Ipad about to be available for 200 nuggets, and a 24 month contract for data sim, which will be about 27 nuggets a month.

Almost tempted but I am still left with the profound feeling that the iPad is not really a solution to anything, or actually providing me with anything I don’t get with a laptop or desktop PC ( or Mac).

What am I missing? Is it so obvious it is right in front of me? or is this another case of fizzy Thames water in a silly plastic bottle?

iPad is not a substitute for a laptop, unless all you do with your laptop is surf the web and email.

What it is however, is an instant on, zero faff device that is great to use anywhere you like (at home, on the train, in bed, in the bath, on the bog…) , has plenty of fun games, great for music and video streaming, fantastic for showing photos to friends, and is not a bad e-reader.

If those things aren’t important to you then just use a laptop.

so basically an online thingy then?

because you are worth it and it certainly is not worth it

Yeah, it’s pointless without an internet connection (with the exception of locally stored books and photos etc).

so it’s a waste of time? SO why do I want one…

MEDIC!!!!!

If you can’t think of a use for one then you don’t want one. Its a mistake to compare them to a laptop, they are not for you to do work on, or do work for you. They are just easy access to info and content. Most people consume much more than they create with their computers and with so many applications and so much computing power being available through the other end of your browser all most people actually need is a convenient vehicle to interact with it.

Ipad about to be available for 200 nuggets, and a 24 month contract for data sim, which will be about 27 nuggets a month.

So it will cost you 848 nuggets over two years, that still sounds a lot. How much data a month do you get on that contract.

1Gb I think. Its all unofficial right now, as just speculation after initial announcements by Orange etc

+ the price of a Bluetooth keyboard. I’ve tried typing stuff onto the forum with the on-screen keyboard and it drives me nuts.

If it was waterproof and shock proof, it might be worth the cash.

a Bluetooth keyboard defeats the object of having an iPad surely?

I’m gonna get a v2 when it’s out next year. It certainly won’t replace my quad core uber PC, but for 90% of my “computing” I’ll use the ipad on the sofa…internet/email mostly…plus, where available I’m going to move to digital magazines (Singletrack & XXC for a start, others are bound to follow) as after being reluctant at first, I’m now sold on the idea of digital mags. Once Marvel & others sort out their stupid prices, I’ll also subscribe to some of their titles in digital format. It also looks ace as a device for reading interactive stories to my kids…that Alice in Wonderland app for example looks brilliant.

A solution waiting for a problem I personally think the i-pad is.

Ok, look at it subjectivley, it’s a large i-pod touch. You can use it as a netbook (which are cheaper and run an OS you can actually use) you can use it as a kindle (what’s wrong with books exactly) …….i’m struggling to think of other uses for it to be honest

A laptop does it all better and you can run Flash and proper programs

And I am a fan of Apple, but i really can’t see the point of this

3 mobile do a sim only for the ipad, £15 per month, 10GB data, its the best i could find.

We have one.

My son (age 4) uses it almost exclusively.

He plays “roll the ball around the maze” games on it.

You can get iPads with keyboards right now. They’re called “laptops” (google it).

a Bluetooth keyboard defeats the object of having an iPad surely?

Not at all – most of it’s use is by touch-screen: dragging, pinching, spreading fingers, but if you want to type….

Ditto what Brant said. I’ve got pals that have one, and its great for their kids and looking at photos, but they use the laptop/PC most of the time…

This says it all… Apple Wheel 😀

Brant, it made me chortle, that Apple spent years to create a device that is now just a cyber replacement for a small wooden box, a ball bearing and some holes.

More of a large trunk containing a bunch of different small boxes with holes, a few photo albums, a pinball machine, some old books and a Buckeroo.

Boba Fatt – Member

A laptop does it all better and you can run Flash and proper programs

It might do what you want to do better, but the ipad does what I want to do at home 90% of the time better.

Horses for courses etc.

I use an Archos screen thing with a hdd for watching pron on the bog. Can see an ipad being a good replacement for that.

iPad also gives me wrist ache holding it. I’d rather watch The Apprentice on iplayer on my phone, balanced on my crotch than hold the flippin ipad.

I’ve had a play around with a few of my colleagues iPads’s and while it’s a nice bit of kit I can’t figure out what it’s actually for. My wife has a Kindle and it’s much better for eBooks plus is smaller, lighter and has much better battery life. For everything else I can think of a netbook or laptop is better.

Loving mine.
Work laptop only here, so fills my need.