Apple’s iPad: The Coolest New Gadget or a Big Waste?

I'm waiting for the next revision and see what it morphs into.

If it can make or save me money in my business than I will bite. Right now Apple is still paying off their engineering costs and I haven't seen a compelling need to add one to my bag, yet.

I hope that Apple succeeds with the product and perhaps generates a new tool for the market.

It looks interesting, but as you say, it's not going to replace my smart phone (I have a Droid).

If I ever do enter the e-reader market I will probably choose the iPad. It's more versatile than the others. Plus, I do like Apple products... my iPods are great and I'd have a Mac if it were easier to use with my other software/work. And if it didn't cost so much!

For e-books I have a Nook from Barnes and Noble. Love it! I've taken it all over the world in the past 4 months and have really enjoyed using it.

I'm interested in getting a tablet in a year or two but I want one that runs PC software and I wouldn't buy consider one that didn't have a USB port and memory card slot.

I think the iPad is a nice toy, but I also wouldn't buy a tablet without a USB port. I might consider on of those Tegra 2 powered Android tablets when they come to market, with those you can at least watch Hulu. Windows 7 tablets will be the most productive, but probably also the least fun to use.

If someone handed an iPad to me would I play with it?

Absolutely

Would I buy it?

No

There are too many things that I already have that would replace this device. My ipod touch is one of them. I could not justify buying something that big that doesn't have loads more functionality than the ipod touch. However, I hope for the sake of the product that they come up with something spectacular that would make it work the investment. So for now... I Pass on the Apple Ipad.

I recently received the iPad as a graduation gift. I wanted one because I wanted an e-Reader and also something that I could use instead of my laptop. The iPad can do almost anything a computer can do (Yes you do have to purchase the apps for the Office like programs-~$30). Having gotten my laptop four years ago it isn't as fast as it used to be; therefore this "toy" was great because it covers what I need it to do as a computer and also has the free e-Reader application.

I also have a iPod Touch and think this is so much better. It all comes down to the size. I don't like doing much more then listening to music and playing an occasional game on the Touch. This screen is large enough to surf the web and read on. As for the light, yes it doesn't have the ink feature the Kindle has but I like it and have no problem looking at it for long periods of time/before bed. I wouldn't want to spend the large amount of money on an e-Reader that can really only read books. I also have a Blackberry and use that throughout the day. Still though the iPad is just so much easier to use due to the screen size. It's really simple to type on also.

Overall, I love the iPad and would recommend it to people. Don't get it if you only want to read on it but if you want something easier to carry around then a computer and a lot more fun, get one.

"Having gotten my laptop four years ago it isn't as fast as it used to be;" I replaced windows xp on my gf's old compaq laptop and got a huge speed boost. (The windows partition is still there but much smaller) Just in case. She uses it mostly for net surfing. I think maybe the perfect way to go would have been reinstall xp, disable its internet connection and then you have xp for the kids games, etc at a half decent speed and ubuntu for fast startup and internet browsing. Seriously we were ready to throw the thing in the trash, it was so damn slow. And I was terrified that I would screw everything up if I put linux on it. Now she is annoyed with me that I let her suffer so long! Antivirus was the real slowdown maker, I think.

I think the apple thing is a toy. And most phones are addictive toys too. If you are checking your messages or texting, or blasting music in your ears all the time, when do you actually use the thing for work?

I've re-imaged my computer twice and it works fine now, just not at the same speed as a new computer. I like the iPad because it is a lot lighter/smaller to carry around than my computer.

Also, I'm not sure if you were referring to me, but I never said I use the iPad or Blackberry for work currently. Of course both could be used for work and I did use my phone all the time when I was still in school to respond to group e-mails and meetings. As for the iPad right now I am still learning all the things it can do, and when something comes up when I need to make a powerpoint or a document I will try it out then. As for them being addictive...they're only as addictive as you allow them to be. I have no problem using them only when time permits and still getting all my work done for the day.

Am I the only one who is mentally challenged by all these devices? My grandkids can pick up an ifone they have never seen before and will be working with it within a few minutes. I'm still trying to use the features on my cell phone.

Have you actually tried one Ron. I'm like you I get really frustrated with menu systems that are totally illogical, and suffer from the Microsoft "help" and "we know what you want to do better than you" syndromes. But, I understand that this is the area where Apple stands out.

I've always* used Palms (which were easy and intuitive), so, I don't know about Apples, perhaps someone else could comment.

*always?? I must have a very short memory.

I have read a few comparison articles in various German magazines and the cumulative effect is that a) I want one of these "pads" b) No I won't buy an iPad (or anything from Apple for that matter, too much price and hype).

The magazines all imply the same, great name, high price, missing some important interfaces, a (relatively) slow processor, coming to the market BEFORE its really well thought out, the new version will be much improved, they did exactly the same with the iPhone and LG have a great "look-a-like" at half the price, that annoyed Apple completely. Well its going to happen again.....

They also mention several "Look-a-likes" coming to market this year that address all of those problems completely, so I will wait up and see what is coming and do my own comparisons when the others are there to play with.

Congrats to iPad for being the first one of course.

The have done their marketing well and got THE name as well......but that alone has never made me swerve to buy such products, in fact it makes me even more "Leery!" - Scottish blood!!!

By the way, the best looking one (with all the bells and whistles, has all the interfaces, faster processor and is cheaper) under test (only) at this time is one from a small German company (that I have forgotten the name of!), it should appear I believe in September.....I will post the name when I remember.

My biz partner has one and I was quite impressed with it as well. He uses it to make presentations to clients, take notes in meetings, etc. Quite a handy tool it seems and I wouldn't mind owning one but I will wait for a year to see what the next generation will bring, ex a lower price for one.

The display resolution is astounding, as is its speed. The Book Shelf feature was quite interesting to me as well. Carrying this little creature around would be the absolute end to boredom in waiting rooms and such.

I was surprised to find that it doesn't support Flash. Steven Jobs says that it's because he feels Flash is trash but that certainly creates a compatibility issue with a lot of websites out there! Perhaps that sort of thinking is why Apple is where it is and Microsoft is where it is.

That said, though. I will have one at some point in the future but I will give it time to prove itself with regard to longevity and reveal any latent bugs lurking about.

How well does the apple spreadsheet and word processing program work on it? These programs are what would convince me to replace the laptop with an IPad.

If it had the abilities to run Parallels so I could take a copy of Autocad and Revit with me, our office would have 20 of them by now. Right now MAC laptops are doing the work for us.

I bough an iMac earlier this year, and got the iWork package (word processor, spreadsheet, presentation builder). The sub-$100 price is better than Micro$oft's Office, making it about the only thing Apple competes well on. I'm an Office power user, but not that good with Apple's stuff.

In my limited experience, the Apple office software is roughly as capable as Microsoft's, but different. The help is adequate for figuring out how to do something.

I can't put my finger on it, but the built-in designs of Apple's Keynote program are just slicker than PowerPoint's.

I have been a personal and professional user of Apple products for 30 years and as amazing as the Macintosh was in the 1980's Apple's innovation over the last decade is nothing short of incredible. The iPod, iPhone and now the iPad all went into areas where other companies had been producing products and redefined the functionality of each in a way that made them at least 10x better than everyone else. They are a little like Wal-Mart, everyone could see them plain as day but no one could do what they were doing. The reason being that like Wal-Mart's total system approach to retail, Apple has developed a common platform approach towards media consumption and personal communication. Full disclosure, I own and have owned Apple stock for 10 years.

The first question I always ask when a new "gotta have" product hits the market is; Do I really need it? From the point of view of the manufacturer, It's what we do; make money. If we stopped at that point developing new products, we would soon go out of business. Companies would like you to believe that today's "improved" product will serve you better, but are we so "enslaved" to the latest and greatest technology that we can't live without it? If a new product does what my older model doesn't do, that's one thing, but if my old model will do what the new one will, but maybe not as quickly or conveniently, then I question whether it's worth buying. Might be better to wait until big changes come forth. To me, a screen that is a few mm bigger is not justification to turn in my old one for a new one. I guess there are people who believe money is no object. I'm just not one of them. Just my 2¢.

Lots of folks tout the iPad as a competitor for the Kindle. It does some neat stuff as an ebook (color, easy paging, etc). BUT compared with Kindle it is heavy (x2), has short battery life, expensive 3G, and you can't read it in bright daylight. I am very satisfied with my Kindle. Also with my iPod, great interface. Two sets of great engineers with different motivations. Neither product is BETTER; they are just different. We have a choice.

To anyone who has not yet bought one, DON'T!

Wait until at least the end of the year, compare the new products just starting to come to market, with each other, include the new to be updated iPad of course.

Ignore the hype and the name.

Then buy the one that suits you best.

iPads and iPhones are beginning to change home automation systems. Leading companies such as Crestron and AMX are beginning to use them in place of dedicated touch-screen controllers and I think this trend will sweep across the industry.

Although I welcome the use of off-the-shelf hardware in these niche applications, I wouldn't buy one for myself as a general purpose device as I would not buy into such a closed system.

And then there are the security issues ....

http://gawker.com/5559346/