PCWorld Forums: Ipad And Ios: Anatomy Of A Love-hate Relationship - PCWorld Forums

Post your comments for iPad and iOS: Anatomy of a Love-Hate Relationship here

Scot, the problem is that Apple (Jobs) doesn't want you to do most of the tasks you describe on an iPad. It (he) wants you to use your Macbook for that. For all the rhetoric about how groundbreaking the device is, they deliberately hobbled it in such a way as to make sure that you must also own a laptop in order to handle ordinary business activities.

This is one of the huge openings Apple left its competitors that they are absolutely failing to drive through.

I'm completely flummoxed by how anyone can touch-type on an iPad. With no tactile cues to find the home row, and no ability to rest one's fingers on the "keyboard", and an absurdly limited set of directly-accessible keys, and no arrow keys, I find it unpleasant for writing even the shortest emails. Nor can I imagine it being fun to do graphical creation with: the finger is a blunt instrument.

So I don't think it's been intentionally hobbled - I think that, by its very nature, it is not suited to fine-grained input.

The author is going through exactly what I went through. Though few here believe me, but I owned two iPads. And if you look through my posts, you'll see me raving about the iPad early on like a fanfoi. About a month later I bought an HTC EVO, which could do all the things my iPad could not. Three days later, my iPad felt like a hobbled piece of junk to me. The reasons were the same. The large screen fools into wanting to do more than the iPad will do.

I also agree, it could be so much more, but Apple is indeed selling the technology short. I sold both of my iPads on ebay. Still using the EVO now on my 2nd month and I still say it is hands down the best smartphone I've ever owned. The Galaxy tab is looking like it will be my tablet of choice. I'll have the same access to the file system that I have on my EVO, and that makes email, FTP and DropBox all connected by a common file system that much better.

Apple did a fine job with the design. The apps out there are beautiful. But the device itself is limited. I'm also blown away by the lack of innovation in iOS4x. The fanbois are all falling over themselves for this. It's pure garbage. Android 2.1 and 2.2 are so far and away superior it makes the iOS look like a sick joke. They feel exactly the opposite.

Now they will point to the sales of it. Well, remember, I counted as 2 sales for the device and I don't own one anymore. And it sounds like the author might be swayed out of his iPad as well. One of my best friends, who bought an iPad only because of how often I raved about mine, is now looking at the Galaxy as well. He's a long time Mac user too. And when he says he's considering leaving the platform, I take notice. This guy is your typical Apple can do no wrong koolaid drinker. If he is considering switching, you're really blowing it.

ChapHarrison, on 23 September 2010 - 09:14 AM, said:

I could type very fast on the iPad.

>>As many writers before me have noted, the iPad, and more specifically its operating system, is not designed to host content-creation activities.<<

Exactly. And that's why netbooks & notebooks are not going away anytime soon.

I'm amazed sometimes over the popularity of the iPad and I laugh when I see people walking around carrying an oversized, cellphoneless iphone, trying to see who they're impressing.

I have every version of the iPhone and love my iPhone4. If I want to actually "Create" something instead of consume, I pull out my netbook or my laptop. There is no replacement for either of those still and won't be until Apple (or some other company) creates an Ipad like devices with a more open environment to save out files that other apps (or computers) can access.

I don't want to "sync" stuff in iTunes. I want to simply drag and drop with an explorer type functionality from and to my ipad and PC or mac. To drag over a word doc and edit it on my ipad (which I don't have) or iphone.

As I said, I'm amazed that people buy the iPad. I had one to use for 2 days and got bored with it and there it sat on my dining room table. My iPhone was more than up to the task for everything I wanted a "consumption" device for.. email, music, photos, phone, chat, games, web, etc.

dk3d, on 23 September 2010 - 09:41 AM, said:

You're assuming waaay too much about other people wanting you to notice them here. When I carry my iPad into a meeting, it's because of the productivity benefits it offers me, traded off against the costs and benefits of the smaller form factor than a laptop. One of the benefits in the long run will be it is less obtrusive to use than a laptop, but that'll only fully be true once people stop noticing it so much, either because they are interested in it (in NZ we haven't had the iPad as long as it has been in the US) and also once people like you stop thinking that there is some sort of status play going on. Get over it.

I'd have been taking my notes in Evernote even if I had a laptop with me. Your use case may vary. So the device doesn't work for you. No problem. Don't assume your content creation needs are the same as everyone else's.

DuncanBabbage, on 23 September 2010 - 10:48 AM, said:

This. I love my iPad, and I don't miss the stuff that the author or some of the commenters do. That doesn't make them wrong, but neither does it make me wrong. But to assume I'm carrying it as a "status" thing is nonsense. You can laugh all you want; I saw the iPad, recognised what it could and couldn't do, bought it on that basis, and got exactly what I was looking for. How is that funny?

I still like my iPad very much and use it close to every day, but it was clear to me from day one that it was indeed a consumption device and not a creation device. The recently released DropBox app now makes it dead easy to view documents on my iPad that are synched with my desktop computer, but I've never tried to create a document on my iPad. The way I see it, it's like buying a toaster and then complaining that it doesn't cook eggs. It was never designed to do that.

Filling in forms on websites work well enough, small notes jotted down work well enough, but actual typing like I'm going to create a multi-page document? No thanks, I'll pull out my laptop for that job.

I think in analogies, so here it goes.

In the dark ages before the PC, I used to use UNIX. I did my word processing in "nroff".

When PCs came one of the first things I did was to compare it with UNIX. What? No "nroff"? How will I do my word processing?

Then the PC ecosystem led to Wordstar and then Wordperfect. And then to Windows and Microsoft Word.

So, if you have to have a lot printing or frequent file system lookup, remain with PC by all means.

But consumers now want and will enjoy the ease and fluidity of tablet interface TODAY. They will wait for their "Wordstar". Consumers are voting with their dollars.

crosswordbob, on 23 September 2010 - 11:32 AM, said:

I feel the same way - but it happened to me when I saw the iPod touch demo'd for the first time. I knew right then and there, if they ever made a much larger sized one, I would be first in line to buy it. Didn't know I would have to wait another two years for it, so I was sold before it was born.

ChapHarrison, on 23 September 2010 - 09:14 AM, said:

If you need to touchtype on it pair it with any Bluetooth keyboard.

samirsshah, on 23 September 2010 - 12:28 PM, said:

Actually, your 'generalizing' when you say 'consumers', and 'Consumers are voting with their dollars'. People that purchased the iPad actually make up a very small segment of the computing device market as compared to netbook and laptop users.

I think your missing the point of the article. He's not saying the iPad doesnt have a place. It does. If someone feels the need to have a 'consumer' device for browsing the net, watching video, viewing images, playing a few games, then the iPad is a good choice. Heck, there's probably a 'niche' market for limited business use. But, as for true 'business productivity' use, such as spreadsheets, document creation, etc., the iPad, by 'its very nature' is not practical for such use. On the other hand, a netbook or laptop can be used both to 'create' content, and to 'consume' content.

This post has been edited by David1958: 23 September 2010 - 03:11 PM

I just think that people are frustrated with the fact that the iPad is capable of what some want it to do, but the software doesn't allow some of it. I got an iPod touch last month for my B'day and I don't like Apple products much because of the way the software is locked down, but they do make nice hardware. I really like the touch and it can do a lot, thought I would be selling it, but think I'll keep it for a while now. Even if the iPad only does what the touch does, I think that is plenty. Of course I had to jailbreak the touch within a couple of days of getting it The main reason for this was I had a bluetooth GPS receiver and was not able to use it with the touch without the jailbreak and one of the reasons why I don't like Apple products but as a piece of hardware it is a great product and even does VOIP calls with a small mic and does it pretty well. Can the iPad be better? Very much so, lets see what happens when the next one comes out.

Sure I've wanted an iPad... but I was disappointed they didn't provide a sleek case for it with one of those mat keyboards in a cover flap, like a book... instead of that keyboard dock. It's so simple... iPad, luxurious case/keyboard. As for the lack of the apps the author wants... well, Apple has supposedly loosened developer restrictions... isn't that what the app store is for? (Seems like a way to make some good money there.) Unless you want all the Apple apps, I guess.

Well, I do agree the ipad is a nice looking device. But as I said, coming from someone who is online all day every day both consuming and creating content, I prefer the benefits of small size/portability the iPhone offers. It does essentially everything the iPad does and therein is the main problem. I would not need or want to carry around both and I HAVE to carry around my phone (and camera of course, and 3G/Cell connectivity so I can walk outside in a park and still "consume" -- although true, this will be coming soon to the iPad but at a hefty fee --). (since I'm a "grandfathered" iPhone user, data is unlimited to me, heh)

I think ultimately my point is that if you have a smartphone already (like an iPhone) getting an ipad is liking living on a river having two choices of vehicles to get to work, where work is just down the river: You have a car and a boat, and knowing you can really only use one at a time.

Sure, you can drive the boat to work, probably more fun. But when you realize at lunchtime the only place to eat is just down the highway, you're kinda screwed because you didn't bring the car instead. -- Analogy - you take your ipad to work and your boss asks you to build a new website or edit an existing one, and needs a few photos edited and touched up and then inserted into the website. Oh, and that powerpoint files on the network drive needs to be moved over to another server after you make a few changes to it.

Ug... wish I had brought a real computer. With a mouse. And USB ports.

Hmm.. actually that's a really bad analogy but I can't think of a better way to phrase it. Ultimately I ask myself, why would I want simply a bigger iPhone that I couldn't make calls on or take pictures with or stuff in my pocket or on the dash of my car? A netbook is cheaper and does more (not as nice to use or look at, true). A smartphone is more capable. The iPad to me misses the mark but yes I guess I DO understand why people like it, but I'm curious how long the thrill will last. I suppose if Apple can keep adding features, it will last for some time

This post has been edited by dk3d: 23 September 2010 - 08:18 PM

Perhaps my wife and my son who use the iPad for hundreds of different things around the home - for study and for play dont read articles by "geeks" and "business strategists" - and thats why we find that it has become a part of our lives.

The so called "business analysts" in their ivory towers think that writing Word documents, spreadsheets and powerpoint is being creative. Is it not "creative" when doing research on the iPad and absorbing information ? When my son plays a Math game and learns, is that not "creating"? When he paints on the iPad is that not being creative?

Consumers dont listen to analysts or commenters on message boards. They vote with their wallets.