The iPad, Revisited

iPadWhen the iPad was first released, early adopters rushed to post their initial impressions.

Now that I’ve been using an iPad for a few months, I think it’s important to come back and provide some more experienced impressions.

Here are the apps I use:

  • Daily
    • WSJ (Wall Street Journal). I even bought the subscription, so I don’t have to lug my Kindle around with me.
    • GoodReader, a fantastic PDF viewer that can wirelessly transfer PDFs from my laptop with no extra software.
    • EverNote, a note-taking app that backs up all content to internet servers. This is the centerpiece of my Getting Things Done implementation.
  • A few times a week
    • TweetDeck, a Twitter client
    • Kindle
    • xkcd, an online comic with a solid app
    • FeedlerRSS, a front-end for Google Reader, in which I read all the blogs I’ve subscribed to
    • WeatherBug, a slick weather app
    • Safari
  • Occasionally
    • X-Comics, a comic book reader and store, which sells single issues of comics for US $1 to $2.
    • Mail

don’t use the iPod functionality. That’s what my iPod is for, and I don’t want to fill the iPad with music when I could use that storage space for apps and data.

The iPad has replaced my Kindle. I still love the Kindle, but the iPad replaces all of its functions for day-to-day use. I’d prefer a Kindle in other situations, like travel (the Kindle has a longer battery life and its cellphone modem for downloading books costs nothing, depending on where in the world you are).

I encountered the dreaded “Re-enter your password” bug, in which the iPad would periodically lose its wireless internet connection and forget the password. I tried a number of different solutions, to no effect. I ended up removing password protection on my wireless network to solve it.

Nevertheless, I still use my iPad every day. After the first few weeks, my usage dropped drastically, and I barely picked it up for about a month. I then got back into it, especially when I started using GoodReader and the WSJ app. The iPad has turned into a practical device for me.

2 responses to “The iPad, Revisited”

  1. hmacdo

    Hi Brent! I really enjoyed reading this and thanks for posting. When Apple first came out with the iPad I thought, “I'll never have a need for that…” But as the months pass, I keep finding myself thinking more and more about ways I could use it. I am seriously thinking about getting one now! How is the battery life on the iPad? I was curious about that.

  2. BrentNewhall

    Hey there! Great to hear from you.

    Battery life is quite good — hours and hours, certainly. I haven't done any detailed tests, but 8-10 hours of continuous use feels right.

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