Monthly Archives: December 2010

My iOS experience consists of a first generation iPod Touch, which was followed by an iPhone 3GS. I was extremely happy with both devices, I witnessed the birth of the App Store and saw the operating system improve iteration after iteration. After spending a year with the 3GS, I was halfway my contract and sold the iPhone in favour of a Blackberry Bold 9700. Looking back, I regret the step. I said goodbye to decent apps and games, gaining a hardware keyboard and better battery life in the process.

You might wonder where this is going, since the word “iPad” has yet to be mentioned. Well, I used my Bold primarily for voice and email, since its browsing experience is downright appalling. The iPad caught my interest later on, but it wasn’t until July that it was available in the Netherlands. Upon playing with the iPad, I felt the typical gadget craving that everybody here will be familiar with. I did what I had to do in order to get one, and I splurged on the 64 GB WiFi model. Five months later, I have yet to regret my purchase. A day hasn’t passed by without using the iPad.

I bought the iPad with a number of tasks in mind, mostly browsing the web, reading magazines and ebooks and playing games. I still use it a lot for the activities mentioned, and I find the experience very satisfying. But nowadays, I also use the PIM apps extensively. I never had a real good overview of my calendar on my PDA’s and smartphones, while the iPad’s built-in calendar gives me exactly what I need, in a gorgeous interface. The software keyboard surprised me as well, I type a lot on it – and pretty fast too. I do most of my writing in Pages, having never seen such a full-fledged mobile word processor with such user-friendly controls.

For the above reasons, the iPad sits in my bag where my laptop used to be. In fact, my 13 inch MacBook has left the house only once since I picked Apple’s tablet up. A number of tasks remain unsuited for the iPad, like doing data intensive stuff (I’m not even going to mention editing images). Sometimes I need more horsepower, or the ability to have multiple screens open at the same time. But that’s also where the iPad excels at: focussing on one thing at a time. Like writing this piece, without any distractions.

Every morning before leaving for work, I double check my bag to make sure I haven’t forgotten my beloved tablet. That is, because the weight is hardly noticeable. Carrying a power adapter around town is also thankfully a thing of the past, with amazing battery life. Even games that used to suck the life out of my iTouch/iPhone can’t get the iPad down. And I have loads of them installed. You name it, I’ve got it.

And that’s where my Blackberry comes into play: I got everything back that I missed from my iPhone, but bigger and better. Speaking about bigger, I watch Shaun struggle on PDA 24/7 from time to time with the iPad’s form factor. I completely understand him, as his mobile activities revolve around the smartphone in his pocket. That’s simply what works best for Shaun, and it worked best for me for the last few years. Until now, that is. Owning a “boring” smartphone and an fun to use tablet computer means that I use the iPad for nearly everything, except for making calls and sending messages on the fly.  Where I used to do everything on a device that fits in my hand.  I’m used to carrying a backpack, so the iPad is always with me. And that’s why the iPad has changed most of my mobile habits.

My two-year contract is finally up for renewal this summer. That means I will be getting the fifth generation iPhone, returning to the phone that is a true joy to use. I reckon I won’t be using it as much as I did with my 3GS, as I’m inclined to grab its bigger brother for a lot of tasks. One major advantage of owning both devices is the cloud synchronisation that I have with my MobileMe account. Adding an appointment on my iPhone will push it instantly to my iPad (whenever the iPad is online). With this in mind, iOS will be even more of a joy to use for me.

Author: Luca Morandi