Garrett St. John

I’ve been using my iPad 2 for just over a month. I pulled the trigger and bought it with the expectation of using it primarily for reading (Twitter, RSS, Instapaper, Bible, Kindle). While that is mostly true to this point, I find myself wanting to use it for more. I find myself wanting it to replace my MacBook Pro, but can’t quite pull the trigger. Here’s why:

The Inability to “Create”

I’m not looking to edit Photoshop files and, frankly, I don’t even want to edit videos with the new iMovie app. Those things should be done on a computer with a mouse and keyboard, but I feel there are a few significant barriers blocking the transition from consumer to creator on the iPad.

Emailing

As I mentioned in my last post, it’s not possible to do something as simple as add an attachment to an email within the Mail app. That’s just not acceptable from a device that would replace my laptop.

Printing

Let’s be honest, there is no printing support for the iPad.

I know there’s AirPrint, but should I have to buy an HP printer? I already have a Brother printer that I love. I understand that Apple doesn’t want to mess with the thousands of different printer drivers out there (Trust me, I used to be a Linux-only guy), but isn’t that just a bit of a cop out?

There are also printing apps in the App Store. I haven’t tried them myself, but the reviews are very mixed. I have to believe it’s a bit of a kludge if it may require me to install software of my desktop computer to make it work.

I don’t print a ton even with my desktop or laptop, but when I need to it’s usually for a good reason and I need it now (concert tickets, receipts, meeting notes).

No Personal Storage Area / Home Folder

I would like to have a home folder that serves as a place for file storage. There are currently various apps that facilitate that storage (both locally and in the cloud) like Photos, Dropbox, Evernote, and GoodReader, but why not natively?

Common Data Storage Area

I’d like to have an area where I can dump a file and not require an Internet connection to access it. This folder would also serve as a common storage area where other apps could source files (much like Twitter and the Photo Library do now). For example, I’d like to download an image from a website and upload it to Twitter or send a stored Word document to someone through Skype.

Replace the USB Drive

When I plug in my iPad to a computer, it should mount like a USB drive. Loading or unloading the iPad should be as simple as drag and drop…no iTunes required, please.

This would allow a person to work on the file at their desk, load it up on the iPad at the end of the day, compose an email on the train ride home and send it off as an attachment. That easily matches the convenience of a laptop.

User Accounts

Although not at the top of my list, the iPad should have user accounts. Here are some cases where it would be nice:

• Perhaps my wife doesn’t want her apps arranged in the same manner as I do. Maybe she doesn’t want an app to show up on her screens at all. My wife uses the iPad entirely differently than I do.
• Two different people usually have different email accounts and mingling the two gets messy and confusing. I’d prefer separate instances of Mail.
• Maybe I don’t want to get work emails over the weekend, and likewise don’t want to be distracted at work with Push notifications from Word with Friends that remind me of the slaying Chris Bowler is administering.
• I’d like to play Angry Birds and beat all the levels myself, but am forced to share with our friends 5 year old who is giving me a run for my money.
• All apps with personalized logins require using shared accounts or logging out and back in each time a new person uses the iPad. Way too much hassle!

Is Apple telling me that my wife and I both need our own iPads? Perhaps. At their current price point I can get three or four iPads for the price of one MacBook, but then of course I’d have to buy all the apps twice. “They’re only $0.99,” you say. Unfortunately, that doesn’t hold much weight with the guy that will make a U-turn for the gas across the street that’s 1 cent cheaper per gallon.

The bottom line is that I really enjoy the iPad and it’s great for most of what I do. I feel like for Apple to take it to the next level and rightly deserve the label of the “go between” device it has to function somewhat more like a laptop and slightly less like a smartphone.

I’d really enjoy hearing your thoughts and responses on Twitter. Hit me up @gstjohn.