Greg Austin » Apple http://www.gregfaustin.com My Ramblings on the Interweb Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:12:42 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Should I buy a laptop or an iPad? http://www.gregfaustin.com/should-i-buy-a-laptop-or-an-ipad/ http://www.gregfaustin.com/should-i-buy-a-laptop-or-an-ipad/#comments Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:56:19 +0000 Greg Austin http://gregfaustin.com/?p=176
Should you purchase an Apple iPad and iPad2 or a laptop?
Should you purchase an Apple iPad – iPad2 or a Laptop?

It is easy to confuse an iPad as a replacement for a laptop computer. Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs, made note of this fact in January of 2010, he said “the iPad is not a laptop replacement, it is just cheaper.” The two devices are intended to co-exist, but not fully replace each other. There are many differences between the iPad and Laptop, and my hope is that after reading this article, you will decide to purchase both a laptop and an iPad to satisfy your online content consumption and creation needs. So, you ask, should I buy a laptop or an iPad? Here are the facts.

Physical Differences between a Laptop and an iPad

  • The iPad lacks a physical keyboard. This can be rectified with an after-market bluetooth keyboard. From what I understand, the keyboards that are available all have intermittent connectivity issues when used for long periods or in areas with a lot of signal interference.
  • Briefcase design is lost in favor of a slate-like appearance. Many Laptop users will have a learning curve with this one, make sure you buy a case for your iPad; its slippery.
  • The Battery is not replaceable in the iPad. Unlike a laptop, you can not replace a bad or faulty battery on an iPad. I will say that the battery in the iPad is phenomenal.
  • There is no way to upgrade the iPad’s memory or storage capacity which in comparison to most laptops are laughable at best.
  • There are no USB ports on an iPad, this makes it difficult to use peripheral devices. Wireless printers and internet printing make this less of a problem for printing purposes.
  • There is no CDROM, DVD or Blueray support on an iPad.

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    Functional Differences between an iPad and a Laptop

  • Some websites are unavailable on the iPad, this is due to Apple products not supporting Flash. HTML 5 should fix this problem over the next few years while the web industry shifts standards.
  • The iPad does not support multi-tasking, sorry. Most laptop users are multi-taskers, this is not currently possible on the iPad. Apple limits this functionality to keep users from opening too many programs and slowing the unit down.
  • Must install Apple approved applications only. Users can not try the latest and greatest software on an iPad.
  • The iPad is lighter and certainly more portable than most laptops.
  • The iPad battery life is amazing compared to a larger more powerful laptop.
  • Email, Entertainment (music, games and video), Social Networking and Chatting are seamless on an iPad, but these tasks must be done via apps approved by Apple, or websites that do not utilize Flash.
  • Photoshop (image editing), Video editing and Content creation should be done on a laptop.

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    Conclusion

      Consumers who attempt to replace their aging laptop with an iPad will be sadly disappointed after the honeymoon period. The iPad is a fun device that can perform some of the tasks of a laptop, but it certainly can not replace a laptop. It lacks a physical keyboard, USB ports, DVD drive and multitasking support which are common tasks for any laptop user. For email and online communication, the iPad is a perfect companion; this makes it perfect for students and executives who do not perform a lot of photo editing, video editing, or tedious office application usage. The iPad is thinner, lighter and much easier to use for note taking, social media tasks and entertainment needs, but a laptop is much more flexible and compatible with commercially available hardware and software.
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