“High expectations are the key to everything.”
~ Sam Walton
I recently got an iPad. I had very high expectations for it. EVERYTHING I had heard or read about iPads, led me to believe that I was now holding in my hands a true marvel of modern engineering. My new work tool (I am trying really hard not to call it my new toy) has a lot of wonderful features. I can access the Internet with lightning fast speed; I can read and respond to email and manage my calendar and To Do lists without fumbling with scraps of paper and pens that are out of ink. My iPad is a wonderful thing...except....
Except I am a writer. I spend a good part of my work day and even a fair amount of my personal time writing. If you are writing anything more an a brief response to an email, iPads ARE NOT an ideal tool!
I am writing this blog on my iPad and the amount of time that I have to spend checking spelling, formats, rechecking spelling, correcting auto correct, and the rest really has me distracted. When I write, I prefer to let the words flow and then go back to edit what I have written. I cannot do that on this device.
Part of it stems from the fact that iPads don't have real keypads. Part of it stems from the fact that this tool isn't designed as a computer but as something between. Between a smart phone and a laptop. Between an Internet portal and a productivity tool. Between.
Ultimately, this comes down to high expectations. I expected my new iPad to be the next best thing since, well, the iPhone (which actually came out AFTER the iPad, but never mind...). I expected a solution to ALL my mobile computing needs. What I got was a solution to some of my mobile computing needs. And no keyboard.
I recently got an iPad. I had very high expectations for it. EVERYTHING I had heard or read about iPads, led me to believe that I was now holding in my hands a true marvel of modern engineering. My new work tool (I am trying really hard not to call it my new toy) has a lot of wonderful features. I can access the Internet with lightning fast speed; I can read and respond to email and manage my calendar and To Do lists without fumbling with scraps of paper and pens that are out of ink. My iPad is a wonderful thing...except....
Except I am a writer. I spend a good part of my work day and even a fair amount of my personal time writing. If you are writing anything more an a brief response to an email, iPads ARE NOT an ideal tool!
I am writing this blog on my iPad and the amount of time that I have to spend checking spelling, formats, rechecking spelling, correcting auto correct, and the rest really has me distracted. When I write, I prefer to let the words flow and then go back to edit what I have written. I cannot do that on this device.
Part of it stems from the fact that iPads don't have real keypads. Part of it stems from the fact that this tool isn't designed as a computer but as something between. Between a smart phone and a laptop. Between an Internet portal and a productivity tool. Between.
Ultimately, this comes down to high expectations. I expected my new iPad to be the next best thing since, well, the iPhone (which actually came out AFTER the iPad, but never mind...). I expected a solution to ALL my mobile computing needs. What I got was a solution to some of my mobile computing needs. And no keyboard.
Keyboards matter.
ReplyDeleteI, too, prefer a real keyboard for serious writing on IPad.
As they say, IPad is best for storage and retrieval and sharing info on the fly, not for heavy-duty production.
At this point, I'm pretty hooked on my IPad though. The more you use it, the more you find uses for it.