As a destination wedding & boudoir photographer, I had a justification for an iPad as soon as they were announced because I knew it would be a great way to constantly carry my portfolio around, but I didn’t pre-order one. Even as a die-hard gadget junkie, I wanted to get my hands on one first before I did it. Then Clint and others started talking on Twitter about how wonderful they were.
Before I knew it, I was up at the Apple store testing them out. True, they don’t have Flash. Whatever, Flash is so 2004 anyways – unless you’re a photographer. Oh wait, I am. But my blog is the first page you hit when you visit my wedding & lifestyle photography site and my boudoir site, and the Flash portfolio is tucked away inside. (I want my site to be as iPhone & iPad friendly as possible! Plus the search engines *love* it!) Of course, the iPad had only been out for a week or so, so the Apple store didn’t have any in stock. I added myself to the wait list for a 64gb iPad, and picked it up on April 22nd.
I opted to go with the WiFi version. I didn’t want to pay $130 extra for the 3G version, plus monthly fees for 3G access, and I already have a Sprint Overdrive with 4G access that I can link up to. Most of the time I have WiFi access anyways.
I’ve had it for three weeks now, and it is fabulous! It does actually fill a gap in my computer lineup for me because it can help me with a lot of stuff that I couldn´t do on my computer, I can now transcribe audio to text with a cool app.
– The battery lasts for 9-10 hours. My MacBookPro lasts maybe 1 hour, if I’m lucky.
– The Photo app is a GREAT way for a photographer to show off their portfolio. Or for a parent to show off photos of their kids.
– It is small and light weight. I can put it in a large purse or small bag. Easy to always have with me.
– The apps that have come up so far for the iPad are pretty fabulous. (I’ll be sharing my thoughts about them!)
– Being self-employed means I’m on my computer all the time. It is nice to put it away when I want to catch up on my RSS feeds, read Twitter, and play on Facebook.
– In the end, I opted for the 64gb so I’d have lots of space for photos and for music, videos & movies when I travel.
When I’m in the car on a road trip, my iPhone is still my go-to device. I tried out the iPad, but the larger surface just wasn’t good in the bright sunlight – I struggled to see the screen. I’ve never had that problem with my iPhone, or my Kindle for that matter.
Have an iPad? Thinking about getting one? What apps do you have & love? Which ones are you looking forward to getting?