I’m an indie film producer. I read tons of scripts and consume copious amounts of media. I sold my MBP and Kindle2 when my 64GB + 3G iPad * arrived. I use my iPad, and only my iPad, as my primary computer. ** This blog is dedicated to documenting the adventure.
* My iPad has since been replaced by…what else? An iPad 2. Which was then replaced by a New iPad. Upgrade fever.
** I still have (as I did prior to my iPad) a household iMac which serves only as a central hub for media storage and syncing.
If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask!
The iPad Alone 
Hello there,
Thanks for the plug in your last post. I would like to know if in the near future you would like to do an interview for the iPad Possibilities Podcast. Perhaps even a pre iPad in your hands episode and a post episode after you’ve been using it as your sole computer for a while.
Have a great day
Tim Chaten
Hey there Tim. Would be happy to thanks. (Jeez though did I get your name wrong somehow?)
A before-after sounds like an easy/logical way to frame it too. My ‘before’ consists of MBP + iPhone + Kindle + iMac. My ‘after’ will lose the Kindle and MBP in favor of the iPad 🙂
Yea 🙂 – got my name mixed up – it’s all right – if you want to edit the post you can – it can be confusing because Dr. Brimmer’s first name is also Tim 🙂
If you could just send me an email – ipadpossibilities@gmail.com – we can work out timing of everything (when to talk etc) as well as talking points etc.
Thanks!
Tim
Hi Anthony – I just wanted to let you know part one of the interview we did last week is now available through the iPad Possibilities Podcast App – here –
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-ipad-possibilities-podcast/id357174840?mt=8
And will be in the main podcast feed Thursday at midnight (which new shows are released at this time weekly).
As a part of the new podcast app I’m releasing the shows there at least 24 hours early and doing some extra content for the App owners.
Keep up the awesome posts
Tim
Fantastic Tim – thanks so much for the heads up! I’ll put up a post about this and cross-link asap…
Cheers!
Hi Anthony,
I just wanted to check in and see how everything is going?
I would love to have you on the podcast again once you feel you’ve had enough time to ponder if the iPad can be used in lieu of you Macbook Pro.
Not sure if you would like to wait until after WWDC 2010 to see if there are any new advancements such as printing announced.
Keep up the great blog,
Tim Chaten
The Possibilities Network
So how is it going for you this iPad only thing?
Thanks for posting. You know what? I absolutely positively love it, and it’s going great.
My iMac is visited very very rarely (and mostly when the Remote app and iTunes are acting up…I.e. nothing to do with limitations of the iPad per se).
I do wish there were a way to control my HP all in one for scanning from the iPad, but that doesn’t seem to be a priority for HP. I haven’t searched for apps for that in some time though, so maybe I should revisit…
I’m wondering if you have any suggestions aside from jail breaking as to how iPad users can increase the security of the iPad. One of the things that stops me from going iPad alone is that I can’t hand the unit to a kid or to my girlfriend with out those individuals having access to my email, Facebook inbox etc. I wish there was a way to password protect certain areas of iOS.
Thanks for posting. What you’re asking centers on one of the key bits of functionality often requested by iPad users (or potential iPad users) and amounts to: user accounts, a way to provide privacy and controlled access to distinct email accounts, settings, apps, content, etc. Baked into OSX, it is, to my knowledge, currently impossible to fully achieve on an iPad.
One limited workaround would be to use the built in Mail app for one user, and a separate app like Google’s GMail app for another. You could use gmail app securely by logging in and out for each session though depending on your usage that could become a big pain. You could do the same with a web ail interface for a given account but the hassle factor still applies.
Normally, I’d say “don’t count on it” when it comes to Apple adding features that obviate the need to buy more iDevices! But in this case, a patent application Apple filed recently may shed some light on their future plans. Iirc, the patent was for a way to use facial recognition as a means to identify the user, and thereby display content specific to that user. In other words, it could be a way to very easily enable user account switching on an iPad or iPhone. Who knows what, when or if Apple will do something like this. But worth noting I think.
Until then however, the most secure choice is also the most expensive…I.e. buy another iPad. I know that’s a terrible answer.
By the way…one other thought. You could put all your most secure/sensitive apps in one folder, and place that folder all the way on your last page of apps. It’d be a bit of a pain to access each time, BUT it’d also make kids, girlfriends, etc. slightly less likely at the margin to happen upon it, especially if you call it something innocuous like Utilities.
Tony…just discovered your site. I am thinking of going to the iPAd 3 once it arrives and using that and my iphone 4 only as my main devices. Do you see any way to manipulate all of the meta data from an itunes library (currently on an 2006 mac mini running Sno Leop) for my music, vids, podcasts , ect.?
Thanks for posting Matt. Sorry to say I don’t exactly understand the nature of your question regarding the meta data. What exactly do you want to accomplish in so doing? One of my hopes for the iPad 3 is a 128GB capacity, making cloud/sync management less of an issue. I’d still have to choose what to and not to have on my iPad, but it’d be less of a chore.
Hey! I love the blog!
I’m thinking about trading my MacBook (older version) for an iPad 3. Because of the 4 being out now, do you feel this possible combo of mine (iPhone 5 / iPad 3) will still suffice? I do a good bit of email processing, heavy web browsing including videos, photo editing and management (to a limited extent), among other typical iPad-y things. I understand you’re still on a 3, so does it still hold up with everything you’ve thrown at it, especially in recent months?
Thanks!
Thank you! To your question, to be totally honest, on the one hand I say “yes” in that I still use my 3 and it works fine. That said, I’ve played with a 4 and it’s noticeably faster. HOWEVER, I might choose a slightly different route depending on circumstances. If you can wait until say April/May it’ll be interesting to see whether Apple reverts back to original form and gets back on a spring release cycle for the next iPad. The 4 was both a major and minor refresh if you follow me. Rumor is that the 5 will be fast or faster than the 4, but also thinner and lighter, possibly with a narrower mini-style side bezel.
It may be worth waiting for, OR, at that time, you could purchase a 4 whose price would then presumably be lower (ie similar to pricing for the 3 now). Make sense? Let me know what you decide and good luck!
I think I’ve decided something a bit odd. I’m going to sell/trade my MacBook for an iPad of some sort. (Even a mini, perhaps.) Then buy either an older PowerBook or iMac G4 for my more traditional experience. Not for anything intense, of course. But as a bit of a fallback – not to mention the appeal of ownership. So, iMac G4, Flowerpot iMac, and iPhone 5. Should be pretty interesting.
Nothing wrong with a fall back! We still have our household iMac which serves these days primarily as a photo hub. Most everything else is in the cloud – music, videos, etc. Good luck!!
Making the switch…just sold my 13 Retina and Im freaking out a bit. Spent the last few days surfing the internet looking for validation of my move.
Might need some medication?
Love it! Just breathe deep, and remember that whatever frustrating limitation you run into, there is pretty much guaranteed to be a workaround via an app, combination of apps, etc. Some of these can feel a little forced or kludgy at first, but once you’re used to them (and they’re falling like flies as time goes on btw) you’ll wonder why you didn’t make the move sooner!
If you have any specific scenarios you’re struggling with, don’t hesitate to ask. Good luck!