Yes, I’m writing this blog on my Ipad, and yes I’m in love with it. I went out of my way to get it (they are not yet for sale in The Netherlands). Despite all the criticism I think it’s brilliant.
I got it last Wednesday. Geoff was so kind to order one for me from the US and he has sent it through to me. (Geoff I just did the payment – through my Ipad). Therefore I now am playing and working with it for a few days and the love increased! So what is there to love?
Design
It’s beautifully designed and I don’t mean the look of it (which looks really good) but especially the interfaces and usability. So far I had to work with an Nokia E71 phone and a Dell laptop so probably anything designed by Apple is a big improvement for me, but it’s an really complex piece of equipment. It comes without a manual, nevertheless I got it out of the box and was surfing within minutes. And that includes activating the wi-fi! It’s so intuitive that I start to touch the screen of my laptop, expecting it to behave like my Ipad.
45 plus prove
I’m 47, that’s the age that you are beginning to need reading glasses and I hate them. Reading the newspaper in the morning requires excellent light in order to get the job done. This is one of the reasons I switched a while ago from a paper newspaper to a digital subscription. But reading it on the Ipad (opposed to my laptop) is a huge improvement. First the app from my newspaper has a way better interface in comparison with the web version, but the real difference is in the zooming. You put your thumb and forefinger together on the screen, move them apart and you zoom. Bring them together and you zoom back. As simple as that. The final 45-plus option is the keypad. In comparison with my Nokia a huge improvement. And it works really great.
Paperless office
I’m a light scatterbrain and in order to keep (or get) organised I need to have everything digital. I completely banned paper from my office. Invoices, contracts, sla’s everyting is now digitized. But I was still struggling with my notes. I have tried PDA’s with handwriting recognition, a digital pen, taking notes on my phone or my laptop, but they all have disadvantages to me. Taking notes with the Ipad is the solution for me. It’s flat on the table (therefore it’s not between you and your interlocutor like a laptop is). It’s easy to operate and the notes are in everyone’s mailbox before they have left the meeting room. Excellent.
Fast
At home or in the office my laptop is never more then a few feet away from me. Taking notes, emailing, surfing. The Ipad makes all these things easier and the fact that you can switch it on and of in an instance is a big advantage over starting up your laptop. Starting apps and surfing is way faster than on my laptop.
Safari
The new Safari browser in everything you hoped for, just perfect!
Criticism?
Sofar I have only a few wishes. I would love to have arrow keys on the keypad, pinpointing with my finger (despite of the smart mirror glas that appears) doesn’t work really well for me. Running multiple applications would be another wish, but I heard that there will be an update available in the near future that makes that possible. The only other problem I have encountered is that the build in app store doesn’t work from Holland yet. Therefore I have to get my apps from the online app store through my laptop and have to put them on my Ipad through Itunes. A bit more work and the interface of the online app store can be improved. This problem will be solved as soon as the Ipad goes on sale in The Netherlands.
Conclusion
The love will last for a while and will probably increase as more great apps come available.
The Learning 2019 conference
I have been to a ton of learning conferences but this will be my first time at #learning2019. I’m looking forward to it and I’m planning to report on all interesting sessions via this blog.
