I’ve owned the iPad for a little over a month now; enough time I think to provide some informed thoughts on it. The reader must realize that this is meant to be a reflection on my experience based on my needs and priorities. Your mileage may vary.
I initially decided to purchase it because I wanted a web-connected device more functional than a smartphone and more portable than a notebook PC or even a netbook. With it I also ordered a dock, a Bluetooth keyboard, a case, and a camera connection kit. My aims were to travel light, be able to offload photos from a digital camera, share photos and words while on the road, and have portable access to books. For me, music and videos are not that important.
First of all, I love it. It has replaced nearly all my PC use. For e-mail and web browsing it is completely adequate for my needs. I love that very functional apps can be had for so little cost – nearly all under $10, many under $5, and some very good apps for free.
I think the Bluetooth keyboard is an essential companion. Yes, it is possible (much more than on an iPhone) to use the touchscreen keyboard, but I’d hate to think of having to rely on that for longer documents. The keyboard is very compact, thin, light, and adds very little weight nor takes up much space in a carry-on.
If I were to get a second chance, I would probably skip the Apple case and opt for a third-party one. The case works but one of the big issues is that it is not compatible with the dock. I had to perform some surgery on the case in order to get the iPad to connect and stay on the dock. Even with that the connection is somewhat tenuous.
I find the dock to be worth the cost. It stands up the iPad securely in portrait mode. There is a audio line-out on the dock so if you have external speakers you can leave it permanently connected to the dock.
The camera connection kit is an essential accessory for on-the-road photo work. The photos are imported unaltered; i.e., full resolution JPEGs or RAW. The main issue I have with the iPad’s photo features is that I haven’t yet found a way to upload full-resolution photos from the iPad to an online service. All the apps I’ve found reduce the resolution. The only way to access the full resolution images is from a PC (or Mac) after connecting via the cable. The PC sees the iPad as an external photo device. With the camera connection kit, the iPad functions as an external photo storage device. A comparable standalone unit can run $300 to $700 and doesn’t offer the kind of editing, touch-up, and online features that iPad apps provide.
Early on I discovered how useful the iPad is in the kitchen. Whether on the dock or propped up with the case, it functions quite well as a recipe book. Unlike a book, you don’t have to weight the pages to keep them open. The recipe doesn’t go across pages, but rather all that needs to be done is swipe the finger to scroll around the recipe. Not only that but many recipe apps (I use the free Epicurious) generate shopping lists that can be used on the iPad or e-mailed to another device (I’ve e-mailed the list to my BlackBerry).
Another unexpected discovery is the use of the iPad as a full-featured voice navigation GPS system. We are taking a vacation shortly and I looked into renting a GPS unit on our rental car. What I discovered is that for the duration it was cheaper to purchase a unit. As I began researching GPS units, I discovered that the iPad can do the same thing for much less. The GPS Drive HD app can be purchased for $2.99 and voice-navigation is $2.99 for 30 days. Since we live on an island and have no need for GPS navigation except when we go on trips outside of the area, this is much more cost effective for us.
I found a free piano app, Virtuoso, that is quite usable. The latest update turns one of the two keyboards around so that two people can play a duet on the iPad. Who needs to carry around a guitar when you can have an iPad?
A travel advantage of the iPad over a notebook PC is that according to the TSA web site, it is treated more like a phone; i.e., I should not need to take it out and have it scanned separately. (Btw, netbooks are also supposed to fall into this same category.)
I’ve already commented on the iPad’s usefulness in sermon delivery. While browsing apps yesterday I came across another app, a scrolling teleprompter, that may be useful for people who manuscript sermons.
Is the iPad worth it? For my needs, the answer is a resounding yes. Since my notebook PC is still non-functional (waiting for a rework shipping label to arrive…) the iPad is my portable PC.
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