You might remember my post back in June when I was so excited to get my Apple iPad. Since then I’ve had a few months to use it and here’s what I think.

What I Like About The iPad

• The resolution is astounding.  I prefer looking at photos on my iPad more than on my MacBook.  Everything I view on the iPad is crisp, clean and bursting with color.  (*Note: if you want to upload photos directly to the iPad, you need the Camera Connectivity Kit as there is not a USB port.)

• It’s bigger than my iPhone, but easy to carry around.  I can easily carry it in a large purse or a small tote bag.

• The battery life is impressive; I hardly have to charge it at all.

• With Mobile Me, my calendar, contacts and email sync automatically between my iPhone, MacBook and iPad, so I rarely have to sync directly with my computer.  (Although I can go on a rant about Mobile Me, which is very wonky and always acting weird.  But that’s not the iPad’s fault.)

• It plays my music, just like an iPod.  The speaker is pretty good too.

• As with the iPhone, it’s all about the apps.  Although there aren’t that many apps exclusively for the iPad, most iPhone apps work on the iPad just fine.  Some apps appear small when opened, but can be made larger without too much loss of resolution.  Games are definitely more fun to play on the iPad versus the iPhone.  (I just don’t understand why there isn’t a Facebook app for the iPad!  I do not like viewing Facebook through the web!)

• I can read books on the iPad using the Kindle or iBooks app.   Although this is not my preferred method of reading books (I still prefer paper), it’s very convenient when I travel.  I will put a book or two on my iPad and my traveling load is much lighter.  I do feel odd reading with the iPad on the beach or poolside and I am paranoid about getting water or sand on my device, so it’s not perfect.   But if I run out of reading material while on vacation, I can easily buy another book online.  A good book.  Not Confessions of a Shopaholic, like I was once forced to buy at a remote hotel gift shop because I had run out of books to read.   That was most unfortunate.

• I have gotten much better at reading The Bible daily by using my iPad.  The YouVersion app is amazing; I use a reading plan that keeps me on track.   I often read while eating my breakfast after the kids have gone to school.

• The Penultimate app is perfect for taking written notes.  And although I haven’t tried it yet, I have Pages, iWork and GoodReader on my iPad for typing documents that can later be transferred to my computer.

Alas, it’s not all good.

What I Don’t Like About The iPad

• I don’t type very well on the iPad.  I know other people who type with ease, but not me.  I often resort to one finger typing instead of typing like I have a keyboard.  So I bought an Apple bluetooth keyboard and it’s handy when I plan on typing a lot, but then it’s another thing to carry around also, which defeats the purpose.

• It’s not easy write a blog post on the iPad.  This is a major disappointment for me.  The WordPress app is very limited–when it works; it crashes most of the time.  Trying to blog in the backend of my website is impossible as well; there is a bug that won’t allow me to type in the body of the post or add photos.  I’ve researched this and everyone has the same problem.  I’ve played around with it and have figured out how to write a very simple blog post using 3 different applications, but it’s a pain.

• Multi-tasking is not possible.  I hope that a future update will allow this feature as it’s cumbersome to always go back to the home screen when switching between apps.

Despite the shortcomings, I like having an iPad.  I use it as a “big iPhone” (except I can’t use it as a phone) and I think that’s the best expectation to have.  As my husband said, it’s best for “consuming media” rather than outputting information.   When I don’t want to bring my laptop, it’s a good option.  It does not take the place of a computer, and it’s definitely a luxury rather than a necessity, but I think that it’s a worthwhile purchase.

And truthfully, it’s just FUN!

*Do you have an iPad?  What do you like (or dislike) about it?  What are some of your favorite apps?

*Just a note that this review is of a 2nd generation iPad.