Mac Ipad or Ipad Mini /tablet users please chime in

Rob Keeble

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So i was delighted when i saw Mac bring out the Ipad mini. Waited till it hit our shelves in Canada and went off to take a look.
Lovely unit and that comment coming from a lifetime windows man...not a fan of either but just been in the "open" camp.

So about to pull the trigger $328 and i look around the unit for a place to be able to add a peripheral like say a usb port or something where i could attach a means to load my own files say jpegs taken with my point and shoot cannon.
Then i discovered there aint any. :)eek::confused:)
So i get hold of store assistant and ask just to confirm i am not missing something. Nope i was correct.

Well that killed it for me.....but.....i am sure i have the bull by the undders so after pondering for a few days i thought what the heck let me throw it out here and see what the mac users say.

So Mac fans and users how do you use one of these devices...

I see the google nexus 7 by acer at least has a mini usb....but then that cannot be used to mount a memory stick unless one roots the unit and runs a special app according to the XDA developers forum.

Whats up.....i can understand cloud computing but idiot designers/ marketeers we got to be able to get out stuff on the device first to get it into the cloud.

Someone please help me out here i am lost at the logic.

Why could they not put a sd card reader in and why on the bigger tablets have we still got to live with being tied into bloatware necessitating rooting to be able to use your device u paid for your way?

I swallowed this nonsense reluctantly on the smartphone because of no choice and contract/warranty but now its getting a bit much when an ordinary tablet has a operating system as in a version of Android that mimmics Apples behavior.

Heck the European Union had a lot to say when MS packaged IE with windows i hope they gonna nail Mac and Google the same way.

Can anyone enlighten me or have u all accepted giving up liberty and free choice along with privacy.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2
 
Rob, on iPad's you still need a main computer. You need iTunes ( available on both mac and PC) and pics and music are loaded on iPad's using iTunes. It takes a bit to get used to but I did with mine:)
 
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FWIW, I sat next to a Mac user on a flight back from Denver a couple of weeks ago and asked him about this, as I was interested. He noted that he was a Mac user from Day 1. He traveled a lot and wanted one small machine for business and entertainment. The mini's are for entertainment in his opinion. His business information, principally involved spreadsheets. Not a happy combo. And passing sensitive information through a cloud was totally unacceptable. Talked me out of it and I am not a super user as is he. BTW, one of his employees got one and emailed attachments to himself to load information. So the company policy is now, until proven otherwise, no business files in the cloud - period. He is a mortgage banker. Confidentiality requirements are rigid. Just thought I would throw that on the table.
 
I agree with that Carol, I use both Mac and pc's at work and prefer macs. My iPad is used as an Internet machine and photo album. It is a great tool as a portfolio to show woodworking projects to potential clients. I also enjoy its wifi compatibility so if I want (which I do frequently) can check in here while at my local watering hole:)
 
I was speaking to our Mac guy at work the other day. He said the mini's were targeted at the folks that need them for taking quick notes, such as estimators and contractors on job sites. Having an ipad I can see the benefit of the smaller mini being able to hold it firmly in one hand and writing with a stylus with the other. They're small enough to fit in the back pocket too from what he said.
 
This is what I've got Rob, and I love it.

The keyboard/battery unit has a built in SD card reader, and the tablet itself has a mini sd card slot right on it.

http://www.asus.com/Eee/Eee_Pad/Eee_Pad_Transformer_TF101/


Thanks all for your inputs. Brent I cant thank you enough. Thats just what i am looking at. Its the perfect solution for my needs and screen size. I knew there had to be a decent tech company that makes something worthwhile purchasing. I dont have a clue how i missed that when looking at the Asus site.

I will have a good look at the series but i think you just solved my total needs with that unit.

I have been wrestling with this issue for some time. Now i can get out of procrastination mode and move on. What a relief.

What would i do without you guys to consult. Thanks again.:thumb: Saw it has HDMI output too which is just what i was wanting for connection to my projector.

That was one reason i was happy with my Atrix it has HDMI out but the screen i found is just too small for my aging eyes even after new glasses.

If the Samsung Galaxy 3 had the HDMi out i would have got one of those and been happy. But this tablet is even better.

My Atrix has a keyboard attachment but that only helps if you near a screen.
 
Late to the party here, but I've still got my .o2c

iPads are Not full fledged computers in the classic sense. Think of it more as a web access portal that is portable, whether it is a 1-4 generation or the mini. True, you need to have a computer to feed serious files into it, that's nothing new, nor is it a problem in my book.

I haven't looked into the competition much, I'm a Mac user and I have an older iPod touch which runs IOS (not the same as the iPad because mine is so archaic). I am planning on picking up a 32G Mini for home use, with three users and one iMac in the house, plus one decrepit windows 7 laptop, seat time gets tough to schedule sometimes. The Mini for me is a slightly more affordable unit vs a gen 4 iPad with similar memory. The only question is whether I will spring for the cellular version or stick with wifi only.
 
Apple sells a "camera connect" kit that lets you read SD cards and memory sticks. They cost less than $30. I still use a Windows desktop for running AutoCAD; but it is no longer connected to the Internet. I do everything else computer related on an iPad or iPod Touch.
 
Apple's Steve Jobs made a decision that you didn't need other stuff with the Ipad. It was to be your device of course for a while you needed a computer just to activate one. They do now have a device to read camera cards but would prefer it wasn't used to transfer other files. That said I broke down and bought an Ipad 2 a while back. If it wasn't for the Apple attitude it would be the best thing since sliced bread. The one real shortfall fro me is the hoops I had to jump through to vied a flash video. No reason except a bad attitude between Jobs and Adobe. Apple's answer along with the fanboys "DON'T USE FLASH". The problem is many of the older web video's I want to watch were posted ion Flash and aren't likely to change so the choice isn't really the device users decision.

And for some reason Google has decided to leave the SD reader off their Nexus as well. When I had my PAD I basically never used my HP Notebook for anything on the WEB. I have a 7 inch Nook that is rooted but the 7 inch isn't suitable for me the 10 inch worked so much better for my fat fingers.

Apple makes great devices but I will always be looking for something else just because of the way they always try to screw things up in the small ways. All Ipods would hook up to you computer as a usb drive for file transfer. Not so with my Iphone which only purchased as a result of my wife's recent medical issues so we can "face time " with other in our family. An almost great device with several totally unnecessary restrictions. ANd yse there is Itunes but it too has limits...
 
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