My iPad is here!

[SoupDragon]

trying to find out how big it is

They don't come with much at all but the apps aren't generally expensive.

Size wise, they're slightly wider and shorter than A4.

You can't write really small with the stylus as you need to use the full flat surface to get it to work. Its more like a finger tip on a stick than a pencil tip IYSWIM. I think it'll be useful for writing and drawing apps, a finger is better for ordinary use though.

There's an awful lot of free apps. Big ticket games tend to be around the £5.99 mark (and it's a reflection on how cheap the iphone games were that I think "ouch, that's expensive", when really compared to the £30 ish for DS games it's remarkably cheap!). Most apps I buy are around the £1-2 mark though.

I haven't bought any apps so far. I don't have an iPhone or iPod touch. If I did have either of those I don't think an iPad would be worth it.

Dh has an iPod touch and he's having size issues at the moment!

Plus all the children want to play on the ipad which is bad news.

KerryMumbles... iPad basic model (16 GB) is 429 pounds, then (32 GB) 499, then (64 GB) 599. If you have one with 3G (ie can be used via a mobile network away from a home/office wi-fi connection) they run 529,599,699 I think.

TDiddy - Apple site says it is a 9.7" display

thanks SoupDragon and NetworkGuy; you have probably guessed that I am bloke as the first thing aspect that interested me was size. I have work Blackberry and a Dell Notebook at home and haven't found an excuse to go "iPAd". And I can't take it for a jog and play my Prince music so I will be a late mover on the iPAD thing.

I'd have thought the iPod Touch might be suitable, TDiddy, as it has the main features of the iPhone without the phone part, and having no phone it drops the cost.

KerryMumbles - yes, I bet it is on many wish lists. I just saw this All-In-One and it compares favourably to an AIO I won some years ago, as this has oodles of RAM, plenty of hard disk space (320 GB) and at 350 is a bit more affordable and gives me a sensible screen size. Found another AIO at a hundred less280 quid on Amazon.

Touch-screen tablet, they aren't, but would certainly be neat PCs. Oh yes, with DVD, plenty of USB ports, and bigger screens.

The AIO that I won had XP but only 256 MB of RAM and a CD drive, and relatively small HD (40 GB from memory). I've been meaning to power it up and get Linux on it instead (sometime or other there was a power cut and a system file went missing so it won't boot, but I've moved house and cannot find any restore CDs to do a 'factory reset').

Thanks NetworkGuy - will have a look at it. Christmas present maybe

". I don't have an iPhone or iPod touch. If I did have either of those I don't think an iPad would be worth it"

I do have an iPhone and I still think it's worth it. I use it differently. Having the iPhone did mean I decided not to go for a 3g version as it was unecessary for the additional cost in my case.

I've also had good success ripping DVDs so a DVD is unnecessary for me.

For my needs, thIs tickS all the boxes (and, being shallow, I include looking pretty and bring covetable in this! )

I won't be taking it jogging though.

can you transfer foc the iPhone apps onto iPad, or do you have to buy from scratch?

All my iPhone apps automatically synched onto the iPad including ones I'd taken off iPhone. I haven't tried all of them yet but they all seem to work. They start off in a little window a bit bigger than the iphone screen but there's a little '2x' button in the corner which magnifies them up to full screen size, though the resolution is not as good as on the made-for-iPad apps, so the text is a bit rough at the edges. I've bought the HD version of a couple of my favourite games - Angry Birds & Chicktionary and they are clearer, but the originals are perfectly playable. Some of the HD versions have extra features, so I might buy them in future - I've got a very good ToDo list app from Labgency which has just brought out an Hd version which will update on both phone & pad & I'll probably get that.

I've just bought the 'drawing pad' app for the children and it's brilliant!

Just read the whole thread and TBH I was quite convinced I 'needed' one before but now Im 100% certain! Will be trying to convince DP in any way necessary over the weekend

Enjoy your Ipads people Im very of all of you that have one already

Has anybody got the camera connector? If so, where did you get it? I forgot to look for one at the Apple store & they didn't have any in Curry's or John Lewis in Reading and the website is saying 3-4 weeks. I just know if I order one I'll see it on sale somewhere next day....

I've just discovered that if you touch & hold the key with the exclamation mark & comma you get an apostrophe. That makes me strangely happy...

Ok, so I appreciate this is a really dumb question but i'm safe here on MN aren't I?

The Ipod Touch - it's the Iphone without the phone so you get all the apps and the internet connection but no phone bit? So does it receive your emails?

I WANT an IPad but can't think of any reason why I should have one

The ipod touch doesn't have the same internet connection possibilities - it will connect but only via wifi, so if you're in a hotspot (at home, in a cafe) you can get your email. What it doesn't do (which I love my iPhone for) is to get the internet via the mobile network. So if you're out and about, say in a car, you will not get the internet on the iTouch but you will get it on the iPhone.

That's one thing that does make the iPad more than just a big iPod Touch - at least if you get the 3G version - you can get a SIM card & arrange a plan with a provider (I'm with O2) so you can use the Internet on the mobile network. But the 3G version is quite a bit more, so it might not be worth it if you're not planning to use it out and about.

I got mine because I want to be able to use it at my Dad's - he only has a dial up connection and though I can use my iPhone there, it's a bit small for prolonged mumsnetting internet use.

It's not fair, all you lot that have an ipad . I dithered too long and preordered just as the despatch date turned to "despatch by June 7th" .

I've been checking my emails daily to check when it's coming, but still no luck . I've even ordered a screen protector in advance.

I've ordered a 3g one, but obviously hope to use the wifi connection at home. I frequently use my ipod touch in my bedroom at night, and find the signal low. Now I've read the ipad has issues with low wifi, has anyone experienced this?

Question for all the ipad purchasers please! DH has an iphone and a Macbook Pro - he has be coveting the ipad for his birthday next week. Will he love it?

RB I guess your Dad doesn't go online very much (else engaged tones would get callers down) but if he spends, say 3 to 4 quid a month, then surely broadband (at 6 to 7 quid* a month) would be possible (unless he lives in the middle of nowhere) and some ISPs give the customer a free wi-fi router these days.

• PlusNet offers 'Value' account at under a tenner, with 10 GB/month allowance (unlimited from midnight to 08:00) and throw in a Thomson router for the cost of delivery (7 quid - I think box came through my letter box). Price is ~13 quid if there is little competition at the exchange. BT offers a discount where there are several competitors like O2, TalkTalk / Tiscali / AOL or Orange, but few other ISPs pass on the reduced fee to customers.

They do have a setup fee but might be worth considering. Of course, you have your 3G iPad now, but others might have a similar situation where a parent is still using dial-up, or in some instances where broadband always seemed to expensive (from the days when it was 25 to 30 quid a month on top of the phone line rental and phone calls).

For families (or people like me, wanting to get more from iPlayer etc), they have the 'Extra' account with 60 GB/month allowed, costing from 12 to 18 quid depending on the competition at the exchange.

Flipping heck. Sure he would love it. He could line the three up and work out which one was right for which job. Hope that he has some love left for you