The iPad and the MacBook Pro ~ Partners in life

June 6th, 2010

I’ve been getting loads of tweets about how I’m finding my iPad and I’m hearing the pains of indecision from the ‘yet to get’ and ‘not sure if I want to’ togs. So here is my analysis of the mobile world according to Apple.

Background info: I own and use the following on a daily basis: A 5th generation iPod 80Gb in black, iPhone 3Gs 16Gb also in black, 64Gb iPad 3G, 16Gb iPad and a 15″ MacBook Pro. I’m not the most technical of people but I know my way around this kit fairly well. The second iPad lives in the kitchen and around the house as a Facebook and web browsing tool plus it occasionally becomes a second TV. One family member, who shall remain nameless destroyed the family MacBook by leaving it on a duvet with an internet game running. The iPad was half the price of a replacement laptop and is far more popular around the house.

I also have at my disposal in the office the latest MacBook Pro 13″, another MacBook Pro 15″, and five other Macs. So we are fairly sorted when it comes to Apple kit. Even our accounts are done on a 24″ iMac running Windows XP pro via Parallels.

What the MacBook Pro (MBP) does very well is sit on a desk or a table and function as a good portable computer. It doesn’t pretend to be a phone or an iPod. What it doesn’t do is work on a duvet or your lap without burning your legs. You can’t use it standing up and

What the iPad does is go everywhere and it works everywhere, You can watch live TV while standing waiting for a train. You can share your life on the go with whoever you meet whenever you meet. You can use it as an iPod while it is in a bag over your shoulder. It can be a Sat Nav or a traffic monitor in the car.

There are plug ins for both the iPad and the MBP that try to create overlap. The iPad has a very good keyboard dock and a USB port /VGA port kit, while the MBP has various 3G Dongle options for on the road broadband.

I love my iPod because it is easily the best music player of all the kit. It produces a clean detailed sound. The iPad is okay but in A/B comparison blind test you’d definitely choose the 5th Gen iPod over both the iPad and the iPhone.

I wrote this months column for PhotoPro magazine using the Pages App on the iPad, 2,500 words – easy, with the iPad in a keyboard dock. I’m back on my MBP to write this with Twitter running on my iPad beside me. I hate the way Tweetdeck takes over on the MBP. The interesting thing is, I do find myself dabbing my MBP screen expecting it to respond but alas Im left disappointed in having to make do with a track pad.

What are your experiences and questions? I’ll gladly let a conversation run here to help those of you who are yet to decide whether to iPad or not.

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37 Comments Add your own

1. David Mackenzie | June 6th, 2010 at 9:15 pm

Sounds great. Curious about how you watch TV? Does it have a tuner?
2. David Millington | June 6th, 2010 at 9:42 pm

Interesting reading, I’m still not sure I’ve been converted to a “Yet to get Tog!” I can see the iPad being a lot easier to pass to prospective Wedding Couples as it seems to be more tactile.

I shall sit on the fence a while longer
3. damien | June 6th, 2010 at 9:42 pm

Hi David MacKenzie,

I use this: http://www.totalapps.net/mobile-apps/tv-catchup-comes-to-ipad/

It is a website rather than an app and it works well over 3G as well as WiFi.

Regards, Damien.
4. Tracy | June 6th, 2010 at 9:44 pm

I LOVE MY Ipad…. I was worried that it may have been a white elephant but I can’t put it down, I have a Mac book and a 27″ iMac so very happy apple girly. What was amazing was taking the iPad to a clients house yesterday and ran a slideshow on it of her baby pictures. It worked so well as it is big enough and clear enough to see see detail and light enough to be held comfortably, they loved it and ordered far more images than I expected. Couple more orders like that and it’s paid for!
5. damien | June 6th, 2010 at 9:49 pm

Hi David Millington,

I take your point about a presumption on my part.

At some point most photographers are likely to get this kind of device whether it be an iPad or and Android type unit. Like mobile phones before them, these devices are destined to become part of our way of life.

Regards, Damien.
6. damien | June 6th, 2010 at 10:04 pm

Ah yes I forgot to mention the cons associated with the iPad. The screen gets grubby very quickly so an occasional wipe with a shirt sleeve seems to be the norm.

It is also very frustrating at first trying to do computer stuff on the iPad like re-ordering your pictures in a slideshow. The sorting and ordering jobs need to happen on the computer and then showing your pictures off can be left to the iPad to do.
7. Jamie Willmott | June 6th, 2010 at 10:08 pm

I know a few people with iPads and they all love them. I think it would make a fantastic device for showing your portfolio (as Tracy has mentioned above).

Is the screen clear enough and of a high enough resolution to make this feasable? Do you get much shift in colour/contrast when viewing off angle?

I have an iPhone 3GS, which is easily the best phone/device I have owned – mainly due to the app store. We also use an 80GB 5th gen ipod for our home music. I’ve never owned any apple laptops or desktops though.
8. Nic | June 6th, 2010 at 10:09 pm

Been using the iPad since uk launch day and am finding it a very useful tool, and as a gadget lover, i’m using it more and more instead of the laptop or netbook. Jo has taken the MacBook with her to the Lakes, the powermacs live in the office, and whilst i’m catching up with Dr. Who, the iPad makes a great ‘catch-up’ and research device.

And as Jo likes to point out to people, I don’t own paper books – I read on a gadget when in bed.
9. Iain Morrison | June 6th, 2010 at 10:13 pm

Whooa! I was happy with your article until your last comment Damien…. “Android type thingy” ??!! ;0)

I have a MacBook and I’m a huge fan of the Apple ecosystem for my photography workflow.

I think the iPhone and the iPad are amazing devices – but you can’t dismiss Android so easily. My Nexus One easily out performs the iPhone 3G & 3Gs and I suspect the same will be true of an Android 2.2 based tablet.

But we could have a THIS vs THAT debate until God himself chimes in with his opinion.

The fact remains that a high-end, top quality tablet, be it iPad or Android, will bring us closer to our clients in those moments where we share the images we’ve created. Like Tracy (my good close friend Tracy :0) I’ll be using any tablet I purchase to showcase my work to current and potential clients. I suspect that will be why 90% of photographers will get one.

Why fundamental issue with an iPhone & iPad? To activate, sync and update them you NEED to use a computer. You HAVE to physically connect it to something…

Android devices? well….it’s why the cloud was invented :0)

Iain
10. David Millington | June 6th, 2010 at 10:13 pm

Tracy’s use of the iPad is how I could see it working for me!
11. damien | June 6th, 2010 at 10:16 pm

Hi Tracy,

I can understand your clients reaction to their pictures.

Holding the iPad in their hands with pictures of their baby on it must have been like holding the real thing. It’s a lot less hassle to set up than a projector and way more intimate than a laptop.

Well done on your first iPad sale. Damien.
12. damien | June 6th, 2010 at 10:36 pm

Hi Iain, There’s no dismissal of Android tablet from me. I’ve swapped the word thingy for unit. I thought it worth mentioning that they will exist one day soon. I just didn’t know what to call it. The word tablet seems old fashioned and implies a scriber is needed – my mind goes to the Roman period. iPad is not much better but it is rapidly becoming the generic name for these devices, like the iPod for MP3 players and the Walkman for cassette tape players.

At the 2 million iPads sold mark there’s still no Android equivalent in the running.

Mobile Me is Apple’s very own Cloud for all things sync. Keeps me up to date wirelessly with everything I need.

Do Android devices charge wirelessly yet? My toothbrush does so I expect that will be the next technology, proximity charging.

Regards, Damien.
13. damien | June 6th, 2010 at 10:39 pm

Hi Jamie,

The iPad screen is way better off angle than my MBP. It doesn’t change colour off axis and is 1024 x 768 pixels I think. It is certainly high enough res for a client to select their pictures on. The colour balance seems right too without the need for profiling. Not that that is posable.

I hope this helps,

Regards, Damien.
14. damien | June 6th, 2010 at 10:43 pm

Hi Nic,

I agree the in bed iPad experience is great. I expect there will be a clear silicon pouch with rubber suckers available soon for in shower use, no doubt.

Cheers,

Damien.
15. Iain Morrison | June 6th, 2010 at 10:53 pm

Damien,

Too true – Apple came first to this party and defined the need. Where as with iPod & iPhone they re-defined…

Android tablet/slate/”content consumption” devices do exist, but they exist in a niche that isn’t designed to complete in the same league or even universe as the iPad.

Google will bring out their device late. It will be better made and work better than the iPad. It will also be woefully unpopular and by comparison not be as successful. That’s the nature of the market and the consumers that Apple have captivated.

Mobile Me is a paid for cloud service. Everything Mobile Me offers, I get free out of the box with Android. Turn it on. Enter Gmail details. Boom… contacts, calendar, email, docs, Picasa…

Android devices (obviously :0) need wires to charge. AC adaptor or charge via usb. My point was that I sync with google over the air. I get software and firmware updates over the air. At no point do I ever HAVE to connect it to a computer.

I don’t to clog up your comments with a Apple vs Android debate so I’ll leave it with this…

How dull would life be if we all like the same things? It’s our differences that make us beautiful :0)

Cheers,

Iain
16. damien | June 6th, 2010 at 11:03 pm

Well put Iain,

But remember if something comes ‘free out of the box’ someone somewhere has charged you for it. Only the best things in life are free )

Thanks for your valuable input, Cheers Damien.
17. Iain Morrison | June 6th, 2010 at 11:14 pm

All I’ll say to that is it’s Google… they make their money from Advertising and Information Aggregation.

As long they treat my personal data in line with the data policies I’ve signed up to and the laws of the land, I can deal with that. Others can’t and that’s their choice…

okay – I promise, that’s my last words on it…

Iain
18. Nick | June 6th, 2010 at 11:15 pm

I am putting my photos onto my iPad in 2308px as this is amazing quality, still fast and you can pinch 2.5 times and its razor sharp!! I never bothered with the 3G as it saved me £100 and a data contract, instead I use myfi on my existing iPhone to convert the 3G signal into a wifi router and the iPad surfs very fast off that

I went to a wedding rehersal on Wednesday night, just with the iPad I scetched out the church inside and outside and marked all the necessary pleases where to and not to shoot, wonderful tool!!
19. damien | June 6th, 2010 at 11:19 pm

Hi Nick,

Brilliant tips. I’ll get ripping my showreel pictures to that size in the morning. Myfi is something I’ve not tried so I’ll be interested to do a bit of research.

Which sketch app did you use? If there was a laser on the iPad and you rotated on the spot it should be able to draw the church for you. Only kidding.

Cheers, Damien.
20. Iain Morrison | June 6th, 2010 at 11:22 pm

Pogo Stylus… that’s what you need if you’re sketching on these high-end capacitive devices…

http://www.tenonedesign.com/stylus.php

Iain
21. Chris Geary | June 6th, 2010 at 11:26 pm

@Nick – what is this ‘myfi’ that you speak of? Couldn’t find it in the appstore…
22. Tony Bayliss | June 7th, 2010 at 12:40 am

Myfi – a wireless router that either has or can connect a 3g dongle. I know 3 do a product that a friend has which he rates and I’ve just purchased a Zoom wireless n 3G router that I can plug my vodafone dongle into or if abroad i could purchase a local pay as you go dongle.

Loving my iPad – thought I’d sorely miss website flash – but too many positives to say it’s an issue at this time. )
23. David Millington | June 7th, 2010 at 8:01 am

No website flash means that I will have to create a completely new website as my site relies heavily on flash. Any suggestions welcome. May be that’s another topic?
24. Iain Morrison | June 7th, 2010 at 8:37 am

Hi David,

HTML 5 – that’s the Apple & Google way of doing things….

And you’re probably right… that’s a whole other topic :0)

Cheers,

Iain
25. damien | June 7th, 2010 at 8:52 am

Hi Tony and David,

Yes Flash can be an issue but it depends on what your viewing habits are. I rarely come across flash sites except those of photographers. I have what remains of a flash site at http://www.lovegroveportraits.com but it has never generated any work for me, it just looked nice. Flash is great for online portfolios but not SEO or as a delivery of information.

It all comes dow to politics, power and money in the war between Apple and Adobe. HTML5 is the way forward for webkit browsers and I’m sure it will become the standard. It will be worth the upheaval in the long run.

Lovegrove Portraits site is going to a WordPress format in the next month or so and it will be far easier for us to optimise it with dedicated landing pages and the like.

I’ve struggled with all the video formats myself. Flash as we know is useless for a site that is pitched to photographers because the iPhone dominates in this market. MP4 can’t be played by some viewers and H264 seems to give me huge files with poor dynamic resolution.

We all need a solution to the ‘flash’ problem if we are going to utilise the HD video capabilities of our dSLRs.

All suggestions are welcome.

Kindest regards,

Damien.
26. David Millington | June 7th, 2010 at 9:11 am

We seem to have moved away from the iPad discussion, sorry.

My site does have text on all the pages that have Flash Slideshows which does get around the SEO issue, or so I’m led to believe?
27. damien | June 7th, 2010 at 9:30 am

Hi David,

I’m happy for the comments to go off topic because I’ll clean them up in a week or so to get the post back on track for archival purposes but I like the discussion feel and the way this is heading.

As far as my understanding goes, one of the big problems for SEO in flash based sites is that each page of some sites has the same URL and therefore can’t be landed on directly without going via a splash page of some kind. So if your site is configured in this way, whatever text you may have on a particular part of your site to attract organic hits may not be accessed by the URL alone and therefore it gets ignored by the search engines. Search engines want to deliver people directly to relevant information, not to a splash page.

So what are our options. I’ll create a new post called life beyond flash just as soon as I have my work done for the week and I’ll migrate the comments there with permission of course.

Please feel free to continue on the Flash or iPad routes with comments.

Regards, Damien.
28. Darren | June 7th, 2010 at 9:34 am

Bought an iPad last week, took my portfolio on it to a potential customer on Saturday.

It was a talking point; they loved the concept and the idea of showing work on the screen. If i was an apple reseller i’d have sold 2 of them then and there!

TThe other good news is they booked me too…
29. Andy Rapkins | June 7th, 2010 at 12:18 pm

I’m totally sold on the idea and will hope to get one shortly.

Showing client images sounds like an absolute winner. All we need now is a tog-friendly app that allows client to rate whilst viewing in the iPad.

Good information (not that I needed much convincing!).
30. Ian Hearnshaw | June 7th, 2010 at 1:24 pm

Hi Damien,

Totally agree with everything you’ve said. The iPad has changed the way we do a number of things. As with many of the comments before, we now use the iPad as a way of showing our portfolio to clients. Not really as a way of showing them their showreel, even though Photomagico now exports to iPad (very quick to get on board), but as a way of promoting other areas of our business. When we are in a viewing meeting for a wedding for instance, if the conversation gets on to portraits we can now just say, hey, take a look at this selection of images and pass over the iPad. As someone said previously, at the moment it has a real wow factor just bringing out the iPad.

Of course it’s a great toy which all gadget heads can’t put down, but it’s definitely proving its worth beyond that. But as you say in the original blog, it’s part of a bigger toolkit and definitely not a replacement for the MBP.
31. Markus MacGill | June 7th, 2010 at 4:39 pm

Ha, I love the fact that you were dabbing your finger at the laptop screen!!

It’s surely not long before touch is the standard way to interact with large high-quality static screens, not just portable devices.

There’ll even be amazing nanotechnology that means zero fingerprinting and no smudges.

I’m saying standard widespread use by 2020.
32. Nick | June 7th, 2010 at 7:29 pm

For the myfi app, I jail broke my iPhone running OS 3.1.3 in 6 seconds flat using http://www.spiritjb.com and its still working as before without any problems. This installs an app called Cydia, search in here for myfi, you get 10 days trial and if you want it then its a one off payment of $9.99 the rest is all free as its off you existing iPhone unlimited data contract

Damien the app I was sketching with is called Notes +

I got the iPad to share with the mrs… That arrangement lasted one day lol so I was back at the store getting and second and now our 5 year old is pulling all the tricks to hijack one of them!!

Nick
33. David Millington | June 7th, 2010 at 8:15 pm

iOS4 upgrades for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, and iPod touch for free on June 21st! (not all features are available for iPhone 3G & 1st gen iPod)

iPhone 4 On sale June 24th Pre-orders from 15th June. Available in 88 Countries by end of September!
34. Nick | June 8th, 2010 at 12:40 pm

So getting an iPhone v4
35. David Millington | June 8th, 2010 at 2:45 pm

I want an iPhone 4 but will have to make do with iOS4 on the 21st June as I am in a contract with some way to go before I’m due an upgrade, bummer!

iPhone 4 FaceTime is going to be absolutely fantastic killer App provided the person you’re calling has an iPhone 4! With several Million predicted sales chances are the person you’re calling will have one!
36. Melanie East | June 8th, 2010 at 5:08 pm

Aaaaaah Damien just stop it. Sttttop it! You’ve made me want one now – and I had convinced myself I didn’t need one! But oh I so so want one!
37. dave cooke | June 19th, 2010 at 5:37 pm

hmmm I am still using steam generated products and am very happy !!!!!!!