Code Campfire

iPad Thoughts

Joshua McKinnon -

I bought an iPad in early May. This post is a summary of my thoughts when i first got it, up till now, 3 months later

Opening Thoughts and The First Month

First off - you really need to use an iPad to appreciate their coolness. They are incredibly slick.

I found immediately after getting an iPad that I almost never needed to turn on my desktop at home. I also didn't really need to turn on my laptop for much. It satisfies most browsing, email, RSS, and other media needs. The battery life is incredible, especially for watching video. You can read books from iTunes, Kindle, and Nook stores. There are lots of fun games for it. It's a great web browser.

It has really changed how I consume media. Let's not forget it also does Comic books - although selection is still not excellent, I have enjoyed one or two series that way.

My iPad is my first choice entertainment device wherever I go. It is also my note taking device in meetings at work. It's handy for note taking + browsing our issue tracker + continuous integration + email all in one. It rocks.

Favorite Apps

Below are some of my favorite apps.

  • The Early Edition
  • Twitterific
  • Comixology
  • Instapaper
  • Netflix
  • ABC Player
  • We Rule
  • Cogs HD
  • Plants vs Zombies HD
  • Leap Sheep!

Problems

The iPad is a device I use every day, but there are a couple of clear annoyances popping up.

  1. The iPad needs the iOS 4 update BADLY. It feels like it's a second class citizen now that the iPhone 4 is out and has iOS 4 and multitasking. Apple really better have some extra features up their sleeve, or the wait just is not justified (and is crummy for early adopters)
  2. It needs flash. As much as I dislike flash, I still hit websites that require it - some sites even have videos, half of which are HTML5, the other half of which appear to be flash and won't play. This is an issue for both Apple and Adobe to sort out. Adobe because I still don't think they (although as I write this, Froyo is finally out on some phones potentially) have a good, working flash implementation out on smartphones. Also - where's Linux flash support these days? 64-bit anyone? You can't claim it "just works" when basic platforms have had problems for YEARS. Also,

 Summary

The iPad is an amazing device. Considering it is not only a first generation device, but also the first of its class - a true tablet with great battery life for browsing, reading, and watching video, I am definitely impressed. It isn't perfect - but iOS 4 should remedy my biggest issue, and it can't come out soon enough. Being able to multi task on my phone but not my iPad just isn't right - it should have launched with it. My hope is that printer support and/or a more sophisticated multitasking are coming. Time will tell...