iPad ?
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- ********
So I'm going on a long trip (2 months), and don't want to bring my laptop. I'm thinking of getting an iPad instead, but I'm rather ignorant of its capabilities.
I will need to be working constantly throughout the trip - strictly communications; pdfs, word docs, email, etc. Lots of cutting, pasting, commenting, uploading, downloading, typical project coordination shit.
Is it doable? or a pain in the ass? If so, should I jailbreak?
- bjladams0
my business partner ditched his computer and only uses an iPad - loves it. same thing, mostly does copy writing, emailing, invoicing and project management between our freelancers.
one thing, he says it'd be brutal to try to work on it all day without the external keyboard- for client meetings and such he just takes the iPad, but round the office he uses the keyboard.- cool, thanks, and yeah, keyboard seems critical.********
- cool, thanks, and yeah, keyboard seems critical.
- Miguex0
You will feel very limited, the ipad is a toy, a novelty, a cool gadget to have around, just like the iphone. Precious objects of desire, fun to use and greatly designed. I remember when my excuse to get a iPhone was "but, I will be able to work from it, so it's an investment".
2 years later, I realized I bought into the hype. While technically "there are things you might be able to do" you can't rely on it for work. My advice.. Take your computer, independently if you want to bring the ipad too. You will feel better when you actually need to use it.
- IOS is for phones, not any device you can work on. Is a laptop that much harder to travel with?CyBrainX
- 20020
macbook air will be a better choice especially if you have you defined your workflow using the ipad
- Miguex0
Now if you were just looking for some validation to get a new toy, there's no need for that :) go get one, and hugh a genius in the process..
- dopepope0
Yeah, I'm going to agree. It's great for casual use, but for business it'll slow you down. Once you start bundling it up with the external keyboard and the charger, you might as well just bring your laptop. It'll do 90% more.
- gabe0
agree with everyone who recommended you take your laptop.
not to take anything away from the iPad...it's great for high-level / low-touch approvals, internal office communication, casual browsing, etc.
if you're going to be doing real WORK though, you'll end up working harder given the iPad's limitations than you would if you just brought your laptop.
as others have said, the macbook air might be a better option for the specific situation you described.
- ghandolf0
You might consider buying a cheap netbook (i.e: Asus, Acer, etc.). You can get them for around $300 USD, full keyboard, all the needed extras, does pdf's, Word, copy/paste, email, etc. If it gets lost, stolen, or breaks - eh, it was $300 bucks! You didn't lose or damage your 'keeper' laptop... think of these as disposable. ('cause they are).
Also, buy yourself a pad, and enjoy it too.
- hotroddy0
@bjladams, out of curiosity is he in portrait or landscape when hooking up with keyboard? I'd like to know what people prefer.
- ideaist0
If you plan on working, iPad is a no.
If you plan on consuming information (be it audio, video, culture, etc.) then iPad is perfect. You can still take notes, sketch, etc.
; )
- bjladams0
he works with in oriented landscape-
i know a lot of people say it's not for work, but he loves it. finds that he's a lot more productive with it too. it took a month of so for him to work it all out and find the right apps to be most efficient- but he loves it. i can put you in touch with him if you like- he'd answer your questions better than me, and could recommend some apps too - since it sounds like you'll be using it for the same things. is your profile email correct?
- ********0
you need an iPad Pro
- tOki0
Lately I've been considering getting one , as I'm also going travelling in January for a month and want to stay connected without lugging around my 19" laptop.
What about in an agency environment? I'm often in meetings where I need to bring up concepts or visit a site. I take a fair bit of handwritten notes too, can you keep up typing on an ipad compared to pen and paper?
I've been doing research into some tools that as an art director I would ACTUALLY use..most write-ups online are all the same notepad and wireframe apps. Whilst I need both, I'm also doing design work so anything which can integrate as part of my desktop is awesome.
This looks pretty cool I have to say:
http://www.photoshop.com/product…A file browser akin to bridge which has native support for all adobe formats would also be a real blessing too as I'm always around the studio and need to bring stuff up, often which isn't in jpeg or pdf form.
- FYI, unlike Bridge, the documents you are browsing must be open in Photoshop in order to see them.Duane
- Yeah I know - but is there another app out there that can preview adobe files on ipad?tOki
- It depends on what format. AI, PSD, INDD no...but Dropbox, Cloud, and more will display many formats.Duane
- And I do love using Nav. It's pretty amazing, really. Worth it if you already own Photoshop CS5.Duane
- tOki0
- raf0
iPad would be usable for work—maybe—if it treated files normally, i.e. stored in some place and catalogued in folders. Apple forces their "new UI paradigm" where every piece of software has their own sandboxed set of files, ideally lying flat without folders. When you open a file in another app, it makes its own copy of it and they never stay in sync.
A lot of apps use dropbox or now probably iCloud for it but it seems like more hassle than it's worth.I have an iPad and a MacBook Air and while iPad is pleasant for email, browsing web and Twitter, I'd have to be a masochist to work on it.
You can get one of the 2010 11" Airs relatively cheap. They're fast enough, just about the size of iPad and have better battery than the 2011 ones.
- ESKEMA0
He, weird, was just reading this...
http://yieldthought.com/post/122…Different line of work but same goal...
- raf0
My gf was abroad with only the iPad recently. She would have been lost without ReaddleDocs and Dropbox but she spent a lot of time looking for "a proper computer with photoshop".
The way Readdle and Dropbox synced files made it all very impractical. The inability to just drag and drop your files as you please can be infuriating.
Let's just say, she's been taking her heavy MB Pro with her since.
- tOki0
Personally I have no desire to open photoshop when im on holidays, as it is akin to being in the office, a netbook or macbook air seems the obvious choice if you still need the desktop component but high portability
