Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Yes, I Have An iPad And Here Is What I Think About It


As of Saturday morning, I have an iPad (see iPhone photo). In fact, all of us here at MauroMedia have one. And I'm not ashamed to admit it. After all I read on the internet, one almost feels afraid to state the fact. There's not a single product in my remembrance, that has received such "dissing".

At any rate, I read an article "13 glaring iPad shortcomings" and since friends have asked for my opinion about my iPad, I thought writing about it would be a way to address their "13" and give you my own personal, non-subjective, non-techie view. Please, read the article first. It will make my responses to each issue much clearer as I am responding to their statements regarding the iPads perceived shortcomings. Let me preface this with the following statement:

Until November, the only exposure I'd had to Apple products was owning an iPod. I had never used a Mac computer and obviously did not understand anything about operating them. Not getting the whole "Mac love" thing, I am not biased concerning their products.

While I am enjoying the use of the iPad, I do not consider it a toy and I do not consider the issues the article author cited as "severe".

#1 It's awkward.
I'm a girl, I've never carried a phone on my hip. It makes me look fat, for pete's sake. Nor would I carry it like a butler would a tray, ridiculous. I don't want it under my armpit for obvious reasons. It is carried in my hand. I have it in the iPad Case which is non-slippery, protects it and transports well. I am klutzy and have no problems carrying it around. Are babies easy to carry? Do we need EVERYTHING in life to be effortless?! Do you need a butler to carry everything for you? Not me, thank you.

#2 It's heavy.
How long have you been sitting on that couch, Mr. Potato? I, in no way find it heavy or difficult to carry around. I have carpel tunnel and have not found it taxing, tiring, or painful to hold it for a length of time. I bought a book and have been reading it on the iPad. I love it! Consider it a Kindle PLUS so much more. Prop it up to watch a movie, for pete's sake! Why would you hold it?! Are you going to hold the TV while you watch a movie?! So why would I hold the iPad out in front of me? Oh, and by the way? Who wants to read a book on a smartphone that is the size of a small calculator? My eyes aren't that young anymore. The Kindle? Great for reading books but does it have apps? Access anything other than Amazon? Hold your calendar, address, and list information? Can it hold your portfolio of your work? Photos? Have 3G capability? I'm a weenie. It ain't heavy enough to preclude me using it and I use it in comfort.

#3 It's slippery.
So don't hold it under your arm. Why would you treat a major purchase with such nonchalance? Put it in the Case. It won't slip.

#4 The screen has too much glare.
So does the tv, so does a cell phone, so does the car windshield and so does snow. I use it in a sunny environment and have no problems. The clarity is phenom!

#5 Forget reading in the sun.
Okay, this one is splitting hairs and could have been included in #4 but maybe their aim was to connect it to the unlucky #13. Adjust the angle at which you are viewing it. Hard, I know, I could barely accomplish it *rolling eyes*. I, personally, wouldn't take a machine like this to the beach, which is made up of SAND incidentally and isn't good when it gets in ANYTHING (haven't you ever had it in your swimwear bottoms?), and I worry about thugs and no-accounts stealing my things when my head is turned. I would take a paperback novel which costs roughly $7 or less (if you get it at a used book store or swipe it from your sister or best friend) and if something happens to it, it's no big deal.

#6 Fingerprints are annoying.
I am not anal retentive or nor do I have OCD. I don't notice the fingerprints unless it is turned off and even then, it doesn't cause me behavioral problems. Just like my mom did on the refrigerator, I wipe them off if they build up thicker than a 1/4 inch. If they bother you, use a small piece of microfiber cloth. You don't need a big towel. There are more important things to be annoyed with in this world that you can choose to let get to you, try war, poverty, hunger or the healthcare debacle.

#7 It does not multitask.
Hmmm, I missed that memo Apple sent out telling me they expect me to spend hours at a time on the iPad. They must think no one has a life. This does not take the place of my 27" desktop nor would I expect it to. It gives me the capability of doing more things when I am mobile. Frankly, I am a big multitasker and this inability do run multiple apps/tasks doesn't bother me at all. and is doing one thing at a time once in awhile all that bad? Oh, and all it takes is hitting the home button and the app to switch from one task to the other and it takes just a sec. Not a big deal for me.

#8 The browser is limited.
I'll be honest, I'm not sure what creating Google Documents is. Yeah it doesn't play Flash but that hasn't limited what I do. As for it being limited in any way I use it? I've done everything I want to do with the browser.

#9 The virtual keyboard stinks.
I have big fingers/hands. All keyboards stink for me. It's way better than my iPod Touch! Most peeps that I observe "hunt and peck" anyway. I use proper keyboarding technique and am working at getting better using them on the glass. If you want a full-size keyboard, get a desktop or large laptop. This is NOT meant to be that. I can live with it. If you do a great deal of word-processing, spreadsheets, or printing, stick with your lap/desk top. I don't expect this to take the place of that for me.

#10 There's no USB port.
Now this one might pose difficulty for me but I consider this to be similar to my iTouch and other people's iPhones (which I do not have) and I haven't heard them complain about the lack of a USB port.

#11 iPhone-only apps look horrible.
What did you do before apps? When the iPhone apps came out, were there 150,000 of them immediately? It will take time for the iPad to catch up. I don't put apps on my iPad that aren't intended for it. That would be like putting maple syrup in my car's gas tank. Maple syrup wasn't intended to be used in a car. Be patient. Everyone and their dog are coming up with apps.

#12 The price is just too high.
All prices, on all things, are too high when we want something. I want organic milk which costs $7-$8 per gallon versus $2.25 for non-organic milk. It's too high for me. But if I want something, I save for it. If I don't, then I don't. Remember how expensive VCR's were? If it's too high for you, wait, the price may come down. And if someone's iPad memory fills up quickly and they decide a bigger one is what they want, buy their small one and you might get a good deal.

#13 It doesn't replace anything.
Is it supposed to? It doesn't for me, it supplements. I like the way it works, it works great for what I will do in the field, on the go, and when lounging in bed where my desktop proves to be awkward. :-) I like books on it, I like the size. Bottom line: I LIKE it. It makes for a great PR and work tool in the photography/media business (not for photo processing). As a portfolio while out on the go, it can't be beat. For note taking while out on gardening business and using some of the simple design and reference apps, it is a great tool for garden designers and will get even better as new apps come out. Oh, by the way, Skype works beautifully on it!!! The sound works great!

If you do not frequent areas with Wi-Fi, wait and get the 3G model. As with any new product, deficiencies will be improved and tweaked

Not one thing in this world is meant to be the be-all and end-all, not man, woman or technology. And honestly, I couldn't care less about being cool.

In my personal opinion, if you don't want it, don't buy it. If you want it, get it. I love it.