<p>@ idad,
Yes, more will drive cars. But in Texas, the pickup is the car…:)</p>
<p>You can order or put an SSD in a MacBook Pro too.</p>
<p>My experience with SSDs has them booting up in about half the times as HDDs. Applications start up much faster too.</p>
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<p>IDad, I cannot claim that I have traveled around the globe with the iPad, but I believe that my recent and current experience is hardly unique. </p>
<p>I do not know that you can connect an adapter for transfering pictures. I have it … and allow me to ask if you actually have tried to use it to transfer photos from and into multiple directories? I happen to have a collection of 1200 photos that have to be shown to scientists. The iPad “could” be a great display tool, but it simply cannot do the job. Do you know what worked better? A 100 bucks photo frame that was just as clear as the iPad, accepted a USB stick and came with a remote control! The day you find a way to connect a USB to the adapter and actually organize a few dozens photo directories without that ITunes POS, please let me know! </p>
<p>I have Pages and Numbers … thanks, but no thanks!. Keynote is a great program, but a large part of the world remains Powerpoint centric, and it is simply easier to stick to the truly tested (and installed) MS Powerpoint. I used Dropbox, Box.net, and several other “cloud” programs. The worst application of the first two is on the IPad. If you experience “instant” access via your iPad, you must be blessed wth quite a fast access! </p>
<p>I do believe that with the iPad 6 or 7, we might actually end up with a business tool. In its current version, however, the iPad is an attractive instrument but not one that does do anything better than an existing technology. I wish it was better and that I could love it, but I cannot. Today, I happen to listen to a sales pitch for an iPad 2 in Europe. The poor couple who walked out of the store were in their sixties, and they were sold a bunch of baloney by the salesman. The most laughable one was that Apple guaranteed the best software because Itunes was updated almost daily while Windows was updated very 5 years. The older couple asked how hard it would be to print pictures from the iPad and the answer was … it’s so easy with the Cloud! Yeah, right on!</p>
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<p>It all depends on one’s definition of computing. The iPad will become better, but it will remain a passive tool with limited input and production possibilities. It will be great to passively RECEIVE and ACCESS information, but has too many limitations to offer the user much in terms of productivity, unless this productivity is confined to email and messages.</p>
<p>I generally agree with xiggi’s impressions on the iPad. It is a useful device for some things but it mainly a device for the consumption of information. The iPad is almost completely closed. On Mac OS X or Windows, you can get access to just about anything if you have some knowledge about using operating systems. Third-party device makers provide device drivers so that they can extend your system to use additional devices.</p>
<p>This is very hard to do on the iPad unless Apple decides to open it up and I see no indications that they will do this in the near future.</p>
<p>On the PC side, there is a company that makes an App runner that runs on Windows so that you can run Android Apps on a PC. That gives you the best of both worlds in terms of software.</p>
<p>Industry sources are predicting that Apple will sell 1.5 million MacBook Airs per quarter with the updated Sandy Bridge version. They sell far more iPads but I think that the MBAs will do far more work.</p>
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<p>Oops, I meant that I DO know you can connect the adapter to the iPad. However, that does not work well with a USB stick and requires a specific organization of the files on the card. The destination of the files is also not conducive to a proper organization.</p>
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<p>Hear, hear. This drives me nuts about the iPad. I can’t figure out how to make different photo albums on the darn thing. I have a connector to download photos and it works really well to transfer photos from a camera directly onto the iPad. But I can’t seem to organize them.</p>
<p>I’m using another program to make folders of photos, but have to view the photos using that program (which doesn’t move as smoothly as the actual iPad photo function). Well, one of these days, I’ll have to learn how. I just wish it were intuitive.</p>
<p>I concur. I love my iPad, but it’s a consumption device, not a workhorse.</p>
<p>Have noticed that relatives who were waxing on & on about how wonderful their ipads were have not been using them at any of the recent family gatherings. Am surprised interest has waned already. It does seem a very cute device for playing games, quick & short internet access/surfing and the like. It does not seem suitable for extensive word processing, etc. which is what a lot of us use computers (desktop and/or laptop) for. My kids realized this early on & have never wanted an iPad, as they are creators more than consumers (at least in their minds).</p>
<p>Of course, it may change as new generations of the device emerge. I’m not sold on apple because I will lose my invaluable tech support who ONLY does windows.</p>
<p>It is possible that Ultrabooks will supplant tablets in the future where you get tablet and notebook functionality in a very slim and light package.</p>
<p>I have both an ultraportable, a MacBook Air and an iPad. I use the iPad more frequently than the notebook, but for long document production and some other tasks, the notebook is better. If I had to decide between one or the other, I would choose my iPad (with blutooth keyboard).</p>
<p>The new MacBook Air is quite wonderful though, really fast, beautiful display, and really thin and light. I was reading an article today that it will be a year or more before there will be comparable wintel computers for the same price. It appears, the current cost of production comes in at around the current selling price of a MacBook Air. Apple is definetly the price/performance/quality leader in this category. I do have a couple of friends that run Windows 7, because of work rules, on it, and they proclaim it to be the best Windows machine they ever used.</p>
<p>Hmmm, I like netbooks and am sad that Costco carries only two these days but LOTS of tablets (no Apple products at all). At some point, I’d like to buy a netbook again because they are great to travel with. Maybe by the time I’m ready to purchase again, there will be light models that don’t generate too much heat. </p>
<p>My big issue with apple is that our family isn’t too good about tech support for their products and they’re so proprietary that you can’t use other products with their things. Another friend just acquired a MacBook Air.</p>
<p>Netbooks used to be very cheap. At first, they came out running Linux and then Microsoft countered with Windows XP on netbooks for $15. Eventually Linux died on netbooks.</p>
<p>Microsoft charges full price on Windows 7 on netbooks now so the prices are a lot higher.</p>
<p>You can still find Windows XP netbooks on Newegg though but Microsoft intends to desupport XP in 2014.</p>
<p>I like the computers to use the same systems, so they’re pretty seamless going from one to the other. Sad that Microsoft software is making netbooks so expensive. I really like the concept and portability but am not happy about rising prices!</p>
<p>What other products can’t one use with Apple computers? And their tech support is rated best in the world, especially if one lives near an Apple store. Netbooks are not a bad way to go though, if one can get one under $300.</p>
<p>My understanding is that you have to buy the apple stuff for the iPad rather than whatever you want or have lying around (all ours are PC)–eg wireless keyboard, adapter to print photos, etc. My tech support is hubby, S & D. I consider them the best in the world & can’t beat the price. We have had hassles helping my SIL with her apple & one of my BFFs has had a lot of trouble with her D’s apple.</p>
<p>You need iTunes for the iPad and iTunes runs on Windows.</p>