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Apple iPad 2 |OT|
- Thread starter giga
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Joel Was Right
Member
If you own a MacBook Air, then I can't think of a single excuse you'd need for an iPad. Unless you're rich.
Meus Renaissance said:
You want to read a book? Or a magazine? Or a comic? Or read anything while relaxing on the couch? It's not hard to come up with a bunch of reasons.
To go in reverse, for me personally, I can't think of a single excuse to need a Macbook Air.
EDIT: Not dissing the Air, I think they're great. I just can't justify owning one.
Meus Renaissance said:
more comfortable and intimate experience nearly anywhere that's not a desk. longer battery life.
also, for reading books and comics.
also also, custom apps that do not exist or do not translate well to the laptop (see: djay, flipboard, pulse, etc)
it's certainly not necessary, but it does a few things better than a laptop - even a superlight one like the Air
Keyser Soze
Member
Meus Renaissance said:
Macbook Air does nothing I'd want my Laptop to do... Ipad does everything I'd want a tablet to do.
Myoclonic Jerk
Member
Hi guys, I've neer used an iPad and my friend placed an order for me from apple.com, so I'll be getting it in a month's time if I'm lucky 
anyway, I need your help in the following:
- Need a decent case for work (passport cover kind of thing). I also asked my friend to get me a smart cover but it will be for use at home only.
- Car charger. I don't think there's an official one, so is it advisable?
- Can I use my iPod's chargers?
- Any tips for a new-to-be iPad owner?
Many thanks in advance
anyway, I need your help in the following:
- Need a decent case for work (passport cover kind of thing). I also asked my friend to get me a smart cover but it will be for use at home only.
- Car charger. I don't think there's an official one, so is it advisable?
- Can I use my iPod's chargers?
- Any tips for a new-to-be iPad owner?
Many thanks in advance
Joel Was Right
Member
Tobor said:
LCfiner said:
These are legitimate points, but the question is: are those points worth the cost? For someone who can afford it, then yes, but for others, it's not. I would love to see a survey on what other devices iPad owners have. Since I've had my MBP, I haven't touched my iPad unless I've wanted to show a video/website link quickly to someone in another room/downstairs because it's easier to carry. It's an extension, whereas my notebook is my secondary device to my PC.
Then again these are just my opinions, no more valid than your own
harriet the spy said:
First, are you sure the iPad is the answer? Give Inklet for Mac a chance.
Don't go with a vnc app for the iPad. Try a trackpad app (Rowmote pro, Remote conductor, TouchPad etc) or a screen extender (Displaypad, Air Display etc)
badcrumble said:
I did a mini review of comic reader apps a year ago. The review is outdated but the criteria remains the same:
import options
library/organization of comic
zoom options
ui overlay when reading comics
possible orientations (auto landscape, manga mode etc)
page turning options.
There is no 'best' reader yet but the better options include Comic Flow, Cloud Readers, Comic Zeal and Comic Reader Mobi (it's possible to legally install this right now but it involves a little work). Avoid like the plague any app that doesn't offer a black background (or white for all you fancy white iPad owners) or claims to be like iBooks with 'page flipping' and 'book backgrounds'.
Sh0k said:
How to enable iPad multitasking gestures in iOS 4.3
thoughtspeak said:
Piper Jaffray: iPad 2 totally sold out, 70% to new buyers
CNN said:
Moving on from iPad office productivity apps
Marco said:In the last decade, Apple introduced their first line of notebooks that didnt have dial-up modems built in, because dial-up modems were on their way out and most people didnt need them anymore. But for the few that still did, they offered a little USB modem to ease the transition:
Three years ago, Apple introduced the MacBook Air, their first notebook that abandoned the optical drive, because optical drives were (and still are) on their way out. But they also sold this USB optical drive to ease the transition:
One year ago, Apple introduced the iPad, their first computer, sort of, that didnt have a keyboard. But since keyboards are required for a lot of productivity tasks, they also made it compatible with Bluetooth keyboards and released the Keyboard Dock:
Apple went out of their way to convince the world that the iPad was a legitimate productivity device:
Most of us tried to rationalize the iPads purchase by telling ourselves that it could often replace a laptop. The productivity apps and the Keyboard Dock support that view: that the iPad is a new kind of computer that might replace your traditional computer, and therefore, its rational to spend over $500 for one.
But I dont think thats what happened in practice.
The iPad isnt really a great office productivity device, in the traditional PC sense. It can be used that way in some cases, but its rarely the best tool for the job.
I never liked the Keyboard Dock (or using a Bluetooth keyboard with the iPad). It looked like a temporary hack, like the USB dial-up modem: a bridge from the old to the new until people didnt need it anymore. And it was clunky: not only was its protruding shape awkward and difficult to pack in thin bags, but using a keyboard at all in iOS was (and remains) half-baked: users needed to constantly reach up and touch the screen in use. If you need a physical keyboard very often with the iPad, youre probably better served using a laptop, especially now that the 11 MacBook Air exists.
It seems that Apple has discontinued the Keyboard Dock with the launch of the iPad 2, which confirms that they saw it as a temporary hack, too. And rather than issue a huge update to the iWork productivity apps, they branched out into different uses with iMovie and Garage Band, and beefed up the graphics processor more than any other upgrade to strongly benefit games.
I dont think this was their plan from the start I think Apple didnt know any better than we did, a year ago, whether the iPad was going to end up as a productivity device in practice. They probably thought, like we did, that it would replace laptops a lot more often.
But, as often happens in technology, the iPad hasnt killed the laptop at all it has simply added a new role for itself. And that role doesnt include office productivity for most of us.
Apple is now adapting to the markets actual use by retreating somewhat from office productivity and pushing strongly into new territory casual media creation to see if that gets a stronger uptake in practice. I think it will be a lot more interesting than office productivity, but theres still a lot of work that needs to be done in iOS to make it practical (especially regarding file transfers with computers).
Like Photo Booth on the Mac (and now also the iPad), casual iPad users will have fun playing around with GarageBand for a while. Maybe even iMovie once or twice.
I still dont think Apple has found the sweet spot for the iPads usage: the ideal role it fills in personal computing. And I dont think we, as developers or iPad owners, have found it, either. But I know that sweet spot exists, and for a computer category that has only existed for one year, were rushing towards it remarkably quickly.
This is why the iPad is truly exciting: we can see that it has great potential, and while we dont quite know its nature yet, were pretty sure that its huge.
It's a luxury device but oh, what a luxury device! I think Apple will support a stylus next year...
I need to grab one of those keyboard docks before they disappear.
Hey Giga, it might be a good idea to add a list of alternate browsers, email clients, comic/pdf/ebook reader apps, video players (from VLC to Netlix to MLB at Bat) and music players to the OP, just to get the new guys started.
biggyfries
Member
I tried VLC, and it just takes too long to process. Tested it with a USB drive, and a Mac, and didn't really see any difference.Spiderjericho said:
Currently trying out StreamToMe, and it works pretty good with smaller, non-feature-length files (haven't tried features yet).
Might try out air Video next week, to see which I like.
for streaming video files from your pc to your ipad my coworker recommended zumocast. It works over the internet or just in your house on wifi(obviously) Haven't been able to set it up yet because they've disabled downloading it for your desktop, trying to fix something i think.
helloresolven
Member
I might just be slow, but are there any multi-touch gestures in Safari? I keep wanting to two-finger swipe for back/forward, but it doesn't seem to be implemented.
Ollie Pooch
In a perfect world, we'd all be homersexual
I ended up jailbreaking mine with greenpois0n on 4.2.1 to install and run XBMC to stream all my media off a network drive. Works perfectly - I'm surprised, as I though i'd run into a few bugs. To be honest I haven't tried any HD content, but so far nothing bad to report with my SD stuff. I don't have a networked computer running all the time to transcode content so it's really the only option for me.biggyfries said:
Gotta say, the iPad was definitely an impulse 'won't be this cheap again!' purchase but it's really fit into how I use the net and check my emails etc. I'm using the MBP generally to do my illustration work, and for general browsing etc I just use the iPad. It's also my serebii.net reference at my side while I'm playing Pokemon
Keyser Soze
Member
helloresolven said:
I do not think it is available...
iCab does it though. In fact iCab allows for 14 different gestures. 3 of them are locked, and the other 11 can be set any way you want...
...and it is a better overall browser imo
Macho Madness
Member
Really want one of these, should have one in a month or so. Wait is killing me!
DancingCactus77
Member
Do I need Internet to use airplay through out the house? Thinking about getting the iPad too as well as I already have a MacBook and iPhone.
Ultima ratio regum
Banned
hopefully they add an official stylus it is a most for ebook notation circling and underlining as well as signatures and also drawings and general notes.
Obviously a third party stylus could likely be used, but official support would do wonders for intuitiveness and maximal functionality.
Obviously a third party stylus could likely be used, but official support would do wonders for intuitiveness and maximal functionality.
biggyfries said:
I use both Plex and Air Video.Fusebox said:
Plex is used for my movies and TV collection. It works amazingly.
Air Video for everything else that can't just be thrown in Plex's library.
Plex is also used mainly for watching on the TV anyway, but having the iPad/iPhone app makes it much more convenient for choosing and watching a movie either on the TV or the iDevice itself.
Air Video is used as a secondary method for watching all the other videos that are just random or can't be categorized as a movie or TV show. Stuff like video podcasts or random videos downloaded from the internet. Since Air Video shows them all in a folder-like structure, it's very easy to navigate and choose a video.
Both apps will convert the video live and stream them to the devices. So there's no worrying about it being an MKV or AVI or something the iDevice can't play.
And together, both are less than $10. So you can't lose. You really can't. The server on the Mac side (Plex also has a PC server available and Air Video also has a Windows version) is free for both of them. There is nothing to lose except a few bucks that will be totally worth it.
Bottom line, buy BOTH of them. Download BOTH of their server apps for your computer. Set them all up.
But if you don't have all your movies or TV shows and don't want to go through the trouble (Plex isn't really any trouble.) of setting up a Plex library, Air Video will work fine for all of it. You just won't have all your movies and TV shows set up with metadata like correct title, description, etc.
Air Video first. Plex second. It's all you need.
Also, Air Video will work for that other video you might have... you know what I'm talking about.
Question about Airplay:
All I can seem to find online are articles about using Airplay with an Apple TV device, either from iTunes or an iPad. But is it possible for Airplay to send video from your iPad to iTunes? Would be nice to play things from my iPad on a Mac at work during lunch.
All I can seem to find online are articles about using Airplay with an Apple TV device, either from iTunes or an iPad. But is it possible for Airplay to send video from your iPad to iTunes? Would be nice to play things from my iPad on a Mac at work during lunch.
Apparently not. Really silly really. They want you to get an Apple TV. But as far as I know, there is no way to stream to a Mac/PC's iTunes. Not even from another Mac/PC. (And Home Sharing doesn't count since the media is played from the client and not the host, whereas with Airplay, the media is controlled from the host, not the client. Where host is the computer with the media stored and client is the computer that you want the media being viewed/listened to on.)stupei said:
I ended up having to buy Airfoil to stream my iTunes from my MacBook Pro to my Mac mini server because Home Sharing doesn't change playcounts and syncing my libraries was a recipe for disaster. (I've still got songs in my library that iTunes thinks are missing, but AREN'T FUCKING HELL. I had to go through hundreds of songs with (!) icons to point them back to the song again. Even though they never moved.)
You'll just have to watch it on your iPad for now. Seems like it would be logical for Apple to implement this. Allow iTunes to act as a receiver for Airplay. But then I'd have spent $25 on Airfoil for nothing.
Edit: Oh, yeah. There's also that option above.
Meus Renaissance said:
you can use the iPad for apps and games, gaming experience on iPad is much better than an iPhone + there are various games and apps that are exclusive for iPad, like Garageband, which is a must for all iPad owners, the iPad version of Garageband is friendlier than the Mac version
I'm gonna chime in on the whole iPad as your portable, iMac as your full computer conversation.
I actually prefer keeping a laptop AND an iPad. Because I don't like being tethered to a desk either way. So if I do need to use a full computer, I'd still rather be mobile. Therefore, I will never consider an iMac again. No matter how much more powerful they get, the laptop will always be my choice. And as I've said numerous times, I might even consider an Air next time. And when Lion comes out, the thin line between both OS X and iOS will be even thinner.
I actually prefer keeping a laptop AND an iPad. Because I don't like being tethered to a desk either way. So if I do need to use a full computer, I'd still rather be mobile. Therefore, I will never consider an iMac again. No matter how much more powerful they get, the laptop will always be my choice. And as I've said numerous times, I might even consider an Air next time. And when Lion comes out, the thin line between both OS X and iOS will be even thinner.
thoughtspeak
Banned
Keyser Soze said:
first sensible answer. But as i have this really bad habit of coming back to discussions hours and days after my original post, your missing my original point.
I have a OG Ipad (infact ive had 2) and I am somewhat happy with it. I am however disappointed that both content and hardwarewise, the ipad isnt leaps and bounds over the iphone or ipod touch.
the first gen could of been excused as being a launch device, almost to guage interest, but this second gen shows that apple have no interest in pushing the boundaries, they just want to sell you rehashed content while using slick marketing to convince that each "upgrade" is significant.
Seriously, What can you do on the Ipad that you cannot do on a retina display iphone or iphone touch? that doesn't direct relate to the extra screen real estate? The same criticism could be levelled at android devices, but the much more impressive honeycomb interface at least can be used in a much more productive way bridging the space between desktop and laptop
Soybean said:
Its bad thing in the sense is the increase size serves no real purpose that cannot be replicated with minimal effort on smaller devices. its like having a imac that has the exact same specs as macbook. When the ipad launched, it was apples best moblie device, for about 2 months. then the iphone 4 launched and blew it out the water. to add insult to injury the ipod touch came through and did the same thing. I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing happens this year.
If your on the market for simply a bigger ipod touch? why should you pay a $200+ premium for it? it has the same stuff running under the hood at the end of the day. As it stands, all you paid for on the OG ipad was extra screen, which is probably the same this year too.
hyp
Member
Charred Greyface said:
i like lifelike craig
http://lifelikeapps.com/lifelike-craig-hd-for-ipad
it's pretty casual but gets the job done and the search works great. you can also login and post.
hyp
Member
infinity blade on a 50" plasma (both running off an ipad 2):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qulUJrnriOI&feature=player_embedded
real racing 2 hd:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjoMWXszMrI&feature=player_embedded
edit: after watching these, imagine the potential of streaming these apps using apple tv and using an ipad2/iphone4 as a control interface. it could potentially eat into the console marketshare.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qulUJrnriOI&feature=player_embedded
real racing 2 hd:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjoMWXszMrI&feature=player_embedded
edit: after watching these, imagine the potential of streaming these apps using apple tv and using an ipad2/iphone4 as a control interface. it could potentially eat into the console marketshare.
Dreams-Visions
Member
cool app!
Keyser Soze
Member
Unless they release a controller, it's pretty limited. It's fun on The Incident, but you can really only do waggle, since there are no buttons. You can make on-screen buttons, but that hurts the point of a controller, since you need to take your eyes off the TV screen and look at your handheld device. It could work well with board games or non-complex games though. Maybe some dev could also use multi-touch instead (one finger touch = punch, two finger touch = kick, etc).hyp said:
iFixit teardown of the smart cover.
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPad-2-Smart-Cover-Teardown/5089/1
Really interesting how many magnets are in there.
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPad-2-Smart-Cover-Teardown/5089/1
Really interesting how many magnets are in there.
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