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Giving up the iPad-only travel dream

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Re: Giving up the iPad-only travel dream

#491
post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The iPad is a much better tablet than the Surface. The art and note apps are incomparably better. The ebook reader apps too. iPad OS is limited, but it's fine for reading, writing and sketching. It's good to do that on a separate device that is not connected to work stuff. I can bring my iPad in the bedroom because it's just a fancy book. Windows is also far too needy for this sort of device. I returned my Surface af…

> The iPad is a much better tablet than the Surface but useless as a computer? I needed to apply for a visa -It can't even handle that simple task! Like all I had to do, is collaste togesther a few dozen documents (bank statements, utility bills, etc.), merge all them into PDfs and organise pages cronologically. Couldn't even do that. whats the point of having a great processor in an iPad if it's all wasted. This is…

That's the point. I tried unifying those devices and couldn't. Now I carry both.

Re: Giving up the iPad-only travel dream

#492

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only Apple iPads as far as I could see, but by no means only the most expensive or newest. Non-Apple tablet devices really are not often seen in the UK (some convertible PCs, the occasional Samsung tablet). If you spend a lot of time on public transport, an iPad isn't really that much of a luxury item. It's a really pragmatic choice, and at least in the UK an entry-level or recent secondhand iPad is not much more exp…

>We really get crammed into trains. Sincerely, from someone in the third world who has taken UK public transport. You don't. I don't say this to disparage your message, but hopefully to give some gratitude for the nice things you do have over there. I found it most amusing how people would get antsy and annoyed when a train was more than 5 minutes late in the UK. For years of me taking South African trains, if there…

I’m sure you’re totally right, but try getting a cross-country train in the UK on a Sunday when the two trains in front of you have been cancelled. And paying £110 for the privledge. You really do get crammed in.

Also try the Tube in London’s rush hour - more like stuffed in than even crammed in. Full armpit-in-the-face experience.

Re: Giving up the iPad-only travel dream

#493

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So is a very cost effective way to make use of what might be 2+ hours of every working day. Here is the first mistake. Get rid of the ridiculous commute. Then, you will not need an iPad!

Two hours of commuting in the south east of the UK is as little as thirty miles each way in the overground part alone. Quite a common commute. Far from a ridiculous one, and if you get a seat, not really very uncomfortable. You can either drive it and do nothing but listen to something relatively simple, or sit in a train and read/work/draw/listen/play games/sleep. (It’s not my commute; I work from home. But I visit…

30 miles is an outrageous commute. To put it another way, there are 2800 square miles of land closer than your job.

Re: Giving up the iPad-only travel dream

#494
post #149

The key sentence here is: > This is the fundamental difference between the Mac (a platform that basically lets developers and users do anything they want) and the iPad (where if Apple doesn’t specifically allow it, it can’t be done). Apple (since Lisa/Mac, after Apple II, which had an open architecture) likes appliances and to control the user experience, so the iPad is "more Apple" than Macs are. Whenever I am waiti…

I traveled with a Kindle Fire Tablet (middle device).

I’m loving it. It’s been mainly used for video on this trip. Quick web searches and killing time ready a distant second.

It’s a better size for a plane. I’m lucky in that I always have a gentleman in front of me that can pull 2gs pushing his seat back in a seemingly targeted attempt to snap my laptop screen. Not an issue with the middle device. And it is costs hundreds less than my laptop when the flight attendant spills a coffee on it.

That said, you still need a computer to compute. The mid size device is still for consumption. The article makes the case that it’s getting better, but it isn’t there

Re: Giving up the iPad-only travel dream

#495
post #149

The key sentence here is: > This is the fundamental difference between the Mac (a platform that basically lets developers and users do anything they want) and the iPad (where if Apple doesn’t specifically allow it, it can’t be done). Apple (since Lisa/Mac, after Apple II, which had an open architecture) likes appliances and to control the user experience, so the iPad is "more Apple" than Macs are. Whenever I am waiti…

So which single device do you travel with? I think it's obvious to most people that a phone can't replace a laptop in tons of situations and vice versa.

Re: Giving up the iPad-only travel dream

#496

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I travel with just an iPad and a Phone. The iPad is great for media consumption while traveling. e.g. playing some games or watching shows, and it's good enough to do some cramped work in a pinch (sales and business management). Also take notes/sketch with the pencil, read a book/article. Most of the things I would use the iPad for can be done better with a more dedicated, or more versatile, channel. Like a laptop, o…

I still don’t understand why a laptop wouldn’t work for most of those use cases if you already are carrying one. Sure it’s a bit tedious to use a huge laptop on a plane but a 13” laptop will fit on your lap and in your bag nearly as easily as a 10” tablet.

I can hold an iPad in one hand pretty much indefinitely and it’s small enough that is comfortable to use in cramped spaces (like a plane).

Even a 13” laptop is a challenge when flying in coach.

Re: Giving up the iPad-only travel dream

#497
post #149

The key sentence here is: > This is the fundamental difference between the Mac (a platform that basically lets developers and users do anything they want) and the iPad (where if Apple doesn’t specifically allow it, it can’t be done). Apple (since Lisa/Mac, after Apple II, which had an open architecture) likes appliances and to control the user experience, so the iPad is "more Apple" than Macs are. Whenever I am waiti…

So which single device do you travel with? I think it's obvious to most people that a phone can't replace a laptop in tons of situations and vice versa.

When I travel I usually only have a non-smart phone.

Re: Giving up the iPad-only travel dream

#498

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m in the UK. Yesterday I watched an eighty-plus year old woman settle her similarly elderly, physically-impaired husband into his seat on the train then get out her iPad to write an email. On my journey home in a more crowded train I saw half a dozen iPads just from where I was sitting. They are extremely useful devices for train journeys.

Only Apple iPads or are you using the term generically? I'm guessing you're in London or another major city? Similar to the parent I only ever see iPads in two places, the hands of rich kids in restaurants, and in primary schools.

iPads dominate the "premium" segment worldwide (something like 70-80% market share of tablets from US$300 - US$1000). Below that, it's all versions of Android - Apple doesn't sell non-premium tablets. Above that, Surface has meaningful share, although iPad still plays significantly.

(Source - worked at Google in Android)

Re: Giving up the iPad-only travel dream

#499

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So which single device do you travel with? I think it's obvious to most people that a phone can't replace a laptop in tons of situations and vice versa.

When I travel I usually only have a non-smart phone.

… in a satchel next to homemade granola bars.

Re: Giving up the iPad-only travel dream

#500

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For the same reason they deliberately made iphone apps look bad -- they want applications designed to work with the device to make it a good experience and not applications designed for something else shoehorned in. I see some real wisdom in this approach considering how poor some of the alternative experiences are. Ultimately why would you buy it if it's just an inferior laptop with a touchscreen that you can detach…

> Ultimately why would you buy it if it's just an inferior laptop with a touchscreen that you can detach? Right now it’s inferior not-a-laptop with a touchscreen that you can detach and people still buy it.

Not really. It’s instead a different device offering an experience that doesn’t require a keyboard or mouse at all.
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