By Chris Foley
The first question out of people’s mouths when they see me hanging out in a café, working with my iPad, after we get past the “Wow that’s heavier/lighter than I expected” and of course, the “Wow, that is just COOL..” has been, almost unanimously “Can I replace my computer or my netbook with one of these iPads?”
Well, I didn’t really think much of it at first, but by the 3rd or 4th time I was asked this question, I started to realize that there was really something here.
Can the iPad seriously replace a laptop computer or a Netbook?
Well can it?
Most of my consulting clients are creative professionals; Filmmakers, Designers, Photographers, Music Producers, etc, and the simple truth is no, the iPad will not replace a professional-level workstation any time soon. However, as I think more and more about our normal customers, who represent the majority of all computers sold, whose technology needs are far simpler than these creative professionals, I realize that the story is somewhat different.
What IS the iPad?
Q: Is it just a big iPhone, or a big iPod Touch?
A: Yes. And much more.
Q: Is it just an underpowered laptop computer running a mobile phone operating system?
A: Yes. And much more.
Q: Is this thing the future of computing?
A: Yes. And much more.
The iPad will easily (and elegantly) handle the basic needs of many computer users. Let’s take a look at what we can do.
Web
Email and Web browsing are handled with the Mac Mail email application, and Safari, respectively. If you currently access your email via a web browser, than you can continue to do so on the iPad. The device connects to your Gmail, Yahoo mail, Hotmail or MSN, AOL, etc.
The Safari web browser on the iPad is NOT a crippled mobile version of a web browser, as you’ll find on many mobile devices INCLUDING the iPhone. Some sites do recognize iPad’s Safari as a mobile browser, and will deliver a mobile version of the site, but these sites very frequently have a control at the bottom of the page while allows you to switch from mobile view to normal page page view. Twitter.com is a good example of this. I’ve not run into any issues with this yet.
NOTE: I’m not a very big fan of safari on the iPhone, though I do recognize that before the iPhone came out, we were all trying to access the internet on mobile web browsers which really shouldn’t have been called “web browsers” at all.
Safari for iPad is a full-sized web browser which interacts well with every website that I’ve visited — with the obvious exception of all pages containing Flash content, which the iPad does not support.
Click HERE to view a showcase of Top-Level websites that function beautifully on iPad.
Social Networking
There are many Twitter and other social networking applications available for the iPad, similar to the assortment currently available for the iPhone/iPod. Also, the iPad will run all of your iPhone applications as well, though they don’t look very good on the iPad. There are thousands of apps already available for the iPad, with more coming every week.
Workflow
iPad does not support Microsoft Office products, such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc. There are several Office-compatible applications available, however, such as Apple’s own Pages (a replacement for Microsoft Word), Apple’s Keynote (a PowerPoint replacement) and Numbers (an Excel replacement.) Now, I’ve already replaced my own need for Microsoft Office products by moving my workflow into Google Docs, which I can access from any computer no matter where I am in the world. There are already a handful of superb applications for the iPad which enable you to access and edit your suite of Google documents from the iPad.
Bottom line, you can work with word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, make flyers, etc.
The Calendar App fully syncs with your computer and your iPhone (either through a sync cable, or via an optional Mobile Me subscription) and is quite elegant and easy to use.
Typing
Using the iPad’s virtual keyboard does take quite a bit of getting used to, and in all honestly, I don’t use it, except to tap out a web address, or to peck out a brief response to an email. I carry a compact Apple bluetooth keyboard along with the iPad. This enables me to type as quickly as I can with my MacBook Pro, or my iMac. It’s actually the ability to use a wireless keyboard that makes me consider the iPad to be a seriously usable communications device.
I’ve always been impressed with how much work I can do on my iPhone, but I would never consider it to be a possible replacement for a laptop computer. The iPad changes my mind about that.
Media
The iPad is a full-on iPod too. Any music, audiobooks, or Movies or TV Shows that you currently have in your iTunes library are portable to the iPad. The iPad also supports most YouTube content.
The Photos application is a superb way to view, organize and share your images with friends and family, though it does not provide any tools with which to edit your images. This is a view-only photo application, though there are many 3rd-party applications available that will allow you to edit your images and then import them back into the Photo program.
eBooks
The iPad comes with Apple’s own iBooks store. iBooks are an excellent way to read your favorite books. I tested it out with the 700+ page System of the World by Neal Stephenson, and found that I didn’t experience the eye strain that I had expected. The additional features (such as built-in dictionary and Wikipedia support) make reading an iBook a very full and informative experience.
The iPad also supports Amazon’s Kindle application, so you have access to all of your Kindle titles too. My poor Kindle now lives in a draw by my bedside. (Psst. anyone want to buy a used Kindle?) 
Gaming
The iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad are emerging as major players in the portable/handheld gaming industry. I’m not a gamer myself, so I don’t feel qualified to touch on this topic. Visit the iPad Apps page for a more in-depth view of what all is available for iPad.
My Favorite Apps
• Netflix – This is by far one of the coolest apps available for the iPad. Because of it’s extreme portability, I can watch a movie wherever and whenever I want to, providing I have a WiFi connection. I like to put the iPad on my kitchen counter, and watch old TV shows while I prepare dinner.
• Evernote – The iPad version of this app is excellent, and syncs up with my other ever note apps on my laptop and my iPhone. I don’t have to worry about syncing files up with my iPad. Between Google Docs and Evernote, whenever I sit down to work on my iPad, all of my files are already there waiting for me!
• GoDocs – This is my favorite Google Docs app for the iPad.
• Urban Spoon – Find great new eateries in your area by region, nationality, and price range. A fun way to experience new cuisine.
• NetNews Wire – a Fantastic (the best, in my opinion) RSS reader for the iPad. This is how I get most of my news, and stay atop trends which effect my industry.
• Wikipanion – A super Wikipedia application, offers a smoother browsing experience than the Wikipedia web site does.
• Pandora – Streaming music on your iPad.
• Thomson Reuters and AP News – great news apps with fun and intuitive interfaces for quickly locating stories of interest.
What the iPad will NOT do
The iPad doesn’t run a full Mac Operating System, so you can’t install any application that would ordinarily run on your Mac. You are limited to apps available inside the iTunes App Store. Many view this as an extremely limiting experience (the sorts of people who don’t like being told what they can and can’t do have a big problem with this limitation.) I honestly don’t care, as I’ve been able to quickly buy or download a free app which handles whatever I’ve needed.
The iPad will NOT support Flash media, which means that Flash-based web games, and many web video elements will not be visible to iPad users.
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Bottom line: The Apple iPad is a viable alternative to a computer, for users with simple needs. If you use your computer primarily for email communication, web-browsing, watching TV shows and movies from iTunes and/or YouTube and TED, sharing your photos with friends and family, word processing, book reading, and research, than I recommend seriously considering an iPad with 3G/WiFi connectivity as your next computer. And if you this description fits you, I definitely recommend the iPad over a Netbook.
Oh, by the way, this entire article was written on my iPad.
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How I Roll
I’m Rocking this Incase travel case for my iPad, which gives me room for the iPad, its power adapter, my bluetooth keyboard, and a travel charger. It even comes with a little plastic stand which allows me to prop the iPad up in Landscape orientation while I work. I highly recommend it.
