Buying An Ipad

[antongould]

All I can say I got mine for Christmas, could it be, two years ago chastising Santa as I certainly didn't need one and now I wouldn't be without it. Take this morning getting two grandchildren up and still able to listen to Breakfast wherever they take me and more importantly check the Board.
Not a single battery or operational problem even when the aforementioned twerps drop it from great heights.
As always you pay your money.......

[Pabmusic]

I've used Apple products for years and am quite used to their little idiosyncrasies, bless them. I would not use anything but Apple products now, and I've been considering an iPad for a while (it's Mrs P who is most keen) but I'm waiting another few months till I can get reliable feedback on the iPad Mini, which looks good - a handier size.

[MrGongGong]

I've used Apple products for years and am quite used to their little idiosyncrasies, bless them.

Having tried most options I now use a macbook pro for everything
BUT don't really use mac software at all apart from the Mail client and for syncing my phone to a calendar
in many ways it's sad BUT the hardware IS much better built than the other options and is much more reliable
If you go to places where people are using things that are demanding (like recording studios , film editing , live electronics etc etc ) you will find that almost 100% of people are using mac hardware. The compatibility issues really are a thing of the past (though I gave up running windows on my macbook when audiomulch became cross platform )

Mac software can be intensely irritating though, the new version of Final Cut Pro , as used by thousands of film makers is a case in point
imovie , itunes, imalumberjacj etc etc are mostly "Fisher Price" style toys which have irritating issues ......... but there are many other options

If you want a tablet device I'd get an iPad , it IS better made than the others and makes a great chopping board !

[Hitch]

I'm thinking of buying a Google Nexus 7 for my elderly father. He doesn't use the internet for anything intensive, merely browsing, so something small that he can use while sitting in his armchair might be ideal. I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 1, the so-called "clownphone" with a huge 5.1 inch screen. Without exception, everyone I've shown it to has loved it on sight. It's the only smartphone I've seen that doesn't strain my eyes. My laptop gets much less use nowadays. And for technophiles, the Galaxy Note 2 can do this...

[johnb]

If you are thinking of the Nexus 7 I would first check that your father won't find smaller the text size a problem on (compared to 10" tablets). I was considering the Nexus 7 but, after using the iPad I am very, very glad I went for a larger tablet.

The Microsoft Surface is an interesting device, with the its keyboard cover and with Office provided on the RT model. I suspect that the ability to run Office on the Surface is going to lead to it being widely taken up in business world (which might, in turn, lead to Windows 8 making greater inroads that it otherwise would). It has the potential to be a more "grown up" tablet, rather than just a pretty toy. I wouldn't think of buying one now but think it is an interesting development in the tablet world.

[mangerton]

I've had my 32 Gb ipad for almost two years now. It was a present for one of those birthdays ending in 0, and although when I got it I wasn't sure what it was, now I wouldn't be without it. It's the mark 1 version, so no camera, but it has wifi and 3g. Must say though I have never put a sim in it, as, like Stunsworth, I tether it to my phone if I don't have wifi access.

[Hitch]

If you are thinking of the Nexus 7 I would first check that your father won't find smaller the text size a problem on (compared to 10" tablets). I was considering the Nexus 7 but, after using the iPad I am very, very glad I went for a larger tablet.

Thank you for mentioning this. I've had a look at the specifications and it seems that there's an "Enlarge Text" option. The large iPad is beguiling but my wallet is Nexus 7-sized.

[richardfinegold]

I'm thinking of getting one......or should I go for one of those Samsung Galaxys, instead?

I know very little about 3G, Android, etc, but am interesting in hearing recommendations.

I use an iPad-1 that I originally had purchased for work. The program tha I needed to run was Windows based and it was a terrible fit. I now use the pad for web surfing, showing photos, and storing a limited amount of music. It works fine for that. I recently also bought an Android Tablet for work which seems to run the Windows based program better than the I-pad did. It seems to be a good web browser.
Moral of the story: make sure whatever tablet you purchase will be able to do what you want to use it for well prior to purchasing.

[Simon]

Simon, I can find no online reference to this statement "you also have to buy all new extras/plug ins, as they have changed the specs".

Can't help, RM, except to say it came direct from Rachael's sister, who went to look at them a few days ago in Meadowhall (silly girl!) and came back disgruntled with them and seems to have decided on an android. She may have got it wrong, but I'd tend to think not. I'll quiz her more next time we meet.

[Mandryka]

The iPad is very annoying with capital letters. It decides when you should have them and if it disagrees with you, it does the opposite. It assumes that everyone is too lazy to use the shift key, which I find insulting.

I had a play on the display copy ipad2 in Tesco yesterday. The capital thing was the first annoyance....a more serious one yet was the narrow width of the onscreen qwerty keyboard - as I would very much want to use the ipad for the purpose of writing/editing documents, this is a serious worry. Also, though very fast, I'm not sure I like touch screen products, after my nightmarish experience with a touchpad phone a few years back....the screen's sensitivity was very much come and go and this caused me a lot of frustration.

[Pabmusic]

I...annoyance....a more serious one yet was the narrow width of the onscreen qwerty keyboard - as I would very much want to use the ipad for the purpose of writing/editing documents, this is a serious worry...

Did you turn the machine to present a landscape format - you get a lot more keyboard room if you do?

[Stunsworth]

Simon, I can find no online reference to this statement "you also have to buy all new extras/plug ins, as they have changed the specs".

What has changed is the connector in the base if the iPad/iPhone. There's an adaptor that allows use of accessories designed for the previous interface.

[Bax-of-Delights]

If I may nudge into this discussion...

The tablet, IPad, notepad technological advances seemed to have passed me by somewhat. Whereas I can comprehend my laptop and the payment I make to my ISP for connection to the internet (so long as I am within 10 yards or so of the router) I just cannot get my head around having a mobile machine that can still connect to the internet anywhere that you may find yourself. If one buys an Ipad for example is there an extra charge for service from an ISP? And how does one connect to the internet if there's no router nearby?

Simple and basic questions I'm afraid so simple and basic answers needed for one who has the feeling that my grip on advancement in communications is rapidly slipping.

[Stunsworth]

IIf one buys an Ipad for example is there an extra charge for service from an ISP? And how does one connect to the internet if there's no router nearby?

To connect to the Internet if there's no wifi you'd need the 3G version of the iPad. You then need a contact with a telephone company. Those start at around £5 a month.

[Word]

Or to repeat what Steve has said so succinctly using many more words...

iPads are available in WiFi only and WiFi + 3G/4G flavours.
When using WiFi you can connect to the Internet via your existing ISP, so no additional charges there, and via any WiFi 'hotspots' to which you may have access (e.g. BT Fon/OpenZone).
If you're somewhere without WiFi access, the 3G/4G iPad can connect to the Internet via the mobile phone network, though you will need a SIM chip from one of the network providers and you will incur either pay-as-you-go or monthly contract charges.

(An alternative to a dedicated 3G connection for the iPad would be to use a mobile phone as a local WiFi hotspot, though that's at the discretion of your mobile phone service provider.)

I have always gone for 3G/4G equipped iPads but no longer bother paying for a 3G data allowance; I find mobile data to be essential for the iPhone but am perfectly happy relying on WiFi for the iPad.

Finally, the one downside of the WiFi only iPad is that it doesn't include the GPS circuitry, so location services on that model are dependent on approximate triangulation using visible WiFi networks.