DesignerMark Blog

Finally the UK pre-orders for Apple’s new iPad opened today – and not one to miss out on a new gadget (for testing websites of course) I made my pre-order this morning!

I’ve been wrestling with the devil inside me as to whether I really should get one but the more I read about it the more I wanted one. I’m not really an Apple Fanboy (as you are probably suspecting at this point! I Use PC’s for main main work) but their kit is so nice and I love the user interfaces they create.

After careful deliberation with myself, I decided to go for the top of the range version, with 64Gb storage, WiFi and 3G networking. I’ve been thinking for the past few weeks that I woudn’t really need 3G. Orange were the first to release their pricing plans for 3G and it seemed way too much for a monthly amount that I would probably never use up. But today O2 released their costs and I think it is a fair price at £10 per month for 1Gb allowance. That’s only £120 per year so decided it was probably worth the £100 premium for the 3G version so as to get the most use out of the iPad, and to not regret not having 3G at some point in the near future! It will make looking at websites at clients premises much more flexible, as not everyone will have WiFi or want to give me their passwords.

So, what am I going to use it for you ask?

Some of the main things I think it will be ideal for are:-

• Writing these blogs (and Twitterings) from the comfort of ANYWHERE… will be a much more relaxed way of getting my thoughts out to the world and I will be encouraged to do it more frequently whenever I think of anything good to write about.
• Presenting website prototypes and browsing for information on-site at meetings with clients, even if they don’t have internet access (not as unlikely as it sounds with a client only last week wanting a website for their B&B but being an older couple they didn’t even have a computer, let alone WiFi!) – this will be much more usable and accessible than lugging a laptop and power supply around.
• A notepad for making notes at meetings… with the light form-factor and long battery life this will again be much more convenient than a laptop.
• File sharing with my Google Docs account… although I’m hoping some good Apps will come out that are even better for productivity.
• E-Mail on the go… I can actually reply and work from this, as the iPhone is not really suited to writing any sort of detailed replies.
• Remote Desktop Access to my workstation and server for grabbing files whilst on-site.
• A repository for my digital photos.
• A player for Podcasts and some music
• Maybe some games!

Sure, it’s a gimmick, don’t get me wrong. And it’s nothing I can’t do with other peripherals and hardware I already have, but I fell for it’s charms and really look forward to it’s arrival now!

I will post with my initial thoughts once I have got my head around it and had an exploration!

I’m sure other work tasks that you can’t do without will emerge!