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Experiment: To work primarily on an iPad for a week

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Re: Experiment: To work primarily on an iPad for a week

#51

Post by AJ007 »

dfxm12 wrote: post #34
kunle wrote: post #12

I tried this as well 2 weeks ago. The OP has a much more comprehensive breakdown of why it didnt work than I do (and a much more involved workload than i was intending). Personally and in my conversation with folks, I find that as a productivity device, iPad users fall into 2 buckets. Bucket 1: Creators: developers, designers, writers and such - folks who need to create documents and other work product. Broadly speak…

I think the iPad will get there eventually I don't think we'll get to a point where professional or enterprise level creation happens on an iPad, outside of typing text or filling out forms (if that even counts). Apple's direction with the iPad is purely as a device for buying and/or consuming data, and will maintain as much control as they can.

There are iOS mods (jailbroken) which currently enable keyboard commands and mouse use for the iPad right now. Multitasking is a big weakness that other tablet OS's are addressing or moving in the direction to address.

Let's hypothesize a 25" tablet, suspended from a monitor arm, with support for keyboard commands, mouse, and multitasking. That is effectively a desktop. The downside is processing power, which I am assuming will continue on an exponential upward trend in addition to seeing CPU intensive processing offloaded to remote servers (compiling, rendering 3D images, converting video, stuff that already is often done remotely today.) The part of this vision I find hardest to believe is a 25" tablet, so I assume it will have to wait for an advance in display tech leading to lightweight/fold-able/roll-able/etc.

Sure, Apple is going in one direction today, but if iOS falls too far behind the feature/usability curve their tablet dominance will fall.

Re: Experiment: To work primarily on an iPad for a week

#53

Post by kin »

Ideally if I could have an 11" MBA where I can twist the screen and snap it in place over the keyboard to turn it into an 11" iPad that would be ideal but would never happen.

Sometimes I want to play/browse and iOS is perfect for that with its apps and form factor and touch screen. Sometimes I want to work/create and OSX is perfect for that with its keyboard and multi-tasking and desktop applications.

Re: Experiment: To work primarily on an iPad for a week

#54

Post by qu4z-2 »

ctdonath wrote: post #29
_delirium wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Next experiment: To consume content primarily on a non-tablet non-phone for a week. (It will fail a comparable way.) Isn't that what most people do? Browsing share of smartphones/tablets is still not very large compared to laptops and desktops. And about 30-40% of the internet-using population in the U.S., at least, doesn't even own a smartphone or tablet.

They don't regularly consume content using a desktop/laptop while stuck in traffic, riding an elevator, eating lunch, etc. They don't much use a desktop/laptop to take impromptu pictures, make phone calls, do inventory, etc. BTW: capturing 30-40% of the internet-using population in just 3.5 years is an amazing achievement.

> riding an elevator

Do people really do this? "Oh, the elevator's going up. Let me watch two minutes of my favourite TV show!"

Maybe I'm just sick of technology, but while I'm having lunch I want to enjoy my lunch, and maybe chat idly with some friends/colleagues.

Re: Experiment: To work primarily on an iPad for a week

#55

Post by wffurr »

bluedino wrote: post #42
MetaCosm wrote: post #15

http://yieldthought.com/post/31857050698/ipad-linode-1-year-... <- guy who tried it for a year.

Seems very forced. I've used vim on an iPad for a bit just to try it, and it was very inconvenient compared to a small laptop.

What's wrong with vim on an iPad? Unless you mean you tried it with the screen keyboard. That's just madness. vim works fantastically well with the Apple wireless keyboard and Prompt (Panic ssh app).

Re: Experiment: To work primarily on an iPad for a week

#56

Post by wffurr »

mark_l_watson wrote: post #41

I use my iPad as much as possible. For writing, I use Leanpub so I need to be able to edit markdown files out of Dropbox. iaWriter works great, and I usually don't even bother to use a bluetooth keyboard. For accessing servers, the Prompt app provides SSH and a special Linux/bash friendly keyboard. For research, a web browser and Evernote work fine. So, top level comment: writing works well on an iPad, programming mu…

I have a hard time imagining writing anything substantial with a screen keyboard, much less programming. And yet you still say writing works well.

Longest thing I've managed to type without going nuts so far is a five line email.

Re: Experiment: To work primarily on an iPad for a week

#57

Post by wffurr »

youngtaff wrote: post #16

I'm working on a book, and wanted to do some editing and writing when I went on holiday a couple of weeks ago so I took my iPad and a bluetooth keyboard with me. Whole experience convinced me that if I was do do it again I'd get something like a Chromebook or Netbook. There's no real way to drive the iPad using only a keyboard and you have to reach for the screen too many times e.g. flicking between document being ed…

Android has a few nice keyboard shortcuts baked in, including a basic alt-tab app switching menu.

Shame Apple can't see clear to adding some basic features like that for keyboard users, who while admittedly are a minority would really love to have some functionality like that.

Re: Experiment: To work primarily on an iPad for a week

#59

Post by ctdonath »

qu4z-2 wrote: post #54
ctdonath wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They don't regularly consume content using a desktop/laptop while stuck in traffic, riding an elevator, eating lunch, etc. They don't much use a desktop/laptop to take impromptu pictures, make phone calls, do inventory, etc. BTW: capturing 30-40% of the internet-using population in just 3.5 years is an amazing achievement.

> riding an elevator Do people really do this? "Oh, the elevator's going up. Let me watch two minutes of my favourite TV show!" Maybe I'm just sick of technology, but while I'm having lunch I want to enjoy my lunch, and maybe chat idly with some friends/colleagues.

Do people really do this?

Yes, they do. Those few seconds are a great time to sift thru emails ("junk...junk...junk..."), check weather for the next hour while I'm outside (Dark Sky; "aw, man, it's gonna rain in 10 minutes"), watch short videos ("awright, what's this 'You Shall Not Pass' goat video?").

And I take my iPad to lunch to facilitate any interesting, albeit idle, chats ("have you heard of X?" "yeah, look at this" [pulls up webpage]).

Yeah, you're sick of technology. Some of us are addicted to it. Well, a LOT of us.

Re: Experiment: To work primarily on an iPad for a week

#60

Post by youngtaff »

wffurr wrote: post #57
youngtaff wrote: post #16

I'm working on a book, and wanted to do some editing and writing when I went on holiday a couple of weeks ago so I took my iPad and a bluetooth keyboard with me. Whole experience convinced me that if I was do do it again I'd get something like a Chromebook or Netbook. There's no real way to drive the iPad using only a keyboard and you have to reach for the screen too many times e.g. flicking between document being ed…

Android has a few nice keyboard shortcuts baked in, including a basic alt-tab app switching menu. Shame Apple can't see clear to adding some basic features like that for keyboard users, who while admittedly are a minority would really love to have some functionality like that.

I've never tried the bluetooth keyboard with my Nexus 4 or the wife's Nexus 7 so will have to give it a go.

I could just about cope with the differences between Android 2.x and iOS but since I've moved to Android 4.x I find iOS so frustrating to use so next tablet will probably be the new Nexus 7

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