iPad?

[fredtgreco]

I have been contemplating getting an iPad to use as computer substitute while traveling, and for other uses. I would like to hear from PB folk if they have found the iPad useful or more of a distracting toy. I would get one because (besides the fact that I am a gadget guy) it would make me more productive - like now when I am sitting in jury duty. Would it?

Also, can I link it to my iTunes account so I can use iPad versions of the apps I already purchased, or would I need to repurchase all those apps?

Thanks for the advice in advance.

By the way, I realize that the iPad 2 is coming out. I'm not really asking about the pros and cons of getting the new one or the old one. But I would like to know if the 3G version is worthwhile as opposed to the wifi only.

 

[Christopher88]

Have you thought of a netbook?

Ipad are cool, but its just a huge Itouch with a few more toys. If you want computer but one for travel a netbook would be worth the price. For under 500.00 you can get one.

 

[MLCOPE2]

Dr. James White swears by his for use in his debates and even from the pulpit. Here's one he did about using the ipad/kindle/etc. for prep work and ministry.

[video=youtube;VVodV0WB2qg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVodV0WB2qg[/video]

While it does have a lot of games that one could waste their life away on (my kids love playing games on it!) it does offer several useful tools that make it a worthwhile purchase. And regardless I would wait until the second gen. comes out (even if you don't purchase one) because the price of the first gen. will undoubtedly go down.

 

[Joseph Scibbe]

It isn't hard to avoid wasting time on the iPad...just don't download games. There are tons of apps that will be very useful to you. I say get the 3G if you can get an unlimited plan. If not just stick with the wifi

 

[MLCOPE2]

 

[Phil D.]

The 3G service can be purchased on a month by month basis (approx $15 per). So if you have Wi-Fi in your home, and you're only on the road a few times a year, you can easily take advantage of that benefit as needed.

BTW, I'm pretty stoked that for our 25th anniversary our son (who works for Apple) is getting us an i-Pad 2!

 

[sdesocio]

Fred,

I have an Android tablet, but I think I can give some help as the two systems have a lot of overlap.

I find my tablet incredibly productive for ministry. I've moved to doing more reading on the tablet. You can buy books from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Google (this is better than having a reading tied to one store.) While I like paper books, I am currently able to carry hundreds of books with me at the same time. An additional bonus for ereading is that books are ebooks are cheaper which means that a book budget will get you more ebooks than paper books.
Reading for research is really great on a tablet, you can quickly bookmark and save text, which means you can search for keywords later (no more leafing through hundreds of pages looking for a quote).

I've also started writing my sermons on evernotes, which means they are easily available if I want to read them on my tablet at church.
On short trips I've stopped caring my laptop, because I can get emails and take notes on my tablet.

I have games on my phone, so I don't see the need to put them on a tablet.
My phone can setup a wireless network, and hotspots are everywhere, so I think the wifi only version will do in most situations.
When it comes to apps, many developers have made ipad only apps which mean you have to buy those sperate if you want the ipad features.

 

[jfschultz]

I have been contemplating getting an iPad to use as computer substitute while traveling, and for other uses. I would like to hear from PB folk if they have found the iPad useful or more of a distracting toy. I would get one because (besides the fact that I am a gadget guy) it would make me more productive - like now when I am sitting in jury duty. Would it?

Also, can I link it to my iTunes account so I can use iPad versions of the apps I already purchased, or would I need to repurchase all those apps?

Thanks for the advice in advance.

By the way, I realize that the iPad 2 is coming out. I'm not really asking about the pros and cons of getting the new one or the old one. But I would like to know if the 3G version is worthwhile as opposed to the wifi only.

There are a number of productivity apps available for the iPad. I have Pages and Keynote, which are subsets of the Mac version of Pages and Keynote. This does mean that they can do much of the Mac version but not all. Both are also capable of working the matching MS files for Word and PowerPoint. (There is also Numbers for spread sheets, but I have not installed it. But the above comments would apply there too) Unlike the iWork box set for the Mac, these are available individually for $10 each. (When, at nearly the last minute, I had to fill in for the MC at a formal dinner, Keynote was a great way to keep track of where I was in the program and keep things going.)

The iPhone apps that you already have (except for those that depend on iPhone specific hardware) will work on the iPad. Some are "universal" apps that will take advantage of the larger screen. For example a Bible app would typically get a couple dozen verses on screen instead of just a couple on the iPhone. The apps that are not, will show up in a virtual iPod Touch in the middle of the screen with an option to select 2X, which just magnifies it to full screen.

The iPad2 is an incremental change that adds cameras front and back. It also has a faster dual core processor, so it should be faster. (But I'm not sure if you would really see any speed difference.) This presents the option of significant savings on the original iPad. For example Apple's refurbished store has the 32Gig WiFi only for $429, a savings of $170 over the $599 for the 32Gid iPad2.

As for 3G, it depends on how much you would need internet access away from a hot spot. Since you have an iPhone, if I recall correctly, the new IOS that should be coming out later this week is supposed to have tethering. With that your iPhone can be the hotspot for your iPad.

 

[Rom]

I love my iPad, and the pastor of the church that I visited this last weekend even preached from one. I have Logos on it, and so have access to most of the books in my library (> 1,000) while roaming around. It's pretty cool!

However, I have since bought a MacBook Air recently and the iPad is mostly relegated for the family usage. I still prefer reading on the iPad due to the form factor and the fact that the screen (in vertical orientation) is more like a sheet of paper which makes it more natural to read off of.

I stopped taking my paper Bible to church after getting the iPad because I had access to so many Bible translations, commentaries, etc. at my fingertips.

When I would teach Sunday School or at our Bible Study I would keep my notes on the iPad as well.

 

[Bookmeister]

Fred,
If I am correct you are a Logos user. The iPad app is getting better all the time, I hardly ever use my laptop, except for serious study. With the kindle, nook and iBooks app the iPad is the best investment I have ever made. I have the 3G but have not had it turned on since July. I would go with the wifi and if I can help you make your decision easier I would buy one today.

Deals.Woot : One Community, Every Deal (SM)

This is almost $200 off the original price but is only good today.

 

[Romans922]

Fred,

I have a wifi only iPad, so I can't help you there.

I have now taken my iPad to 3 or so presbytery mtgs. These apps I have work great for it: roberts rules app (it is not the whole thing just summary), esv bible, word documents app, a couple creeds/confessions apps, and my fav is iBooks app. Whereas the word doc app is nice it is difficult to use with large documents bc you can't skip to the end or middle of doc or PDF, you have to go page by page, and your hand will hurt by the time you get to the end. iBooks is great bc anything you can make or find in PDF you can put on iBooks (that includes kindle books, or any books you find online). I put presbytery agenda, commissioners book, BCO, and sermons (yes you can preach from iPad and no page flipping for distractions). iBooks is also nice bc when you are in a file, say commissioners hand book, and you can go from page 1 to pg 400 in a matter of a second.

You can read this about iPad use for presbyters: Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church Pastor's Blog

Some downsides but I think it works for the road Fred.

 

[beej6]

Also if cost is a consideration and you don't need the latest and greatest consider the "original" iPad (from last year) which is now discounted $100. or more at Apple's site.
In general iPads are very good for consuming material, less so for extended work like on a laptop.

If tethering is going to be an option with a capable phone then certainly the WiFi version is good enough. I've even thought of, if I get an iPad, to cancel the data plan on my iPhone and have the plan for the iPad instead (it being much friendlier for e-mail, internet, etc.)

(caveat: I don't have an iPad (yet?) but have a Mac and iPhone and keep an eye on all things Mac).

 

[Der Pilger]

I have been contemplating getting an iPad to use as computer substitute while traveling, and for other uses. I would like to hear from PB folk if they have found the iPad useful or more of a distracting toy. I would get one because (besides the fact that I am a gadget guy) it would make me more productive - like now when I am sitting in jury duty. Would it?

I have an iPad and like it a lot, but I cannot imagine it ever becoming a replacement for my main PC, not even for a short time. It just was not designed for that. Its primary purpose is to be a media-consumption device, so that is what it excels at: reading digital books, reading online newspapers and magazines, web surfing, e-mail, watching videos. Beyond that I would not want to use it for any major productivity such as lengthy word processing, i.e., anything that requires large amounts of keyboard input. The virtual keyboard on it is great, but it is much slower than a real one.

Also, can I link it to my iTunes account so I can use iPad versions of the apps I already purchased, or would I need to repurchase all those apps?

The iTunes store should indicate what device an app is designed for.

By the way, I realize that the iPad 2 is coming out. I'm not really asking about the pros and cons of getting the new one or the old one. But I would like to know if the 3G version is worthwhile as opposed to the wifi only.

I got the most basic iPad (i.e., not 3G) and I'm glad I kept it at that. Most of my internet connectivity is through physical media (i.e., hardwired), so my wireless needs are very limited. I will tell you this, though: When I have connected to the internet at certain hotspots (such as B&N or Borders) the connection seems very sluggish compared to when I connect with my laptop. Maybe the iPad uses a wireless standard that doesn't get along well with what is used at those places; I'm not sure. It does connect well in other places (such as Starbucks) for some reason.

Overall, if you want a portable computer that you intend to use for more than media consumption and entertainment--i.e., work and productivity--I would stay away from an iPad and get a laptop or netbook instead.

 

[fredtgreco]

OK, so I bought an iPad 2 yesterday. I really like the way it works, and especially the Logos app. The one thing I am not sure of is what is the best way to store documents on it locally and to edit documents. I ask this because I bought the wifi version (cheaper, and not having to spend for another data plan). I already have Dropbox and Air Sharing (although not the iPad version). I have some (not many) documents on Google docs. Now I know I can access all my files in Dropbox, but I want to be prepared for working in a place that does not have wifi. (You can download individual files from Dropbox, but not whole folders, so even if I have the space, it would take forever to download all the files.

Here is what I am looking for (and I think I need several apps to do this):

1. Some way to drop and drag files from the cloud to the iPad
2. The ability to annotate PDFs
3. The ability to create/edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files (b/c my primary machine is a Windows PC with Office 2010)
4. The ability to run a PowerPoint presentation from my iPad (either with a cable or remotely)

I appreciate the help.

 

[Bookmeister]

Fred,
I use Documents to Go and I really like it. I have used it since my old Palm OS days and the functionality is nice. I think the full version is about $15. I also use dropbox to move docs from my pc to my iPad, once you get the doc onto the iPad via dropbox it gives you an option right in the dropbox app to open it in docs to go.

 

[fredtgreco]

Alan,
Is there a way to move documents en masse to the iPad, or must you "favorite" them one by one?

 

[Bookmeister]

You can move docs "en masse" through iTunes. Plug the iPad into your pc and click on your iPad, then go to the apps section, select the app(docs to go) and copy all the documents you want to move(hold the shift key as you select each doc).