iPad iPad 2's WEAKEST LINK

[Synergi]

The screen. I second that I can't read a book on it, but I can read one on my Nook color. The text is far sharper. Can't wait to see Apple's new screen.

The desktop is boring, and you can't do anything to make it look better. I like Amazon's new Kindle Fire desktop.

[HappyMartin]

Hard to read on the backlit screen. Doesn't work for me outdoors. Too heavy to read in bed.

Don't get me wrong, I love the thing but use it very differently to my kindle

[rhari79]

Just a question: if others have observed this too:
I have an Ipad 1. When i am, say, browsing on safari etc., with the white background of the browser, I can see a very small flicker in the screen. Its more like the screen is refreshing fast but not fast enough to be unnoticed. But really the screen is only blank(white screen).

i have had 2 ipad-1's and have noticed this in both.

I have never seen this on iphone/itouch or my Adam or my laptops.
Does this happen in ipad2? is this normal?

[Quake1028]

Just the weight, to me. I have no problems with eye strain or text clarity. I loved it so much, to my surprise, that I gave my fiancee my Kindle 3, which up to that point was my favorite piece of tech, ever.

[jbcohen]

My qualms about the ipad:

1) When I go to a web site on the ipad it automatically shows the mobile version, something that is not suitable for the ipad with its big screen;
2) It doesn't block cookies;
3) does not allow me to save form data for automatic fill in of forms
4) No tabed browsing
5) No identification of the web site that I am looking at (aka chrome)

[Dylrob]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

My qualms about the ipad:

1) When I go to a web site on the ipad it automatically shows the mobile version, something that is not suitable for the ipad with its big screen;
2) It doesn't block cookies;
3) does not allow me to save form data for automatic fill in of forms
4) No tabed browsing
5) No identification of the web site that I am looking at (aka chrome)

These are really limitations with Safari rather than the iPad itself. Third party browsers like iCab and Atomic Web are far more feature rich.

[Jowi]

Resolution - hands down. I really dislike reading on it. It doesn't have to be 300+ ppi like the iPod Touch 4 or iPhone, since it's bigger, but if it were at least around 225ppi or something, that would be SOOOO much better for reading on!

[Jowi]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

It's darned heavy and the fonts are noticeably pixelated. Personally prefer the iPhone/iPod Touch with retina display for nighttime reading. The latter two are also much easier to hold if you're in the habit of reading/sleeping on your side.

Ditto! If Apple made a 4-4.5" iPod Touch 5, I would buy it for sure! As it stands from what I've read, I will not be upgrading this year because the improvements aren't anything that really matters much to me. I really like reading on my side in bed with my iPod, but wouldn't mind if it were just a TINY bit bigger. But I also don't think it's too small, either. Just saying, in a perfect world, it would be 4.5"

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by Dylrob

These are really limitations with Safari rather than the iPad itself. Third party browsers like iCab and Atomic Web are far more feature rich.

Partially Apple's fault. Here's an example user agent that the iPad uses:

Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; U; CPU OS OS 3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/531.21.10 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.4 Mobile/7B367 Safari/531.21.10

While the word "Mobile" is probably triggering use of the mobile version on some websites, it's possible to make an exception if the word "iPad" is found in the user agent. Still, there are reasons other than screen size where a mobile version of the site is preferable. For example, if the main website primarily uses Flash or if the site uses complex scripts that the iPad's browser doesn't handle all that well.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

1) When I go to a web site on the ipad it automatically shows the mobile version, something that is not suitable for the ipad with its big screen;

I notice this sometimes, less so in the last few months.
For example, CNN defaults to the mobile site on my iPhone, but not my iPad.
The Gawker network sites (Gizmodo, Kotaku, Lifehacker) used to default to some weird mobile version as well, but they seem to deliver the standard sites now as well.

I find myself less and less tolerant of "mobile" versions of sites in general, even on the phone. They just feel old now

[stonetools]

Originally Posted by Synergi

The screen. I second that I can't read a book on it, but I can read one on my Nook color. The text is far sharper. Can't wait to see Apple's new screen.

The desktop is boring, and you can't do anything to make it look better. I like Amazon's new Kindle Fire desktop.

Amazon desktop= iTunes cover flow .
I think it would be good for Apple to adopt the Amazon desktop to the iPad screen , at least as an option. They could always claim that they were inspired by iTunes.

[stonetools]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

My qualms about the ipad:

1) When I go to a web site on the ipad it automatically shows the mobile version, something that is not suitable for the ipad with its big screen;
2) It doesn't block cookies;
3) does not allow me to save form data for automatic fill in of forms
4) No tabed browsing
5) No identification of the web site that I am looking at (aka chrome)

I believe a lot of these issues will be addressed in ios5.

[Omega Supreme]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Partially Apple's fault. Here's an example user agent that the iPad uses:

Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; U; CPU OS OS 3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/531.21.10 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.4 Mobile/7B367 Safari/531.21.10

While the word "Mobile" is probably triggering use of the mobile version on some websites, it's possible to make an exception if the word "iPad" is found in the user agent. Still, there are reasons other than screen size where a mobile version of the site is preferable. For example, if the main website primarily uses Flash or if the site uses complex scripts that the iPad's browser doesn't handle all that well.

The fault of mostly the websites that are being visited, as the hosts are not yet identifying between phone and tablet user agents. However, this will most likely change with many sites very shortly.

[monkeyluis]

I love my ipad but don't think it's the best reading device, I use my kindle for that. But I do use my ipad for non-fic. I carry all of my training and business books on it so I can use it as reference at work. I do a lot of highlighting and notes with it. My biggest complaint would have to be the glare....I guess. But I don't use it out in sun or other bright sources much. So really I think it's pretty good for me. I really don't have any complaints. I use it for a lot of things, news, netflix, hulu, browsing, reading, youtube, aljazeera, shopping, etc. I could go on and on. I even post to this site from it. I happen to be on my mac right now, because I was looking at some homework for class.

[Latinandgreek]

Originally Posted by monkeyluis

I love my ipad but don't think it's the best reading device, I use my kindle for that. But I do use my ipad for non-fic. I carry all of my training and business books on it so I can use it as reference at work. I do a lot of highlighting and notes with it. My biggest complaint would have to be the glare....I guess. But I don't use it out in sun or other bright sources much. So really I think it's pretty good for me. I really don't have any complaints. I use it for a lot of things, news, netflix, hulu, browsing, reading, youtube, aljazeera, shopping, etc. I could go on and on. I even post to this site from it. I happen to be on my mac right now, because I was looking at some homework for class.

I share your sentiments. I prefer my Sony reader for fiction, but the iPad is great for non-fiction, especially when note-taking. I would love for the screen to have higher DPI, though.

The device is a bit heavy, as others have noted. I try not to hold it when using it, but rather rest it on my knees and support it with on hand, so that I don't feel the weight.

Also, I would love for Flash to work on it. I realize that I could jailbreak it, but I don't want to have to do that. Also, I have an HP touchpad and I can adjust the brightness of the screen without leaving the app I'm in, directly from the bar at the top of the screen. I would love to be able to do that with my iPad. If I could combine the HP Touchpad and my iPad, I'd have the perfect tablet device (well, almost. I'm sure I'd find something that I'd like to change even then!).