- Range of apps. On my UMPC, I can install all kinds of software. It may be disturbingly slow for some tasks, but I can do whatever I need on it. On iPad I can't do my travel expenses, as my employer uses a JAVA script application. I can't do my downloads on it, as it simply lacks the apps. I can't rip my DVDs on it and so on. There's no alternative, iPad only can be "junior partner" to my PC or Mac.
- No user replaceable battery. I hate this. Realistically, most of us will buy a new iPad in 2 or 3 years, as exchanging the battery simply is way too expensive. May be considered clever business strategy, but I hate it.

I don't agree to the hype around iPad, some users celebrate. But I'm happy with my iPad. I can't use it for certain tasks, but the rest it does great.

[scottjl]

hmm.. i don't equate app price with app quality. there are plenty of $100 turkeys out there and some $5 gems. at least i don't feel so bad when i spend $3 on something and it turns out to be less than stellar, i can just go buy another.

as for the "junior partner" no one ever said the ipad would be your one and only computer, it was never designed for that. starting from the moment you need a desktop/laptop to activate it, it will always be a secondary system.

[Bremen Cole]

This resurrected thread is a hoot! Post #14 was my thoughts in February... little did I know just how much I would like the iPad. I really thought it was just hype, but kept my open mind..... and now after having it for 4 months, I'm glad I did.....

[Maggie Leung]

iPad wasn't a no-brainer for me. It sounded like a good fit, but I figured I couldn't accurately judge in-store, so I bought one to test drive. I wanted e-books, e-mail and Internet in tablet form. If I couldn't read books comfortably on iPad, I would've resold it at above retail and waited for a better tablet. I purposely bought an iPad early, so I could resell (if needed) while demand outstripped supply. If I hated it and couldn't resell, I would've returned it and ate the restocking fee.

I expect better tablets to emerge, but iPad works well for me meanwhile. I can always upgrade later.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by Maggie Leung

I expect better tablets to emerge, but iPad works well for me meanwhile. I can always upgrade later.

Exactly, Maggie. And, as I noted in another thread-better, faster, more versatile tablets will come in the future-but don't bet against them having an Apple logo on the back, just like the iPad