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IPad. Is it worth it.

showcase 66

New Member
I have been thinking of getting an IPad to use for the business. I think it would be good when meeting with clients for taking notes and things like that. Also wanting to know if it has a good spreadsheet program as well.

Any input is great.

Thanks
 

grampa dan

New Member
An iPad is also on my wish list. I'll be using it as my portfolio and for presentations and the lectures I give. The price points depending on memory and connectivity were something of a mystery initially but I've decided to go with lots of memory but only with a wifi connection. It is all I need. I'll use a plug in connection as many of my business trips are out of country. A local, pay as you go plug in connection system seems to provide the most value for my purposes instead of roaming on a plan I would buy here which would be pricey.

The benefits of using an iPad for business are many from where I sit. The prestige counts for something in terms of perceived value of my presentation. Also the client can't ask to take my artwork with him. It would be on the iPad alone. I would of course have a printed version hidden in my briefcase which I would happily share after receiving the deposit cheque.

A new solid state drive Macbook Pro is the first item to be crossed off the wish list (next week) :)

-grampa dan
 

WildWestDesigns

Active Member
I have been thinking of getting an IPad to use for the business. I think it would be good when meeting with clients for taking notes and things like that. Also wanting to know if it has a good spreadsheet program as well.

Any input is great.

Thanks

I think that there is a version of "Numbers" at the iTunes Store, which is the Mac version of Excel. I don't know if it's like the full version available on the desktop or laptop applications, but it has something. I think it also has quickoffice as well which includes Excel, Word, and Powerpoint(viewing only on PPT).

As to whether or not it would be worth the expense to you for your business that would really depend on your C/B breakdown of buying it. I've toyed with the notion of getting a good tablet PC and be able to run full programs like Illustrator, Photoshop, as well as, my digitizing programs if I needed to while I was away from my main computer. I have a big laptop now that can do it (Toshiba Quismio(or something like that)), but it's big and bulky and doesn't have touchscreen. But if you are thinking about just presentations, the iPad should work for you just fine.
 

Gene@mpls

New Member
Might want to check out the Motorola Zoom- coming out this month with
Android 3.0 OS for pads, the same price but not connected with the evil
empire and much more open source. I am thinking by the 2nd gen this
will be the thing to have- hope to replace my laptop, ereader and gps for traveling.
 

WildWestDesigns

Active Member
Might want to check out the Motorola Zoom- coming out this month with
Android 3.0 OS for pads, the same price but not connected with the evil
empire and much more open source. I am thinking by the 2nd gen this
will be the thing to have- hope to replace my laptop, ereader and gps for traveling.

Can you get those without the Verision service and just get it with WiFi? I think that's the biggest turnoff for me with that is that you have to get that 3G or 4G with it and for me I know I wouldn't want that.
 

TyrantDesigner

Art! Hot and fresh.
there are a few windows tablets and more and more android tablets in development for the market. Sooner or later they will make a solid splash and I will probably buy a couple for convenience sake. I probably won't go with an Ipad though ... preference really ... that and it would be the only apple product I have .... though .... I could use square with it for mobile payment processing so that would be a plus right there.

blackberry's tablet (the blackbook) seems interesting though. I will be looking into that when it drops for all my needs.
 

Foghorn12

New Member
I have an Ipad that I use as a portfolio for consultations. I also got the Square so I can use it when out of the shop to collect payments. I just bought it about 2 weeks ago so I have yet to discover everything it can do for my business but so far I'm impressed.
 

SignManiac

New Member
I have the 64 gb wifi version with my entire portfolio on it for making presentations on the rare occasion that I need to. I recently was asked to attend a town commissioners meeting about a new town hall sign, as were other sign companies. Only one other shop attended the meeting besides me. I was called first and had my iPad for photos of all the local signs I had made, along with physical samples of my work showing every material option with color samples and carving examples. The five attending counsel persons spent about fifteen minutes going over everything I brought and asking questions about everything.

The other company that showed up followed me with a 3"x3" piece of white dibond and explained their sign would have vinyl lettering and a digital print stuck on the dibond. The sign was to be a double face sign and theirs would be the thickness of the dibond. Their price was also $850.00 whereas mine would be $3,700.00

One of the councilmen called me the next day to request a visit to my shop. He said he felt bad for the other shop and that he should be able to persuade three of the other four members to go with my proposed work.

The iPad I have cost about $700.00 but on the three presentations I have used it for so far, the projects I've sold are worth nearly $70k. So what price is a good presentation worth to you?
 

FrankenSigns.biz

New Member
IPad. Is it worth it?

No. It's not. Do not succumb to the lies and deceit of the Apple marketing koolaid. Yes you should wait and buy the Zoom. It will be so much better. When the Zoom arrives the world will see how a tablet PC should have been built in the first place. Motorola's AppStore will be better and have a wider variety of apps due to the lack of a "quality control gateway". Plus it will have Flash. Any tablet PC without Flash is USELESS. We all know that. So do not buy an iPad, they really are not selling as well as the deceitful liberal media is reporting. Most people who buy them don't even use them. An iPad as a portfolio will not impress anyone. Just take your Dell or HP lap top as that will be more impressive. Oh, and do not take an Apple laptop, that won't impress anyone either.
 

WildWestDesigns

Active Member
IPad. Is it worth it?

No. It's not. Do not succumb to the lies and deceit of the Apple marketing koolaid. Yes you should wait and buy the Zoom. It will be so much better. When the Zoom arrives the world will see how a tablet PC should have been built in the first place. Motorola's AppStore will be better and have a wider variety of apps due to the lack of a "quality control gateway". Plus it will have Flash. Any tablet PC without Flash is USELESS. We all know that. So do not buy an iPad, they really are not selling as well as the deceitful liberal media is reporting. Most people who buy them don't even use them. An iPad as a portfolio will not impress anyone. Just take your Dell or HP lap top as that will be more impressive. Oh, and do not take an Apple laptop, that won't impress anyone either.


I think you are a little hung up on the PC v. MAC thing.

I think for just presentations it's worth it, but it depends very heavily on what you are looking for. My iPad does well with games, ebooks, and internet/email, but for what I'm looking for in a mobile business application, it wouldn't work. It just wasn't built for that specific application that I'm looking for, which is a Cinteq-like experience with regard to illustrator work (which would mean I need to use Illustrator, not an Illustrator-like app as well).
 

David Wright

New Member
I have a viewsonic G tablet which is highly customizable. It does all but one thing well, business apps. That is really where Apple shines with the development of all types of apps.
That could be enough to sway me to buy one even if the Xoom is superior in specs and customization options.
 

gnemmas

New Member
SignManiac,

Is it your good presentation sold those jobs, or ipad? You didn't mean that the Diebond guy lost to you because he didn't have the pad?

Were you making good presentations before obtaining it and having good success rate?

Not withstanding you like your choice of new tool.
 

Dan Antonelli

New Member
Love my iPad. Been using it to sketch logos and such while in bed if I can't sleep, using either my finger or a stylus. Am writing a lot of my next book on it as well. And I use it for Netflix, etc to occupy myself while training indoors on my bike.

The Flash issue is basically a non issue. We rarely design any sites that have any flash nowadays. And most reputable sites that still do have Flash have browser detectors to deal with iPhones and iPad. With close to 150 million iphones and ipads out there, you have to design for it - and soon enough, I doubt anyone will build anything new in Flash.
 

Joe Diaz

New Member
ASUS EP121 looks pretty slick...awaiting some more user reviews before I get one!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAZg9bEPm1E

I really want to be able to draw on a pad!

NOW THAT is exactly what I want from a tablet. Full windows operating system, not some smart phone OS, so I'll be able to use programs like Corel. The functionality of a Cintiq and it looks like it has a bit more power than your average tablet too. I might be getting that. Let's see what I get back from the tax man. :Big Laugh Thanks for the link:thumb:
 

HulkSmash

New Member
In all serious. I think the samsung galaxy pad trumps the ipad. I bought one and i'm in love with it. 30 a month for unlimited internet - anywhere.. small versatile.. slick..just overall amazing.
 

TheSellOut

New Member
NOW THAT is exactly what I want from a tablet. Full windows operating system, not some smart phone OS, so I'll be able to use programs like Corel. The functionality of a Cintiq and it looks like it has a bit more power than your average tablet too. I might be getting that. Let's see what I get back from the tax man. :Big Laugh Thanks for the link:thumb:

The one thing I could foresee being a problem, when you are on the go and don't want to break out the keyboard, is having the usability of shortcuts while drawing.
 
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