I’ll be going over my experience with using the iPad as my main workstation and how you can make the iPad an integral part of your day-to-day workflow.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Going iPad-only: How to do it with the right apps and accessories
I’ll be going over my experience with using the iPad as my main workstation and how you can make the iPad an integral part of your day-to-day workflow.
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9 comments:
I've wanted to switch over to having my iPad as my main computing device for quite a while now but never thought it was possible. Although this article has some great points, I still can't see myself doing this. The work I do is just too technical for iPad apps. Not only that but I also would lose anyway to print my documents. While there is AirPrint for iPads and iPhones, the printing capabilities for a lot of apps is limited and there are no printers available for AirPrint on campus. I'm afraid this dream will remain a fantasy for me.
This article makes it sound so easy! I think that Sam is right in thinking that for the work we do here, going iPad-only isn't truly feasible. Personally I'm definitely partial to a laptop. My parents have an iPad and I always find that it's never quite as easy to use as I want it to be when it comes to getting stuff done. Not being able to print is definitely a problem, but it turns out that Word, Excel and Powerpoint are all available for iPad, which is definitely a huge plus. All in all, going iPad-only is clearly feasible but I think that it only works for certain jobs and applications. In our world here on campus, I don't think that it's a reality quite yet.
I feel very conflicted about this. Recently, I've been trying to switch over to using my iPad more than my laptop. So far, I have found that I never feel comfortable enough to only bring my iPad to school and leave my laptop at home. I think the "cloud" storage process discussed in this article would alleviate many of the concerns I have about leaving my laptop at home. However, I do agree with Sam and Camille that there are some programs and work that simply cannot be done on an iPad. I also wonder if, after all is said and done, going iPad only would end up being just as expensive as buying a laptop. Personally, I do not want to go iPad only, I simply want to use my iPad more in my day to day life. I think, however, that the next generation will definitely begin using their iPads as their primary computer sources. It is kind of sad, but definitely true, that almost all kids today have an iPad. My 6 and 8 year old cousins know how to use their iPads much better than I do. I think this trend will definitely stick with their generation, and we may see more and more apps being made that allow the same work to be done on an iPad as we can now do on our laptops.
The whole time I was reading this, I just kept thinking how would I do any AutoCAD? As far as I am aware there is no way to do AutoCAD on an iPad. Just like the others who commented I wanted to be able to switch to my iPad it is so much lighter, smaller and easier. There are negatives to it being your laptop too. Also, you would lose a lot from not having a laptop. For now I think the only way is to have a laptop to be doing all our school work. One day in the future maybe we can make it a switch and leave lugging the laptops behind us.
At one point I thought about becoming a paperless stage manager. My idea was that in rehearsal blocking notes could be taken via the comments feature in Microsoft word. At the same time you would be able to write the rehearsal report. The comment tool would also be use to write cues in the calling script. Then you would upload the script to two devices so that in the case of one breaking you would crash. I never put the idea into practice but maybe one day I will. However, right now I'm really digging the old school ways of doing things.
I've had an iPad for a few years now, and I really haven't ever had any inclination to try to make it my main computing device. Sure, I'd be fine with using a tablet for internet browsing and email correspondence while sitting in Starbucks. However, for any serious work or times when efficiency matters, my laptop is the only way to go. From screen size, the ability to use a mouse and connect multiple peripherals, the advantages of a fully featured laptop are numerous.
I do not currently own an iPad, but I have been curious if this is a purchase I should consider. So, right out of the gate with the first bullet in Thanh Pham’s summary, I am thinking, “Eh. Maybe not.” I have not embraced the cloud. Perhaps this is an eventuality to which I will be forced to conform. But I am not – nor have I ever been – on Facebook, so I am thinking my odds are decent for cloud evading. (I should note, I LOVE clouds in nature!) Back to Pham’s article. I like that he breaks down exactly how he divides his work between devices, and I also appreciate the list of apps, but most of them do not seem relevant to me. I am not yet convinced my laptop is in danger of being replaced by an iPad, but I am definitely more intrigued for how this may evolve in the future. Is it weird that I want to lick the close up photo of Pham’s devices so tidy and organized in his Grid-it? Now that is a purchase I need to make.
This is actually a fairly helpful and comprehensive article. You can essentially have just purchased an iPad and using this article only get it ready to do real work on. It not only has information on what apps to download but what accessories to get and explains how to connect your iPad to the cloud. It even suggests extended battery packs and cable organizers. Well done AsianEfficiency.
The idea of going iPad only seems great from a mobility standpoint but ultimately seems like it would fall short compared to the capability of more powerful computing options like a desktop or laptop. Aside from the obvious hardware differences that make computers a more viable computing option, the iPad's software is not nearly as capable as the software running on a mac. This is because the iPad is still running a version of iOS which is a mobile operating system. This is actually one of my biggest critiques of the iPad. As a proud and happy owner of an iPad for a little over a year now I must say, it is really just an oversized iPod touch. For me this works, I love my iPad, I use it every day for a variety of things and almost couldn't imagine life without it. But it still doesn't compare to the computing capabilities of my Mac.
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