iWork... But I also play

My favourite iPad apps for productivity, and also for just plain having fun.

iWork Suite
When I bought my iPad, I knew that one of it's major uses was to be schoolwork, and I knew that I would have to purchase the iWork suite, comprising of Pages, Keynote, and Numbers. As I don't work with spreadsheets that much, I chose not to buy Numbers. Pages is the Apple version of Word, as Keynote is to PowerPoint. At $9.99 each, these apps can set you back, but I can certainly say that they are worth it. The only major competitor with the iWork suite is Quickoffice, which goes for $19.99. However, I would certainly recommend Apple's creation over this. My philosophy regarding this is that because Apple makes the iWork suite, it will just be that much better than anything else. The same applies to iOS. The creators of other tablets are not hand-crafting their own Operating Systems to work specifically on their own devices, with the exception of the HP Touchpad, which didn't last that long anyways.
Pages ($9.99)

An advanced document creator, this app comes with 16 different templates, ranging from a "Modern Photo Resume" to a "Project Proposal", all of which come in very handy.The User Interface in the app is very aesthetically pleasing, with panels that are able to disappear and create a spacious working interface.
You are able to organize your documents into separate folders, creating a very neat overview of your files. the only disadvantage of Pages is that starting up can take a few seconds, which I really wouldn't expect from such a high-powered device.


Keynote ($9.99)
I much prefer Keynote to working on PowerPoint on my laptop. Apple is known for their stunning visual programmes, and Keynote is no exception. The presentations that I have put together on my iPad have been quick, easy, and most importantly, visually exceptional. I would definitely recommend this app to any iPad user who would need to create or present any form of presentation.

Games
I would have to say that my favourite game on my iPad is Temple Run (Free). So simple, yet so addictive, I have (literally) played the game 250 times, a feat that no other games on my iPad can claim.
British Olympian Tom Daley has released an app, Tom Daley Dive (free and premium).The objective of the game is to master the dives that Tom Daley already has. A fun game to pass time.
Jaws Revenge (free) is one of the more gory games on my iPad, wherein you are a deadly man-eating shark, and your objective is to kill and eat as many innocent swimmers as possible. This is a great game, free for a limited time only, which if I were you, I would get, because I'm not sure I would be willing to actually pay for it.
The Simpson's Tapped Out (free) seems to be a great game. I, however, wouldn't know, because there seems to be some error that the game tries to update upon me opening it, and then fails miserably each time. I'm not sure whether to put this down to development errors or simply South African internet speed.

The new iPad – a minimalistic piece of genius

After my initial appraisal of my Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, it started giving me a few hassles. The initial problems were it randomly restarting – a bit of a problem when I am busy taking notes during class. Then, less than two months after I purchased it, an error message went into a crazy loop, leaving me unable to operate the tablet. Unfortunately Samsung’s Support centre could offer no advice, other than a factory reset, which I happily did. However, a week later, the same problem arose, to which I responded by getting it fixed professionally and ridding myself of the dreaded beast.

The new iPad – a worthy replacement?

I replaced the tablet with the new iPad, regarding which I had the following comments to make, after its initial unboxing and use.

• Apple’s minimalistic style really plays as an advantage, granting the user with a clean and sophisticated, which I must admit, was really easy to get to grips with. (Interestingly enough, with regard to the Apple vs. Samsung court cases – the Judge recently ruled in favour of Samsung – because the Galaxy Tab was “not as cool” as the iPad, and therefore could not be a copy, with Apple’s minimalistic design playing in their favour again. He also said that the iPad “looks like an object the informed user would want to pick up and hold. It is an understated smooth and simple product.”)

• With that being said, the iPad is certainly not too simple – it is able to handle multitasking apps with much ease and comfort, as well as adding in advanced movement controls such as the five-finger pinch to minimize, and the four-finger swipe to switch programs.

• Everything seemed to be just as it should be. The transitions between apps, switching apps, and minimizing apps – everything is so very smooth, making the user feel at power browsing through such a seamless device.

My initial worry, browsing the iTunes Store after the purchase, was that I was going to have to spend a fortune on buying apps! With no free word processors available, Apple was very clever in ‘insisting’ on the user spending their $10 on their own app – which I will gladly do, because I know that the quality I am receiving is of the greatest standard. Apple is also very clever at making the free apps not plainly visible, but after a couple days with it in my possession I was feeling pretty comfortable at frugally sussing out which apps are free and which apps aren’t, and there really is an amazing variety of apps available, and thanks to Apple's strict control of which apps are published and which aren't - you are comfortable in knowing that the apps available are of good quality.

The other element which I particularly enjoy is the typing. Unlike the Galaxy Tab’s keyboard, this one is spacious as well as aesthetically pleasing, making it a breeze and a pleasure to type up whatever document you may want to. Some may not be in favour of typing on a touchscreen, but thanks to the autocorrect feature of the iPad, it corrects many simple typing errors you may encounter. However, it may sometimes by a little too strict, for example correcting “Masterchef” to “Master chef” – a simple change, I know, but it just means you have to go back and correct it again.

In the last seven months, I have owned two other tablet computers, and as a proud techno-junkie, I have thoroughly enjoyed my experiences with each of them, but frankly, none of them come close to the new iPad. 

Congratulations, Apple, you have won me over.