I cant find a single practical application for my iPad

i just got a freebie through work... i dont understand the hype. i cant transfer files, access network shares, need anyconnect and an rdp client to connect to our corporate VPN, cant get to my music at home on my NAS... if i create a doc, i have to email it to myself... am i totally missing something with these things? i tried transferring songs last night and had to do it through iTunes???

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MSP-IT

As far as I know it's not meant to be a business device. The feature-set is very leisure oriented. I wouldn't ever buy one, as from what I've seen, it is quite impractical.

NetworkVeteran

Try the Kindle App or SafariToGo. Those will allow you to read books on-the-go and save trees, usually at a fraction of the usual costs for those same books. Next you might look into taking notes with Anki or Evernote.

iPads are becoming popular for audio/videoconferencing/scheduling at big corporations.

Obdurate

I found a wonderful use for the IPad - I used to work on a large college campus and I could not always get to my desktop to check information. Using Teamviewer to remotely connect to my desktop made my life a lot easier.

Oh, and it is easy to read books on an iPad.

Obdurate~

tdean

Thanks guys... i'll try these suggestions. Shouldnt i be able to access my music and movie shares at home? Its just an Iomega StoreCenter NAS device... i think the os is Linux?

this thing is driving me nuts... i've never used anything worse or more "clunky" than iTunes... i am still shocked.

krjay

My desk is on an uneven surface. The company issued ipad was just the right thickness to stop the desk wobble.

NetworkVeteran

tdean wrote: »

Thanks guys... i'll try these suggestions. Shouldnt i be able to access my music and movie shares at home?

I know several who do that. They use an Apple TV! Apple products work best with other Apple products, of course.

For music, some alternatives include Pandora, Rhapsody, and Youtube apps.

Cpl.Klinger

You should be able to access shared files on a network, but not through iTunes. You may have to use a different player to do so. The funny thing about iTunes i that most everything else seems clunky when I compare them to it. I'e tried Winamp and Foobar, but too much fiddling to get them to work.

And as far as feature set for business, iPads can be great depending upon your needs. Where I used to work, all of the district managers and such had them and used the hell out of them - but mostly for email, web browsing on the corporate VPN. It all depends upon needs.

SteveLord

NetworkVeteran wrote: »

Try the Kindle App or SafariToGo. Those will allow you to read books on-the-go and save trees, usually at a fraction of the usual costs for those same books.

Not really. Kindle eBooks today cost about the same, if not more at times.

ptilsen

LogMeIn and PocketCloud (or other remote access apps) make it a slightly clunky, but still useful way to get at a computer from couch, bed, etc.

Kindle and the like make it useful for reading books.

Facebook and most social media in general are very usable on it.

There are many enjoyable games, some of which are only available on iPad (or mobile OS) that are actually more enjoyable on the touchscreen.

So it has many practical applications. How many are actually better than using a computer? Very few. But sometimes it's nice on the couch or in bed, and the speed and reliability of accomplishing many tasks will often best a PC by a decent margin.

At the end of the day, I haven't found it to be that great as a tool. I'm happier with a computer and can get more done. For fun and leisure, it's great. If I didn't have one provided for work, I'd probably buy one. For sitting-around-getting-nothing-done types of activities, it is generally my preferred device over my iPhone and laptop.

TechGuy215

iPads are disapointing in that regard. Android and Windows tablets definitely offer more practical and/or productive apps.

Also, my biggest pet peeve while browsing on an "i" device, is that flash isn't supported! See below:

haha-apple-doesnt-support-flash.jpg

ptilsen

Hah! Funny, but really, I find like of Flash support to be a good thing, if anything. A mobile-designed site without flash is, if anything, better than a traditional site with Flash.

Really, the lack of Flash and Java web plugins is only going to make the web better.

tpatt100

You all sound like the motor shop when I worked for the city and I moved their paper catalog parts ordering system to a server based system.

"I don't know why we need this new fangled computer stuff for, paper and pencil and calling over the phone was much easier".

"Why do I need to use this search window for parts I just pick up the phone and describe what I need".

I use the heck out of mine for leisure stuff and or research. If you need a laptop get one or better yet get a Windows Surface I hear vendors can't wait to get rid of their piles of inventory lol.

tpatt100

ptilsen wrote: »

Hah! Funny, but really, I find like of Flash support to be a good thing, if anything. A mobile-designed site without flash is, if anything, better than a traditional site with Flash.

Really, the lack of Flash and Java web plugins is only going to make the web better.

Yeah when Adobe cans their employees back in 2011, it's time to move on lol

A day after announcing it is laying off 750 workers, Adobe Systems Inc. sent out another news flash today: the San Jose company is ending development of its Flash multimedia software for mobile phone and tablet browsers.

colemic

2 words.

Candy. Crush.

dmoore44

I use the following daily:

Kindle and iBooks - for reading ebooks
Google Currents - for checking up on news and sites I like to read regularly
Box and Dropbox - for remote file access
Evernote - for note taking
StudyBlue - flash card app; helps with studying
PepperPlate - access recipes
Coder Calc - for those times when I don't want to convert between numbering systems in my head
FileExplorer - for accessing remote files on a file server
Pythonista - a Python interpreter for the iPad; it's somewhat limited (i.e. you can't install additional libraries), but it's still pretty cool

NetworkVeteran

NetworkVeteran wrote:

Try the Kindle App or SafariToGo. Those will allow you to read books on-the-go and save trees, usually at a fraction of the usual costs for those same books.

SteveLord wrote: »

Not really. Kindle eBooks today cost about the same, if not more at times.

Not really. I have my last 12 purchases in front of me, all from August. Ignoring the seven digital exclusives--in other words, you can't even get print copies of them--I paid 28%, 28%, 35%, 28%, 60% of the print price.

As for Safari, $10 gets you access to five Cisco Press books.

Ironically, I spend more on books now, since reading is easier/more enjoyable.

tpatt100

Yeah most of my recent Kindle purchases were cheaper than physical unless I got a used copy via third party on Amazon.

NetworkVeteran

tpatt100 wrote: »

Yeah most of my recent Kindle purchases were cheaper than physical unless I got a used copy via third party on Amazon.

Used certainly gets more competitive! Taking one of my recent purchases as an example, "Cisco Firewalls" from Cisco Press, the Kindle price is $30.79, the used price is $46.99, and the new price is $51.71.

Now, some may begrudge that the publisher does not pass along more savings than a 40% savings for going digital. I'm just happy I paid less, get my book immediately, have it with me just about always without lugging around a heavy tome, and don't have to find shelf space or spend time recycling it when it becomes obsolete. Plus it saves trees.

tpatt100

If a book is a year old or older though I can find physical copies for like a dollar or less on Amazon especially fiction lol. Even then I would rather pay more for a digital copy.

spicy ahi

colemic wrote: »

2 words.

Candy. Crush.

I'm ashamed to say this, but I must +1 this.

SteveLord

50 Shades of Gray and Game of Thrones 4 bundle. Two examples of popular books right there. Priced the same or higher than paperback. I didn't mean to imply that it applied to all, but every eBook is not cheaper than a paper version. Honestly, to say that either higher or lower prices applies to all is totally inaccurate.

Amazon takes a loss on every Kindle they make. They make the money off the books, so it is no surprise. That and publishers wanting a larger share.

NetworkVeteran

SteveLord wrote:

I didn't mean to imply that it applied to all, but every eBook is not cheaper than a paper version.Honestly, to say that either higher or lower prices applies to all is totally inaccurate.

Yes, you can find eBooks that are more expensive. Nobody has disagreed with that.

SteveLord wrote:

Amazon takes a loss on every Kindle they make.

Yes, maximum bang for your buck is a great selling point.

They make the money off the books, so it is no surprise.

As I said before, with the Kindle my books are far cheaper and more convenient, so even with these deep discounts, I spend more because I buy/read more, both technically and pleasure books with my family. Win-win.

JoJoCal19

I find the iPad (with Retina display) to be the best research tool and study aid. It also makes an excellent organizer tool for studying, school, etc. PDF's look AMAZING on the Retina display so load it up with whitepapers or connect it to Google Drive/Box/Dropbox and access your docs from there. So if you're studying a book for a cert, you can have the ipad next to you to look something up or cross reference. Use the calendar to keep track of your study schedule or log study time. It's also good for taking notes when used with a stylus. And if you're like me, I get both print and Kindle copies of certain books so I can study the print copy at my desk and also have it in my tech library and I can study when on the go.

RobertKaucher

SteveLord wrote: »

Not really. Kindle eBooks today cost about the same, if not more at times.

Most publishers offer ebooks in the mobi and epub formats that are cheaper. But you have to go through the publisher.

Some publishers even do a deal where you buy the physical book and you get the ebook (all formats with no DRM) at no additional cost.

wes allen

MSP-IT wrote: »

As far as I know it's not meant to be a business device. The feature-set is very leisure oriented. I wouldn't ever buy one, as from what I've seen, it is quite impractical.

If you try to use an iPad like a windows desktop or even laptop, then you are missing the point for sure. Tablets are incredibly useful and very powerful, but only if you break out of how you have been doing things and into how you can do things.

Btw, iPads and iPhones pretty much have turned enterprise IT upside down and really gave a big push to focusing on what the users needed to do their jobs vs. what IT told them to use to do their jobs. I know there is a lot of Apple hate out there, but they really did change the IT landscape.

colemic

Candy. Crush.

I have one and my wife has one, and we use it almost exclusively for entertainment purposes. Along with all of the angry birds games, flick home run, plus my boys are minecraft crazy. Plus pinterest, Accuweather, Fandango, urbanspoon, epicurious, pocketWGU, a Bible app, Nest app (easily the most awesome thermostat ever made!), webtoPDF to save pages, adobe reader, kindle app, dropbox, audible app, and playing around with an app called grid but I haven't gotten the hang of it yet.

DevilWAH

Out side of my office i use my ipad for about 70% of my work. mostly around emails and web on the move. Today is a greata example, i am working from home and have to look after my little girl at the same time.

I have to organised a wireless survey, sip trunks, AC in the new server room, arrange some technical changes to go in tomorrow night, etc etc. All non technical task but which i need access to email and to be able to read documents. The Ipad is perfect for it, no need to get out the laptop and boot it up, I have a BYOD client that allows me to access all I need from work and I can sit in the garden as I watch the little one writing emails and reading documents. I have a Lync client installed so if i need to I can IM people or even do voice and video conferencing if i want.

For the right tasks its as good as or better then a laptop/desktop, however should i want to do some Cli work or technical hands on then yes I have to put it aside and fire up the old school computer. I think it depends what kind if work you do, 3 years ago and my work was 90% technical, now I do a lot more project management and am required to keep in touch with lots of people and teams, the tablet starts to really make sense. If i have a day out of the office on a course or training its handy and instant on, so much better than lugging a laptop around.

willIAMss

I just use mine for reading books. So basically I bought an over priced Kindle.

tdean wrote: »

i just got a freebie through work... i dont understand the hype. i cant transfer files, access network shares, need anyconnect and an rdp client to connect to our corporate VPN, cant get to my music at home on my NAS... if i create a doc, i have to email it to myself... am i totally missing something with these things? i tried transferring songs last night and had to do it through iTunes???

ecoblue

VPN + FileExplorer works great if your workplace has embraced the "paperless" office.

cisco_trooper

To OP - I agree entirely. I don't get the hype. Whoo hooo its screen is bigger than my iPhone, which I use only for a phone, email, and calendar. Well, occasionally I'll use it for a flashlight...lol. I had a job where everyone wanted freaking iPads and they made me get my remote access VPN working on them, which was certificate-based. God that was a pain in the rear. I had to generate CSRs from command line on a MacBook, then send those over to my CA, approve, download the certificate, then email both the root cert and the identity cert. Install my mailbox on the iPad so I could download and install the certs, delete my email, and THEN lock the damn device down so they couldn't screw it up. All so they could be one of the cool kids who had an iPad instead of a workstation. An iPad that provided 0 business value replaced the workstation that allowed these people to actually work. So, I monitored the remote access VPN activity and as the iPads went out the remote access declined. BOOOM, free iPads for everyone and no one has to work anymore. R I D I C U L O U S

So that's my story....lol.