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Everyone in this thread has been going on about how iPads are “toys”, “game machines for kids”, “only consumption devices”, “for movies and casual web browsing”

Everyone in this thread has been going on about how iPads are “toys”, “game machines for kids”, “only consumption devices”, “for movies and casual web browsing”, etc. But I use my 13" iPad as a drawing tablet, and it’s amazing. I wouldn’t want to code or a write book with it, and the software is in some ways more limited than I would prefer, but the hardware (display, stylus) are great and it’s a lovely tool for proofreading/annotating PDF files (or other material), making doodles, writing mathematical notes, sketching out user interface designs, drawing technical diagrams, planning carpentry projects, and so on (I know others also use it for drawing comics, making visual art, & cetera). Basically it’s a great tool any time you want a computer (unlimited pages, many drawing tools in one, easy to import/share content, undo support, layers and versions, ..) with pen input rather than mouse/keyboard. The latency and precision of the stylus are as good or better than other graphics tablets, the screen is gorgeous, and the price is competitive as a drawing tablet. I’d recommend one to anyone who can afford it, and does any kind of critical reading, design work (e.g. great for flow-charts), or work in a visual medium. It doesn’t replace a laptop, but it’s a great complement.

bobbles 10y ago
I'm using an iPad mini 2nd gen - I would love a newer one but this one just keeps on being usable... I seriously think the upgrade cycle for these devices is just much much longer than most people think it is
- wiredfool 10y ago
  The mini2 is a really nice iPad. I think it's at a similar sweetspot in the power/support curve that the Ipad2/mini1 was at -- something that's going to be usable for a good long time. (They sold something with the guts of the ipad2 for something like 4 years) My mini2 has been used solidly for 2 years, I'm only looking to upgrade because the ipad2 the kids use has taken a beating and needs replaced.
pavlov 10y ago
The Microsoft Surface seems like a better product for this market. In addition to a drawing tablet with a set of stylus-oriented apps, it's also a real computer so you can use Photoshop, Painter etc.
- jacobolus 10y ago
  I tried both, and my subjective impression was that the iPad had a nicer display, better precision on the stylus with somewhere under half the latency, and a better feel when drawing. The software also seemed to do a better job of interpreting pen input (but admittedly I only tried MS’s first-party software and a few other tools pre-installed at the MS store, and conceivably a team of DSP experts could fix this in third-party software). I also found the tablet versions of MS Windows to be kludgy and uninspiring with some weird corner cases, but I’m not enough of an expert with it to really offer a fair review. When I’m reviewing/proofreading someone’s paper, doodling mathematical notes, making a flow chart, sketching a user interface design, or drawing an illustration, I don’t want a “real computer”. I want one app at a time, and I want the UI chrome to get the hell out of the way. YMMV.
  - pavlov 10y ago
    Which version of the Surface did you try? I recall they changed the stylus implementation at some point (after Microsoft acquired a digitizer company). Personally, I want a real computer for the things you mention for a simple reason: managing files on iOS is hell. The single-app model and app-specific content silos would be a poor fit for my workflow, where files come and go.
    - egypturnash 10y ago
      Surface 1/2 are Wacom styli, Surface 3/4 are NTrig styli. I know this all too well because I got a Surface 4 and it was really great except for the part where my main use for it was "run Adobe Illustrator in smaller spaces than a laptop and a drawing tablet require" and Illustrator drops the first half second or so of every line I draw with the pencil tool. I now have a Wacom Mobile Studio which is pretty good when it's not failing to connect to the pen/touch drivers after waking from sleep, which happens just often enough to be annoying. It's got enough other problems that I would replace it with an OSX-capable IPad in a heartbeat.
flukus 10y ago
But with modern laptop/tablet hybrids do you need an iPad for your workflow? You could get a more functional device and still have your drawing tools.
- jacobolus 10y ago
  I’ve (briefly) tried various laptop/tablet hybrids, and found the iPad to be a better drawing tablet, see my other reply. YMMV.

bobbles 10y ago

I'm using an iPad mini 2nd gen - I would love a newer one but this one just keeps on being usable... I seriously think the upgrade cycle for these devices is just much much longer than most people think it is

wiredfool 10y ago
The mini2 is a really nice iPad. I think it's at a similar sweetspot in the power/support curve that the Ipad2/mini1 was at -- something that's going to be usable for a good long time. (They sold something with the guts of the ipad2 for something like 4 years) My mini2 has been used solidly for 2 years, I'm only looking to upgrade because the ipad2 the kids use has taken a beating and needs replaced.

pavlov 10y ago

The Microsoft Surface seems like a better product for this market. In addition to a drawing tablet with a set of stylus-oriented apps, it's also a real computer so you can use Photoshop, Painter etc.

jacobolus 10y ago
I tried both, and my subjective impression was that the iPad had a nicer display, better precision on the stylus with somewhere under half the latency, and a better feel when drawing. The software also seemed to do a better job of interpreting pen input (but admittedly I only tried MS’s first-party software and a few other tools pre-installed at the MS store, and conceivably a team of DSP experts could fix this in third-party software). I also found the tablet versions of MS Windows to be kludgy and uninspiring with some weird corner cases, but I’m not enough of an expert with it to really offer a fair review. When I’m reviewing/proofreading someone’s paper, doodling mathematical notes, making a flow chart, sketching a user interface design, or drawing an illustration, I don’t want a “real computer”. I want one app at a time, and I want the UI chrome to get the hell out of the way. YMMV.
- pavlov 10y ago
  Which version of the Surface did you try? I recall they changed the stylus implementation at some point (after Microsoft acquired a digitizer company). Personally, I want a real computer for the things you mention for a simple reason: managing files on iOS is hell. The single-app model and app-specific content silos would be a poor fit for my workflow, where files come and go.
  - egypturnash 10y ago
    Surface 1/2 are Wacom styli, Surface 3/4 are NTrig styli. I know this all too well because I got a Surface 4 and it was really great except for the part where my main use for it was "run Adobe Illustrator in smaller spaces than a laptop and a drawing tablet require" and Illustrator drops the first half second or so of every line I draw with the pencil tool. I now have a Wacom Mobile Studio which is pretty good when it's not failing to connect to the pen/touch drivers after waking from sleep, which happens just often enough to be annoying. It's got enough other problems that I would replace it with an OSX-capable IPad in a heartbeat.

flukus 10y ago

But with modern laptop/tablet hybrids do you need an iPad for your workflow? You could get a more functional device and still have your drawing tools.

jacobolus 10y ago
I’ve (briefly) tried various laptop/tablet hybrids, and found the iPad to be a better drawing tablet, see my other reply. YMMV.