Should I Buy an iPad ?

[Word]

But the question remains - why do you need 'everything' at your fingertips? People - and society - managed perfectly well in the past without.

True, you don't.
It's definitely convenient. A possible downside would be that it doesn't promote discipline; it makes it easy to drop one thing and let something else take your fancy.

And what does this mean? -
& I don't just mean technically, but in practical terms?

If I plug my iPad into my work PC it displays a message acknowledging that it has been plugged in but warning that it isn't charging. Technically it is charging, just so slowly as to not be much use.
Conversely, plug it into an Apple laptop and it charges in much the same way as if I had plugged it into a wall socket via a power adapter so all I need to charge the device is the now nearly ubiquitous Apple 30-pin to USB cable.

There are many little touches like that; laptop power cables are connected magnetically, so someone tripping over the cable won't pull the laptop to the floor, the pulsing light that shows when a laptop is sleeping dims as the ambient light drops, so as not to be a distraction in a dark room, separately maintained volume settings dependent on whether or not headphones are plugged in (no doubt commonplace now), cordless mice (with a touch-sensitive surface ) that take two AA batteries but will work with only one inserted, etc.
Little things that at first might not be noticed but over the lifetime of a product they do make a difference and are indicative of the thought that has been applied by engineers rather than accountants.

No doubt a story that made it into his biography but when motivating his staff, Steve Jobs equated reducing the boot time of the original Mac to saving lives on the basis that hundreds of thousands of people would be sitting in front of their Macs waiting for them to start-up everyday.
Though a little melodramatic, IMO he had a point; I'm fairly patient except when it comes to computers, so it's nice to know that the design has been subjected to that level of care.

[Word]

I'm interested in all you say, but are you up to date with the current market? If you look on Amazon for 7" general purpose tablets (not Kindles or readers) between £50 and £100 you get 69 results, with a variety of specs including some with 3G capability. It may well be a case of 'Where iPad leads, the others follow', but I can't believe some of them might not give better value for money.

I must admit that I have never considered 7" tablets. Even given their reduced size I suspect that the displays, the most expensive part, must be pretty poor. Typically they will also skimp on the 'multi-touch' capability, sometimes only tracking two or three simultaneous touch points, rather than the ten plus you get with the higher end devices.
It's tricky to assess value for money; for me the quality of the screen is a major factor but I agree that for many the still available iPad 2, a non-Apple tablet or an e-book reader would represent better value.

[johnb]

Perhaps I am missing something but I have never really 'got' this Apple mania.

Before I retired a Mac would have been absolutely useless to me as all my colleagues used Windows machines.

Since I retired (11 years ago) I have had three Windows machines (a Toshiba Satellite Pro [when these were Toshiba business laptops], an IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad and now a HP desktop. All of which are still in good working order and the only 'repair' was when I replaced the hard drive in the Thinkpad when it began to report a warning.

[Flosshilde]

No doubt a story that made it into his biography but when motivating his staff, Steve Jobs equated reducing the boot time of the original Mac to saving lives .

Exactly why I think it's all so much bullshit.

[scottycelt]

When I was looking for my first Desktop computer about 12 years ago, I dismissed the Macs immediately as I simply assumed by their flashy, tasteless design that these were meant for trendy young 'gamers' or the sort of folk who watched the Jerry Springer Show or raved about their latest holiday in Las Vegas. The subsequent frequent reports of lengthy queues and even riots outside shops as soon as any new Apple product appears has done nothing to quell that original impression.

Whilst I do not doubt that many of these 'cool' new gadgets are quite amazing technological triumphs, purchasing one has always seemed to be more about 'one-upman/womanship' than greater utility. After all, on my free mobile phone I can already send texts and e-mails, listen to a complete Bruckner symphonic cycle, tune into the radio, take photos and small video clips etc ... and it's much smaller than an iPad! Admittedly, I can't watch movies but I never do, anyway. If I wish to carry larger media files or important documents on a trip, what's wrong with an even tinier USB stick? The person at the other end is bound to have a computer, aren't they? If I'm stuck in a hotel, I'll no doubt be switching on the TV and searching for a football match on some sports channel ... I've never failed to find one yet!

However, the question was whether the OP should buy an iPad which, human nature being as curious as it is, suggests he may well end up doing so, anyway...

[MrGongGong]

Perhaps I am missing something but I have never really 'got' this Apple mania.

Before I retired a Mac would have been absolutely useless to me as all my colleagues used Windows machines.

Since I retired (11 years ago) I have had three Windows machines (a Toshiba Satellite Pro [when these were Toshiba business laptops], an IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad and now a HP desktop. All of which are still in good working order and the only 'repair' was when I replaced the hard drive in the Thinkpad when it began to report a warning.

It all depends on what you want to use your computer for.
Apple have been supremely successful in marketing , most people believe that the iPod was the first MP3 player when there were/are many others several of which are much better in terms of features and sound quality. They have infected our society with the whole "i" thing so that it's the automatic choice for anything to do with computing technology so we have a BBC "i" player etc etc etc

However , aside from the whole cult status thing my experience of using an intel Macbook has been excellent. It is more compatible with networks that I visit than Windows (I used to have it sharing a hard drive with an XP machine until that died) and it's only recently that I gave up the Windows partition as I never used it (which kind of answers your point above !).

I use my computer mainly for audio, Live electronic processing, Audio editing and composition as well as general internet stuff etc etc
to get something that is fast enough to do some of those things reliably there is really no difference in price between the intel Macbook and a high end PC laptop. Compared to my last Windows machine it is half the weight which for me is a big deal as lugging instruments and equipment about is a daily thing. Some things simply DO work better and faster, automatic backup , almost instant startup and connecting to new networks or projection etc . It really does all depend on what you want to do. Mac computers will fail , they are machines , they go wrong , that's what things do in the world.

I would buy an iPad if I could get the interface so I can do more things, the connectivity of it is lousy IMV but as a controller for live electronics it is multitouch which is a big bonus , previously the only thing that did this was the Jazz Mutant Lemur which was colosally expensive , though this is admittedly a bit of a niche use for most people.

Like most technologies, the "latest" version often can have only tiny changes from previous ones so it often better to get a slightly "out of date" one (as with violins ). I would avoid buying any "new" technology until it's been about for at least a year as most things aren't tested well enough , the same applies to upgrading operating systems etc

[teamsaint]

well having the most up to date violins worked a treat for ELO , so I think you are wrong on that one !

[MrGongGong]

well having the most up to date violins worked a treat for ELO , so I think you are wrong on that one !

not for these though

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZNj5...eature=related

[Resurrection Man]

Probably by another version of iPad. Why anyone is taken in by the Apple con I don't know. It might look nice, but it doesn't do anything that other computers/IT doesn't do, & is over-priced. The company isn't any less capitalist than any other IT company (how much did Steve Jobs put into charitable foundations?). I wouldn't touch any i-nonsense with a barge-pole.

Flosshilde...you have fallen int the trap that besets so many Applephobes...namely, that you are ignoring Total Cost of Ownership. Also price comparisons are ambiguous...the phrase Apples and Oranges springs to mind.

To gamba...if you already have a Mac then an iPad, as opposed to a PC-pad, is a no-brainer.

If you think that you will put it to good use!

[johnb]

I would avoid buying any "new" technology until it's been about for at least a year as most things aren't tested well enough , the same applies to upgrading operating systems etc