Anyone use their iPad to supplement getting work done?

I'm on the verge of getting an iPad because it seems like it may be useful.

I can't see it replacing a laptop, unless I'm mistaken.

Could it be a useful replacement on a business trip?

I'm obviously trying to justify/rationalize...

 

I have that discussion with myself a few times a week because the iPad looks delicious and everyone looks really cool and hip sitting tapping on them in coffee shops etc.

But every time I think about picking one up, I come to the conclusion that I simply don't see the point of it. Don't get me wrong, I love Apple and have a crapload of their stuff, but what is it for really? It's just an oversized iPhone you can't make any calls with.

I'm curious to hear what people who own them actually use them for, and more importantly - why they think it's better than, say, a Macbook Air. Unless your job is to actually sell iPads, I can't think of any field where it's better to use it for your business than a proper laptop.

 

I use mine a lot for work... Whether it's checking email real quick, or showing presentations on it.... I work in the IT sales world, so people LOVE to see someone proposing a 6-7 figure deal using something advanced...

+ my wife LOVES to use it @ home

 

Depends what "work" entails. If it's largely web, email and occasional document manipulation, it works pretty well.

 

Jox, you are 100% right, the justification for having an ipad is a lil "off"... A macbook Air is 10x the machine and almost as small, but you can't beat the battery life, the ease of use and the overall conversation piece an Ipad is.... I think a GREAT target market is 55+ who don't have a huge tech background... I can't tell you how much my grandmother loves her, my mother, and many other people who just don't like to be on a computer...

All in all i am SURE you have spent $6-700 dollars on something semi-useless before, so just think of it as a fun toy!

 

There are a number of bluetooth keyboards on the market that are iPad compatible now as well if you aren't comfortable with the touch screen aspect. For document editing though, evaluate your needs there carefully. Last time I looked, whatever the iPad Word app is (forget the name) would do things like eliminate track changes data, etc. so your colleagues/team would get the doc back and that info is gone.

 

Ha, your grandmother - that is amazing!! My grandmother barely understands her remote control for the tv, let alone a normal computer.

I can see the point of the iPad in a passive sort of way. Doing things that doesn't require anything other than reading stuff on the screen. And it is slightly more portable than a laptop and it feels like it would be much less of a hassle to open that up than a laptop if you were somewhere crowded. But when you say "check emails real quick", if there are any emails you actually have to respond to - it would be quicker typing on a Macbook. At least for me, but then again I am hugely against touchscreens of any kind.

And I bet it sucks for presentations. I mean, you could place a Macbook on a table and 4 or 5 people could easily see what's on the screen. But an iPad ... I dunno .... guess you'd have to pass it around to people like a joint. Or bring a stand, at which point it's not so portable anymore.

 

You can still connect an iPad to a projector.

 

Orly? That's great, I was just about to say how they should be able to connect to a projector.

Maybe I just found my reason to get one.

 

ipads are great for presentations to one or two people. More intimate, less businesslike. It would be a great tool for real estate agents, for instance. Other than that I'd just play Plants vs. Zombies and look at pr0n.