Ipad opinions

[pops572]

I am going to get a late birthday present for myself. But just cant decide, I use an iphone so I am familiar, but have no experience with the ipad or a tablet for that matter. So those that do, what is your suggestion, the ipad ipad air mini with retina without?

[Hozzie]

I personally find that a tablet just wasn't useful for me.  It's ok for surfing or reading, but even then, using a keyboard on the screen was pain in my opinion.  I gave mine to my parents to play games on and stuck with my Macbook Pro 13" for general surfing and such.

 

I recently thought I would give another regular tablet a chance and bought a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3.  I ended up taking it back in two days as I realized again why I didn't find a tablet very useful.

 

I am considering getting a Surface Pro 2 tablet since it acts more like a real computer with a keyboard and I can make more use of it to edit docs easily and such.  In the end, I think it really depends on what you want to use it for.  Yes, you can add a keyboard to an Ipad, but even then the functionality just wasn't that useful for me.

 

I would recommend getting a Galaxy tab at Costco and  trying it first.  At least there you can take it back if you find you don't like it.  It works a bit different from a Ipad, but they are similar enough I think you will know right away if either would be beneficial for you.

 

Small edit:  I am not saying a tablet isn't useful.  The size is certainly nice and it has its uses, just have a good idea of what type of work you want to do with it.

Edited May 16, 2014 by Hozzie

[Ted S.]

iHate iAnything.

 

Just my opinion...

 

:usa:

[jbravo]

I've had a iPad Air since December and I love it. Of course, there are still things that are easier on a laptop but the gives me reason to have both. After using Windows since Windows 3, it does take some getting use to but once you figure out how to use it you can take it anywhere. I can carry it in my EDC backpack and have internet just about anywhere I go. As a matter of fact, I'm making this post from a iPad. Edited May 16, 2014 by jbravo

[JPS]

I pretty much stopped using my iPad once I got an iPhone - it's a little harder to see with my old eyes, but it does all the same things and is much more convenient to carry and keep with me. 

I do however read with a Kindle - I used to use my iPad for that, but it's impossible to read a book on iPhone.  I've tried most all e-readers (used to be in the book business) and believe the Kindle Paperwhite is the best dedicated reader available. 

Edited May 16, 2014 by JPS

[KKing]

I love my ipad, guess I'm going on my 3rd year with it. I have the ipad 2 and love the size of the screen. My parents have the mini and it, to me, is no better than having an iPhone

[Tncobra]

I dont use my PC anymore, (10 years ago.)

 

If you surf mostly its great to have laying around handy. Great shop manual, and with apple TV you can stream to it.

 

I also can watch TV by way of comcrap or inDirectv anywhere. (SPORTS)

 

Not sure how good the other tablets are, but they have SD/USB etc. Which I may go to the next time up.

[Wyldk2]

Some say if you're used to the apple products, stay with the apple products. If you're used to Android, go with Android. Now you know there are some tablets out that use the windows 8 and 8.1 operating system.

 

I have an android phone, an apple ipod touch( just like an Iphone 5, only no calling), and just a windows 7 operating system on my PC. And i'm more inclined to go with one of the new Samsung Galaxy 4's or pros before another apple.

 

Simply the fact that the android and some of the windows tablets have a storage upgrade and the expense of an apple is another point.

 

JMHO.

[QuietDan]

Had been a windows laptop user for years and years, and have almost completely switched over to apple products.

 

I'm typing on a 15 inch MacBook which I use like a desktop. I do also have the Parallels desktop software on it so I can keep using Adobe products and some other Windows applications. It also supports Final Cut Pro X video editor which syncs up well with my 1080 HD video camera. Very well integrated and very very handy.

 

Also have an iPad Air (Retina) and also carry it in my Maxpedition EDC bag. Fits perfect. The rollover to the iPad Air: my 82 year old father is in assisted living near my house, and the other family members are scattered across the country from the East Coast to the West Coast. He was always griping about how his four other kids and the grandkids never come to visit, but really -- it is just not cost effective. However . . . all of the family groups now have an iPad Air, and they Face Tiime him in turn on a weekly schedule. Now he gets to see the grandkids in their native habitat in their homes instead of all stressed out from a road trip and camping out in hotels. It was a lot less expensive this way. And, the grandkids are very familiar with the technology and mug for the camera and show off their artwork and all that stuff. He loves it, they love it, it's part of the culture for our geographically separated family. That single Face Time application more than justified the cost of the devices and they do a whole lot more as well. My ipad Air is a constant companion in my EDC bag, and with the various applications really helps keep my life in order. The calendar application syncs up with my iPhone as well. Also use Amazon and Amazon Prime a lot, and watch movies on the iPad, and have a pigtail connector to tie it into the LCD television. Very handy. 

 

Also use an iPhone 5, and it can serve for a quick google search and camera and etc. The alarm wakes me up in the morning to Harp music, and it chirps at me during the day to remind me of appointments and such. Also have it set up to give me severe weather alerts, and breaking news alerts. Very handy.

 

If there is one difference between the Apple, Android and Windows products -- I would say that the Apple products are just better thought out and integrated. The applications dovetail into each other, and they really do seem to be more intuitive to use than Windows products. There may be more innovative and cutting edge stuff in the Windows and Android world, but the Apple human interface considerations just seem so much better thought out and more fully integrated. 

 

I do use a Kindle Paperwhite to read myself to sleep, it doesn't wake up my spouse. I held off on getting it, but Amazon had a $75 bonus situation, and I had rewards points from my Amex card, so it was like . . . $35. I've also got the Kindle app on the Apple Laptop, the iPad, and the iPhone, and . . . well, it all integrates pretty well and picks up on another device where I left off in the various books I'm reading. 

 

I vote for getting the iPad Air, and get it with expanded memory so you can load more apps on it. Don't worry about getting the 3G version, there are plenty of wifi hotspots out and around, and for the time when there isn't, there is a "Hotspot" function on the iPhone and you can get Wifi off your iPhone for a fee. 

 

Sorry for going long. Sorry for sounding like a gadget geek. My 25 cents.

[runco]

2 1/2 years ago, owned 0 apple products.  Got a IPAD first, loved the IPAD.  Now we have 2x Ipads, 1x Iphone, and 2 Ipods.  My next computer will be a apple.  Very good stuff!

[Chucktshoes]

I have a 3rd Gen iPad with Retina display. I would second QuietDan's suggestion wrt getting the model with more memory. That being said, I love my iPad and don't know how I did without it before.

[jbravo]

When it comes to a laptop, I still prefer a Windows 7 computer(absolutely hate Windows 8). And I also still prefer Android. When Apple comes up with a larger screen size and adds a qwerty slide out keyboard, I might consider getting a iPhone. My fingers are just too big to efficiently use to on-screen keyboard. I also don't think any other music player even competes with the iPod. Of course, with anything Apple, you pay for what you get.

[Djay3]

Since you are familiar with the iPhone, I would suggest you try an iPad. Apple provides a two week evaluation period. The Apple sales folks at their Apple Stores or at Best Buy can do a very good job of advising which iPad might best fit your needs.

In my case, I store a lot of photos on mine so I much prefer the retina display.

On Apples website they have a chart that compares the features of the various iPads.

Good luck! It is an amazing device. Turn on the iCloud feature and your iPhone data and your iPad data will wirelessly and automatically synchronize with each other!

Good luck!

[Dane]

I ditched my laptop for an ipad about two years ago. I can do nearly everything I was able to do on the laptop on my ipad. My suggestion get as much memory as you can and get the cellular if you can. As for retina vs non I don't notice that big of a difference between my ipad with retina and my mini without. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Gliderman166]

I am going to get a late birthday present for myself. But just cant decide, I use an iphone so I am familiar, but have no experience with the ipad or a tablet for that matter. So those that do, what is your suggestion, the ipad ipad air mini with retina without?

Got IPad Air retina mid-range memory. It's very handy, flexible and easy to use. I use the laptop only 10% of the time now.
Perfect for traveling. As a trucker I travel a lot! Next one will max out the memory .

[Spiffy]

I got an iPad because my sister was telling me how Kindle was the best thing since sliced bread.  I don't use it much however. I like "books" so it doesn't have that same feel.

[Fasttalker]

I have the IPad Air and I use it all the time now. Put all my equipment manuals on it and can carry it with me everyday. Also found that a $15.00 pistol case makes a dandy carrier. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Murgatroy]

I don't use Apple products, but that is not a statement against the company. 

 

I have a Kindle Fire, I bought it for my daughter and honestly I have gotten to use it twice as she and my wife fight over it. We all have smartphones. To be honest, I don't know how the world operated without them, and I remember 'The Time Before Computers.' I find a tablet to be as useful as a phone and a computer in one, though it is really neither.

 

It is nice to have something portable that has the ability to answer any question you could possibly think of.

 

So that is an argument FOR the tablet, but neutral on Apple. I haven't used Apple products since the mid nineties though I am not opposed to them. I just find that Windows/Android/Linux suit my purposes cheaper/better.

[pops572]

Thanks for all the info and opinions, they have been very useful. This will strictly be for forum browsing and email checking. Going today to put hands on and see just what they feel like.

[Sam1]

I personally find that a tablet just wasn't useful for me.  It's ok for surfing or reading, but even then, using a keyboard on the screen was pain in my opinion.  I gave mine to my parents to play games on and stuck with my Macbook Pro 13" for general surfing and such.

 

I recently thought I would give another regular tablet a chance and bought a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3.  I ended up taking it back in two days as I realized again why I didn't find a tablet very useful.

 

I am considering getting a Surface Pro 2 tablet since it acts more like a real computer with a keyboard and I can make more use of it to edit docs easily and such.  In the end, I think it really depends on what you want to use it for.  Yes, you can add a keyboard to an Ipad, but even then the functionality just wasn't that useful for me.

 

I would recommend getting a Galaxy tab at Costco and  trying it first.  At least there you can take it back if you find you don't like it.  It works a bit different from a Ipad, but they are similar enough I think you will know right away if either would be beneficial for you.

 

Small edit:  I am not saying a tablet isn't useful.  The size is certainly nice and it has its uses, just have a good idea of what type of work you want to do with it.

 

 

Hit it perfectly.

 

We recently bought a couple of asus netbooks to hook up directly to the TV's in our house, touch screen, 500gb, Windows 8 etc... and they serve much more of a useful purpose than our ipad does.  Only $249 as well.  The only down side is that this specific model (the cheapest we could find with HDMI outputs) has a 3 hour battery life.  That's less than half of what our ipad gets.

[10-Ring]

This is just my take, and as the OP requested, my opinion, and just my experience and opinion. 

 

1)  For a casual user I see no plus to an ipad over an Android tablet, at least not enough to justify the expense.  The Android will do most everything the ipad will for 1/3 to 1/4 of the price of a comparable Apple product. 

 

2)  I picked up a Toshiba tablet a couple of years ago I believe it has a 10" screen which is big for a tablet but honestly I don't want to be squniting to see it.  Personally, I don't have a smart phone but most people do.  No sense in having a small pad that does the same thing as your small phone, get a pad big enough to easily see.

 

3)  I don't use my pad near as much as I thought that I would.  I fiqured my laptop would hardly get used once I got my pad but I don't like using the pad for much more than traveling, streaming content to my TV, and playing a few games that I've downloaded to keep my mind sharp.  One of the reasons that I bought it was to take on long motorcycle trips instead of my computer.  I've since bought another laptop with a 13" screen that is so small and does so much more than the pad that it now goes on motorcycle trips instead of the pad.