<p>The current one can print (but you have to have an airplay compatible printer, which I think most people don’t have)
My guess is that next one will have a camera, so you could video-chat…</p>
<p>“On a funny note…I received this email yesterday…a joke about all things “i”.”</p>
<p>Did you hear about the new Ipod breast implant? This is good news for women, who are tired of men staring at their breasts and not listening to them.</p>
<p>I’m shamelessly in love with my iPad as well. All 4 of us (me, H and kids) have laptops, but the iPad – even though it’s mine – usually winds up as sort of a “family computer” in the family room – we can be hanging out, and someone has a question that requires the Internet, and poof, it’s easier to use an iPad than it is to drag down a laptop. Interestingly, my H who is the most tech-averse of us all (still uses a regular cell phone, no voicemail, no texting, no smartphone) is a real fan of the iPad due to its simplicity. </p>
<p>Having said that, it’s definitely a luxury item (I got mine for free through work). I only have the wireless, not the 3G. I wouldn’t see a need for our household to get another iPad or for the kids to get them before they go off to school.</p>
<p>2college2college
Also love my iPad, but it does have some crazy spelling corrections.
My favorite so far to my son on an IM:
“How is your vomit going?” instead of “How is your visit going?”</p>
<p>For anyone thinking about getting an ipad but can wait…the Ipad 2 is suppose to be released next April with some significant upgrades (including USB ports) and possibly cheaper. I’m waiting it out.</p>
<p>Okay. About seven hours into the new toy and we are all hooked, even DH who is not at all gadget-savvy. No fights over it yet.</p>
<p>(And I hesitated just a little because I <em>know</em> there will be a better, cheaper version out soon, but that’s always the case, and my little guy really needed something to open on his actual birthday.)</p>
<p>I really cannot join the lovefest. The iPad is a very attractive technological marvel. However, as soon as the novelty wears out, one has to start wondering about what it does BETTER than other devices. The answer to that is … not much. It is MOST definitely not a business tool --although I purchased it for business reasons. In a nutshell, the iPad is a large iPod. If you feel the need to have a large iPod, you “might” like the iPad. Well, that is if you also enjoy the much larger weight. The iPad is a very decent reader, but hardly better than the Kindle. Interestingly enough, one of the very apps for the iPad is … Kindle. And the list goes on!</p>
<p>As others, I did look with certain envy at the people next to me who were using the tablet at Starbucks or in the airport. After finally owning one, I am really wondering what they were doing on the iPad. The best answer is … they were killing time. For this purpose, the iPad is phenomenal. When it comes to killing time with a purpose, the answer is far more cloudy. Do serious work on iPad? It is possible, but you will soon deal with the extreme limitations in sharing your work. Yes, there are new applications that allow you to send “some” files out, but you won’t find much luck getting the files back on a “round trip” with edits? </p>
<p>That the iPad is not a business tool is evident, but this is hardly a large problem as it is essentially a luxury item targeting a specific market. The biggest issue that some very simple tasks, especially some that would have been expected to “shine” on a iPad are nothing else but a royal pain in the backside. Would someone not have expected to have a simple procedure to import pictures from a PC to the iPad. After all, isn’t the gorgeous display a great destination to show family pictures? Would it not be expected that the iPad would allow for an easy transfer of hundreds of pictures and allow one to keep a modicum of organization? I guess all the new owners will soon find out that the solutions are not very straighforward, especially if you do not happen to own a MacBook to help you out. </p>
<p>All in all, the iPad has to be considered an amazing marketing success, but one should not be blind that the version 1 of this product leaves much to be desired. For instance, the absence of VERY simple items such as 1 or 2 USB ports and a camera is simply mindboggling. </p>
<p>My bottom line is that if I did not have to have one, I would not buy it. At least not in its present version. Right now, my iPad is being moved from the kitchen to the living room and used by my family. None of them has bothered clinging to it or use if for an extended period of time. It does, however, work very well as a remote control for the TV. 
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<p>Caveat Emptor!</p>
<p>I love my iPad because it IS a bigger iPod! Too much squinting to view stuff on the iPod.</p>
<p>I do nothing productive on my iPad. I play games, surf the Internet, watch podcasts,etc. </p>
<p>I do wish mine had a USB slot, though. It’s so complicated to move something onto my iPad. I long for dragging a document from a memory stick or a chip.</p>
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<p>You can watch YouTube on the iPad either through the YouTube website or the preloaded YouTube app - no flash required</p>
<p>Many other sites that provide flash videos also provide iPod/iPhone/iPad compatible versions that don’t use flash</p>
<p>If you MUST get a tablet that can run flash, don’t get a Windows one. Wait a few months and you will see many iPad competitor tablets that run Android (especially when Android 3.0 “Honeycomb” is released) since Android supports flash.</p>
<p>Well, yeah, the fact that it is a large iPod (or in my case a large iPhone sans phone) is precisely the appeal. It was cool to have touchscreen Internet access on the go – now it’s even cooler to have it on a screen that doesn’t kill my forty something year old eyes. </p>
<p>As for business, while it clearly doesn’t replace a laptop, so what? Indeed, I make use of it as a second screen – I might open up an email with info I need while working on a document on my big laptop. Don’t have to shuttle from screen to screen. I can be on a Webex sharing my desktop with clients as we review something, yet surreptitiously check email on the iPad and keep something else going. It’s a lot less intrusive at meetings than a full open laptop which can be rude. </p>
<p>So yes, the fact that it’s a big iPhone/iPod Touch is precisely the point and the appeal. Internet at my fingertips, books, music and media on a readable screen. I can only squint at the iPhone for so long.</p>
<p>Ah, Xiggi, thank you. I now have more reasons to resist buying iPad or Kindle. You are so eloquent.</p>
<p>“The iPad is a very decent reader, but hardly better than the Kindle. Interestingly enough, one of the very apps for the iPad is … Kindle. And the list goes on!”</p>
<p>The iPad made my newly purchased Nook obsolete. With an iPad, I don’t see the purpose of an ereader.</p>
<p>My son (WildChild) is very tech savvy and did not see the need for an iPad. He was given one through work (tough life) and absolutely loves it. He likes it as a reader- and didn’t really expect to.</p>
<p>Like my son, who, after opening the iPad we got him for Chanukah, said, “If you’d asked me if I wanted an iPad 20 minutes ago I would’ve told you no, but Mom, this is so cool…thank you!” It was priceless to see that level of excitement in my 6’3" 23 year old “little” boy!</p>
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<p>I just got my husband an iPad for Christmas, but it’s still in the box, so I haven’t played around with it yet and haven’t seen the e-reader function. I have a Kindle and love it because it is not back-lit. It has the special “e-ink,” so it is really easy on the eyes; just like reading a real book. When I’m on the computer a lot, my eyes ache after a while and I can get a bad headache. That never happens with my Kindle. </p>
<p>My husband doesn’t read for long stretches like I do, so I don’t think this would be an issue for him, so I think the iPad was a better option for him.</p>
<p>Plus my backgammon skills are improving by leaps and bounds…</p>
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<p>PG, I hope you realize that we do not disagree about that much about the iPad. For starters, I really (really) wanted to love it. It would have been a wonderful hybrid tool to carry to a meeting, and especially helpful when the best way to travel is by bike and train. When packing a bag full of papers, it would have been nice to leave the iPhone and notebook at home, and perhaps carry the lone iPad. Unfortunately, that is not really a choice one can make, unless there is some kind of backup possible at one’s destination.</p>
<p>Regarding the reading part, that IS obviously where the iPad shines. Further, the interactivity with the internet is remarkable and the crisp screen is amazing. As other wrote, it is wonderful to play games, read papers and magazines online, and do a few more things. I think that everyone who finally owns one starts with such simple activities and enjoy the iPad just as much as when they bought the iPhone or IPod Touch.</p>
<p>However, ultimately the iPad will have to be improved to appease a large segment of its clientele. Here are a few examples … Apple has always markedted heavily towards the graphic industry and the education sector. Currently, imagine a professional photographer … would it not be great for this person to carry his or her entire portfolio on iPad, or perhaps the latest 10-12 projects. Again, the limitations in keeping the files organized with easy transfers would be a major annoyance. And this is something that can be done quite easily on the cheapest netbooks. I could offer a few examples in the education sector where educators (even the most technologically advanced) are befuddled on how to integrate the iPad in their daily activities. One reality is that tools such as the iPad could offer tremendous avenues to improve the way we educate our younger minds, but without increased productivity, we risk to compound the problems. Simply stated, we cannot afford to waste more educational time than we already do. </p>
<p>Obviously the iPad cannot be expected to revolutionize our education system or become a must-have business tool. But do not tell that to the marketing teams at Apple!</p>
<p>PS If you have time (and have your iPad ready) google Kno Tablet.</p>
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<p>That’s how I felt in the beginning. Then I got an iPad as a gift. </p>
<p>Now, when I encounter a doubter or skeptic (like I used to be), I reply like this:</p>
<p>No kitchen of mine will be complete without a range AND a microwave. Two separate appliances, somewhat redundant, but used differently. Going forward, my home technology won’t be complete without a PC and an iPad. Different “appliances” for different uses. </p>
<p>I find that the iPard really isn’t a replacement for anything. It’s found it’s own niche based on its own merits.</p>
<p>(Apologies to anyone who has seen me post that analogy before. I think I’m sounding like a broken record.)</p>
<p>Do women like ipads more? So handy to just throw in a handbag and pull out on planes/in airports/at cafes to watch a movie or check emai.</p>
<p>My family also uses all the time while cooking. On Thanksgiving 4 of us cooking were actively using it all day.</p>
<p>My son wanted an iPad as an eReader - his thesis has him reading hundreds of pdf documents and he wanted to have the pdfs open in front of him while taking notes in his laptop. While he was home over Thanksgiving, I watched him at work - really efficient for what he was doing.</p>
<p>He has also subscribed to the Wall Street Journal - and stays up every night until midnight when it comes out so that he can read it in bed. Never saw that behavior before!!!</p>