@tonymcs@...
I have a confession to make, Tony. The comments that you have stated in this particular Talkback section have been totally at odds with my mental image of you created from your prior comments posted on the whole iPad tablet phenomenon. I never would have suspected you of having a twenty year plus professional teaching background. Your continuing mantra of "its just a toy" effectively prevented me from addressing your comments in a professional manner .. and so, I usually refused from doing so.
If I may, let's start with your comment, "... but any serious work requires Windows."
I can now understand that type of comment from your reference point. What you desire is a "stand alone computer product in tablet form" that leverages your accumulated software applications and experience. In essence, a MS Windows laptop without the physical keyboard .. a Window's Slate.
That requirement makes perfect sense and is quite understandable. Your prior disparaging iPad comments used to justify that particular desire for a Windows Slate product never did.
The whole concept of the iPad tablet is that it is .. by definition and intent .. NOT a stand alone computer product. It is a product that CAN run "stand alone" apps .. and some of those apps would definitely be categorized outside the realm of "toy applications", IMO, but rather, the iPad, used within a computer system that compliments its advantages of mobility, operational duration capability (battery charge duration) and adaptivity to various work environment requirements fully illustrates the reasons behind its world wide acceptance as a valued computer device.
A few of your often stated perceived iPad shortcomings have really been addressed within the past year, either through an improvement in hardware capability (the iPad 2 model) or through various third party applications.
For example, the perceived lack of Flash support. If one starts with the premise that the iPad is NOT a stand alone device but one that can be used in conjunction with a networked computer, a VNC thin client solution to this problem exists. (For that I use the Splashtop Remote app that offers audio streaming support .. I mean, what is the point of being able to stream Flash based videos to the iPad if one can't hear the audio section as well?!)
In fact, with this solution, I can effective turn my iPad into a full fledged Win 7 tablet .. or an OSX Snow Leopard tablet with full mouse cursor support. (Actually, I use the Apple Magic Trackpad for that illusion. Since the VNC app really shows the main computer screen and cursor movements, my Trackpad is not really being used to manipulate iPad iOS functions. But the illusion is very very compelling, non-the-less. (Come to think of it, Tony, but I probably could use my paired desktop bluetooth keyboard for text input while using this particular VNC solution but the app's virtually keyboard and full multi-touch support really lessons the need for that action.)
But that is just one aspect of using the iPad for "real work". Just use the synergy of the tablet paired to its networked computer and its full suite of productivity apps. (Using Microsoft Office is fully "doable" using this arrangement.)
As for other shortcomings addressed during the prior year, "copy and paste", AirPlay and AirPrint have effectively transformed this little five hundred dollar tablet into something other than what I would normally classify as a "toy". Surely a professional teacher could comprehend the usefulness of an iPad tablet with the ability to mirror content to a large screen HDTV in a classroom environment. And, that is just one tiny example.
