Ipad for BU when traveling - questions

[The_Traveler]

So if I go to the apple store with my IPad and $300 dollars, I get a MacBook Air?

Groovy.

 

[TheLost]

Okay folks, let's keep things on track and NOT turn this into an Apple/Microsoft or iPad good/bad thread.

Lew, yes, you can, BUT it requires "jailbreaking" the iPad and installing non-Apple approved software. My suggestion would be to get a cheap netbook and use that to power your external HDD.

I created a thread just for that...
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...your-ipad-iphone-apple-rants.html#post3095849

I'll put my money down on it being closed by the 4 page!

 

[cynicaster]

The iPad is just a phone with a big screen. It can do some amazing things but IT IS NOT A TRADITIONAL COMPUTER..

I don't think it's so much a phone, but a big flashy toy.

Believe me, I'm not just a "hater" trying to provoke arguments on the internet. I'm speaking as a user of the product who is genuinely frustrated by it. To me, the tragedy of the iPad is that its implementation is brilliant in many respects, yet it is mired by so many limitations that don't need to be there. Just about every one of said limitations exists as a result of Apple placing their interests ahead of mine as the end user. They want to control how I shop, where I shop, how I put stuff on my device, how I take stuff off of it, what types of software I can install, how often I need to upgrade my hardware, etc.

Anyway, enough said on that. The shackles are coming off this holiday season, when I'll be hitting up the post-Christmas sales for something more suited to my sensibilities, and, hopefully, more hobbyist-photographer-friendly.

 

[TheLost]

So if I go to the apple store with my IPad and $300 dollars, I get a MacBook Air?

Groovy.

Depends on the iPad and how new it is

But the Macbook Air is a 2lb device with a full OS (and file system) and a build in card reader.. $1k. I could also point you to a few nice Windows notebooks if you'd like.

You wouldn't use a saw to hammer in a nail... and you don't hear carpenters complain that their saw should be able to!

 

[cynicaster]

Believe me, I'm not just a "hater" trying to provoke arguments on the internet. I'm speaking as a user of the product who is genuinely frustrated by it. To me, the tragedy of the iPad is that its implementation is brilliant in many respects, yet it is mired by so many limitations that don't need to be there.

Anyway, enough said on that. The shackles are coming off this holiday season, when I'll be hitting up the post-Christmas sales for something more suited to my sensibilities, and, hopefully, more hobbyist-photographer-friendly.

I know this thread was pretty much dead, but I just wanted to chime in with an update (apologies in advance for the long post).

I didn’t quite make it to the post-Christmas sales, but I did what I said I was going to do and sold my iPad so I could give something else a go. About 2 weeks ago, I went to the electronics store fully intent to dump $600 on a Samsung Android tablet (the one with the stylus, forget the name already). But once I got there I figured it would be prudent to just spend an hour or so walking up and down the aisles and physically holding and trying the different offerings before spending any money.

I’m so glad I did that, because it resulted in a totally spontaneous and unexpected outcome: I left the store with a Microsoft Surface, which, incidentally, cost me a few hundred dollars less than I was already mentally prepared to spend on the Samsung.

I absolutely freakin’ love this thing. The interface definitely has a bit more of a learning curve than the Apple, but if you invest just a little bit of time screwing around with it to learn the gestures and some other basics, the slight bump in complexity rewards you with a richer and more versatile experience than what is possible on the iPad, IMO. I think it’s brilliant.

After two weeks of using this product, I’m convinced Microsoft’s marketing department needs to be fired. Why was this device—which has been on the market for over a year—not even on my radar until I physically held one in my hands at the store 2 weeks ago? Shame on me, I guess, for giving too much credence to self-proclaimed pundits and bloggers pushing Apple or Android to the exclusion of all else.

I didn’t even bother with the “surface cover” Bluetooth keyboard thingy. If I’m going to use a crappy little keyboard with fake keys, I’ll just use the touchscreen, thanks.

It’s worth noting that, if I ever so desired, I could connect a full-sized keyboard and mouse because the device has a standard USB 2.0 port on it (I've tried it just for fun with a USB hub, and it works like a charm). At my last photo shoot I was able to connect my camera with the standard USB cable and quickly preview and backup my photos on the spot. No $30 adapters, no disappearing of my files down a black hole with changed names, and best of all, no iTunes—just the good ol’ windows explorer to browse the contents of the camera as if it were an external drive. What a novel idea!

There is a port for a 64GB micro-SD card hidden on the back; haven't used it yet, but I definitely will.

Wanted to watch some Sons of Anarchy with my girlfriend, all I had to do was insert a USB drive containing the video and hook the Surface up to her TV via the built-in HDMI port. Once again, no wrestling with iTunes or file formats.

When I’m cooking dinner, I’ve got the Surface on the counter in split-screen mode showing the recipe on one side and youtube on the other. Very nice touch.

The app selection is quite small compared to Apple and Android but so far I’m not seeing how that matters much, unless you’re really into the “novelty” type stuff like fart sound boards and electronic candles. At least for me, the important bases are handily covered by the Windows store: social media, basic photo editing, youtube, calculators, timers, to-do lists, financial management, media players, weather, news, games, e-readers, etc. Not to mention, a "lite" version of MS Office—including One Note, Outlook, Word, Excel, and Powerpoint—comes bundled with the device, enabling a decent level of actual productivity.

On Black Friday I ordered a second Surface for my girlfriend for Christmas. She’s already used mine a fair bit and enjoys it.

Anyway, sorry again for the long post, but I just wanted to get the word out there. I figure if I was so ignorant of this product and yet I love it as much as I do, there have to be others out there in the same boat who are missing out just as I was. I wouldn’t recommend to my 65 year-old technologically-challenged mother that she trade in her iPad for one, but for people who find the strictures of the iPad frustrating and always find themselves wanting just a little bit more flexibility and utility, the Surface should definitely be considered!

 

[TheLost]

I hope you got the Surface Pro..

Microsoft is currently the only company making RT devices now (Dell dropped out.. Everybody else is focus on the more expensive Pro tablets).

Earlier this year MS was paying developers $100 for every RT app they put in the app store.. However from the numbers Microsoft posted earlier this month it still doesn't have the app's iOS or even Android have.

And for how many of those apps get downloaded...

While Microsoft has managed to grow its download rates, its total downloads remain utterly minute compared to the iOS and Android platforms. So, better is good, but better isn’t itself that great.

Things don't look good for RT..

Microsoft expected to drop Windows RT - Hardware - Technology - News - iTnews.com.au

Microsoft is expected to kill off the ARM-based Windows RT to focus on marketing the operating system on Intel and Windows Phone devices instead.

The tablet-oriented version of the operating system has only managed to grab two percent of the tablet market this year.

Microsoft executive vice president of devices and studios Juliette Larson-Green said late last week said Microsoft would remove one of its three current operating systems, widely tipped to be Windows RT.

"We have the Windows Phone OS. We have Windows RT and we have full Windows. We're not going to have three," she said.