While I’ve been gathering my own thoughts on the passing of Steve Jobs, this version of Apple’s Think Different ad struck a chord with me. Rather than Richard Dreyfuss narrating it, it’s Jobs himself. Enjoy it and let the words sink in.
I stumbled across this beauty while browsing Fancy last night. Beautiful, elegant, simple. Words actually can’t do this justice.
I’m not sure why I didn’t ask Chris Sherman to put his iPad ownership thoughts into writing sooner. We’ve had many discussions about it’s usefulness (and weaknesses) over the past year and I’m glad that Chris was willing to spend some time to write down some of his thoughts.
Why did you get an iPad?
I love Apple products and I wanted to bridge the gap between my iPhone and my MacBook Pro.
Is it an original or iPad 2?
It is the original iPad
Are you happy with your decision?
I am, although I know now that I didn’t need the model on steroids. The 64gb w/3G is more than I need.
Did it fill a need or was it a impulse buy?
I have to be honest here, it was more of an impulse buy. I would have been totally happy with the 16gb wifi model.
How has the iPad changed your “normal” computer-use habits?
I handle most of my social media needs on the iPad so it has become my feed screen even while I am on my regular computer.
What are you doing with the iPad that has made your life easier or has surprised you?
I feel that the iPad is a larger version of my iPhone so I am still using my iPhone for a lot of my on-the-go needs.
Have you been able to integrate the iPad into your work life?
Aside from the social media use as stated above, I have all of our sample photo’s on there so when we visit with clients, we use it as a digital portfolio. Awesome tool in that respect. Also, FTP On The Go is very helpful with the large files.
How would you grade the iPad as a work tool, specifically in the area of design?
It is amazing. The “Palette’s” app is awesome. I can pull out color palettes on projects to work with when trying to create corporate images etc… Sketchbook Pro and Adobe Ideas are great for designing.
Are there any business apps or content creation apps that you rely on?
Nothing in that respect have I tried yet.
How often do you use your iPad for business/how often for personal?
It is pretty much business use. I would say almost daily at work.
Is that use more that you’d expected?
Not now, but at first, I almost never used it until I started searching for apps and researching online what is useful.
Do you still use your other computers as much?
Yes.
Are there any apps you’d recommend for either personal or business use?
Audio Note is great if you attend seminars. You can record the audio and then whatever you type in as a note, it will time-stamp the recording for fast reference. Very useful.
What would you change about it or what features would you add/take away?
I wish it worked more like a laptop. It would be nice if it had a desktop like OS with a cursor and a USB port for file transfer if you are not in a WiFi setting.
My friend and fellow designer Steve Dalton recently shocked me when he tweeted he was buying an iPad. This wasn’t shocking, many people by iPads…but I never would have guessed Steve would buy something with an Apple logo on it. For as long as I’ve known him he’s been a Windows and most-recently Android user through-and-through. Since he’s had a few months to get used to the iOS side of things, I wanted to get his thoughts on his latest geek purchase.
Being an Android fan, why did you decide get an iPad?
I have always been interested in gadgets and technology and I’d heard how great the first iPad was and was holding out to see what Motorola was offering as a tablet.
Are you happy with your decision?
I am extremely happy with choosing the iPad. It has exceeded my expectations in every way.
What need did it fill or was it a impulse buy?
Initially I thought the Motorola Xoom was the way to go, but due to the lack of apps that were available and price I decided to take another look at the iPad. The only Mac product I have used in the past 10 years was my iPod and being Android fan I was hesitant to make the switch.
How has the iPad changed your “normal” computer-use habits?
My normal computer use hasn’t changed that much except I find that I don’t use my laptop as much when traveling. Mainly because it’s so light and thin I can easily slip it into my writing pad folio to take it on the go.
What are you doing with the iPad that has made your life easier or has surprised you?
I was probably most surprised how well it works as an all around personal trainer. I can set up a personalized workout and take it to the treadmill, elliptical, and weight machines to keep track of my progress. Plus, it’s always great to fire up the Netflix app and watch movies to make the time running on the treadmill less monotonous.
As a designer, have you been able to integrate the iPad into your workflow?
I do have a stylus for my iPad, however as a designer I haven’t used it much as a tool for sketching out ideas (yet). I’ve used it quite a bit for showing mockups, ideas, and as a portfolio of past projects to current and prospective clients. We have also used it as an interactive sales took for showing our products, services, and service area.
Are there any design apps or content creation apps that you rely on?
I use PhatPad and Evernote for taking quick notes of ideas, things I find interesting and material I don’t want to forget. Once you get used to it the handwriting recognition for PhatPad it’s quite handy for writing notes longhand.
How often do you use your iPad?
I use my iPad daily, and definitely use it more than expected. It really hasn’t changed the amount of time I spend using other computers, although it has improved the workflow between devices. For example ideas worked out in Evernote on the iPad are synced nicely if I need to review notes on my Droid, laptop or desktop computer.
Any apps you’d recommend for either personal use or business?
I have downloaded quite a few fitness apps and a few of them are quite helpful. ITGO MatrixHD is great for HIIT Intervals for elliptical machine training. You can even sync it to your iTunes library to play certain songs during warm-up / cool down periods. Fitness HD has a ton of great workouts with videos and photos. While it doesn’t have a way to save your progress online yet, you can use the Daily Burn app to sync this information quite easily.
The business app I use the most and would recommend is Evernote. I use Evernote on my phone and desktop, but with the camera functionality on the iPad it makes it an ideal portable scanner as well.
What would you change about it or what features would you add/take away?
There isn’t much I would change. The battery life, speed, and easy learning curve of the device has made this lifetime PC user a true fan.
I’ve been meaning to write a review of Instacast, an app that I’m not quite sure how I’ve lived without. It’s allowed me to cut the cord between syncing podcasts from iTunes or even using iTunes to catch up with old episodes of shows I subscribe to. It’s what the iOS version of iTunes should be…at least the podcasting area. Well worth the $1.99 cost in my opinion.