How ironic is that right? She gets something that is supposed to aide her in her daily life to make it easier, and yet she has to read the books that she wants via proxy. I too prefer the laptop, my fingers are too big for tablets so I end up making constant mistakes.
Depends on the task. If I have to write something that requires some research and serious clicking and typing then I definitely use my laptop. Tablets are great for reading the news and social media, maybe even some games from time to time. However, I would never do any work on a tablet. Even sending an e-mail seems a bit inconvenient.
When I first got my iPad, I just used the virtual keyboard. it did take a while to get used to it,plus I am not a fast typist at best, and with the virtual keyboard, it was kind of a 2-finger thing for me to type. When I didn't need to type a lot, it was fine; but for writing posts on a forum, or even an email or iMessage, it was difficult. Now, I have a ZAGG keyboard case that protects my tablet, plus give me a real keyboard to use when I am writing a lot. Here is a picture of the iPad in the case. You can see, it looks almost like a small laptop once it has the attached bluetooth keyboard. Plus, it has that awesome touchscreen; so I can just scrunch pages or pictures up as much larger as I need to see and read them easily. With my laptop; I had to about have my nose stuck to the screen to read that tiny print ! ! Rats ! It says my file is too large. I am going to try and post it as a link. http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-j...AAAAAAAAEJQ/mhmQ_bvzGDo/s2048-no/IMG_1628.JPG
@Yvonne Smith , that keyboard makes your iPad look much easier to use. I'd love to have a touchscreen, but not at the expense of having a real keyboard, so that makes a huge difference. I'm not planning to make a purchase just yet because my top priority at the moment is getting a new monitor for my desktop, but I'll certainly bear that combination in mind when I'm ready to get something portable to use alongside the desktop.
If you actually need a full-function computer; I also have a suggestion that might work for you, Michelle. My daughter got me a Dell XPS-18, which is kind of an all-in-one computer. It sits on a pedestal like any other desktop, has a keyboard and mouse, and does everything that any computer can do. However, you can lift if off of the pedestal and carry it around like a tablet, and it has a touchscreen,plus a virtual keyboard. Since it is a touchscreen, you can make anything on the monitor any size that you want it to be, just like on the ipad. I usually do everything with my ipad because I can sit on the couch and relax with the lap-desk and the iPad; however, if I need to use the computer, it is there. I use a combination of using the mouse and keyboard, and then using the touchscreen when I need to magnify something to see it better. Mine is an 18" monitor, but it also comes in other sizes. They have them on ebay starting at atround $400 for used and Amazon has them new for $600 and up; probably less for the smaller screen size.
@Yvonne Smith , thanks for the suggestion. It sounds really nice, but I think that's more computer than I actually need. I've got a pretty nice desktop computer which I had made to order a year ago, but I feel like I need a cheap backup in case things go wrong. Last year when my previous computer was giving me regular blue screens I used an old Windows XP netbook with a tiny monitor and I really hated it. I hadn't given it much thought since until my monitor died suddenly and I wrongly assumed that something had gone wrong with my PC. I used the netbook for one day then, but now that XP is no longer supported I didn't feel comfortable using it and also found it extremely slow, so I'm considering replacing it. I'd like something small and portable, though whatever I buy probably won't get much use anyway because I don't like to carry the internet around with me when I leave the house.
I hardly ever take my iPad with me when I go somewhere. Now that I have the keyboard, it is heavier and takes up more room. I have a large purse that I can use if I am going somewhere that I DO want to take the iPad along. The thing I like most about it is the convenience of the Ipad. I have one of those little lapdesks, and I can relax out in the living room in my comfortable chair, and do my internetting, and wrting on forums and surveys. I can edit and fix photos with it, and if I want to listen to music, I can put on the headphones so I don't disturb my husband, and listen to Pandora or Spotify. When I want to watch a movie or youtube video, I can easily do that as well. It is just so versatile in the things that it can do, and it is a lot easier to do most things on the iPad than it is on the computer. (I am seriously spoiled by my iPad ! )
So far I have never used an e-reader. A printed book does not need recharging and is less likely to get damaged or stolen. I also agree with Joss about tablets. I'm a fast touch-typist and I don't like using touchscreen keyboards. I progressed from using manual typewriters to electric ones. Later I bought myself a word processor and fom there moved on to a more sophisticated machine for desktop publishing. After using a desktop computer for several years, I bought my first laptop and I use one all the time now.
I think I've gone through every tablet/e-reader under the sun, and finally ended up with a Macbook Air... I had all different generations of iPads, but I just kept wanting a keyboard... and figured if I wanted a keyboard, I might as well get a Macbook Pro... but when I went in to look at them, the Airs were so amazingly small and thin and light, that I ended up with one of them instead... and saved money at the same time! (OK, sort of...)
I use an old laptop, which is enough for me, given that I only check on Facebook and the news for about half an hour to an hour. I've been thinking about getting a new laptop, but I think a tablet would suit my needs best.
I use my laptop at home for my online job but compared to a desktop, i feel comfortable typing with a desktop computer at work. I don't own a tablet, my daughter has and I don't think i can work with a tablet without straining my back using it.