Why so many people try to use iPad as laptop replacement?

[zorah]

Portability and battery life. While it clearly can't totally compete in all areas like word processing programs, for some people's uses, it works just fine. I am one such example. I do not need heavy duty word processing program when out in the field like at a work seminar for note taking. I can take notes, edit later when home etc. Nothing beats the battery life and portability, so for me, the iPad has taken the place of a laptop. But that's me because my needs are hardly the same as other people. So it really does depend on the use. If there is an app that works for people's use, the gap narrows.
But I love not having to worry, is my battery going to die, where's the nearest outlet, etc. At home, I love having the iPad to read books. Tablet format is great for it. Beats reading a book on a laptop any day.

 

[G.P]

Use it as e-book reader, web browser and notepad and you have no problem. If one can't fathom the boundary between iPad and computer, soon s/he will hit brick wall.

I have successfully integrated it into my working practices and no longer require a laptop during my working day except in exceptional circumstances. For me, the iPad has worked as a replacement.
Not everyone uses a laptop in the same way, just as not everyone uses their iPad in the same way.

Precisely, well said. The Ipad is certainly a case of YMMV, but it's way off-base for anyone to suggest that its best usage is web-browsing, e-reading, or playing a quick game of Angry Birds while in transit. It's FAR more than that.

 

[info]

I take your point, but disagree slightly.
It is exactly what the iPad should be. Scaled up from a phone, rather than scaled down from a laptop / desktop.
I believe its precisely the reason it has been such a success. For years Microsoft has tried to scale down it's desktop OS for smaller devices and wholly failed. It's only recently that things have started to change.
Apple did exactly the right thing, taking the iPhone OS which was touch based from the outset, and scale it up to the iPad. I'm not saying it's perfect, but it is absolutely the right route to launch their tablet revolution, rather than trying to take OSX and scale it down...

Agree. And, in time, competition and more effort from Apple should ensure that iOS becomes capable of doing almost everything most people are wishing for now.

 

[Pingles]

I have at least quadrupled the amount of writing I do because of the iPad. It's just SO convenient, especially at work where I can bring it out on my breaks and write. Instant on...write...back in the desk it goes.

You can define it however you want.

For me it is not only my laptop replacement but is not too far from being my PC replacement.

 

[kwgrimes]

All laptop/desktops are computers, but not all computers are laptop/desktops. In the same way as all Squares are Rectangles, but not all Rectangles are Squares.

Touche

But I agree with a lot that's been said here. It took me weeks to get over the fact that my iPad couldn't do more. Finally, once I began to accept it for what it was designed for (which to me is something like the thing between a cellphone and a laptop), I became fine with it. I do my fair share of note taking and small excel file management (it kind of blows up at my 10MB Excel file though. But, like others have said, for Movie watching, picture viewing, web surfing, and email management, there is nothing better IMO, especially considering the INSTANT ON of the device.

I hope you all have seen the Project Magazine App - best app ever! As more apps like that hit the streets, the popularity is going to just continue to grow. Now, my local newspaper has adopted an app much like Project, although just a little shy of being as cool, but still got me to drop my paper subscription in a heartbeat. Think of what stuff like this means to the environment! How much printed material (newpapers, magazines, flyers, etc.) do we produce every day? How much paper, ink, electricty, etc. is associated with their production? Sorry, getting off topic.

Can it be more, heck yeah! Someday, this device will have all the computing power of a laptop/tablet (I own a couple of tablet PCs, and its not one of those either). But first, we're going to go through numerous revisions of it so they can get us to buy numerous versions of it beforehand, again IMO.

 

[thejdoe]

Anyone know a workaround for watching ESPN3 since ipad doesn't have flash? I'm on wifi, and my ISP supports ESPN3... i watch it on my imac.

 

[SweetPoison]

Anyone know a workaround for watching ESPN3 since ipad doesn't have flash? I'm on wifi, and my ISP supports ESPN3... i watch it on my imac.

Maybe you can use our search button up top and not hi-jack this thread? There are quite a few threads re this topic.

 

[kwgrimes]

Use it...Not everyone uses a laptop in the same way, just as not everyone uses their iPad in the same way.

= perhaps the most important thing said on this tread.

We all use things differently and while some may be able to replace their lap/desktops with an iPad and thumbs up for those that could, not all can.

 

[Munky]

There are only two things that my laptop/desktop can do that i need on a very frequent basis that my iPad can't...

1. Convert downloaded avi movies to m4v

2. Convert downloaded cbr/cbz comic books to PDF

Other than those two things, my iPad has replaced my desktop/laptop. And when I do need to do either of those things I do it using my iPad.

 

[Andyvalver]

In my opinion, an iPad is a computer but does not operate fully as one because of a restrictive operating system that makes it more simple.

It could convert a film if the software was available to be installed to do it.

Sent from iPad

 

[Sopranosv]

I think it depends on the person and what he or she uses a traditional desktop and laptop for. I admit, I'm an MMORPG gamer, and I can't play any of my favourite MMO games on the iPad, so I'm definitely one of those that needs a laptop still. Plus, while I do agree that the iPad is great for editing work, I tend to type and write faster on a laptop and notebook than on an iPad, so I would still prefer to use a laptop for work purposes.

That being said, I use the iPad for everything else, like reading, surfing the Internet (I do all my surfing on the iPad now), playing casual games, reading manga and magazines. Plus, it's portable and the battery life is amazing.

So I would say that while the iPad can't replace a laptop, it definitely is in a whole class of it's own.

Sent from my iPad using iPF

Totally agree...:ipad-keyboard:

 

[makinitmine]

I don't think I would ever use the iPad as a laptop replacement, just because of the kind of work that I do and I thoroughly enjoy my iPad, but I know some people that do just because they don't do that much on the computer and the iPad can fully support what they want to do. Plus this gives them an iPad also, which they think is a cool gadget

 

[DrHouse]

Wow, really? Try reading comprehension again... And, a few posts up, I said "All Laptops/Desktops are computers but not all computers are laptops/desktops. In the same way that all Squares are Rectangles but not all Rectangles are Squares."

But it doesn't matter, you are at the point, proven by your response, that logic escapes you right now. Go have your smoke, or drink or shooter and come back when your logic circuit turns back on.

BTW, All humans are animals, but not all animals are humans. All Fish are animals, but not all animals are Fish...

As SweetPoison is asking to keep it civilized, and agree with her, I'll simply say LOL! Is there another acronym for simply stating it made me smile?

I don't want to get into a flame war about the definition of the word computer, or how it is used. My statement is that I agree with the OP, and that comparing the iPad with a laptop is like comparing a human to a fish because they both are living beings...

Ok now, where that's logical circuit, i'm pretty sure that it was somewhere on my desk

VicoPad addict!

 

[DrHouse]

Back to the original subject...

Supposing that the iPad wad would be tweaked to do more, I think there would be some drawbacks...

Could we have a good battery performance? The thing that attracted me to the iPad is the 10 hours of battery time. There is no true multitasking, and I like it this way as I get more time before recharging. And what would be the use of having true multitasking if I can only see one app at the time?

Why would I use my iPad to do heavy stuff like movie transcoding or other CPU intensive task. The iPad is meant as a ready to work device, no booting, no waiting for an app to load, etc...

iPad has limited features, by comparing to a desktop or a laptop... But if you compare it to a Palm, or any WinCE devices from 2-3 years ago, it is not limited, but expanded. Let's keep in mind that the iPad is the first successful tablet on the market. It has succeeded where all others have failed in previous years. Mobility, touchscreen, cellular connection (3G), wifi, great browser, movies and let's not forget games and apps. Remember the apps on a palm device, they were so ugly! And games, forget it! Battery lifetime was 3-4 hours at best (intensive usage).

The iPad 2 is already a beast compared to the iPad 1 and Apple kept the same battery lifetime. To me, it's simply amazing... In a few years, the iPad (or other tablets) will do more and more and we'll say: remember the iPad 1?

It's easy to ask for more, but making it happen and keeping the same quality of user experience requires more than a wish. Keep in mind that 2 years ago, a device like the iPad was just a dream for all of us...

VicoPad addict!

 

[RAC]

The question is whether iOS id really a suitable platform for a tablet, being originally targeted at the iPhone/iPod market?

I think that there is a problem. The iPad should be more than just a jumped up iPhone.

I take your point, but disagree slightly.
It is exactly what the iPad should be. Scaled up from a phone, rather than scaled down from a laptop / desktop.

I agree that scaling down Windows is even more disasterous than scaling up iOS. I don't think that either is entirely satisfactory.

Having said that, my Windows Mobile phone does have a File Manager and a Micro SD card slot and seems to function quite well.

I do think that the iPad is, to some extent, hobbled by it's iOS heritage and that Android may prove to be better at meeting user expectations. Time will tell.