Using an iPad as the ONLY computer for home / work?

[JMorton6]

Up until summer 2010, I used to use a desktop at work and another at home. When I was finally able to quit going to the office and do my work from home, I ditched both in favor of an ultralight laptop. Best decision ever!

However, I'm now debating as to whether it's time to take the next logical step and ditch the laptop in favor of a jailbroken iPad. It's a little scary as I've been a desktop user my entire life, and if I make the switch the iPad would be my only computer, so before I do this I wanted to ask you guys as to whether there is something critical that you CAN'T do on an iPad?

My work mostly consists of email, and here and there I'll view a PDF or two, or make small changes to an Excel or Word file. All my files are on Dropbox, which I know is available for the iPad. My personal computer use is mostly forums, social networking, porn (lol), etc, so I think all this is doable on an iPad.

So what do you guys think: am I missing anything, or should I go ahead and get the iPad and say goodbye to Windows forever? God, if someone told me 2 years ago that I'd be saying this, I woulda probably shot him!

 

[dingster1]

You still need a master computer to sync/backup. Check out macrumors.com and ipadforums.net. I have a 32gb on order and my son got me a 16gb for Christmas which I'll let him have. Also are you planning on getting the 3G version or the wifi only?

 

[satyajitmenon]

My personal computer use is mostly forums, social networking, porn (lol), etc, so I think all this is doable on an iPad.

Where do you plan on saving downloaded porn? The iPad doesn't have USB connectivity does it? :hmm:

 

[zerogear]

Good luck when iPad breaks if you have no computer. Apple won't repair yours, will give you a refurb without your data.

 

[nickbits]

Not a goof idea

 

[mmntech]

Where do you plan on saving downloaded porn? The iPad doesn't have USB connectivity does it? :hmm:

It has partial USB connectivity. You need to buy the camera kit. The iPad lets you use USB headsets, third party keyboards, and digital cameras with it. The downside is you can't charge it and use the USB port at the same time.

You could use an iPad without a computer. Not sure I'd recommend it though. It's more supplementary. It would work if you're the type ofperson who does not and never will need a full laptop or desktop. Ie your octogenarian grandma. Otherwise, you'll need a computer to easily transfer and backup your files. Keep in mind the iPad still has some seriously limitations. Namely lack of Adobe Flash support and a limited number of supported printers. Printing is also wifi only, so if you need to print you'll either need a wifi printer or a wifi connected print server.

 

[AnyMal]

It won't work as other said, you still need a computer for backup and update purposes. If money is no object then consider the lates Macbook Air. Light as a feater and just as portable (11.6" version) as iPad.

 

[mmntech]

It won't work as other said, you still need a computer for backup and update purposes. If money is no object then consider the lates Macbook Air. Light as a feater and just as portable (11.6" version) as iPad.

As awesome as the air is, it's worth noting that Dell's Adamo just received a price cut to $899.

 

[AnyMal]

As awesome as the air is, it's worth noting that Dell's Adamo just received a price cut to $899.

It all comes down to price and preference for sure. I switched to Mac almost a year ago and not looking back.

 

[Nothinman]

It has partial USB connectivity. You need to buy the camera kit. The iPad lets you use USB headsets, third party keyboards, and digital cameras with it. The downside is you can't charge it and use the USB port at the same time.

You could use an iPad without a computer. Not sure I'd recommend it though. It's more supplementary. It would work if you're the type ofperson who does not and never will need a full laptop or desktop. Ie your octogenarian grandma. Otherwise, you'll need a computer to easily transfer and backup your files. Keep in mind the iPad still has some seriously limitations. Namely lack of Adobe Flash support and a limited number of supported printers. Printing is also wifi only, so if you need to print you'll either need a wifi printer or a wifi connected print server.

Yea, something more flexible like the (yet to be released) Cisco Cius or really any Android tablet would probably be a better idea. Although I doubt I'd recommend any tablet without a PC at least for backups. Unless you wanted to do something odd like have a microSD card rotation for backups with something like Rom Manager/Titanium...

 

[vbuggy]

As awesome as the air is, it's worth noting that Dell's Adamo just received a price cut to $899.

A 4lb boat anchor with a 4-hour absolute max real-life runtime probably isn't in any way a competitor for the iPad.

Having said that, there are some very solid i3-level machines which weighs about the same as the comedy iPad stall that so many idiots I see in meetings like to set out - keyboard (sometimes even the keyboard dock comes out) flip stand etc, goes for about 7 hours, and also costs less than an Applecare'd 64Gb - while actually being a working tool.

For me it's a toy. Excellent for media stuff, hopeless for actual productivity. And as befits a toy, unless I need a toy on the move it stays at home.

I see a lot of people who (with the Apple Glaze-Eye Of Moronicity) evangelise to me the benefits of iPad for all-round use but I watch them smilingly, willingly even, working their way around multiple obstacles that iOS puts in the way of actually getting things done and it's all I can do to stop myself from rapping them on the head and asking if there's anything inside.

The comparative light weight of the iPad, and the comparatively long runtime as opposed to whatever piece of crap they'd mis-bought before because they don't know what to buy in the first place tends to be of a revelatory nature to some.

I see it getting better in time, but by then usable Windows tablets will be out.

 

[JMorton6]

You still need a master computer to sync/backup. Check out macrumors.com and ipadforums.net. I have a 32gb on order and my son got me a 16gb for Christmas which I'll let him have. Also are you planning on getting the 3G version or the wifi only?

What am I going to sync / backup though - all my files are on Dropbox, which syncs and backs up itself. I'm probably just going to use the storage for mp3s and new photos that I haven't yet Dropboxed. Oh and I'm gonna get the 3G/WiFi since I travel a lot and need the flexibility.

 

[JMorton6]

Where do you plan on saving downloaded porn? The iPad doesn't have USB connectivity does it? :hmm:

Lol I don't dl porn (gets boring after you view it 1-2 times anyway) - I just use tube sites.

 

[JMorton6]

Good luck when iPad breaks if you have no computer. Apple won't repair yours, will give you a refurb without your data.

Like I said all my important files are on Dropbox (for the uninitiated, it's a sync / backup service).

 

[JMorton6]

It has partial USB connectivity. You need to buy the camera kit. The iPad lets you use USB headsets, third party keyboards, and digital cameras with it. The downside is you can't charge it and use the USB port at the same time.

You could use an iPad without a computer. Not sure I'd recommend it though. It's more supplementary. It would work if you're the type ofperson who does not and never will need a full laptop or desktop. Ie your octogenarian grandma. Otherwise, you'll need a computer to easily transfer and backup your files. Keep in mind the iPad still has some seriously limitations. Namely lack of Adobe Flash support and a limited number of supported printers. Printing is also wifi only, so if you need to print you'll either need a wifi printer or a wifi connected print server.

Yea, the USB connectivity is fine (the adapter is like $30 lol) - I don't think I'll ever use it, but it's nice to know it's there. As far as having a computer goes, I pretty much had the same opinion as you up until a few weeks ago when I realized that I can't really think of anything I need that the iPad can't do. Shit, it's even got Photoshop (ok, not the same one but still!). Also, it's been a year since I printed something personally - I usually just email PDFs or if we need a print-out, my assistant at the office prints and mails it.

 

[JMorton6]

It won't work as other said, you still need a computer for backup and update purposes. If money is no object then consider the lates Macbook Air. Light as a feater and just as portable (11.6" version) as iPad.

The backup issue was already addressed earlier (Dropbox) and for updates... lol, I guess if I need to update it once every 6 months, I'll just use a friend's computer or pass by a net cafe. Honestly, there is no point carrying around a laptop just to update your iPad twice a year.

 

[JMorton6]

For me it's a toy. Excellent for media stuff, hopeless for actual productivity. And as befits a toy, unless I need a toy on the move it stays at home.

I see a lot of people who (with the Apple Glaze-Eye Of Moronicity) evangelise to me the benefits of iPad for all-round use but I watch them smilingly, willingly even, working their way around multiple obstacles that iOS puts in the way of actually getting things done and it's all I can do to stop myself from rapping them on the head and asking if there's anything inside.

Like I said, I felt the same way until very recently, until I realized that the aforementioned "obstacles of iOS" don't really prevent me from doing anything (aside from "real" Photoshop) that I use on my laptop. So like I said earlier, if I need to use real Photoshop or update iOS twice a year, I'll just use a friend's computer or pass by a net cafe. No biggie. If you can actually think of something I've missed, pls let me know though - that's why I made this thread.

 

[Ichinisan]

Is 256MB RAM enough for everything you do?

iPhone 4 has more RAM than iPad. Wait for 2nd-gen iPad.

 

[Nothinman]

Like I said all my important files are on Dropbox (for the uninitiated, it's a sync / backup service).

But that won't cover apps, settings, etc. I assume you can reinstall them all manually from the app store and then set them all back up again, but that's pretty cumbersome.

 

[JSt0rm]

I have a 32gb on order and my son got me a 16gb for Christmas which I'll let him have. Also are you planning on getting the 3G version or the wifi only?

^^ your son is very smart :sneaky:

 

[JMorton6]

Is 256MB RAM enough for everything you do?

iPhone 4 has more RAM than iPad. Wait for 2nd-gen iPad.

Yea, the iPad actually loads websites / email / PDF / word / excel much much faster than my laptop, so no complaints there. I know because I just bought it.

 

[JMorton6]

But that won't cover apps, settings, etc. I assume you can reinstall them all manually from the app store and then set them all back up again, but that's pretty cumbersome.

I've been using Apple's devices (well, phones) for years now, and nothing's ever broken on me. If the iPad does break in a year or whenever, I'll just leave all the apps to download overnight and it'll be good as new in the morning. Thanks for the heads-up though.

 

[gorcorps]

No. Even if there are all the apps you need to get things done (and I don't think there are) I would never EVER put so much trust into something so focused on FUN over work.

Also, if you just use streaming sites for porn then you're screwed. No flash or anything else that makes the good sites work.

What happens when dropbox closes shop because they're losing money? What happens if they have some server issues when you need your files? You're putting all your eggs in one very new basket without considering what happens when something doesn't work right. You have many options if something goes wrong with a laptop, but very little if something goes wrong with your cloud service or ipad hardware.

If you want to make it your primary device, go ahead. But don't make it your ONLY device. Don't just ditch your laptop... you already have it so keep it. Get an ipad but at least you'll have a real computer for when (not if, but WHEN) you run into a problem, you have a backup device to use.

 

[intogamer]

Maybe with the iPad 2.

 

[Tyranicus]

The backup issue was already addressed earlier (Dropbox) and for updates... lol, I guess if I need to update it once every 6 months, I'll just use a friend's computer or pass by a net cafe. Honestly, there is no point carrying around a laptop just to update your iPad twice a year.

You can't do that though. You have to sync it with iTunes to update it. If you aren't using the same computer to update it that you did the first time, it will erase everything on your iPad. If you absolutely want to use an iPad as your primary computer, go out and buy yourself a cheap netbook for syncing purposes.