NFR - The iPad.

[FPT]

Who has one, or another type of tablet? and why? What do you use it for? What is it good for?

I've contemplated getting one for a while, but I'm not sure as to the pros and cons of owning one? I've been around iPads and used them, I don't like the typing and I don't think I could use it frequently enough to justify one. I think I would benefit more from having one of those tablet/laptops where you can fold and clip on keyboards or what not.

Market research if you will. What will having an iPad or other tablet add to my life?

[H4usuallysitting]

You , like me do not have an iPad....in fact I do not own any Apple products.....but have considered getting one for apps that are not Android compatible..... So I am also interested in response's

[YoungsBitter]

I have the suite of iPhone, iPad, MacBook pro and Apple TV but was given Ipad as a gift rather than thought I needed it.
Its got bigger screen than phone but with iphone 6 or the large screen Samsung Galaxy you are nearly there so on balance its neither fish nor foul and that reflects how little I use it. Its not as portable as a phone nor as useful as a lap top so it sits uncomfortably in the middle. I do not read books on it which is a major use for many; I am a luddite about that, I like the physical feel of a book, the sense of progress and there is some muddled quasi science about not reading from a screen before sleep.
My suggested use of one would be to be a coffee table device that is not set up for a person but more for the whole house. With magazine subscriptions, music and video control of Apple TV to act as a user friendly Remote Control ( the RC app is better than the little Apple TV controller). So guests or anyone can quickly google something on browser, change music, read newspaper or magazine.
Apart from that not sure it has much value and is not that cheap.

[Logicalman]

Tablets are great for having a small-sized laptop in your pocket, though without the power of a real laptop, but at a much-reduced weight as well.

A number of tablets now come with detachable keyboards, to offset the touchscreen typing issue so it really comes down to what you want to do on it, and how much you're willing to spend. Checkout the Surface 3 or Surface Pro 3, as well as the myriad of tablets in the iPad genre. I absolutely refuse to get an iPad, after being given a cast-off iPad2 by one of my sons, and finding the same issue I had with the iPhone5 I used to have, so very, very restrictive on what I could plug in or download, it was all but useless for my needs.

We have a couple of android tablets that came 'free' with our verizon-samsung phones, they're useful for looking up recipes in the kitchen, checking scores and surfing, but only when you are in range of an available wi-fi (unless, of course, you take out a separate data plan with your provider and then they become truly 'wireless' like a phone), but the most use I have had is to use it as a Kindle: Using a pdf reader, like Aldiko, simply download your reading material as a PDF book, and you have a portable library for flights and other long trips (or even just waiting for SWMBO to finish getting her hair done!)  :031:

.. oh, and also useful for when the grandchildren come over and want to play their games, which I stoically refuse to put on my smartphone for them, being the grumpy-grandad I am!  092.gif

[Holders]

I'm interested in this topic. I have a steam-driven phone that makes calls and doesn't, so far as I'm aware, have internet access. It would be nice to be able to receive and send e-mails when I'm away and be able to access the internet. A friend has a phone with internet function but from what I've seen you can only see part of a page at a time so that makes it really user-unfriendly and it seems to depend on staying in a hotel that lets you access their connection. It would be useful to have a proper mobile computer without it being too cumbersome and can access internet via phone connection, also that could double as a phone. Does such a thing exist?

[One Martin Thomas]

Got a Samsung 12 inch tablet and it is great. Not quite as sexy  as an ipad, but the bigger screen makes a difference. Never gone wrong once. Partner, she loves it. I know Apple are bringing out a bigger ipad soonish, but this thing is great. I have a Mac Pro, but you can't beat a tablet for browsing. ..

[f321ffc]

Got an iPad (birthday present from my son and daughter) great for surfing the web ,email and photos,far too advanced for an old git like me , I prefer my laptop but my wife likes the iPad if you are happy to learn what it can do then go for it. 092.gif

[EJL]

I have a Kindle Fire HDX, and whilst it's decent and does most things an iPad can do, the interface is nowhere near as slick, the sensitivity when pressing keys isn't quite as instantaneous as Apple product, and I find the speakers are really poor when watching films (specifically ones I've added from my PC). Same problem with headphones. The good thing is you can get VLC on it (along with other Android tablets). Saying that, that might not be of interest to you. If you're just using it for work/study purposes then it doesn't really matter.

You could just get a Bluetooth keyboard for an iPad if you don't like typing on the screen? You can get them really cheap now

[Burt]

I've got two iPads... The first one that came out, which I use a lot at home, and an iPad Mini which I use when I am out and about.

It's great... I use them to:
- Browse the internet, facebook, twitter, etc. And FOF, of course...
- Control and use my music library and play things over wifi via my Sonos system around the house, or through a small wifi speaker when I am away.
- Read the papers on the train in to work every morning.
- Keep on top of my personal and work mails.
- Sort out photos etc.

Far more convenient than a laptop or a desktop (no boot up or boot down time, much lighter). 

Even my mum has invested in one!

[love4ffc]

I inherited an Ipad2 from the misses.  Her company upgraded to Ipad air something or other and let the employees keep the old ones.  Up until then I had never used an apple.  Bit of a learning curve as Apple has to do everything different.  Thank god for the kids to help me figure things out.  

The Ipad I have has both wifi and cellular data coverage (shared data with our phones).  I like the Ipad but do not love it.  Like Logicalman says you cannot just plug and play any old thing you want.  Apple is strict like that.  If the Ipad had not been free I would have looked at the Surface 3.  

With that said I use it more than I would have thought.  Especially when traveling.  I like it better than my phone as it has a larger screen then the phone.
As was mentioned above I use it for:
•   As was said apps I cannot get on my Samsung phone
•   Various sports apps to football – again mainly when I'm traveling
•   Reading books – last one I read was The Keeper – about Tim Howard
•   Watch movies – Netflix mainly
•   Obviously the internet – to follow FOF
•   FFC app – listen to GJ – have to use headphones or blue tooth speaker
•   Instagram – follow FFC and the lads
•   Facetime with family and friends – like skype
•   It has a great camera so I use it to take photos and video
•   And of course I play a few brain games – Trivia crack, Wordament  and such  

[rweller86]

I have most Apple products because they work a lot better than android devices. They are simpler and easy to use. If you can afford it, go Apple. Either way, whether you get Apple or Android, it will only enhance what you do.

[MJG]

Hate anything Apple,  always upgrading and sodding things up.

[Apprentice to the Maestro]

Hate anything Apple,  always upgrading and sodding things up.

That's not my experience.

Build quality is the best. I have no experience of Android but compared to Microsoft the software is very reliable. I have had no crashes or issues with the iPad 2 software. There have been few software upgrades to the iPad 2, they take little time to install and they work first time and do not need repeated amendments.

Yes, the software is different to that of Microsoft so for those who are used to Windows it takes some adjustment but I suspect that if you were starting from scratch with both systems you would find Apple software much preferable.

I am not an Apple freak and it is new to me but compared to the cumbersome, convoluted, unreliable, poorly documented, frustrating Microsoft based software I find it a breath of fresh air.

[love4ffc]

People either love their apple or hate them.  Either way it's to the extreme.  Me I prefer a windows based product because that is what I am use too.  I do have an Ipad though and can manage it well enough. 

Those who hate apple do so because apple is so strict on everything it does.  No matter if it's software or hardware.  That is a major down fall and turn off for me.  Not to mention they are pricey. 

No matter what you get I agree it will enhance your ability to go online and get things done.  Especially on the go. 

[FPT]

Thank you all for your feedback. Still not quite sure what it'll add what my laptop and phone do not. Will mull it over and read up on some reviews!

[Logicalman]

Hate anything Apple,  always upgrading and sodding things up.

That's not my experience.

Build quality is the best. I have no experience of Android but compared to Microsoft the software is very reliable. I have had no crashes or issues with the iPad 2 software. There have been few software upgrades to the iPad 2, they take little time to install and they work first time and do not need repeated amendments.

Yes, the software is different to that of Microsoft so for those who are used to Windows it takes some adjustment but I suspect that if you were starting from scratch with both systems you would find Apple software much preferable.

I am not an Apple freak and it is new to me but compared to the cumbersome, convoluted, unreliable, poorly documented, frustrating Microsoft based software I find it a breath of fresh air.

I hate to disagree (OK then, I don't) but Apple software has become as buggy as the rest since the demise of SJ.

Perfect example is their iPhone5 Maps. Now, If I'm travelling south, and come to a road going east to west (or vice-versa) and I KNOW that town A is east of town B, but Apple Maps insists I need to turn right to get to town A, then I have a problem with it, and that happened to me, and more than once. It also took me a rather devious route through the countryside when, after I managed to finally get to my destination, and looked at a real map (as in Google maps), there was a highway not more than a couple of miles away that would have been shorter, faster, and without a doubt a lot better for my needs. Perhaps Apple people prefer driving through small towns and villages on B class roads, who knows, but it would be nice if it had provided an option to get there faster, or having to sample the extraordinary countryside which I was not interested in.

I have managed to possess, in the past 10 years, Apple, Blackberry, Android and Microsoft phones, and Android still comes out the best for usability, applications and overall quality and value. Blackberry and Microsoft phones, not so much.

[kevin]

got given an Ipad for work and it is very good...use sheets , docs , and Google + lots of the time...brilliant camera too...I don't own a mobile phone and never will but the i pad is great and no one can phone me on it !!!!

[Apprentice to the Maestro]

Thank you all for your feedback. Still not quite sure what it'll add what my laptop and phone do not. Will mull it over and read up on some reviews!

I think that you have identified the key issue: where on the scale of portability, screen size and power best suits your needs.

A tablet is portable but needing a small bag rather than a pocket like a phone and offers a bigger screen improving the viewing of web pages, videos, etc.. It really is a laptop device and is ideal for use while sitting on the sofa in contrast to a laptop which really needs a table. Also a tablet gives you near instant access in contrast to the time taken by many a laptop to load up.

Whether that is enough is a personal choice depending on where, what for and how often you will use it

[sipwell]

Recently bought a small Android-based tabled (Asus) of the cheaper kind. It is superb for browsing the internet, reading and replying to your emails (you get the hang of it soon enough) and having multiple apps which don't come with a computer. Moreover, a tablet is easy to switch on and off if you want to search something.

Personally I would never buy an Apple product simply because it is way too expensive for what it really is.

The result of having a tablet = (heavy) (work) laptop is switched off most of the time :)