BTW, it makes me batty that Apple won’t get to some sort of agreement with Adobe for flash content. **GRRR**
There’s good reason for it. Flash is a processor and memory hog so it just doesn’t run well on smaller devices. Apple and other companies worked with Adobe but they never could get it to not stutter or drain your battery. On desktop (and laptop) computers, Flash has proven insecure and has been the number one way malware (viruses and such) has gotten into PCs for the last couple years.
The Internet has pretty much moved on to newer and better technologies (minus a few holdouts that haven’t updated yet) and Adobe themselves discontinued Flash for mobile devices about a year ago. They’re focusing their efforts on the newer technologies and Flash will eventually go away for desktop and laptop computers too. (I’ve already removed it from mine.)
Are there any Mac users out there that own something other than an ipad and either wish they had the ipad or don’t think it’s an issue?
As I mentioned before, I have a whole pile of devices I work with. Your question brings out a very good point. In some ways, you are not just buying into a device, but also into an ecosystem. If you have other devices then it may be important to you to have them work together. In the case of a Mac, there is just nothing that works as well beside it as iOS devices. Everything stays in sync automatically and they all work together very smoothly and wirelessly. For example, if I take a photo with my iPhone it can show up on my Mac, iPad, and Apple TV. If I add a friend’s contact information on my Mac, it shows up on my phone too. I don’t even have to think about it. And if I want to share something on one of my devices with the whole family I can AirPlay it to the Apple TV and show it on the big screen.
Also, if you have multiple iOS devices you can share apps and books you purchase with up to five of them at no additional cost. Movies and music can also be shared among those devices along with multiple Mac desktop and laptop computers.
In the same way, if you already have an Android phone or tablet you get some features for sharing among them that may be an advantage.
And if you like the Kindle ecosystem it can deliver your books and other content to all of your Kindle devices. Actually, since Amazon offers the Kindle app for many platforms, it will keep your content in sync with iPads, iPhones, and Android devices too.
From my previous posts you all know I’m a fan of the iPad. It has the smoothest working and most consistent interface. It also has the largest library of apps available. Those things are important to me but I know they may not be important to everyone.
I understand price constraints and specific needs so I generally recommend deciding what you need a device to accomplish and then buy something to meet those needs.
For example, if you only want a device for reading books, then take a look at the black and white Kindle. They’re wonderful devices built specifically for that purpose. They’re small, lightweight, have great battery life, and are fairly inexpensive.
If you want something as a full computer alternative then you probably want to go with a higher end device that is fast and has a large screen. You would be using that device frequently so speed and smoothness of operation may be really important. (BTW, Karen uses her iPad as her primary computer and wrote the Jack’s Insects Narration & Nature Study Notebook on it.)
You may know that you only want to watch movies and play Angry Birds. If you know you wouldn’t take full advantage of a more capable device then save your money and get something designed for that like the Kindle HD.
Or you may be like me and insist on a screen large enough to comfortably view an entire 8.5″ x 11″ PDF page without scrolling or zooming. That means a 9.7″ or larger screen device so the type (or sheet music) will not be too small.
Some people might say price is the most important feature. I get that. But I might argue that it’s a recipe for disappointment if you don’t define your needs first. I also realize that can be difficult to fully define until you own a device and see all that it can do.
When you shop on price alone you don’t take into consideration that these devices are different and don’t compare with each other directly. For example, yes I can get two of such and such for the price of one iPad. Sure, but the screen may be smaller and lower resolution, the processor may run slower, it may have less storage space, it may not be as sturdy, it has different apps available, and the software works differently. Only you can say how important some of those things are for your needs.
Your best course is to do your research, go to stores that will let you try working devices, and ask friends to let you try things on the devices they own.