I need a real use case!

[PvilleComp]

Forgive the forthcoming blasphemy... but I still don't get it. Of all the people I know with iPads only one uses it regularly after the first month, and he uses it almost exclusively as a Mobile Browser. Everyone else I know uses their phone on the road for a quick lookup or needs to do something that is really better suited for a keyboard/mouse experience and the iPad sits looking cool on the coffee table.

Frankly $800 is an awful lot to pay for a portable browser. I can go to Costco today and buy a 15” Quadcore AMD w/ 4 GB RAM, 500 GB HD, and a DVD Burner PLUS an Acer Netbook (Both with 2 year warranties) for about $800. A quick saunter to the Verizon Kiosk picks up a MiFi and I’m good to go for about the same price as a Xoom + activation and my 3g coverage is not tied to a single device.

OR

I can walk into a VZW Store and get a Gateway Netbook with built in 3g for FREE with a 2 year data contract. (OK It’s a Gateway and I would not own one, but for $99 I can get the mid-range HP Netbook or the “high-end” HP Netbook for $150. Same data plan as the Xoom)

For mobile computing there are many more affordable options out there and most will print!

I’m no Luddite and I love Android, but I just don’t get the tablet craze at this point. I feel like there is a lot to be done here before it’s really ready for prime time.

I guess I’m really looking for a compelling use case that does not focus on “Cool Factor” or Mobile Browsing as the core of the use case. Any Ideas?

I’m not trying to hate… I really want to find a use case that I can use with clients and with myself to get one.

 

[ekz13]

I have nothing to offer except, I agree. Way past my pricing threshhold for one of these.. I'm kicking around getting a nook color, but am having a hard time getting around that 250$ price. Unless I can live on that thing, I mean literally live on it (like turn it over and use it as a plate or something I think the specs and such are good and this thing will scream in it's performance, but the price is just too high for what it does (in comparison to a laptop, etc)

anyway, just thinking out loud.. if you can use it for a company (real estate, marketing, etc) it will probably hold great value to be able to show a client something, or discuss another angle, etc that needs to be done now while away from the office, it might hold value then, but for the avg consumer (not techie geeks (and I LOVE new tech)) but I really don't know on this one, just too steep.

 

[displacedtexan]

I have nothing to offer except, I agree. Way past my pricing threshhold for one of these.. I'm kicking around getting a nook color, but am having a hard time getting around that 250$ price. Unless I can live on that thing, I mean literally live on it (like turn it over and use it as a plate or something I think the specs and such are good and this thing will scream in it's performance, but the price is just too high for what it does (in comparison to a laptop, etc)

anyway, just thinking out loud.. if you can use it for a company (real estate, marketing, etc) it will probably hold great value to be able to show a client something, or discuss another angle, etc that needs to be done now while away from the office, it might hold value then, but for the avg consumer (not techie geeks (and I LOVE new tech)) but I really don't know on this one, just too steep.

A buddy and I were having the same conversation.

There are some limited, legitimate uses in the business world, but not for everyone, and not as a laptop replacement.

Not having a real use isn't a problem. MANY laptops are used primarily as media consumption devices. To replace those a tablet makes perfect sense, at least to me.

 

[shady28]

I use mine for personal / play mostly, though I do have my corporate email /calendar etc on the iPad2.

It's essentially replaced my laptop needs, but not my desktop.

The company I work for bought around 5000 iPads though, with special apps to simulate jewelry on a client. They are also being used as portable presentation devices, I've been seeing salespeople with iPads showing slides more frequently.

Real Estate is another area you'll see them more and more. I'm expecting to see them in delivery services as well.


Sent from my iPad 2 using Tapatalk

 

[uchuujin]

Why not buy one, try it out for 10 days, then return it if you don't like it? Just make sure you find out the return policy of the store you buy it from first.

That's what I'm doing with the WiFi Xoom. I'm on about day 9 or so, and the little critter is really starting to grow on me. No, I don't use it 24/7, but neither do I use my cell or laptop 24/7. That doesn't mean I don't want to be without them, either.

I tried the iPad and iPad2... I just couldn't get excited. Also, I hate iTunes. So I'm trying the Xoom. I think I'm going to keep it. It's not perfect, but it's good enough for now.

There are a lot of specific apps that I run on the Xoom that I like, but you may not have a need for. I use it for reading books, studying (flashcards), email/web, news/RSS, video, games, weather/seismology, Japanese/English dictionary, calendar/scheduling, and as a big damn calculator. (RealCalc in fullscreen mode is a hoot.)

It's hard to find things it can't do, even though Honeycomb is still pretty much a beta OS.

Then again, if you go with the bleeding edge, some of the blood on the bleeding edge will invariably be your own. Hence the name, "Bleeding edge."

But if you're a tech nerd, that's part of the fun, right?

 

[ssethv]

Forgive the forthcoming blasphemy... but I still don't get it. Of all the people I know with iPads only one uses it regularly after the first month, and he uses it almost exclusively as a Mobile Browser. Everyone else I know uses their phone on the road for a quick lookup or needs to do something that is really better suited for a keyboard/mouse experience and the iPad sits looking cool on the coffee table.

Frankly $800 is an awful lot to pay for a portable browser. I can go to Costco today and buy a 15? Quadcore AMD w/ 4 GB RAM, 500 GB HD, and a DVD Burner PLUS an Acer Netbook (Both with 2 year warranties) for about $800. A quick saunter to the Verizon Kiosk picks up a MiFi and I?m good to go for about the same price as a Xoom + activation and my 3g coverage is not tied to a single device.

OR

I can walk into a VZW Store and get a Gateway Netbook with built in 3g for FREE with a 2 year data contract. (OK It?s a Gateway and I would not own one, but for $99 I can get the mid-range HP Netbook or the ?high-end? HP Netbook for $150. Same data plan as the Xoom)

For mobile computing there are many more affordable options out there and most will print!

I?m no Luddite and I love Android, but I just don?t get the tablet craze at this point. I feel like there is a lot to be done here before it?s really ready for prime time.

I guess I?m really looking for a compelling use case that does not focus on ?Cool Factor? or Mobile Browsing as the core of the use case. Any Ideas?

I?m not trying to hate? I really want to find a use case that I can use with clients and with myself to get one.

Until a tab drops below $250 wifi only (of course) and can do at least what my 10.1 inch 'emachine netbook' can do; I will never get one for the reasons you(pville) mentioned. I am past the age of coolness factor (obviously, i am using an Emachine right now )

Also, I find it humorous that you spelled grammar wrong in the 'reason for edit' box...

 

[Gameboy70]

I'm still on my first-gen wifi-only iPad, which I use every day, but will probably get an Asus Transformer when it launches in the US. That said, I would never pay $800 for a tablet.

For me, viewing documents, ebooks and web pages in portrait mode, without the keyboard getting in the way, has been the primary draw. I really don't like being stuck with the clamshell form factor, and would much rather have a keyboard (physical and virtual) on an as-needed basis. I can't stress how much more ergonomically satisfying it is to hold a 10" screen in your hand to read an ebook or web page than staring at one 24" away from you, propped up on your desk.

I also write extensively on the iPad--typically between 1500 and 4000 words a day, typing at 58 wpm using nothing but the virtual keyboard (I spent a few weeks training with an app called TapTyping, and never use an external keyboard).

While I do use the iPad for production work, I'll defend the group who just use it for mobile browsing. There's a huge segment of consumers who don't want to buy and carry a workstation just to browse the web, read ebooks, play games and watch movies. For $500 (the original price of the 16GB wifi-only iPad, which was Apple's best selling model), consumers a getting a much more streamlined user experience than they would with a laptop: no boot time, pure touch navigation, nimbler apps, etc. It feels more like an appliance than a computer.

 

[Timanator]

$800 is a carp load to pay for a browser!

I have a Sprint Galaxy Tab, got it for $200 and use it every single day.

Work - Keep my project list, take notes during meetings, looking up subjects in meetings, test wireless, keeping my docs in Dropbox so I can access them. Being able to give the info quickly to the big bosses!

Home- Todo list, Internet surfing in bed and on the couch(So awesome with such a small format). Email correspondence without a tiny screen(no need for a phone the size of a Acme brick and drains the battery..), Soduku, play exercise videos on to my tv for short workouts. Access to my dl tv shows when I'm out and about and have time to kill.

Golf- Access to all my videos when I'm on the range. Quick way to look up info when working on things(Driver settings, stance, methods...).

Looking forward to: A good Project Management App, Stylus to work with note apps, USB connector for thumb drive access, Case with pockets and holder for stylus.