So it’s been a few weeks since I bought the iPad now. It still feels very early to give a definitive judgement on wether or not it’s worth it.

Basically what I use it for so far is still pretty much what I said before. I use it to surf in the morning. I use it to watch videos, though I’ve changed video players and do actually stream most of the content from my computer because it’s less hassle than transferring the files (I can transfer wirelessly if I want to bring the iPad with me or shut down my laptop). I really like watching video on it, it’s usually very comfortable and the screen size is good enough for almost everything I want to watch.

I’ve also downloaded the Kindle app, since I have a Kindle I have quite a few books on there and all the books I’ve bought for the Kindle are automatically downloaded to the iPad as well. It’s quite nice to read on the iPad in the dark, where the Kindle needs a light and thus is slightly more uncomfortable to hold.

Since I don’t have a second screen I have actually used it as that a little bit lately with work. I am doing something where I constantly have to look at a PDF to compare results and it fills the job as an extra screen like that very well. It’s obviously not something I would do at home, but at home there are other things I could imagine doing.

When I get back to school in Sweden I do believe it will come in very handy. I usually bring the computer with me to study because I need to look at PDF’s or look up formulas and to do some surfing during breaks. I think the iPad will be a very nice replacement for a laptop there because it fills all the functions and minimizes distractions. And obviously it’s a very good music player as well so I don’t have to drain my iPhone during the day.

There is one thing I want to complain about with the iPad so far. The App selection is significantly worse than for the iPhone. I was expecting that almost all people who made an App made it for the iPad as well. With most apps it’s really not that much more work and you get a lot bigger market, but no; that’s not the case. There is only a fraction of the Apps for iPad as there is for the iPhone. Often I’ve gone to look for something and have been disappointed in the selection. Furthermore, the price of Apps in Apples App stores seem to be directly related to the size of the screen. The average price for an app on iPhone (for apps I look at) is 7 SEK and on the iPad it’s 22 SEK or above. Even really crappy Apps that should be free are 22 SEK.

I’m still happy I bought one. I use it every day for a little something even if it’s something I could easily do somewhere else. I’d still like to hold out judgement on if it’s worth the money or not. It’s definitely not a life-changer and if you’re strapped for cash then forget it. But if you have the money laying around and want to make you’re life just slightly, slightly more convenient? I think it could be worth it.

Of course, I have the Wi-Fi version so that’s all I’m talking about. Are you on the move a lot and want to always have a good way to do E-mail, surfing or whatever else; then the 3G version could change your life.

Hello everyone!

When the iPad 2 was announced I decided I wanted one. People all around me said that it was so awesome and they used it for everything.

I still remain somewhat hesitant towards it’s use cases but I do believe it has some value.

I was going to buy the iPad on the release day here in Tokyo but because of the earthquake the release was postponed. Until today. This how I watched an episode of Community just a while ago..

However I don’t intend to use it as an extra screen for my laptop like that. I mainly had two use cases in mind when I bought it, the first was to browse the web in bed in the mornings and the second was to use it to watch video without having to have a 50 degrees warm computer in my lap when I’m not at the table.

I’ve already found two perfect apps for both those uses. You can’t surf efficiently with mobile safari so I’ve installed a browser called Mercury which does tabbed browsing and that whole thing very nicely. I’ve also installed BUZZ Player that takes any video format and handles subtitle files and embedded subtitles awesomely. I just move any video file very easily from the computer to the iPad via iTunes and I can sort the videos and play them via BUZZ!

I have yet to become fully accustomed to the keyboard, I’ve written this whole thing on the iPad now and it’s certainly faster than writing in an iPhone but also a lot slower than on a computer so far. I am getting faster by the minute though and if I can make a little less mistakes than it should be almost comparable to a computer with enough practice. We’ll see about that though..

I bought the iPad mostly as an experiment and so far it’s been fun. Lets see if It can live up to it’s name and if I actually find a real use for it!

I thought this video was so awesome I just had to share it. I have been very reserved in my judgement of the iPad. I’ve never said I didn’t want one and I’ve never said it will be “useless” or anything of the kind. The following video is an example of how easy it is to use, yet how really powerful it is at entertaining and teaching.

I think the iPad will show it’s true colors after about 3-6 months when most of the life-changing apps will have been released for it.

Just wanted to put a link here to what I think is an excellent explanation of the iPad and why it exists.

http://www.edibleapple.com/ipad-a-computer-for-the-rest-of-them/

Let me set the scene for you. The year is 2015 and most of the web have been upgraded to the HTML 5 standard. Video is delivered with HTML 5 and games are all produced with WebGL or some derivative thereof. You don’t really care about the games though. You’re a wealthy 30-something businessman with a successful startup behind you. Your new company is thriving and pushing forward and everyone is looking to you for inspiration and approval. In your small world, you are the big man.

This is the iPad. The only kind of Panel I would ever bring to the beach.

All your life you’ve never really been able to adapt to the “normal workplace”. 9 to 5 doesn’t suit you and because of your position now you can choose any time and place to work at as you wish. Today, you’ve chosen the beach in Maui, next to your summer house.

You do almost all of your business by phone, with a wireless headset you sit in a beach chair next to a short table. On the table is a drink, it’s orange-red and you think it’s a Jamaica but you don’t really know; you just ordered something sweet from the waiter who works at the bar next to your house. Next to your drink is a panel, a screen with sexy sleek application showing you a merged stream of important people on Twitter and the hottest news-sites on the web.

You get a call, it’s Phil – the economics-guy -  you know he has a pretty big presentation tomorrow and he’s calling you to get a confidence boost and make sure his slides and data seems OK. “The presentation should be in your Inbox” says Phil. You reach over and grab the panel next to your drink, putting it in your lap. You exit your news-feed and check the Inbox, it is indeed there. You open the presentation up, check over the layout and wording, you fix a couple of things and make sure the data and graphs look alright, you add a different less cheesy transition to a slide (Phil has a perverted fancy for using the star-wipe) and then send it back to him. “Just checked it over Phil and it’s alright, some minor fixes, I sent it back to you”. You talk it over with Phil and make sure he’s on the ball with everything and then hang up.

While the panel is in your lap you think you might as well check the latest numbers on your stocks and go through some more email. You log onto Facebook and update your status to “Chillin’ on the beach as usual, think I’ll go for some scuba-diving today though”.

You put on the latest episode of The Daily Show and stand it back on the table next to your drink.

Life is sweet.