Using a Tablet As Your Primary Computer

harrymcc writes "Three months ago, I started using an iPad 2 (with a Zagg keyboard) as my primary computing device--the one I blog on, write articles for TIME magazine on, and use to prepare photos and other illustrations that go with my writing. I now use it about 80 percent of the time; my trusty MacBook Air has become a secondary machine."

Comments

Let me be the first to say

[bernywork]

Congratulations.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[xaxa]

Conglomeration.

FTFY.

Since no one else reads the article, I'll have to explain: it has many incorrect/missing words. It's as if it was written on a phone keyboard, with word completion, or something. "unless I have specific reason to think I’ll never a full-blown computer" "most iPads cost only a few dollars" "Or at least I was at firs–at this point"

It sounds like what the author appreciates is decent battery life and an efficient small-screen-friendly window manager.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[kelemvor4]

Conglomeration.

FTFY.

Since no one else reads the article, I'll have to explain: it has many incorrect/missing words. It's as if it was written on a phone keyboard, with word completion, or something. "unless I have specific reason to think I’ll never a full-blown computer" "most iPads cost only a few dollars" "Or at least I was at firs–at this point"

It sounds like what the author appreciates is decent battery life and an efficient small-screen-friendly window manager.

It really was kind of surprising for an author who claims to be writing for Time magazine.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[Joce640k]

Since no one else reads the article, I'll have to explain: it has many incorrect/missing words. It's as if it was written on a phone keyboard, with word completion, or something.

You could also mention that he uses it in a docking thing with a keyboard so he's using it more like a laptop than a tablet.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[teslafreak]

"unless I have specific reason to think I’ll never a full-blown computer"

Oh no, you don't think he accidentally a whole iPad do you?

Re:Let me be the first to say

[PopeRatzo]

I think "content generation" is a phrase used in a more all-encompassing manner, including writing, music, image manipulation, filmmaking, etc.

"Howard, will you please come out of the bathroom? You've been in there almost an hour!"

"I can't, Mom, I'm generating content!"

...Good for you?

[dragonhunter21]

I'm sorry, this isn't a story. This is a blog entry, and a short one at that.

Re:...Good for you?

[broken_chaos]

This is a blog entry, and a short one at that.

Obviously typing blog posts on an iPad doesn't work as well as the submitter wants to make himself believe.

Re:...Good for you?

[hjf]

He's the 99% I guess.

I'm an amateur photographer. I upgraded from a Core 2 Duo laptop which was working GREAT (and I still use) to a Core i5... gasp! DESKTOP! Because I like having a 27" monitor and I use the 8GB of RAM and all 4 cores of my CPU to process photos. And of course, USB ports and SD card readers are nice too.

So, thanks for your suggestions iPad fanboys. I'll stick with my desktop machine for the next few years.

Re:...Good for you?

[quixote9]

Seriously. The OP may want to climb into comments and explain his point. What takes more time to do? What takes less (if anything)? How would it be if you didn't have the extra keyboard? That seems to me to make it a de facto laptop, so you're not really using a "tablet as your primary computer." Or do you not use the keyboard much? Is it more or less convenient to have a separate keyboard? Etc., etc., etc.

Re:...Good for you?

[JoeMerchant]

This is a blog entry, and a short one at that.

Obviously typing blog posts on an iPad doesn't work as well as the submitter wants to make himself believe.

Maybe he should stick to Twitter?

Seriously, I won an iPad over a year ago. The iPad sits on the nightstand by my bed - 95% of the time, I reach under the bed to retrieve my 13" laptop to do anything, including watching streaming media. The (8 and 10 year old) kids prefer the iPad to an eee Netbook, but only because it's swipey swipey fun to use and seems to be better at grabbing marginal WiFi connections than the Netbook is. I think if the kids had to choose between having a Netbook of their own, or 50/50 sharing the (twice as expensive) iPad, they'd probably go for having their own Netbook. Especially when they want to access Flash enabled websites.

Re:...Good for you?

[Cimexus]

Don't think iPads and the like are supposed to replace desktops. But they might replace laptops for some use cases. I have to admit, I pretty much just use my big grunty desktop (serious work, gaming) or my iPad (quick web browsing, email, watching Youtube etc.) now. The laptop is gathering dust. I used to take it when I went on trips but now I just throw the iPad in instead - it's lighter and has better battery life, and it does all I need it to when travelling (basically email, Skype, web) and a few things the laptop doesn't (GPS + maps).

Having said that I would never use a tablet as my PRIMARY machine (the premise of this thread). Nor would most Slashdotters. A proper PC will always have its place for coding, gaming and heavy duty processing of media (video, audio and photos - as you will no doubt agree). But for the average Joe who just uses their computer to check a few websites and send an email or two, a tablet fits their needs nicely.

Re:...Good for you?

[mwvdlee]

You clearly haven't read the article. The authory states his iPad2 has a neat photo editor. It can resize your pictures and even make them black & white. What else would somebody ever want to do with photographs?
Clearly the iPad2 can replace your hugely overspecced computer. It may be a bit more expensive than your computer, but you can use it everywhere (provided no sunlight is reflecting in the glossy screen).

Re:...Good for you?

[AdamHaun]

It's also a misleading summary. The guy isn't truly using a tablet as his primary computer, because the first thing he does is get a Bluetooth keyboard. What he likes is super-long battery life, built-in mobile broadband, and a clean user interface. Everything tablet-specific -- the touchscreen, the apps, the screen size -- he describes as worse than a laptop.

Re:...Good for you?

[hjf]

There's no way to tell sarcasm and apple fanboyism apart.

Re:...Good for you?

[Lumpy]

"Most laptops these days have an SD card reader built in anyway."

You mean a Low speed garbage SD card reader.

Photographers need a high speed SDHC reader. The external one I have reads a 32gig SDHC in less than 2 minutes. The reader in my alienware will take nearly 20 minutes to read it.

Re:...Good for you?

[uglyduckling]

Any serious photographer who's doing work for magazines and newspapers will need/want a quad core with 8Gb of RAM. Seriously, if you've spent more than 5 minutes cleaning and processing RAWs for a professional shoot you'll want the fastest machine with the most memory you can get your hands on.

Fine then

[masternerdguy]

Personal Computers aren't a jack of all trades and a master of none. They are a master of freedom and convertibility, the ability to do whatever you want. Enjoy your tablet, I'm not sure I could.

Re:Fine then

[Microlith]

currently an iPad2 is just as open as a machine running Windows.

The fact that you have to Jailbreak and land on the wrong side of an EULA proves that it isn't.

Expensive and limited netbook

[kiwix]

So it's like an expensive netbook, but you can only run programs approved by Apple?

What's the point?

Re:Expensive and limited netbook

[kannibal_klown]

Eh, I was the same way. I shook my head and thought it was silly... that I'd rather get a cheap 12" or 14" laptop.

Then one day, on a lark, I got some cash and was in the Apple store. I'd been using an iPad at work a lot and figured "what the heck, why not."

It's nice... not "laptop" nice but it's good. I just use it when chilling on the couch or away from my desk. No hinge/parts means it can take more of a beating. I can do my quick browsing/emailing/etc on a larger screen than my mobile phone (less strain on the eyes). Really, for the most part it's just small stuff like that.

Biggest advantage is the battery lasts for flippin' ever. This was a life saver when I was without power for a week due to the recent snow storm. Charge it at work, download some shows, and I can watch TV all evening and only lose like 10%-15% battery life. It's also nice on trips, less of a hassle to take one out and start reading / watching / playing something in the confined seats of a plain/train/etc.

It's nice for some things but I wouldn't recommend it for everyone. If you want a tablet, the Nook and such are probably easier to swallow with their cheaper price.

obviously

[locopuyo]

No surprise considering his "primary computer" was a macbook to begin with. No real computing was likely done.

Now for something completely different...

[PhillC]

I've tried pretty much the same thing using an Asus Transformer TF101. It has been less than a success.

Basically the tablet is great for email, which fortunately I write a lot of, but rubbish for office productivity. Word processing, spreadsheets and presentations are all difficult to create and edit with the installed Polaris Office. The original article above mentions Hootsuite. I use Hootsuite for managing my social networks. On an Android tablet, the experience is less than stellar. The Hootsuite app is clearly built for a mobile phone. In a web browser though, Hootsuite is brilliant. Sadly, web browsers on an Android tablet are largely crap at dealing with Javascript. And I've tried pretty much all of them. I need at least 4 (standard Google Android browser, Opera, Dolphin HD and Firefox Beta) to ensure that I will be able to load and interact with all websites I come across. Google Docs also fails in a web browser, and the app is once again mobile phone focussed.

The battery life of the Transformer is brilliant, especially with the dockable keyboard, which makes writing anything of length bearable.

A while ago I installed Ubuntu 11.10 as a dual boot operating system. I now use this OS much, much more on the Transformer. It's not perfect and a few things don't work, such as the mini-HDMI out, but when it comes to browsing and office productivity, I find this much more useful.

Her's not using a tablet.

[rickb928]

When youd add a physical keyboard to it, it's just not a tablet any more, functionally. It's either a two-piece notepad, or if the keyboard is attached, even with just a cover, it's a notepad period.

The form factor changes. I expect tablets to be just one piece. A salient feature of a tablet is the LACK of a keyboard.

But if he was saying that adapting his tablet for everyday uses onle required adding a keyboard, well, doh. This is news for nerds? Not for a few years.

By TFA measure, my X41t is a tablet. Oh, sure, it needs a stylus and comes with a keyboard, and most of the logic is in the 'keyboard part', but it's touch sensitive (just the touch of the stylus, I know), has an onscreen keyboard etc. and folds over so it's just screen. and the stylus.

In today's world, it isn't what most people think they mean by 'tablet'. Adding a keyboard muddies this even more.

I've seen this discussion before

[poity]

And it wasn't pretty Somebody points out that a tablet can only be a good primary computer if one's primary work is non-computer intensive, like an editor with a light workload; use-iPad-for-everything people get defensive about the technical rigor of their work, and computational significance of their needs; comments section gets shut down due to hurt feelings.

Re:I've seen this discussion before

[Drew_9999]

It's almost as though different users have different needs.

I read the article...

[IANAAC]

It's pretty clear he didn't get anywhere productive until he bought the ZaggFolio keyboard/case. He brings it up as a central point several times.

Other than that, he states "This hasn’t been one of those experiments-for-the-sake-of-experimentation in which someone temporarily forsakes a PC for another device in order to write about the experience". Of course not. He had to justify his purchase (to himself, I suppose). Why else would he devote a blog post to "Hey look! I can write and take pictures with an iPad!"

He could just as easily written about blogging/taking pictures and emailing them to himself on a phone - because he bought an external keyboard.

Re:I read the article...

[postbigbang]

This is someone that doesn't program, doesn't write long docs, is used to surfing a lot, and probably just does blog updates. A tablet is perfect.

Others with differing job needs would toss that tablet like a TV from a balcony. Except for a few rare ones, tablets can't hold much data, don't have a variety of ports, must download everything (and no DVDs, etc), and most importantly: you can't do a user-changes-battery. Yes, there are exceptions.

They have tiny screens, and by the time you add an external keyboard, it's back to the size of a netbook. As media consumption devices, they're spectacular. They're less expensive than a Macbook Air, but so is a Porsche 914.

Re:I read the article...

[bennomatic]

This is someone that doesn't program, doesn't write long docs...

I'd suggest that a significant number of real jobs don't require programming or the write-up of long documents. iPads are being used in hospitals and the airline industry. I could imagine a situation where hotel cleaning staff could be managed via tablets which would allow their location and cleaning times to be tracked, as well as their availability for an emergency clean-up. Or as a checklist to be used in an auto shop. Or any place where large amounts of inventory need to be managed?

Don't get me wrong: I like my laptop. But I do code and I do write long documents on a regular basis. But there are a LOT of people out there who could use a tablet device or tablet+keyboard at a much lower cost and get their jobs done just fine.

I have an iPad with a Zagg keyboard

[Stone316]

Just some background, I am an Oracle DBA who is oncall every second week. I used to carry around my laptop, power cable and iphone while I was on call. I managed to get my hands on an iPad and used it for light reading, email, etc. I tried to use it while on call but it was too painful. SSH on the thing is nice if your in a bind, but you don't want to be using it for an extended period of time. Just think about trying to use vi, yikes.

Anyways, I picked up a Zaggmate keyboard for it. I now carry it primarily while I am on call, much easier to tote around than my 17" laptop. Has a better battery life and 3g built in. I don't have to worry about draining my phone at the same time as my laptop.

However, if I am traveling I take both the laptop and ipad. While the ipad is good for short periods of work, it is still painful for long periods. And its also not suited for alot of tasks, which you don't realize until you actually try to do them.

So I would agree to a point that 80% of work can be done on an iPad but its that other 20% that kills you. I could also walk to work but that would take an extra 2 hours each way than using my car.

The macbook air is light, small, easy to carry around. I am not sure why you would use an iPad over it. I've heard quite a few people say the opposite as the guy in the article. Once they bought air's they barely used their ipads. Once you factor in the cost of the keyboard, ipad, your almost at an air anyways.

Re:!surprising

[Anonymous Coward]

Because Time magazine's target audience has a sub-90 IQ.

After the KB his main point was

[goombah99]

I think the master point he made was that it's actually the OS he likes. Or rather the lack of an OS to deal with. No real responsibilities to manage. Just a pure application interface. He also liked the long battery life.

I just saved $2,410

[tepples]

Netbook: $300.
iPad: $500. iPad keyboard: $50. Cellular data connection at $60 per month for 36 months: $2,160.
I just saved over $2,400 by switching to a netbook.

Re:Not surprising

[goldspider]

I don't think anyone is pushing the idea that tablets can fulfill every need of every computer user. I'm not sure what you are responding to.

iDevice walled garden = no creativity

[plurgid]

My 13 year old daughter got an iDevice for her birthday (an iPod Touch -- seems like an iPhone without the sim card to me).
She's had a great time buying idiotic wallpaper "apps" (branded / licensed from her favorite TV shows), and silly games like Angry Birds, etc.
Also getting Email and wasting time on facebook (and of course buying a playing music).

This prompted the Dad speech: "when I was your age, we had C-64's. They plugged into the TV and you could write your OWN games".

Her eyes lit up. "I want to do that" she said. ... she had a couple of amusing ideas for angry birds knock offs.
Of course, starting from 0 might take a while to get there.

It started me thinking. The C-64 could suck you into programming real easy. Because with a few one liners you could change the screen color, make some noises, etc etc. It peeled back the curtain a little, and let you see how the thing you just bought worked, and how you could make it do neat things, and it didn't take a lot of effort to get there.

How in the hell could I even start my daughter down this path today?

I guess we'd have to download the Apple developer tools, XCode, get some sort of iDevice development license, and ... damn I don't know I guess some sort of iPhone simulator or something to run on the computer to act like it was an actual iDevice (since there's no way in hell you're getting your code onto one outside of the app store).

If she managed to entertain some enthusiasm through that ridiculous process, then her eyes would glass over as I began to explain how compiling works, header files, etc, etc, etc.

The greatest thing about computers is that they are creativity machines. You can use them to make just about anything. But these iDevice walled gardens are bullshit mini-televisions or game consoles. You can't DO anything other than consume, or produce approved content: pictures, emails, blog posts, maybe audio.

I'm disappointed by that. They could be so much more, for a new generation.

Re:Not surprising

[DemonGenius]

I don't think anyone is pushing the idea that tablets can fulfill every need of every computer user. I'm not sure what you are responding to.

You're exactly right, no one is pushing that idea. However, the fact that this is posted on Slashdot (where a disproportionate number of users are software developers, engineers, and other professions that require high powered computing) kinda implies that some of us can replace our desktops with a tablet. We know we can't and never will (unless the conditions laid out by the GP are satisfied), so this is just another one of those articles that are completely irrelevant to this demographic. What's next, links to Cosmopolitan articles?

Re:Not surprising

[xaxa]

None of the errors pointed out by xaxa actually exist. You got trolled.

They did when I posted, they have been corrected.

The author has posted in the comments admitting this.

Thanks for assuming I'm trolling, but I have better things to do with my time.