iPad: Improving My (Technological) Quality of Life

Backstory on how I ended up with an iPad; skip below for actual impressions

On Monday, my wife, Leanne, completely surprised me with an iPad. I had convinced her to go to the Apple store, so I could finally get a chance to at least try out the gadget I had been somewhat obsessed with for the past week or so. She made me promise not to buy one. I said that’d be fine, as I was planning on doing at least a few more weeks of research before really contemplating purchasing one because that’s how I think.

We arrived at the Apple store, and I beelined right toward the iPad display, selecting one in an empty corner so I wouldn’t be interrupted. My wife, who was carrying around our 11 month old son, Maddox, at the time, said she was going to take him for a walk to keep him occupied. I nodded absentmindedly, already completely engrossed with the iPad. At some point (I can’t say when as I honestly lost track of time) she stopped by and asked how it was going and that I should have at least a few more minutes before our son got fussy. I said a quick “Ok!” and she disappeared again.

Then a minute or so later she came by with a bag, and asked if I could hold it so she could carry our son more easily. I said sure and took the bag and placed it next to the iPad I was playing with. Then this sequence of thoughts took place all over the course of about two seconds:

• I hope since I took the bag she can hold Maddox for a bit longer
• I wonder what she bought? I didn’t think she needed anything
• This is a funny looking bag
• This is an Apple store bag
• What did she buy from the Apple store? She usually asks me about computer stuff she needs
• Is she still standing next to me?
• Why does she have that grin on her face?
• What is that rectangular shape in this page?
• What is in this bag?
• WHAT IS IN THIS BAG?

At that point I pretty much hyperventilated and Leanne had to carry me out of the store. She laughed about how easy it had been to purchase it behind my back since I was so completely absorbed with testing it out.

Form Factor

When I first picked up the iPad, I was surprised at its weight. This wasn’t my dad’s Kindle (it’s about twice as heavy). The weight isn’t necessarily a bad thing though. It feels substantial and far from cheap, and I have yet to really get tired holding it up.

Holding the iPad certainly takes some getting used to, and I’m sure is a technique people will perfect as time goes by. Not having a set way to use it though can be a benefit, as I’ve found you can use it in almost any position (laying down on your stomach, on your side, reclining, sitting up, standing). Most of those positions are impossible with a laptop, if anything because of the odd ways you have to contort your wrist to use the mouse.

It also takes a bit of getting used to holding this with your fingers on the screen. I personally treat my monitors as pristine surfaces that must never be touched by bare human flesh, so it’s certainly a change in mentality to just grab the iPad with my hands.

The size is also a bit odd in terms of portability. I’d like to be able to bring the iPad to the mall when my wife spends 30 minutes looking at baby socks. But it’s an odd size for that – too big to fit in even an oversize pocket, but too small for it to fit into a normal sized backpack type bag. I have seen demos of bags with straps made specifically for the iPad, but they look a bit … odd.

OS

This thing is incredibly fast, smooth, and stable. It’s the first of many reasons why I think a locked-down, controlled environment like the iPhone OS can be a good thing.

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I don’t find the lack of multitasking to be a huge deal. It would be nice on a client call to have Safari open and be able to take notes at the same time, but that’s the only time I’ve wished for multitasking.

Display

This thing is freaking gorgeous. I did not expect to be so bowled over by this screen, but it’s like nothing I have ever used before. The brightness and colors in everything from photos to videos to comics is just truly outstanding. The fact that you can also view it easily even from a severe angle is really nice.

I had a chance to use the iPad outside on Wednesday when it was very bright and sunny. There’s certainly some glare and reflection when outside in sunny weather. It’s more of a distraction though than a hinderance, in terms of being able to see what is on the screen. And after a few minutes of reading, I got pretty used to it.

Plus, I would much rather be able to use this unassisted in the dark and sacrifice some outdoor use to do so (compared to the Kindle). I read in bed at night much more than I do outside.

Battery

Astounding. I got the iPad on Monday, and charged it last night for the first time – and it was still only at 47%. Of course that wasn’t four days of extremely heavy use, but that’s not the point. The point is that I need to charge my iPhone every day even if I don’t use it, because by the next morning I’ll be down to 10% or 20%.

It’s not just my iPhone that requires a lot of charging though. My MacBook Pro does as well, and while that handles standby much better, I use my computer enough to need to plug it in usually every night. That didn’t used to be a big deal, until I had a kid, who beelines for the power cord and loves ripping it out of the laptop.

I think the fact that I can go nearly a week of light use without having to charge is amazing and really adds a lot to the usefulness of the iPad.

Apps

The Apple promotional videos do a good job of demonstrating how well things like Mail and Safari perform on the iPad. While I normally use the Gmail interface for all my mail, I currently have to choose between either the iPhone mobile version, which feels like I’m wasting space, or the desktop version, which I feel lost with without keyboard shortcuts. The nice HTML5 interface is only available for actual gmail.com addresses, not Google Apps. So I’ve been using Mail and have been really happy with it, especially in landscape mode.

Of my few complaints about the iPad, and one of the things I’m sure I will pay for by being an early adopter, is lag you can get in Safari when scrolling a large webpage with lots of images. I’ve only noticed it on one site (Gizmodo), but it just feels so … unlike Apple. So when the next version of the iPad comes with twice the RAM, I’ll be kicking myself a bit. But it’s only a slight annoyance, and doesn’t really effect my actual web browsing much.

Personal Use

So here’s the most important part. It’s something that will differ greatly between people, but I also think is one of the most important part of any iPad review, as people are still discovering how this piece of technology fits into their lives.

This is my typical iPad day:

Early Morning: I wake up from the alarm on my iPad (appropriately enough). I check to see if any mail, Facebook messages, Twitter DM’s, etc came in overnight, and then lookup the weather. Same things I did with my iPhone, though a bit more pleasant as I don’t have to squint with my sleepy eyes.

After I get ready for the day, I sit down for breakfast. This is where I truly love my iPad, as I’m able to fully enjoy the New York Times. I used to read this on my iPhone, but that felt like a very cramped experience for any newspaper. I’ve also tried watching NBC Nightly News from the night before, which I download via iTunes. I’ll catch up on Twitter and then use the beautiful Calendar app to check my schedule for the day.

Noon: Every day for lunch I go down to our conference room and read for a half hour. I used to do this on my iPhone. Now I do it on my iPad, and it is such a nicer experience. I can actually lay the iPad flat on the table and still read it while keeping it a safe distance away from my lunch. This is something I could not do with my iPhone.

Also, I can see myself watching more videos via Netflix or the ABC app, something I never bothered with on the iPhone’s tiny screen. I also occasionally play a game like Plants vs Zombies when I’m not in a reading mood, and that’s again where the iPad really shines.

Evening: This is where I’m using the iPad most – something I’m very surprised at. In fact, the first week I had my iPad, I didn’t touch my Macbook Pro.

The iPad is just so much more comfortable to use. I do an average of two hours of computer use at home every night. Doing all of that on a laptop is ok, but I rarely feel like I’m relaxing while using it. Even with it on my lap, it’s similar to how I use my computer at work, so I kind of feel like I’m in front of a computer the whole day. Not with the iPad though. I also brought it outside on evening last week, something I never ever do with my Macbook.

I also like the fact that there’s no multitasking, as I can really focus on what I’m doing at the moment, whether it’s web browsing, emailing, or catching up on Twitter. There’s no distractions.

I’ve been heading to bed earlier, as I can finish up whatever I’m doing on the iPad. I hated trying to use my laptop in bed, as it just never felt comfortable.

I noticed that there is a big gap here – the mid-morning and afternoon. I just haven’t found the need for my iPad when I have a 27″ iMac in front of me at work.

A Laptop Replacement?

No, not completely. I did use my iPad for about 75% of my computer time over the past week, which is pretty astounding. But I really needed my Macbook for the remaining 25%. Obviously, I could not do website development on my iPad, and that was the main use of that time. I also was researching cars this weekend, and I found for an activity like that which involved rigorous research, the Macbook served me better as I had tons of tabs open and was taking notes at the same time. Lastly, I brought out the Macbook a few times when I had lengthier emails or posts (like this) to write.

Besides that, it was a joy not having a hot, heavy laptop on my lap for most of the evening. The iPad’s battery has really spoiled me on my Macbook’s battery as well. I often have to use my Macbook plugged in as the battery just does not last as long as it used to.

Conclusion

Put simply: I honestly think the iPad will change computing. In one week it has drastically changed the way I use computers in my life. It is expensive in that it is a luxury item: It will not replace your phone, it will not replace your laptop. But I have discovered that there was indeed a massive hole in-between those two items, which the iPad filled perfectly. It has really improved the technological quality of my life.