iPad Using the iPad for "serious" stuff?

[jocampo]

It depends of what is serious work for you.

I love my iPad but they are not for content creation. Most things that require heavy typing are really difficult.

Multitasking is also horrible. I can't balance my check account and use a calculator because when I return to the browser, the site is closed.

I cannot connect or use my Linux boxes via terminal or ssh (free I mean)

Image manipulation, but for heavy work or as business is not possible.

The filesystem and operating system really needs a major tuning. Android is way much better and flexible. I imagine myself using an Android tablet with a keyboard but not an iPad.

But for browsing internet, read the news, read Mobileread threads, Magazines, is awesome, even for video chat.

I imagine tablets evolving and making content creation easier and better, but the operating system needs to evolve as well. I visualized webOs doing that, now with today's. news I don't even now. Maybe Android, if Google play it's game well, will push harder and force some changes on how Apple design iOS.

Overall and regardless of the criticisms and iTunes (I hate iTunes) there is nothing better , fast enough, than an iPad. Not at this point in time. Who knows in 12 months or so ...

[FlorenceArt]

I agree that posting on forums is a pain on the iPad, but I still do it because I no longer want to either go to my desk or move my MacBook to the sofa for something like this. In fact, there are whole days where I don't switch on the MacBook.

Creating visual content seems to be easier, though of course there are limitation. I've been sketching a lot on the iPad, I must have bought every sketching app on the market, LOL. It's fun but the image size is limited. I think it can also be used for basic photo editing: cropping, adjusting levels, resizing and posting to the web. I bought an app last night called Photoforge that seems to do all this rather well, although I prefer the clean and well thought-out interface of the Photoshop free app, but unfortunately it lacks some essential functions such as levels.

I don't know yet if I will use the iPad much for photo editing, because that also raises the question of managing the photos. I'd probably have to buy yet another app to organize them in folders and avoid cluttering the iPad's Photos app. Plus, I only have 16 Gb of storage...

Last night I wanted to make a simple spreadsheet and spent some time looking for a spreadsheet or office app, but looking at reviews none of the available apps seem to be good value for the money, so I downloaded Documents free which is very very very basic but OK for what I needed to do.

Still hesitating on whether or not to buy Pages...

[stonetools]

People here seem to a have a cramped view of what "serious work" is! Apparently, it doesnt include:

* carrying updated patient records while going on "rounds" in a hospital
* showing a construction foreman your architectural plans while onsite
* making a presentation pitch to your real estate client at her house

Apparently, only that which requires long form typing constitutes" Serious work!".

Accepting that rather flawed premise, one should get the Ipad dock or a Bluetooth keyboard if you are going to be typing a lot.
There are lots of productivity apps out there, starting with the Iwork suite. If you are going to be working with Office documents, there are apps for that, like Officeto Go.
Lots of photo editing apps too:
LINK

And if you want to connect to your PC, there are even apps for that:

LINK

[FlorenceArt]

Originally Posted by stonetools

People here seem to a have a cramped view of what "serious work" is! Apparently, it doesnt include:

* carrying updated patient records while going on "rounds" in a hospital
* showing a construction foreman your architectural plans while onsite
* making a presentation pitch to your real estate client at her house

Apparently, only that which requires long form typing constitutes" Serious work!".

Accepting that rather flawed premise, one should get the Ipad dock or a Bluetooth keyboard if you are going to be typing a lot.*
There are lots of productivity apps out there, starting with the Iwork suite. If you are going to be working with Office documents, there are apps for that, like Officeto Go.
Lots of photo editing apps too:
LINK

And if you want to connect to your PC, there are even apps for that:

LINK

Obviously, serious is going to be different to everybody. Many people here are writers, so to them serious work means writing. In my opinion, people talking about what they actually do and how they do it or would like to do it is more useful than discussing theoretical examples of uses or throwing links around.

I personally don't see the point of adding a keyboard to an iPad. If you're going to attach appendices to it, why not get a netbook or simply a laptop? At least you won't have to hold it all together. I can't imagine where I would put an external keyboard on my knees. And then I'd need something to put the iPad on. I'm rather happy with the ipad's keyboard. Though I don't think I would use it for writing all day. But if you're going to be doing something for several hours in the day, wouldn't you rather be comfortably sitting at a desk? And in that case isn't a computer better suited?

As your examples show, making good use of the iPad probably requires trying to forget the computer analogy and focusing on the advantages tablets have over computers. It's not easy to do when you've been using computers for years. I know I am often confused because I expect my iPad to behave like a computer, but in fact the best apps are the ones that throw away all the old habits and expectations and make the best use of the touchscreen.

[jocampo]

@Florence

I agree with you.

In terms of typing, if someone is going to be typing a lot I think that a laptop or netbook makes more sense to me. I bought myself a Mac air and typing, connecting to my Linux machines, post in forums, is really a great experience.

[stonetools]

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

Obviously, serious is going to be different to everybody. Many people here are writers, so to them serious work means writing. In my opinion, people talking about what they actually do and how they do it or would like to do it is more useful than discussing theoretical examples of uses or throwing links around.

I personally don't see the point of adding a keyboard to an iPad. If you're going to attach appendices to it, why not get a netbook or simply a laptop? At least you won't have to hold it all together. I can't imagine where I would put an external keyboard on my knees. And then I'd need something to put the iPad on. I'm rather happy with the ipad's keyboard. Though I don't think I would use it for writing all day. But if you're going to be doing something for several hours in the day, wouldn't you rather be comfortably sitting at a desk? And in that case isn't a computer better suited?

As your examples show, making good use of the iPad probably requires trying to forget the computer analogy and focusing on the advantages tablets have over computers. It's not easy to do when you've been using computers for years. I know I am often confused because I expect my iPad to behave like a computer, but in fact the best apps are the ones that throw away all the old habits and expectations and make the best use of the touchscreen.

Agree with most of what you say. You should understand that the Ipad dock is a stand attached to a keyboard,so it holds the Ipad upright while you are typing.
Look HERE for video reviews of it. SF author Charles Stross typed much of his last novel on an Ipad, but he would admit that it wasn't optimal.
I think a lot of people bought the Ipad blithely thinking that it would be a cool laptop replacement ( kind of a netbook with touch) . Actually, its a different category of device altogether (think of it as an advanced iPod with a touch interface and a big screen).
Can you use it for "serious work?". Yes- but its not optimal for the kind of "serious work" that involves long-form typing and rapid keying in of data.
Also, too, those aren't "theoretical examples". People do in fact use the Ipad in just those ways, and lots of businesses are incorporating the Ipad into their workflow.

[stonetools]

think that the best "work" case for the Ipad is not as a writing tool (although that can be done) but as an electronic briefcase or portfolio. Here is how Happy Martin, another Ipad owner, used his:

I bought an iPad as a gift to myself after being very busy at work and as a reward for making a little bit of money in a tough economic climate. After 2 weeks I transferred the money I paid for it from my business account to my private account and made it a business purchase.

The reason is it is not as much fun as I expected it to be and my business has taken it over. It is a terrific business tool for my little business.

It has not replaced my laptop. It has replaced my 5 notebooks, hardcopy contacts list, equipment lists and at least 8 hardware and software manuals. it is also great for maps of locations I am working in and so on

It has been a massive help in organizing my life in lots of little ways. Right down to shopping lists. Sometimes, like now, I even browse on it.
__________________

LINK TO PAGE

Graphic artists and architects carry around their portfolios on it. Attorneys use it to carry around their case files. Why do these people use the Ipad that way instead of a laptop. Simple-easier to carry around and to use. Suggestions on how to use your Ipad as an "electronic briefcase" next post

[aagstn]

I've completely replaced my netbook and most of my PC use with the iPad. I was a doubter at first, but the iPad works really well for me as an all around PC replacement.

[stonetools]

A good app for viewing and managing files is Goodreader. One advantage it has is that it integrates with Dropbox, which is what I use for transferring files to and from my PC. Another tip is that I Books organizes files by collections, one for regular ePub books and another for PDFs.You can stash all your PDFs in iBooks.Evernote is my preferred note taker and organizer. You can use DRagon Dictate to do voice notes, but I really haven't used that much yet.
I have found that between Goodreader, Dropbox, and IBooks, I can achieve basic file management tasks. I'm hoping Ios5 brings better file management to the IPad.

[FlorenceArt]

Yes, I am still learning to use Goodreader, but it looks like it can be very useful as a file manager. I opened a Sugarsync account to store files I want to share, and it seems to be working fine.

Evernote, on the other hand, is too unstable on my iPad to be usable, but that's OK, I just use it to store and exchange notes between my work or personal computers and the iPad and iPod Touch. I use Awesome Notes for, well, notes. It's not really awesome, there are many things that could be improved, but I like it. I use it to manage to-do items, store web pages to read later via Evernote (Goodreader can do that too, when I'm on the iPad), write notes and draft long forum posts.

I downloaded a number of free apps to make sketches (not art sketches, though I do have a bunch of apps for that too), but none of them seems to be very good. I am preparing an exhibition at the moment and wanted to make a sketch of the walls with the paintings on them. I managed to do it with Sketch memo lite, but it was a painful process. I don't expect to need this kind of things often though, so since it's a free app it will have to do.

[gwynevans]

The app that I've found very useful is FileBrowser, which describes itself as a network file access app, but also allows you to copy files to the iPad and use them from there. I've just been off on holiday with no connectivity, so beforehand I exported all the books I was interested in having from Calibre to a folder tree in the format I wanted, i.e. Epub's in Author/Series/Title.epub then copied the top-level folder (and contents) to the iPad. Then on holiday, I just 'FileBrowsed' to the local folder in the iPad and did 'Open In...' and sent the ePub to Sanza (or wherever) - Definitely worth a look!

[stonetools]

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

Yes, I am still learning to use Goodreader, but it looks like it can be very useful as a file manager. I opened a Sugarsync account to store files I want to share, and it seems to be working fine.

Evernote, on the other hand, is too unstable on my iPad to be usable, but that's OK, I just use it to store and exchange notes between my work or personal computers and the iPad and iPod Touch. I use Awesome Notes for, well, notes. It's not really awesome, there are many things that could be improved, but I like it. I use it to manage to-do items, store web pages to read later via Evernote (Goodreader can do that too, when I'm on the iPad), write notes and draft long forum posts.

I downloaded a number of free apps to make sketches (not art sketches, though I do have a bunch of apps for that too), but none of them seems to be very good. I am preparing an exhibition at the moment and wanted to make a sketch of the walls with the paintings on them. I managed to do it with Sketch memo lite, but it was a painful process. I don't expect to need this kind of things often though, so since it's a free app it will have to do.

I've heard good things about Brushes as a painting app. There is a Flickr group that displays artwork made with Brushes. Maybe you might want to check it out .

[Dylrob]

I have a vector graphics app, InkPad, that I use quite a bit. It's no illustrator, but it helps get things started at least. And you know it kinda reminds me of my childhood days using ClarisWorks on OS 7.

It would be nice if iOS at least had a Documents folder.

[FlorenceArt]

Originally Posted by stonetools

I've heard good things about Brushes as a painting app. There is a Flickr group that displays artwork made with Brushes. Maybe you might want to check it out .

I already have about 10 drawing and sketching apps, but why not an 11th? I'll have a look.

Originally Posted by Dylrob

I have a vector graphics app, InkPad, that I use quite a bit. It's no illustrator, but it helps get things started at least. And you know it kinda reminds me of my childhood days using ClarisWorks on OS 7.

Does it have a magnetic grid and a visible grid? That's all I needed really, to place rectangles on a grid. Sketch memo lite does that but it's very unintuitive and buggy, and the magnetic grid doesn't work.

Originally Posted by Dylrob

It would be nice if iOS at least had a Documents folder.

[Dylrob]

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

I already have about 10 drawing and sketching apps, but why not an 11th? I'll have a look.



Does it have a magnetic grid and a visible grid? That's all I needed really, to place rectangles on a grid. Sketch memo lite does that but it's very unintuitive and buggy, and the magnetic grid doesn't work.

Yeah, it has a basic grid with the options to toggle visibility and snap to point. The only downside, for me anyway, is that there's no sub-grid.