Things that drive you crazy about the iPad

[Studor13]

Until this morning I was pretty much a happy user. However, last night I transferred around 650 photos from an SD card and although it took quite a bit of time I just accepted it.

This morning when I synced with my PC I just assumed that the photos would appear in an appropriate folder. The sync also took quite a long time - maybe 15 minutes. But the photos were no were to be found.

After pulling out what's left of my hair I worked out that you need to transfer the images using the Camera/Scanner device manager. The 650 images zoomed over real quick.

So, did I miss something with iTunes or does the word sync means something other than the obvious?

BTW, I can't see any of my photos on the iPad under the Device-My Device-iPad-Photos option. There is the option to sync from PC to iPad, but not vice-versa.

What are the things that drive you crazy about this mostly magical device?

 

[NumbLock]

1) Needing to convert my videos
2) Poor office support from apps
3) Using that joke of iTunes

 

[deckyon]

After pulling out what's left of my hair I worked out that you need to transfer the images using the Camera/Scanner device manager. The 650 images zoomed over real quick.

What are the things that drive you crazy about this mostly magical device?

If you just copied the photos over using the Camera/Scanner manager, then no, iTunes will not see them. Any reason you didn't use iTunes to begin with?

I have been swapping over 1400 images back and forth from my last trip with no issues. I just pointed iTunes to the directory where the photos are located on my laptop and they stay in sync with edits I do on either one.

I always copy my images from card to computer to my storage drive before doing anything else with them. This ensures I have the originals of everything I shoot backed up. Once they get backed up, I copy the ones I want to show over to a special folder I have set up for syncing with my iPad.

 

[Studor13]

If you just copied the photos over using the Camera/Scanner manager, then no, iTunes will not see them. Any reason you didn't use iTunes to begin with?

We had visitors that wanted to show us their holiday picks. I didn't want to see 650 shots on their tiny LCD nor fire up my PC, so I put them onto the iPad.

As we know, the experience of viewing images with others is really nice on the 'Pad but that's a given.

But before I used the Camera/scanner manager I did try to transfer the images to the PC using iTunes. As I said it took ages and there was even a message saying that things were being backed up. That's why I had assumed that iTunes was indeed syncing the photos. But to my great frustration there was no transfer onto the PC via iTunes.

 

[dkazaz]

Things that drive me crazy (and will probably drive me to a non iOS tablet once they become good):

file sharing, file sharing, file sharing!

Yesterday I wanted to do some very light touch editing to a picture from one of my folders on my PC. I have an app for basic image editing on the iPad so I thought, download the pic, open it in the app edit, send back. Right? Wrong.

The app has no dowload client, it can only open things from the photos app.
I could download it using any number of tools e.g. Good Reader, Air Sharing, File Browser... But none of them could send it to the app. I had to figure out a way to transfer the app, then transfer to another app, then save to my photos folder (which also resized it to half the size i.e. half the quality, I then opened the app, loaded the picture from my photos album, edited, saved it, went back to Good Reader, opened it, transfered it to File Browser, then used that to transfer it to the PC.

Then I felt stupid for having (a) take 3 times as long to do something as I could from my PC, (b) bought a tablet which doesn't have a real file system or filesharing out of the box.

Why apple won't give us a filesystem and a file sharing client I don't know. Honestly its a lame and arrogant decision which will eventually drive me to a competing product, unless they build this fucntionality right into iOS.

 

[Hasty]

Sounds over complicated tbh. Normally email to self and save image. Fire up Retouch or filterstorm, do the deed, save and email back.

I wonder if we've been conditioned by computers to expect access to file systems and that apple is moving towards a need to know one in the effort to control storage.

Was cleaning an overstuffed drive the otherday and was surprised by the amount of duplicates and misplaced files littering the drive. Stuff I'd dragged n dropped and lost.....Turfed out over 100gig of crud.
While iOS has some way to go with regard to multiple app access to file types I find that it works well given the limits of the storage available.
Really software is the tool we use to get work done and all the rest should be under the hood and just work.
Still it's only been out for six months

 

[deckyon]

And also, the iPad was never meant to be an all-powerful final edit machine. Other than displaying photos/videos, the iPad is not even in my workflow. If someone means to use a device for something which it is not designed, the designer is not at fault.

As for the file system, sharing, and whatnot, Jailbreak.

 

[AppsforiPads]

I have never had the need to transfer a large Amy of pics but when transferring a few here ore there I just email them to myself and save to the iPad photo app.

That being said one of my main gripes is the absense of Flash and multitasking. While we are told the latter is coming we are told we cannot have Flash. Why should a mfgr be able to dictate what we can or cannot download onto a computer once we own it? I know I can jailbreak the device, but I don't feel I should have to. I own it, if I decide I want to run Flash I should be able to.

 

[deckyon]

I used to say the same about Flash - however, in the last month of heavy use, I have not missed flash one bit. What about Flash is so important?

Would be interesting to know what about Flash "everyone" needs so much.

 

[Biggysmallz]

1. No complete mirror imaging for vga or component usage.

2. Flash although there ways to get around that.

3. Not able to attach document for email.

 

[donka]

Why should a mfgr be able to dictate what we can or cannot download onto a computer once we own it? I know I can jailbreak the device, but I don't feel I should have to. I own it, if I decide I want to run Flash I should be able to.

Well first of all, you are trying to qualify the iPad as a computer and strictly speaking it is not, it is an IOS device, much in the same way the iPhone is not a computer. You are not comparing like for like although I understand the frustration at a device that is so good on many levels for surfing not being able to support a widely used technology in websites.

 

[dkazaz]

I wonder if we've been conditioned by computers to expect access to file systems and that apple is moving towards a need to know one in the effort to control storage.

Was cleaning an overstuffed drive the otherday and was surprised by the amount of duplicates and misplaced files littering the drive. Stuff I'd dragged n dropped and lost.....Turfed out over 100gig of crud.
While iOS has some way to go with regard to multiple app access to file types I find that it works well given the limits of the storage available.
Really software is the tool we use to get work done and all the rest should be under the hood and just work.
Still it's only been out for six months

Well, that sounds nice in theory but I find the reality to be very different.
Its not about file system access its about flexibility.

Having what amounts to a separate file system for each app essentially dooms you to a single path world - it restricts your flexibility. Suppose I use one app to write documents, and then decide to move to another. If the documents are all in the "my documents" folder on windows, or the "home directory" on Mac/Unix/Linux they're there ready to be used. Otherwise I'm either locked in to one app (and given that most apps are far from perfect, this is not good), or I have to go through a complicated process to get them.

This model is just needlessly restrictive for me. To take your point, "oftware is the tool we use to get work done and all the rest should be under the hood and just work" - exactly, but this doesn't just work. Software is indeed just a tool, so my data should not be locked into it.

 

[dkazaz]

And also, the iPad was never meant to be an all-powerful final edit machine. Other than displaying photos/videos, the iPad is not even in my workflow. If someone means to use a device for something which it is not designed, the designer is not at fault.

As for the file system, sharing, and whatnot, Jailbreak.

Of course, and I have but I'm technical. What about the simple user? They're just restricted, and what's worse, they never know it, so much of the potential is lost...

 

[deckyon]

Of course, and I have but I'm technical. What about the simple user? They're just restricted, and what's worse, they never know it, so much of the potential is lost...

The simple user you describe will not need to "share files" or do the extensive work you were referring to. You are describing your issues, not a simple user's issues.

If they "never know it" then there is no problem for that user.

You are making the assumption that everyone is buying the iPad as some kind of Desktop or Laptop replacement - something for which it was never intended.

 

[Dolan]

Mainly just having to use iTunes.. pure hatred for that program!