Now that I’ve had my iPad for a couple of weeks I figure I’ve given it enough time to come to a reasonable conclusion of whether or not, as a device, it makes sense and how it fits into my life. Granted, as a digital/new media professional, my computer use and needs are quite different than a typical persons might be. Even though I knew after day one that this new “magical” device was an ideal fit for my lifestyle - both as a consumer and as a professional - I wanted to put it through a series of real world tests before coming to any conclusions and writing a post about it. So, now that there’s been ample time, here it is.
The more I use it, the more I realize that the iPad fits perfectly into my digital lifestyle… much more so than I thought it would. Prior to the iPad, one of the items on my wish-list was another desktop, an iMac to be exact. The reason for this was that I currently use my 17″ MacBook Pro as my primary computer, in the office and on the road. In the office I utilize it as a full blown desktop with a workstation setup, including: a stand, bluetooth keyboard, trackball, USB hub for various USB and FireWire devices, and external speakers. On the road, well… as you might know, it’s a beast on the road, handling like a portable desktop. It’s great! But, sometimes it’s just too big and it’s always a little sketchy to have your primary machine with you. Plus, I probably use it on the road, and for outside meetings, about 15-20% of the time. The rest of the time it’s safe and sound. Now that I have an iPad, I can leave my MBP safe and sound at the office while I utilize the iPad as a laptop… it’s the best of both worlds. The iPad is way easier to carry around than a laptop, and my MBP can stay safe in it’s workstation environment, but can also be taken on the road if need be. I love it!
Considering that my primary issue with the iPad upon its announcement was that it would be running solely on an iPhone Operating System, one of the criteria I wanted to test was that, while on the road, what couldn’t I do with the iPad that I could do with my MBP. The answer is not that much given what programs I generally use while on the road and at meetings. I obviously can’t launch any of my Adobe apps like Photoshop or Dreamweaver (natively from the iPad) but, then again, I never do when in a typical meeting, except if I’m working remotely. Although, if I really need to, I can roll up my designer or developer sleeves by launching any CS4 app via Desktop Connect. Plus, more and more I’m managing websites via various Content Management Systems and blogging platforms, like Drupal and WordPress, which are managed from a web-based interface that work just as good on the iPad as they do on the desktop (with the exception of the backend maintenance - which can also be achieved through SSH via Desktop Connect. The result, an iPad and an iPhone is all I need to stay completely connected and productive while away from the office. It’s the perfect go-between device for my iPhone and MacBook Pro.
I can basically handle all my business activities from the following screen. Which just so happens to include some of my favorite Business Apps (so far) for the iPad.
Desktop Connect - An essential App for staying completely connected. With this program, I can access my Mac from anywhere… providing full access as if I was in front of it. Whether I need to view some documents, launch and edit something via any Adobe CS4 program I have, demo one of my Flash sites, or grabbing some flash video I can’t access via the iPad. Though, watching video via Desktop Connect is not ideal as the frame rate is significantly reduced but, I was able to view Hulu and Boxee videos (see below).
Here, File, File - Is another must-have for accessing files on your other machines. Definitely one my favorite apps on the iPad as well as the iPhone. (While they haven’t released their iPad only [or, HD] version yet, the hybrid works great.) Not only can you access any file on your other computers to view or export via email, but the other beautiful thing about HFF is that you can also stream media to your iPad / iPhone. The other day I was remotely streaming a full-length 1.1GB movie from my home computer to my iPad and it played back perfectly.
Instapaper - One of my favorite cloud based apps that works just as expected on the iPad.
Evernote - As with Instapaper, Evernote is another must have tool for keeping organized in the cloud, and they’ve done a great job with their iPad App.
Omnifocus - As my readers know, this is my go-to app for getting things done and even though Omni Group hasn’t yet released their iPad only version, the iPhone (or, hybrid) version works great.
GoodReader - The best PDF Reader for the iPad I’ve come across. It’s a terrific PDF reader and makes it a breeze to manage files.
Adobe Ideas - Is one of those simple, free, apps that is just genius. It’s a simple drawing/sketching/mapping tool that you can use however you please but it has some very cool features that only Adobe would deliver to us in a free app.
iWorks for iPad - at $9.99 each Pages, Keynote, and Numbers for the iPad are by far the best word processing, presentation tool, and spreadsheet programs for the money. Transferring native files between the Mac and the iPad is also a snap via iTunes or by email, as well as several other export options.
Notes (pre-installed) - Great for taking notes to sync with your Notes on the iPhone and in Mail on the Mac via iTunes sync.
There’s no doubt about it, Apple is definitely taking their iPad Business customers seriously.
The keyboard is super responsive, I actually wrote this entire post on the iPad with the virtual keyboard. I’ve gotten pretty used to the iPhone keyboard and can definitely type faster on it than I used to on my BlackBerry Pearl, and the iPad keyboard is obviously far superior just because of it’s size, especially when in landscape mode. On a side note, one thing that really helps with typing on the iPad is using Apple’s iPad Case. 
The case itself is pretty ingenious and I feel it’s a must have companion. It can be folded in a variety of ways and is not only great for typing on an angle but, it also serves as a great display when folded on its edge for watching video and giving presentations. It’s just a slick all around case. It’s also very liberating to be able to walk into a meeting with what looks like a super thin, incognito, writing pad or (paper) notebook and know that I have everything I need right at my fingertips.
Over the past couple of weeks I’ve also whipped up a Keynote presentation and presented it on the iPad. I’ve sketched out a couple impromptu client wireframes on Adobe Ideas. Stayed up to date with all my action items, and created new tasks and projects, via OmniFocus. Written numerous notes via Notes and Evernote. Created a couple of Pages docs. I’ve used it more for email than my iPhone and perhaps even my MBP. And, best of all, I no longer need to drag my 17″ MacBook Pro around with me to meetings and presentations. Now, it hasn’t been all roses and there have been a couple of drawbacks but the advantages have far outweighed them. One of which is that while extremely convenient, presenting a deck on the iPad does lack a certain impact that comes with the big 17″ display of the MBP (I have yet to pick up the VGA adapter to test the hook up on a big screen but will be doing so shortly) and if you’ve created a presentation for a larger screen you’ll have some work ahead of you to reformat it for the iPad, as I experienced with a 30 slide deck I had some fun with. The other drawback of presenting on the iPad is it’s lack of a remote, though I’m sure one will be appearing for the iPhone shortly in the App Store.
Web 
browsing really is far better on the iPad than on any other platform I’ve experienced, even though there is no flash support (more on that later). It’s also a lot faster on the iPad that anything else I’ve experienced. But, the main benefit to browsing on the iPad is that it’s just so natural. If you think about it, Steve Jobs hit it right on the head when he pointed out that the way we use personal computers today is pretty archaic… it hasn’t changed since it’s introduction, with the exception of the mouse now several decades old. You also find yourself bobbing back and forth from the monitor as you discover things that engage you. With the iPad it’s all right there, smack dab in front of you with complete control. Switching from landscape to portrait mode for improved reading, and scrolling through pages with a swipe of a finger…. it really is a remarkable experience. Getting back to reading for a sec, I find it’s a vast improvement as well. Being that the internet is the primary source I get my news from and I use my computer for the majority of reading (documents and such) I’ve welcomed the iPad with open arms. I think we all can agree that reading on a computer, no matter how nice the screen is, sucks big time. Whereas reading on the iPad is actually quite enjoyable, whether it be on the web, through iBooks, email or Marvel Comics. Plus, after reading, and viewing, some books and periodicals on the iPad, I have no doubt that this is where the future of print, or shall I say touchscreen, publications are at. I won’t get into all the entertainment factors and features that the iPad brings forth (here, I’ll get into that in Part 2), but I can sum them up in one word… and that is, wow! Viewed on the stunning 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen with a 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi), images, video, and games look spectacular.
Quick note on the Flash support. I’ve been a huge supporter of Flash for well over ten years and there’s no doubt that it has maintained its position at the forefront of helping build a truly interactive Internet. Flash continues to create groundbreaking releases and the latest version, Adobe Flash Professional CS5, is the best yet with some mind-blowing capabilities. However, there is one big issue with Flash, it’s a resource hog. It’s actually worse than that… it’s more like a hog on steroids. Just check this screenshot… Flash is eating up nearly 107 % of my cpu resources. That just absurd. If Flash was running on my iPad the battery would last closer to 40 minutes than to the 10+ hours Apple claims, which I’ve experienced myself. Unfortunately, since Adobe can’t seem to figure this out, and it hasn’t seemed to bother them for years, these may just be the last days of Flash. It’s no longer needed. Between CSS 3, HTML 5, and JavaScript, websites will be able to do everything Flash delivers without any proprietary plugins or excessive CPU clocking. Meaning that, interactive websites will be accessible across all platforms on all devices without having to install a thing, or kill your devices battery life.
Viewing one of my Flash projects on the iPad via Desktop Connect
For those who think the iPad is just a big iPod Touch, an analogy that has been used excessively ever since it was announced, the fact of the matter is that it is not. My thoughts are that those who are saying that haven’t yet had the opportunity to experience it first hand. Because as soon as you hold an iPad it becomes very clear at this is not just a big iPod. The size itself (about 7 iPod Touch’s) lends itself to so much more. Those are the same naysayers that didn’t think the original iPod or iTunes would make a dent in the distribution and consumption of digital music. Cut to 7 years later and iTunes is the largest music retailer in the United States (ahead of brick and mortar giant Wal-Mart) and Apple has sold over 100 million iPods.
I could probably go on for another 1000 words on other features that I love about the iPad but I’ll just wrap it up here and save the rest for another time. But to sum it all up, there’s no question that the iPad has proven to be a great purchase. Further, now that I’ve lived with it for a couple of weeks and used it for both productivity and media consumption, there is no question in my mind that the iPad is indeed a game changer. I predict that in 3-5 years time the iPad will be the top selling computer device in the US. By that time, the 16 GB wifi model will be closer to $100, the iBook store will have every book and publication imaginable and it will just be too good and cost effective not to pass up. But, then again, these are just my own personal thoughts. On that note, I’ll leave you with one last link…
Hulu on the iPad via Desktop Connect
