The question was posed to me recently why I have both a small laptop and an iPad. I explained that they actually serve different functions. I need a laptop to do real work on the road, let alone to use a real keyboard to crank out articles and long emails. There are still a number of software uses that the iPad can't fill when it comes to getting certain tasks done. In addition, once a year I'm usually on the road for about a month, which is just too long to go without having a full computer. The same person then asked me why my smartphone couldn't fill the needs of my iPad. It's not an unfair question, but it's also one that hasn't evolved since the release of the iPad in March. At the time, the standard criticism was, "it's just a big iPod Touch." In fact, the person questioning the iPad derisively referred to it as a "toy."
Now, those of us who bought an iPad know that the applications have grown to differentiate it from that, but how do you make that case to someone else without an extensive dem?. Besides, I find the argument that if something is not a full computer it's a toy to be absurd, particularly in our increasingly digital age. While the iPad is not cheap at $500, it's filling needs and uses for people more and more as time goes on and is proving itself as a worthy device. One of the only ways to show that is to review one's habits on the device. If a tablet really isn't of any use, then you would expect users to abandon using it as time goes on and they return to their laptop and smartphone. For some people, this has probably happened, but for me, my usage on the iPad has increased over time . Here are a list of my frequently-used apps on the iPad. These are not just apps sitting there that I use occasionally, but rather apps I used multiple times a day, daily, or every other day. Here's the list:
Core apps:
- Safari (used heavily. The primary way I surf the web)
- iP0d (including the separate Video app)
- Maps
- Photos
Consumptive reading:
- Kindle
- iBooks
- Washington Post
- New York Times
- USA Today
- Huffington Post
- Instapaper
Media:
- TWITpad
- YouTube
- Ustream Viewer (iPhone app)
Games:
- Angry Birds HD
- Plants vs. Zombies HD
- Angry Birds Seasons (iPhone app)
Productivity:
- Pages
- Wordpress
- Dropbox
Others:
- Weather Channel
- Twitter (by far my preferred way to use Twitter)
- ESPN Fantasy Football (iPhone app)
To be honest, after completing this list I was a little blown away. This wasn't even including plenty of apps that I do use from time to time and would never delete from the iPad. I was surprised just how much I used the device, but when I think about it, though, I don't receive a daily newspaper. The newspaper apps are my newspaper, and I will gladly pay for the Washington Post if they put it behind a pay wall months from now. There are just so many uses for the iPad that it has crept into my daily routine, particularly since the iOS 4.2 update. It's a much more casual computer, much easier to move around, and is instant-on. Time will tell if consumers as a whole start flocking to this new device category, but manufacturers have given every indication that they think they will. In a few years, it likely won't even be a question if these will become a normal and justified part of society.