Consumers 'Frustrated' With iPad

[davemchine]

I like my ipad very much but I have to agree that content creation on the ipad is either impossible or a pain. It's mostly due to the stupid flat file system apple imposes. It's hard to understand and hard to move files on and off of.

[ka jowct]

I would like better file system access and the ability to change default applications.

I like my ipad very much but I have to agree that content creation on the ipad is either impossible or a pain. It's mostly due to the stupid flat file system apple imposes. It's hard to understand and hard to move files on and off of.

I agree: the file system is a pain, and moving files around is a pain.

But I also cannot picture doing anything except fairly rudimentary or simple stuff on my iPad Mini. It's just too awkward trying to do anything precise. And I'd hate to have to enter a lot of text on one.

If you feel you need to use it with a Bluetooth keyboard, you might as well be using your computer. But I'm not frustrated by the fact that it isn't a substitute for my laptop or desktop Macs. I love having it along as I travel about NYC. I use the camera far more than I expected that I would, and I have found that capability useful for work purposes as well as entertainment. I have a nice little text editor on it (Textastic) that I use to work on CSS and HTML. Textastic syncs nicely with Dropbox. And of course I do a lot of reading on it. I generally don't leave home without it.

[guitarist]

There is something about that impulse to reach for a mouse or a trackpad.

I'm not suggesting the iPad's current format should adapt or change to satisfy this, but I admit, it's there. It limits what I'll do. I currently don't have a laptop. This is the first time since 1997 I've not had a laptop. I'm using my iPhone and iPad, to fill that gap, and though the iPad was never positioned as a laptop replacement, exactly, there are competitors who do produce a product that does both.

One thing that might pacify that, for me, is using voice commands. I have a gen-2 iPad. I realize one can use Dragon dictation, or whatever, but having just discovered the benefits of Siri on my new iPhone5, I can see how it might improve my iPad experience. I am not keen on using a bluetooth keyboard (I got one, synced it, works okay, not practical to use--might as well get a laptop) and I find the iPad's native screen touch keypad to be perfectly okay, but only for very minimal typing. And while Dragon dictation is quite good, it's not the same as an integrated all-purpose voice assistant.

My wife and I were just looking at an iPad mini, at DealNews, for a good price. I was tempted. With Siri built in, I'm one of those rare users that would use the crap out of Siri.

Perfect compromise, or solution? Probably not. But considering tablets are still in their relative infancy, it'll be interesting to see how these things will evolve over the next five years.

Remember the first iPhone? THAT was only about five years ago. And it was really just a prototype, barely ready for market. But the thirst was so great, for a promising Apple smartphone, that users were willing to stand in line and pay a premium. Five years later, it's finally a powerful, mature product.

I hope we can say the same for the iPad, as it matures.