Walter Mossberg, The Wall Street Journal's personal technology columnist, took an iPad instead of a laptop on a 10-day trip to Paris, and
here's what he discovered.
The experiment was a pleasant success. With a few exceptions, I got everything done that I would have done with a laptop. Yet I toted a lot less weight, enjoyed much better battery life, and had a computer that started up instantly whenever I reached for it. I also was able to combine the functions of a comfortable e-reader with those of a laptop.
I devoted part of each day to wading through hundreds of emails, reading and reviewing documents, keeping up with work-related news on websites and social networks, and doing other non-vacation chores. The iPad had no trouble coping with these tasks. It was a no-hassle experience.
But it won't work for everyone.
I wasn't producing long documents, using specialized company software, creating and delivering presentations, or doing some of the other things typical on business trips that might have required a laptop, or been more easily done on one.
Still, it's amazing what he was able to do.
During the trip, I read or skimmed thousands of emails, and reviewed and made editing suggestions on a colleague's column. I perused documents in PDF and Microsoft Office formats, using both the iPad's built-in document viewers and a handful of productivity apps, including Apple's iWorks suite, Quickoffice, GoodReader, and DocumentsToGo. At one point, I needed to consult a document on a computer back home. It was no problem. I merely used the iPad version of SugarSync, a backup and synchronizing service, to find and fetch the file.
Not bad.
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