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How ‘Just a Big iPod’ Changed Our Computing Lives!

How 'Just a Big iPod' Changed Our Computing Lives!

For the second time in two days I was giving a technical talk: one at night in a public setting, the other to a project team at work. In both cases I needed to note some questions, discussions, take contact info and jot down some ‘to do’ tasks and follow ups. It was only when someone said something in each case that I even realized – all I brought with me was my iPad.

It has been nearly 8 months since the release of the iPad, and I cannot imagine going anywhere without it. Through numerous discussions I know that many of the other Gear Diary folks feel the same way, so I wanted to get everyone together and ask the question:

How has the iPad changed your computing life?

Michael Anderson
I have been primarily a laptop user since getting a Powerbook 170 and ThinkPad 700C back in 1991/2, and have also been a heavy PDA user since I fell in love with the HP95LX in 1988 … but while I have always been a fan of mobile technology I really had no idea how the iPad would fit into things. I was very happy with my netbook – multiple hours of battery, basic PC usage and loads of games.

Some observations:

* The iPad has killed my PDA usage. The Droid did to an extent, but my PDAs always had an advantage in terms of keyboards, capabilities, etc. Not with the iPad!
* iPad as eReader: I have touted of reading books on PDA since the HP200LX. But once I used the various ebook apps on the iPad, it changed everything.
* The iPad killed the netbook for me. Not totally, as I have moved all gaming to my Alienware m11x, which relegated the netbook to classic gaming only … but since getting the iPad I have transitioned completely away from the netbook.
* With the keyboard dock and Docs2Go I am all set for all set for general office stuff, and with Safari and Mail, I have everything I need!

I was nervous at the first board meeting when I only brought the iPad, but by the end I was thrilled and never looked back. I take the iPad everywhere – I use iThoughts HD for ‘mind mapping’, which integrates with MindManager; Pocket Informant, and more!

I have actually lightened my load considerably when traveling home or between offices during the day. At this point I have transitioned to carrying only my iPad, Livescribe Pulse, a USB flash drive, and Droid around with me. And I have moved from the large Livescribe notebooks to the smaller ones, saving me even more space!

Having recently gotten a new iPod Touch, I am drooling at the upcoming iOS 4.2 for iPad. Take the existing system, add folders and multitasking … and I will be even more thrilled!

Dan Cohen
It’s funny. We started this thread a while back and, at the time, my answer was “the iPad has changed my computing life in so many ways.”. Here we are a fair bit later and that has only become more of the case. The iPad is impressive first and foremost because it is a first-generation device that was amazing right out of the gate. Sure there are things like a camera for video missing but the device itself is nothing short or remarkable. Moreover, I have been running iOS 4.2 Beta for weeks now and that upgrade turns the iPad into an entirely different device. The fast-app switching alone makes a huge difference in day-to-day use.

So how has the iPad changed my computing life?  Here are a few examples:

I might add that the combination of Netflix streaming and the iPad is uhMAZing. I think our queue is up around 200 now—I can’t believe I’ve watched so many movies in my life.

In this vein:

Magazines. I haven’t signed up for any yet, but I’ve come close—and no doubt will do it in the future. And this is actually a pretty big deal, because I pretty much stopped reading magazines a decade ago and just read stuff on the Web. If magazines can make the transition smoothly—and there are definitely going to be some mags that lend themselves to iPad reading ‘way more than others—the magazine market might stop shrinking. Ditto the newspaper industry, but not to the same degree—I envision us ending up more like other countries, where there’s one (or two or three) national virtual newspapers, and then a whole slew of local papers that basically ignore national news and only do local stuff. I’d pay for the app; I’d pay for a subscription.

I’m also considering reading comic books again, which I have done for more than two decades (with a few very rare exceptions, such as Mark Millar’s “Wanted”). How many geek adults might do the same thing?

Chris Gavula
I have been working with my iPad for a number of months now and I’m amazed how much it has changed the way I do my computing. Like Doug said, I use the data features of my iPhone less than before, but more importantly, I use my laptop somewhat less than before, but I haven’t abandoned my laptop either.

I find web browsing on the iPad generally easier and more satisfying than on the computer. Why? Pinch/Zoom. The ability to quickly, and intuitively zoom in on areas and pictures that might initially be difficult to see or read clearly has been wonderful. The fact that I can quickly easily check eMail or the status of things on a given website just before I go to bed, without having to haul out the laptop is wonderful. All that said – I have at least one website I visit that utilizes flash (although they could easily have done something different). I wish that Apple had allowed Flash – even if it is doggy and badly implemented. Many sites are converting away from it, but many are not yet doing so. It will be interesting to see where all this ends – especially now that Apple has relented on the “no conversion from Flash” apps rule, but I wish they’d resolve all this more quickly!

I guess the larger point is that I often use my iPad in situations where I might want to use a laptop or desktop but it just isn’t convenient. But the iPad is VERY convenient. I think this is the biggest change in the way we compute that I see happening in my own life.

Another area in which my iPad has become a daily staple is in eBook reading. Some people have expressed an opinion that the iPad is too heavy for long-term eBook reading. While I feel the iPad is solid, and is likely to lose weight as subsequent versions come out, I do not find the unit to be too heavy at all. To me it just feels solid and durable. I have many of my Cisco technical books and language study on it and they are MUCH lighter to carry this way. I primarily use the Kindle app and the iBooks app for eBook reading. I have considered a Kindle device in the past, but it’s lack of backlighting and color have made it pretty much a non-starter for me. I have too much material that is more functional in color and I read far more in low-light situations than bright light situations. For these reason, as well as being able to access nearly any eBook source I want, the iPad is nearly an ideal eBook reader for me. Amazon has the best eBook store with the greatest depth though!

Gaming is another area I really have found the iPad to be a pleasure. The aforementioned “Plants vs. Zombies” is great on the iPad. I also prefer time-management or strategy type games (like the Sims, or Civilization) to action-based games so, for me, the iPad is preferable to devices like the Nintendo DS or the PSP where a control pad is present. The iPad (and iPhone/iPod Touch) don’t lend themselves well to action, platform, or fighting type games so it may not appeal to young guys who tend to prefer these types of game, but for me that’s almost a non event.

I also appreciate the USB/card adapters, but I do wish they’d go ahead and incorporate it into the device. I’d also like to see a camera in it.

So the iPad has definitely changed how I go about my computing. I can’t completely abandon my laptop (it is a secure unit utilizing technologies not available on the iPad yet), but other than my work-specific requirements, I find myself turning to the device more and more and using it in situations where I would have “waited” to perform computing tasks before. It fits in nicely between my laptop and my iPhone (a netbook was never a reasonable option for me – too many compromises). It goes almost everywhere with me and has significantly changed how I go about my daily computing tasks. People ask me about it all the time (it’s still a novelty to many people). When I’m in an Apple store it’s the iPad area that always seems to have the most activity. Yes, the novelty will wear off and yes the market will saturate, but it is amazing to me that people are paying a premium price for this device and it’s conveniences, but I definitely understand why too!

Conclusions
So there you have some ways that the iPad has changed the ways we go about our daily lives. Many of us have others in our lives touched by the iPad as well. Over Thanksgiving my brother-in-law traveled with just the iPad, and was able to do pretty much everything with it, except for one site that had some Flash he needed my laptop to navigate.

iOS 4.2 has recently arrived, and aside from the debate on the rotation lock, it seems that everyone is completely enamored by the changes, as they make the iPad even more useful and autonomous.

So, how has the iPad changed the way YOU do things? Let us know in the comments!

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