The Official iPad Thread

[ManBearPig]

I hope this is ok, it was getting annoying for me having to visit various threads about the iPad in different forums (gadgets gear and phones and all things apple, sometimes OT) to ask questions that weren't relevant to the topic.

I wanted to make this one so anyone can ask anything about the iPad in general, and it seems that all things apple is the best place for it.

That being said...umm..I guess I will start. I want to buy one soon (although they are sold out everywhere) and while i really don't want to get a case, I'm thinking that a screen protector (a la the iPhone) would be nice. Do they make such things for the iPads? If so, any recommendations? I imagine it'll be a PITA to put on if the smaller iPhone ones are so ridiculous to put on dust free. I'm more worried about the screen than the rear part.

Thanks!

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

there are so many things about the ipad that I like and so many things that make me want to throw it against the wall...

just now I lost a long Facebook message that I was typing to a friend because I was in safari at facebook, and then I went to another tab to copy a link so I could paste it into my message. I copied the link, and when I went back to my facebook tab safari reloaded the page and lost my message. this illustrates one of the things that I absolutely despise about the iPad - there is extremely limited offline viewing of webpages and extremely limited webpage caching. if you have multiple tabs open and you go back to other tabs, chances are you are going to have to reload the page over again once you reopen the tab. this means you lose any messages you've typed, and if you're offline, you'll get a blank screen because the iPad never cached the page in memory.

the keyboard is horrendous. all my passwords are alphanumeric which means I'm constantly switching between the number keyboard and the letter Keyboard every time I enter my password. add to this the fact that there are no arrow keys to go back and forth to correct typos a few letters back, and the typing becomes thoroughly unenjoyable. try typing a post where the contents are something like " core i5 650M CPU @ 2.66GHz " and you'll see why not having a number row sucks ass.

another obvious letdown is no multitasking, but to be corrected in the fall with the new OS.

Positives? the apps are great and the UI for the most part is ok. The touch interface is very smooth and sensitive. switching between multiple email accounts sucks ass though.

 

[SandEagle]

the zagg screen protectors are supposedly the best out now. i want a super clear one so u cant tell when a protector is on it.

any good stylus out there? i found the pogo sketch, but not sure if i want to get it

 

[dawks]

the zagg screen protectors are supposedly the best out now. i want a super clear one so u cant tell when a protector is on it.

any good stylus out there? i found the pogo sketch, but not sure if i want to get it

I use the zagg on my ipod, works great. I have it on the back of my iphone and its kept it in good shape. I was too lazy to put it on the front, but it doesnt matter much, the glass doesnt scratch badly, easily. Of course I dont put my keys in my pocket with the iPhone or rub the screen on gravel, but its till in great shape.

I'd assume the iPad screen would be the same. As long as you're not scraping the screen with keys or whatever, you should be alright.

 

[mshan]

Is 16 GB enough useable storage for an iPad?

 

[ManBearPig]

For me I think it would be. I don't imagine that I will be using a lot of space as I'm going to use it mainly for surfing the Internet, ocassional movies, and ebooks.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

IMO the iPad more or less requires some kind of case with the ability to use as a kickstand. It's a slippery device and you nearly always want to use it at some kind of angle. I don't love the looks of the Apple case but it's quite functional and does a good job protecting the device without adding much bulk.

 

[sportage]

""there are no arrow keys to go back and forth to correct typos a few letters back""

I agree. Thats one huge gripe with my iphone too.
And I myself do not think 16gb is near enough.
I have a 16gb iphone and its 3/4 full already. And thats just an iphone.

 

[SandEagle]

""there are no arrow keys to go back and forth to correct typos a few letters back""

I agree. Thats one huge gripe with my iphone too.
And I myself do not think 16gb is near enough.
I have a 16gb iphone and its 3/4 full already. And thats just an iphone.

All you have to do hold down for one second where the typos are, magnifying glass pops up, and it takes u there. Pretty easy.


On a side note, picked up the pogo sketch stylus. Works great for drawing and painting, pretty much what the reviews said. Kind of pricey, but a good tool to have, esp for artists. Works great on the sketchpad pro app. Also, easy to type with, no smudges either

 

[Emulex]

i put the hand held items case+screen protector combo on - flawless. no bubbles. excellent. the case is nice too it was pretty cheap shipped iirc - easy to get the ipad out of the case unlike the apple product

 

[SandEagle]

i put the hand held items case+screen protector combo on - flawless. no bubbles. excellent. the case is nice too it was pretty cheap shipped iirc - easy to get the ipad out of the case unlike the apple product

Got a link?

I just ordered the zagg from ebay. $19.99 vs 29.99 everywhere else. I read that best buy techs can install for a small fee. I may do that since I suck at putting this things on.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Monoprice has some accessories listed, but many not in stock yet, I'll be dammed if I spend $50 on a case for mine.

Did anyone catch the satisfaction ratings yesterday? 91%, pretty amazing for a first gen device. http://www.appleinsider.com/article...isfaction_demand_greater_than_pre_launch.html

 

[QueBert]

Monoprice has some accessories listed, but many not in stock yet, I'll be dammed if I spend $50 on a case for mine.

Did anyone catch the satisfaction ratings yesterday? 91%, pretty amazing for a first gen device. http://www.appleinsider.com/article...isfaction_demand_greater_than_pre_launch.html

not surprising, I don't know a single iPhone owner who doesn't love it. People can carry on forever about how only stupid people buy Apple products. But their satisfaction ratings are always at the top. I wonder why no other company can seem to figure out how to get stupid people to buy their products and give them 91% satisfaction ratings. Stupid users or not any other company would kill to be able to pull off what Apple does.

 

[Emulex]

www.HandHeldItems.com
Item# HHI iPad Flip Leather Case with Magnetic Kick Stand - Black (Free Screen Protector) $12.99 USD 1 $12.99 USD
Subtotal $12.99 USD
Shipping and handling $2.85 USD
Insurance $0.00 USD
Total $15.84 USD
Payment $15.84 USD
Payment sent to sales@handhelditems.com


love the case - easy to get in and out - kickstand works to form triangulation for belly surfing, the screen saver is great - no bubbles first try flawless. price was not bad either.

 

[Emulex]

anyone know how to get more than 11 pages of icons? i ran out

i ordered a matte screen from meritline and a hard case - just to try too - but i do not think unless the case is carbon fiber (this is a case with a lip like belkin) it would not be able to survive the force of drop - more for looks. (my 3yr old uses it as much as i do). this is why i take out of the case - It's alot lighter to handle for small hands - the apple case is darn near impossible to in/out. as

i'll post up when i get that case and matte screen.

the apple store matte for ipod is the coolest ever - reduces fingerprints and reflection - nice texture that is consistent.

 

[randomlinh]

the zagg screen protectors are supposedly the best out now. i want a super clear one so u cant tell when a protector is on it.

any good stylus out there? i found the pogo sketch, but not sure if i want to get it

Zagg is nice, but I do not like the feel of it all that much. I have a ghost armor one on my Pre, and it feels the closest to the actual screen. Yes, the Pre is plastic and not glass, but the Zagg clearly feels like "thick plastic" to me.

http://www.ghost-armor.com/apple/cat_3.html

However, the Zagg (and similar) kept fingerprints to a minimum vs the Ghost Armor. I was willing to deal with that because it felt so much better to use.

 

[Emulex]

yeah fingerprints are visible on the glossy cheapo hhi one. i'll report back on the matte someday - but im not taking the suckah off unless i have too.

why does apple not sell these for ipad?

 

[sportage]

Well I did it... Ordered an iPad 3g. Im now officially a geek, a nerd, and an a-hole.

 

[Emulex]

make sure you use firmware umbrella to save your ipad 3.2 ecid and shsh keys

 

[SandEagle]

anyone using atomic browser? how is it? the tabbed browsing option is badly needed in safari

 

[ManBearPig]

Called and asked the apple store if they had any (knowing they likely did not since i called a few days ago and they said they wouldnt have them in for a while) and he asked if i wanted them to take down my info so they could let me know when they had some. I said i wasnt sure if i wanted a 16gb just plain wifi or 16gb 3G, and they sent me this email as soon as i was off the phone heh:


"Magical. Revolutionary. And soon to be yours.

Your iPad will be here before you know it. Keep an eye out for an email from us letting you know it's ready to pick up. When you come in, we'll have Specialists ready to help you set up your iPad so you can start enjoying it right away. We look forward to seeing you at the store.

Sincerely,
The Apple Retail Store team
Requested Item(s)
1

iPad Wi-Fi + 3G 16GB

$629.00

Cancel my request"

I guess he missed the plain wifi part or he had to choose one or the other (im sure they get them in at the same time). want one.

Which brings me to further questions:

1)Do you guys think the 3G version is worth it? Im not worried about the $15-30 as i would likely only have it activated sometimes, but the $130 + tax extra for the device itself is what hurts. I use the 3G on my iPhone a LOT, but thats with me everywhere; i dont think the iPad would be.

2)Any ideas where I could buy one so theres no restocking fee? He said it was 10%, and although ~$50 isnt a huge deal id rather not waste money in case i dont like it (although i HIGHLY doubt i'd return it).

3)Anyone wanna chime in about the capacity? 16GB seems plenty (as i currently use like 1-2gb of my iPhones space) since i probably wont even put a lot of music on the ipad. I just dont know what i would use all the space for. Ideas?

4)How is the range for the wifi? Because i know that my iPhone 3GS doesnt get signal from as far as my laptop.

Thanks a ton. I think after i get myself one, my sister and i will likely buy my mother one together. She loves our iPhones due to sheer simplicity and ease of use (as well as quality) and shes computer retarded--i hear the iPad is great for older folks who arent tech savvy.

 

[Emulex]

1. yes - gps - the microsim can be used in iphone for data only - higher resale value
2. sell it to non-american's who can not buy one (yet)
3. 16gb plenty i have run out of pages (11) of files - i stream everything hence 3G
4. equal to 3GS G; poorer than anything i've seen in N

once you jailbreak it i promise you won't return it - oh yeah you can tether the 3G off the ipad too.

 

[SandEagle]

if anyone is interested, amazon has the zagg for $15.80 with free shipping.

http://www.amazon.com/ZAGG-invisible.../dp/B0038BZ8W8

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I'm starting to hate my iPad due to the broken wifi. I mean, let's not beat around the bush. Apple fucked up hard with the wifi.

Signal strength is very inconsistent in my room. One moment it's high and capable of streaming HD video with no problem. The other minute the signal just drops completely and it won't connect ot anything. All the while my dinky little cell phone gets a solid wifi connection as does my mini laptop and desktop.

It literally becomes useless due to the broken wifi. Apple needs to fix this and soon. Or droid needs to launch their product.

And back to not having direction arrows on the keyboard. Sorry, but tap and hold and using the magnifying glass sucks. And have you tried scrolling up and down through a longer message that you've got typed up and sitting in the quick reply window such as the one on this forum? Almost impossible. Retardedly slow.

 

[AnyMal]

anyone using atomic browser? how is it? the tabbed browsing option is badly needed in safari

I consider it a must-have for iPad and iPhone. Tabbed browsing at full screen alone worth $.99 price, not to mention other feathures.