iPad Laptop Killer or Space Filler: Can an Author Write a Book on the iPad?

Madam Broshkina · 04-06-2010, 11:24 AM

Best selling thriller author Jason Pinter writes about writing on the iPad.

Quote:

Note: this blog post was written on an iPad.
I spent the past week debating whether to buy an iPad, though as with most new gizmos once I start weighing pros and cons it pretty much means I'm sold and am just psyching myself up. One of the reasons I wanted an iPad is to use as a possible replacement for my laptop. I have a 15 inch MacBook Pro, about three and a half years old, it's started limping a bit, slowing down just a tad. The blazing speed it came with in the Fall of 2006 now feels nearly prehistoric.

Read the rest here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-...ust_reloaded=1

dmaul1114 · 04-06-2010, 11:35 AM

I could never replace my laptop with an iPad or other tablet personally.

I 100% want a tablet though, but it will be to supplement my laptop, not entirely replace it. I'd mainly use it for reading, document markup, web surfing on the couch, watching a streaming video in bed etc. as the form factor is MUCH better than a laptop for those activities.

But I need a laptop and keyboard/mouse for writing, running statistical analyses, writing longer e-mails, forum posting and other tasks that require real computing power, software and a keyboard.

Fat Abe · 04-06-2010, 01:52 PM

The keyboard issue can be solved with a docking keyboard, or by purchasing just a dock and a (separate) Bluetooth keyboard. Discussions are going on at www.mac-forums.com. There does not seem to be support for a mouse. The big driver is Pages, the only bona fide word processor on the iPad so far, imo. I suppose you could write a 100+ page document with other apps, but Pages is a lot cleaner (and hopefully stable). So, where Pages goes, so goes the rest of the mob. It would be great if they could implement certain mouse functions, to eliminate the need to touch the screen.

Steve Jobs needs to get a handle on his megalomania and quit dictating all aspects of the UI. Every now and then, he should accede to the customer wishes.

dmaul1114 · 04-06-2010, 01:53 PM

Yeah, you can get around the keyboard issue that way, but that's pretty clunky vs. just having a laptop IMO.

If it works for people that's of course great. But when I get a tablet I'll be keeping a laptop as well (I don't have, nor want, a desktop at home, so laptop is my main home workstation).

Bremen Cole · 04-06-2010, 02:08 PM

Sure an author could write a book on an iPad. Heck, you could write a book on an iPhone. Is it the best choice? Not so much.....

I could see using it in certain situations and then loading the file on a "real computer". I often create music parts on my netbook, then bring them into my main sequencer on the desktop....

rmm200 · 04-06-2010, 06:22 PM

I am looking forward to hearing of the first book written on the IPad virtual keyboard. If it ever happens - that author will deserve an award for endurance.

Robert

Crowl · 04-06-2010, 08:19 PM

Given that an opera was written via twitter there doesn't seem to be a lot of limits to how people can produce something even if it does seem very stupid to do so.

guyanonymous · 04-06-2010, 08:33 PM

You can do surgery with a bread knife, but is it really the best tool for the job? And damn, the scar would be ugly.

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04-06-2010, 11:35 AM	#2
dmaul1114 Wizard Posts: 2,300 Karma: 1121709 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Amazon Kindle 1	I could never replace my laptop with an iPad or other tablet personally. I 100% want a tablet though, but it will be to supplement my laptop, not entirely replace it. I'd mainly use it for reading, document markup, web surfing on the couch, watching a streaming video in bed etc. as the form factor is MUCH better than a laptop for those activities. But I need a laptop and keyboard/mouse for writing, running statistical analyses, writing longer e-mails, forum posting and other tasks that require real computing power, software and a keyboard.

04-06-2010, 01:52 PM	#3
Fat Abe Man Who Stares at Books Posts: 1,816 Karma: 10606722 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: 50th State, USA. Also, PA, NY, CA, and elsewhere. Device: All of the Above	The keyboard issue can be solved with a docking keyboard, or by purchasing just a dock and a (separate) Bluetooth keyboard. Discussions are going on at www.mac-forums.com. There does not seem to be support for a mouse. The big driver is Pages, the only bona fide word processor on the iPad so far, imo. I suppose you could write a 100+ page document with other apps, but Pages is a lot cleaner (and hopefully stable). So, where Pages goes, so goes the rest of the mob. It would be great if they could implement certain mouse functions, to eliminate the need to touch the screen. Steve Jobs needs to get a handle on his megalomania and quit dictating all aspects of the UI. Every now and then, he should accede to the customer wishes.

04-06-2010, 01:53 PM	#4
dmaul1114 Wizard Posts: 2,300 Karma: 1121709 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Amazon Kindle 1	Yeah, you can get around the keyboard issue that way, but that's pretty clunky vs. just having a laptop IMO. If it works for people that's of course great. But when I get a tablet I'll be keeping a laptop as well (I don't have, nor want, a desktop at home, so laptop is my main home workstation).

04-06-2010, 02:08 PM	#5
Bremen Cole Wizard Posts: 1,115 Karma: 2718 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Texas Device: iPad	Sure an author could write a book on an iPad. Heck, you could write a book on an iPhone. Is it the best choice? Not so much..... I could see using it in certain situations and then loading the file on a "real computer". I often create music parts on my netbook, then bring them into my main sequencer on the desktop....

04-06-2010, 06:22 PM	#6
rmm200 Groupie Posts: 195 Karma: 414 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Bend, OR Device: Sony PRS-600	I am looking forward to hearing of the first book written on the IPad virtual keyboard. If it ever happens - that author will deserve an award for endurance. Robert

04-06-2010, 08:19 PM	#7
Crowl Wizard Posts: 1,340 Karma: 1160346 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Southport, GB Device: Kindle Voyage, PW Signature edition	Given that an opera was written via twitter there doesn't seem to be a lot of limits to how people can produce something even if it does seem very stupid to do so.

04-06-2010, 08:33 PM	#8
guyanonymous Guru Posts: 692 Karma: 27532 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Ebookwise 1150 / 1200	You can do surgery with a bread knife, but is it really the best tool for the job? And damn, the scar would be ugly.

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