I refer to my iPhone as a “sometimes phone” and now my iPad as “almost a computer”.
There’s been plenty written about the iPad so i will keep this brief. I picked mine up just over a week ago on the trip to San Francisco. The guys will vouch for my daily pilgrimages to the Apple Store – not for the iPad, i picked that up on the first day…ughmm first hour in San Fran, in fact – but for the case. The case is crucial to the usability of the iPad, without it it’s really hard to use and it is the case that is now on 3 week back-order on the Apple Store not the iPad…go figure.
I think the iPad is another game changer and here’s why:
- Social – the iPad is very social. My kids play multi-player games on it. It’s so easy to share, physically, with others in meetings or social gatherings. It brings the internet into the lounge and out of the study.
- Simple – kids get it in seconds. I can see one eventually in our kitchen area holding recipes…maybe my partner might even use it.
- Awesome for sales – as a sales tool the iPad will become indispensable, because it is way more social, shareable than a laptop. Sales material including multi-media will look awesome on the iPad.
- Games – games will be big on the iPad. I’ve heard reference to a multi-player racing game on the iPad where two participant steer their cars around a track using their iPhones…cool. Now imagine extending the track with multiple iPads…social
But, in the opening I said it’s almost a computer. For me I will probably still need to travel with a laptop. I can do basic note taking on the iPad and simple spreadsheeting. I also need to be able to sign documents on the go and my tablet PC was great for this. I can sign with my finger on the iPad but it’s pretty naff. Things will get better, with app upgrades. Getting docs on and off the iPad is also a bit of mission – email seems to be the simplest route. The iPad also seems to have ignored the concept of a file system so each app is its own “walled garden” i.e. you can’t share docs between apps – this is a pain.
My current favourite app is MindNode. This app allows you to make Mind Maps – I use it for taking notes in meetings. The other must haves for me are GoodReader, Pages and iAnnotate – check them out.