The official iPad thread

[runawayprisoner]

Android literally sucks on tablets. It's slow, stuttery, and hangs up quite often. When it does work, you are left constantly hunting for performance tweaks and other things.

Sincerely, the amount of time I spend to get an Android tablet working as it should far exceeds the time it take for me to convert everything else I own to an iOS-friendly environment. About the only thing I miss after going back to iOS was the ability to play Flash on very specific websites, but I decided my MacBook was much better suited for such a task anyways.

If you want to, go give the Transformer Prime a whirl. I did, and it is probably by far the best Android tablet I have played with. But I was missing out on a lot of productivity apps, and the overall smoother experience of iOS, so it never grew on me.

Specifically, I missed the following:

1) Pages. Probably the best way to create a PDF document on a mobile device that I know of. It has limitations, but it's far better than anything else I have used. QuickOffice feels like a patchjob in comparison. I'm anxiously awaiting LibreOffice app when it comes out.

2) Numbers + OminiGraphSketcher combo. It takes literally minutes to create a nice, professional, and accurate graphical representation of data. I need to show trends a lot, so the ability to graph from spreadsheet data is important. iOS offers this in the form of this combo of two apps, which I think are indispensible.

3) iBooks is probably by far the best mobile PDF document viewer that I have used. I use my MacBook to annotate my PDF when I need to, but when I actually need to read PDF, I think the iPad + iBooks would be my combo of choice. This was partially why I waited to get the iPad 3, rather than just make do with iPad 2.

4) Bento. It's my everything. I have my personal journal in there, I have my asset inventory in there, I have all of my expenses tracking in there, I have a database of my contacts, friends, family, and etc in there, it holds my own personalized wikipedia, and just about everything. I think it's easily the best database software I have ever used. Syncing with Mac is a bit spotty, but I can do a lot more with Bento on the iPad because it's more portable. I'm also looking at FileMaker to upgrade and do a few more things, but sincerely, I can't go a day without a database. This is the ultimate weapon in my arsenal.

Just those 4 are the main reasons why I'd stick with iOS. UI performance is another perk, but sincerely, the Android OS lacks so many things, and I'm not comfortable with shifting over just to gain a file explorer and Flash capability but lose access to my essential apps.

 

[cheez]

Wow, thanks for the long write up. I definitely can't deal with speed isssue, as you know I am anal about this. I can't tolerate system crash like that either. I know that iOS on iPads work seamlessly, fast and stable, which I like.

Thanks for the heads up on the Android OS. Going with Android might not be great idea for me either as my Macbook Pro is my main laptop computer for apps and downloads. I do like my Mac OS X. I guess iPad would be better suited for this combo...:thumbsup:

 

[Rage187]

I'd only be interested in a non-ios tablet if work springs for Windows 8 tablets.

 

[sigurros81]

Can anyone reccomend some good quality cases for the new ipad?

 

[vi edit]

Can anyone reccomend some good quality cases for the new ipad?

I haven't seen much out by the usual suspects. It's changed *just* enough in thickness that a lot of the stuff for iPad 2 isn't fitting right. I'm holding out for Monoprice to come out with one of their $7 smart cover replacements for the 3rd gen.

 

[alfa147x]

I ordered a DodoCase

 

[bearxor]

^ I remember seeing how my mom's iPhone 4S screen looked and I was impressed with the viewing angle, nothing like the iPod Touch 4 I have, no comparison. So I suppose the iPad 3 is similar to the iPhone 4S then in viewing angle quallity. Good.

The iPod Touch has a TN LCD panel. The iPhone 4/4S and all the iPad models have IPS screens. Viewing angles are a big advantage of IPS. Ghosting is a big disadvantage

 

[cheez]

The iPod Touch has a TN LCD panel. The iPhone 4/4S and all the iPad models have IPS screens. Viewing angles are a big advantage of IPS. Ghosting is a big disadvantage

"all the iPad models"?? I had owned an iPad 2 and I wasn't impressed with it. The viewing angle was TERRIBLE. It's crap compare to the Plasma or Super AMOLED Plus tech, no comparison. Don't give me this "all the iPad models"... unless you are talking specifically the iPad 3.

But according to runawayprisoner, if I understood right, the viewing angle has improved significantly on the iPad3.

 

[runawayprisoner]

Not sure what iPad 2 you are talking about, but an actual iPad 2 shouldn't suffer from bad viewing angle. There is no Super AMOLED screen at 10.1" for you to compare to anyway.

 

[bearxor]

"all the iPad models"?? I had owned an iPad 2 and I wasn't impressed with it. The viewing angle was TERRIBLE. It's crap compare to the Plasma or Super AMOLED Plus tech, no comparison. Don't give me this "all the iPad models"... unless you are talking specifically the iPad 3.

But according to runawayprisoner, if I understood right, the viewing angle has improved significantly on the iPad3.

I think you must have had a defective iPad 2. The iPad, iPad 2 and "New" iPad all have IPS screens and great viewing angles.

 

[alfa147x]

Not sure what iPad 2 you are talking about, but an actual iPad 2 shouldn't suffer from bad viewing angle. There is no Super AMOLED screen at 10.1" for you to compare to anyway.

Just add him to your ignore list. He's trolled this forum enough with his bullshit.

 

[Synomenon]

Can anyone reccomend some good quality cases for the new ipad?

Check out SGP / Spigen, BoxWave and Vaja for cases. All have some decent cases, but Vaja is really expensive.

 

[cheez]

I think you must have had a defective iPad 2. The iPad, iPad 2 and "New" iPad all have IPS screens and great viewing angles.

The problem is anything you see someone having complaints about a product you immediately assume it's defective. No, it's not defective, in respect to viewing angle that is.

*If* runawayprisoner says the iPad 3 does have better viewing angle than the iPad 2, there appears to be more to it than just "IPS screen". There is something else in the display that's iimproving the viewing angles.

With iPad 2, if you look at it straight, it looks fantastic.
If you hold it slightly tilted, it still looks great.
But if you tilt further it starts to wash out. The color, contrast, and brightness all are affected. It gets absolute disasterous if you look at 45 or so degree angle in veritical direction if you are holding the pad in landscape mode. This is how I know the limitation of the LCDs. Don't get too hyped with the IPS. It doesn't fix these issues, though it is a step up from the TN panel LCDs.. IPS screen is just the glorified version of traditional LCD's...

Also, when you said "great viewing angles", it maybe great angle to you but doesn't mean great to everyone else, like me for instance.

Not sure what iPad 2 you are talking about, but an actual iPad 2 shouldn't suffer from bad viewing angle. There is no Super AMOLED screen at 10.1" for you to compare to anyway.

Well, the 7.7 isn't a bad size for me. Not that I'm saying I'm going to get one. Just saying.. Oh I know hon.. the Super AMOLED Plus blows the doors off the iPad 2 in viewing angles, this is not even a contest. Can you please confirm that iPad 3 viewing angle is better than the iPad 2? Or are they equal.

Just add him to your ignore list. He's trolled this forum enough with his bullshit.

Young man, no need to use cuss words just because you don't like what you hear... I am being realistic here and discussing about the product as a consumer. If it bothers you that much you can put me on ignore.

 

[alent1234]

in regular use most people don't read the screen at a 45 degree angle

 

[BD2003]

The viewing angle on my 3 is roughly equivalent to the 1. Maybe a hair worse. It's no TN panel, but I can still see room for improvement. It definitely starts to dim and color shift with even the slightest tilt.

 

[ManBearPig]

Is it easy to do returns through the 800 number?

 

[cheez]

It would have been better if iPad 3 remained at 1024 x 768 display resolution. High res has disadvantages too.

This, I don't even have to try, as I already know. If you try running low res video, such as 480p or 720p, on the iPad 3 display, the processor will have to down scale it to fit on the high res screen. This will result in soft, too soft pictures. A better word would be "blurry". The 720p video will look better on iPad 2 than on the iPad 3, in respect to the authenticity and sharpness of the picture. The 2048x1536 res display will have negative impact.

Look, I was not impressed of having the iPad device high res to begin with. High res doesn't mean everything is better. It doesn't.

 

[vi edit]

This, I don't even have to try, as I already know. If you try running low res video, such as 480p or 720p, the processor will have to down scale it to fit on the high res screen. This will result in soft, too soft pictures. A better word would be "blurry". The 720p video will look better on iPad 2 than the iPad 3, in respect to the authenticity and sharpness of the picture. The 2048x1536 res display will have negative impact.

So you never watch DVD's on an HDTV?

 

[cheez]

The viewing angle on my 3 is roughly equivalent to the 1. Maybe a hair worse. It's no TN panel, but I can still see room for improvement. It definitely starts to dim and color shift with even the slightest tilt.

Thank you, sir. You make some realistic statements. I like people like you that are honest and that know what to look for when operating the product. You see, I don't want a display that lose PQ when viewing it at an angle. Let's drop the pipe (not directed at you) and let's think about what the iPad (or any other electronic pads that compete) is about. First of all, what do you see on the top side of the screen? It's all SCREEN. 98%, right? It's *meant* to display pictures and videos. For a device dedicated for such use, it needs to have the right kind of performance. Losing colors and intensity of the picture is not acceptable in my cool book. :awe: I mean for God sake, this is year 2012. It needs to meet some expectations... if today is 1995, I can understand the lack of this technology... Apple is trying to save money by sticking with ancient LCD tech. ()

Don't get me wrong though. iPad 2 had much better viewing angle performance than the iPod Touch 4 I have. But does that mean it's really good? No. For plasma and Super AMOLED Plus tech, it's clearly inferior...

 

[ManBearPig]

So you never watch DVD's on an HDTV?

I actually dont. :awe: Blu-ray for life yayaya haha.

 

[cheez]

So you never watch DVD's on an HDTV?

Good question.

I do.

But my HTPC and large screen is setup in such way that it makes SD contents look sharp and very authentic. I had people commenting.. "Nice HD... looks awesome!" when it's actually just SD content! :biggrin: Hilarious. Please don't dare try to compare my HDTV setup against any other portable devices or laptops. It's far, far beyond their levels. So I can literally play anything and they look great. Ever since I got the Macbook and iPad 2, it was a huge downgrade for me, in terms of the sharpness and clarity of the picture.

 

[cheez]

in regular use most people don't read the screen at a 45 degree angle

If I want to read I just go grab a book!

I watch *videos* on the display and most often, at an angle. The time I spend watching a video at perfect straight is 1%.

 

[BD2003]

Thank you, sir. You make some realistic statements. I like people like you that are honest and that know what to look for when operating the product. You see, I don't want a display that lose PQ when viewing it at an angle. Let's drop the pipe (not directed at you) and let's think about what the iPad (or any other electronic pads that compete) is about. First of all, what do you see on the top side of the screen? It's all SCREEN. 98%, right? It's *meant* to display pictures and videos. For a device dedicated for such use, it needs to have the right kind of performance. Losing colors and intensity of the picture is not acceptable in my cool book. :awe: I mean for God sake, this is year 2012. It needs to meet some expectations... if today is 1995, I can understand the lack of this technology... Apple is trying to save money by sticking with ancient LCD tech. ()

Don't get me wrong though. iPad 2 had much better viewing angle performance than the iPod Touch 4 I have. But does that mean it's really good? No. For plasma and Super AMOLED Plus tech, it's clearly inferior...

Don't misinterpret what I'm saying. It's still the finest screen I've ever seen. I dunno if I'd trade any of the resolution for a better viewing angle.

All I'm saying is I can still seem room for improvement on that front - adding more pixels would be pointless. But it's real good as it is. They make an AMOLED that can match the resolution and provide a better angle, I'm all for it.

 

[cheez]

If Apple wants to succeed, and stand out from other competitors, you *have* to completely get out of the LCD platform. Use something completely different tech. Invent something. Otherwise it's just another ancient Walmart-grade electronic toys. I know Apple made iPads look pretty and neat but that's not enough... invent a new tech. This is year 2012, guys.

Oh, even more importantly, the build quality and QC has to go up. Raise price tag.

 

[cheez]

Is it easy to do returns through the 800 number?

Have you tried contacting Apple support site online? Don't they have chat... I used one before. If they don't do support they should be able to give you a direct number to Tech support.