# I-Pads - Are They Worth The Bother?



## chris r (Oct 17, 2011)

Been thinking of getting the missus an Ipad for Christmas. Everytime we go shopping she always end up playing with one, so there is interest that's for sure, and she makes "ooh, those are nice" noises. The only nagging doubt is that I'm not sure what she is going to use it for.

She bought a new laptop a few months ago, so thats all pretty much modern & up to scratch. She has an ipod, so all her songs & films are on there. She does like to keep accounts and things on spreadsheets, but again, thats on the laptop. She may use it for work I guess but would it be compatible with a Windows system?

She's not much of a gamer, apart from on the Wii.

So is there anything else it can do that's worth shelling Â£400+ on it? Anyone advice welcome.


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## Alas (Jun 18, 2006)

I use mine constantly. From reading the papers in the morning to browsing at night. Just love the fact it can be switched on and online in seconds without the MS loading adventure.

Also use it to watch tv on at night as well as the music, films, youtube etc.

Speed and size are the two main attributes for me. Oooer missus.


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## chris r (Oct 17, 2011)

Alas said:


> I use mine constantly. From reading the papers in the morning to browsing at night. Just love the fact it can be switched on and online in seconds without the MS loading adventure.
> 
> Also use it to watch tv on at night as well as the music, films, youtube etc.
> 
> Speed and size are the two main attributes for me. Oooer missus.


Is that with the 3G thing or just the normal wifi?


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## Challengechappers (Oct 6, 2011)

tried an ipad but much prefer my itouch. found the ipad tiresome to hold (like a book) while the itouch is much lighter and less cumbersome. great for web browsing, which is my main requirement.

note - i wish this forum could be viewed via tapatalk though, would make things easier!


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## davidcxn (Nov 4, 2010)

I have been considering an ipad 2 for some time but like yourself wonder what function it would give beyond that of the ipod touch and a laptop.

There seems to be a lot of advertisements for them second hand. If the decision was made to definitely buy one that would save some money. I'm more wary that there is likely to be an ipad 3 launched early next year. Predictions are it will have better specifications but could retail around the same price but with Apple who knows.

It's one of these would like to have things but how much it will be used will only be found out in time. You could always use Â£400 plus to buy a nice watch for a christmas present!

Regards

David


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

Itâ€™s a tough choice really, but the device has to do everything you need, otherwise itâ€™s a kludge.

Iâ€™ve used a few tablets on various OS systems and still prefer the â€œlaptopâ€ format for my use. The â€œNetbookâ€ concept was crippled by WinTel, the Atom CPU coupled to an old or cut down OS was always going to be limited.

A MacBook Air would suit me better, but a Lenovo ThinkPad Xxx series might suit me even better still.

It may come down to productivity versus lifestyle, but imo, computers have no other use than to be productive.

Itâ€™s down to what works for you, I hope you get it sorted out.:wink1:


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## shadowninja (Apr 14, 2009)

As a portable entertainment device they are supposed to be very good. If you like to just lounge on the sofa, then anywhere you might have a magazine, an iPad could be used. It's also handy for wasting time in a pub, for instance, or a chuckle with mates ie show them funny sites or videos.

If productivity is a major requirement (or even to play properly decent games (BF3 or Skyrim) not the updated version of 1980s home computer games (Angry Birds)), then a Windows laptop is the way forward. I would not consider a Mac computer in any other format. I've seen the arguments and they don't sell Mac to me.

She needs to really think whether she'd use it a lot or if it's really Â£400+ pissed down the drain. When I sit in front of the sofa watching TV, I can't imagine holding an iPad. How do you browse/interact while holding a mug of coffee? You have to put something down. A laptop (in any format, even a Mac!) makes more sense as it stands on its own on your lap so you could continue to interact or hold the mug, rest a hand and view the screen.


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## Alas (Jun 18, 2006)

chris r said:


> Alas said:
> 
> 
> > I use mine constantly. From reading the papers in the morning to browsing at night. Just love the fact it can be switched on and online in seconds without the MS loading adventure.
> ...


Just the normal wifi and it works quicker than my laptop.



shadowninja said:


> . When I sit in front of the sofa watching TV, I can't imagine holding an iPad. How do you browse/interact while holding a mug of coffee? You have to put something down. A laptop (in any format, even a Mac!) makes more sense as it stands on its own on your lap so you could continue to interact or hold the mug, rest a hand and view the screen.


You just use a case that has a built in stand as most leather ones do. Also try holding a laptop in one hand. Horses for courses. All i can say is I have a laptop which has been neglected since I got the ipad. For work items I use the pc but everything else its the ipad.


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

"Horses for courses".

That's the most unbiased and succinct comment I've seen here for a long while.

It's a shame I forgot that lesson, but I haven't been alone.

Sadly.


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## guest_2134 (Oct 29, 2011)

Well, I bought myself the first model, 2 or 3 weeks after it was launched. Used for 5, 6 days, never again. It is around the house somewhere, I suppose.

But then again, a lot of folks make a good use out of it. For me it was a waste of money (unfortunately). Considering that everything I could possibly do on it, I could do on an Iphone 4. But then again, this new model seems good. If you want it only for reading, and you have an Iphone, you much better off with a Kindle for reading, and one of those netbooks, for the 'computer stuff'. It was a waste of money for me, I personally think is overpriced.


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## bsa (Dec 23, 2010)

Whats all the hoo haa about, the one i got my wife was cheap.










Mark.


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## Bootsy (Jun 2, 2009)

Use mine a lot

Made my lap top (which converts into a tablet itself) confined to the office

The iPad sits on the sofa and I happily surf away in the evening, always take it away with me on loaded up with a few films for the plane and a few books on the Kindle app.

Just a very handy device that's on in an instant when I want to check email, surf etc and I've got an iPhone (and an iPod!)


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

We have one , its the wife's, its brilliant, its loaded with films for the kids, loads of fun apps, its got great battery life, its instant on and it just works.... So much easier than a laptop for surfing..... This is what it does best but its capable of so much more, its likely to be used as a very portable robust internet tablet at which it excels .... ( If you can live without Flash player of course )

It is basically a very large iPod Touch though...

I also have a Advent Vega tablet running Android, it does perhaps 90% of what the IPad does but the difference in quality is huge, it does just what I want of it, again a internet browser in a easy to use format , but the IPad is in a different league in how it feels.... The Advent is significantly cheaper though..

A lot of people don't like ITunes but if you embrace it for what it can do and not what it cant I find it great.....

Sounds like she uses ITunes anyway so that will be easy to do..... I think you can get 'Office' apps but havent looked myself..... Just spend some time browsing the Apple App store to see whats out there...

Try to find a pre used one and if you dont like it then sell it on with no great loss, that wont be an option for a present though I guess.... Do you know anyone that you can borrow one from?


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## chris r (Oct 17, 2011)

Thanks for the replies so far, the ease of web surfing is sounding good, she is always huffing and puffing with the net on her laptop. I did think of getting her a kindle last year, but she isn't sold on the whole e reader thing, she prefers real books, but I'm thinking that once she is presented with it and the ease of getting free titles, that could change her mind. She was reluctant when I first used file sharing, now she uses that quite a bit.

Am keeping my eye open for a used one, there was a couple for sale on here, but I couldn't send a pm as I hadn't posted enough. But I can get 10% off one through work, so I can get a 16gb one for around Â£350.


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## chris r (Oct 17, 2011)

Oh, and spending the money on a nice watch for her instead is a bad idea. I bought her one few years back, half the time it lives in a tray with the house odds and ends, so its scratched to hell now. It would send me loopy if she did that with one that costs the same money as an ipad.


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## chris r (Oct 17, 2011)

Bought a 16gb Ipad 2 in the end. Got 10% off through a scheme at work. Am I right in thinking I can boost that memory with a SD card? I don't think it will take a usb stick will it?


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## Raptor (May 1, 2010)

chris r said:


> Am I right in thinking I can boost that memory with a SD card? I don't think it will take a usb stick will it?


It won't take a USB stick and it doesn't have a slot

for SD memory either I'm afraid.

Saying that 16Gb is plenty in my experience. My 710 uses

her's along side the desktop when she's playing bingo

to listen to her music and catch up on TV show's and occasionally

skype's with her sister.


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## itsguy (Nov 16, 2009)

When it launched, people who'd never actually used one often asked what it could do that you can't do with a phone or a laptop. But if you actually have all three on a table in front of you, you will reach for the iPad for 99% of the time. It's just convenience, the web should be kind of magazine sized in an ideal world. Phone too small, laptop slightly too heavy and clumsy to handle, it's more portable and lighter in a bag.... Videos and photos look great, good on a journey. Not necessary exactly, just really really nice. She will use it for exactly the same things she already uses the phone and laptop for, but have a smile on her face. So depends on whether you have Â£400 spare to make the misses happy. And to be honest, she'll be lucky to get it out of your hands you'll be borrowing it so much.

People selling are probably upgrading.


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