Tablet Fever, tablet owners I need your advice

I may not be much of a help but I think you should wait till Acer comes out with theirs. I think that their product may prove to be the best since they have the extra time to see the problems with current models. 

I know that they will be at CES but that's the extent of what I've read. I am sure there are a few others other than Acer that will be getting into the "game" a little late (post Christmas). 

I've had a 32G 3G iPad since the day they were released. I immediately had buyer's remorse, thinking it wouldn't be too different from my iPhone and I'd use my laptop for most computing.

I was completely wrong. The lack of scrolling/zooming is a huge advantage. So is having 3G support. I don't have to look for or pay for Wi-Fi hotspots. It works everywhere. What made it a laptop-killer for me was the Bluetooth keyboard.

The combination of iPad and keyboard weighs lass than half of the laptop and it has superior battery life. The surprise was how well I took to a combination of gestures and keyboard. Freed from a mouse/trackpad, I can navigate and do what I want much faster than on a laptop or desktop. My efficiency went way up. Today, I find myself much more proficient with a keyboard and iPad than anything else. I don't know if this setup is as good for others, but I've been using an iPhone since they were introduced, so the gestures and everything are second nature.

My complaint is that there isn't a serious word processor or spreadsheet on the iPad. Also, I wish there was more of a regular filesystem, so I could work with existing files easier.

However, I think these things are in the works. A few years from now, I think OS X and iOS will merge into a unified OS. When that happens, I'll be tablet/keyboard all the way. I don't miss having a cursor and pointing device at all.

As for the other tablets, I don't see anything else ready for primetime yet. They're coming, for sure, but Apple caught everyone by surprise. I do think Android is capable of powering a tablet. Not today, but it is going to happen. We'll see some good competition around a year from now. I look forward to it since prices will come down all over and Apple will bring out some slick upgrades. iPad2 should have a retina display and more horsepower - I plan to buy one.

I also have to echo the sentiment of carrying a keyboard around for "real" productivity.  Touch interface keyboards are convienent, but not great for really getting any word work done.

 

At some point we do have to give up granualar control of the file system.  There are tools in iPad land for jailbreaking and giving that level of control, but its far too much work IMHO.  The benefit of giving up that control is simplicity - so its a trade off.

 

I've yet to play with an Andriod tablet, but the droid phones i've messed with have been great to work with.  Almost makes me half consider replacing my iPhone 3GS with one....just cant do any real thought yet as I've still got 4 months before I can upgrade phones....

 

My iPad 32GB WiFi will not fully replace my laptop - there are just things you think you can do that you cant with it.  Try configuring a router with an iPad (or any tablet) and you'll find yourself bald and digging for a laptop/desktop quickly...I do LOVE mine for reading books, light surfing (reading Head-Fi is great, but replies with the mobile browser suck), catching up on blogs/twitter, iOS games and whatnot....as I have this discussion several times a day with people, it really boils down to a simple question - what will you expect it to do, and does its usefulness in reality match up?  If it does, you'll love it.  If not, you'll be disappointed.

 

I will say this though, once you decide on something, don't regret it.  I've done the buyers remorse thing, and finally gave up.  Read, study, learn, use other people's stuff to decide if you'll like it or not.  Once you decide to commit to it, stick with it.  Its important to find a system that works for you....it took me many laptops/desktops to find what I liked.  Good thing about tech - it will always sell to someone.....have fun looking!

 

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I have a 32gb wifi iPad and I am really happy with it. My laptop is barely being touched anymore. I mainly use the laptop on trips, since I can store tons of photos on it and use the bluray drive to play movies. For serious work...Photoshop, excel, etc..I still prefer my desktop. In other words, I did not buy this with the hope of throwing out every computer I own...I did not throw out my steak knives when I bought a Swiss army knife, either.

For web surfing, reading (magazines, books, blogs), watching video, listening to music, controlling iTunes, controlling my mac/PC from the couch, etc...it is fantastic. The size is just about perfect. If it got thinner or weighed less, I wouldn't complain, but I use it for hours on end and never think about it being heavy or uncomfortable. I actually have a case that is quite a bit thicker than the Apple case ( I gave my Apple case away) and still have no issues with size.

I use it pretty much everywhere. My couch is very deep, so I usually have a couple pillows behind me, lay back, and rest it on my rib cage. I just maneuver it around depending on where I am sitting/laying. My case can sit up on it's own, so if I am watching a video on the couch, I just rest it on the arm of the couch.

I admit that I don't type a whole lot on it. The onscreen keyboard is fine for email, forums, facebook, etc. I have a blutooth keyboard, but I have never felt the need to pair it to my iPad. If I want to type a bunch, I just get up and go to my desktop...my headphone setup in there needs to get some use, anyway.

Personally, I would have no need for a 7 inch version. It still wouldn't be pocketable, so I don't see a reason to make that trade off.

I use the iPad at home all the time. Casual surfing, reading, watching videos, all sorts of media consumption. It is simply wonderful for those things. Oddly, it became a lot more comfortable with the Apple case. It's easier to hold with the lid flipped over and the material feels nice. One thing especially nice is that the iPad is cat-friendly. The laptop requires both knees and direct access to the trackpad and keyboard.

The cat is not happy about that. It takes away *her* space on me. But the iPad leaves adequate cat space and can be held with one hand. If the laptop is causing insufficient attention, she will stand on the keyboard and block the screen. Yes, she knows very well what she's doing.

I agree about the filesystem and am willing to give up some convenience. I do think those things are coming, though. If you look at the tea leaves, Apple is going to unify everything one of these days.

I'm not willing to tinker with jailbreaking, either. I build PCs now and then and muck with Linux when I want to fool with a computer. I like the Apple stuff for convenient browsing and media consumption. I also like having a diverse computing ecosystem. If some viral nasty turns up (it's just a matter of time), I'll have Linux around.

Before the current iOS, I did have a jailbreak on mine. I mainly wanted multitasking for Pandora/Rhapsody, so it was worthwhile. With the new features, I don't feel a need to jailbreak it again. One thing, other than folders and multitasking, that I like is the new Airplay feature. I have Airport Express units next to my main sitting areas ( bed and couch) and when I want to watch video or listen to music, I just select the location to send the audio and slip on my headphones...no cables needed.

I've spent this christmas helping my parents syncing and setting up their iPads with accounts. My dad got convinced by some colleagues to buy them, without really knowing what it was.

 

I think it is a nice product, absolutely love to use it as a remote, it has made me consider buying an iPod Touch, but I've concluded that it is not for me. I recently bought a 15'' i7 Pro, and it is just so infinitely much more of a machine. For slouching about I prefer its larger screen, for writing I prefer its tactile keyboard (haven't tried bluetooth keyboard with the iPad) for photo editing and other heavy lifting I plug it up with a display.

Now If I were the kind of guy who liked to bring along a computer wherever he went, the size, the way it speaks with othe Mac products and quite frankly ingenious mode of operation would make the the iPad a dead giveaway. But I'm not that kind of guy.