iPad-frenzy: mad or rad?

Asked about Apple’s increasingly popular tablet, the iPad, Tibor Szabó (owner and creative head of advertising agency Collective Media and publishing company Collective Art), told the Budapest Business Journal, “Its popularity is not a coincidence. It can do everything that one can expect from such a tiny gadget,” he said, adding that the iPad even meets the presentation needs of those working in the creative-design industry. “In terms of displaying references, it absolutely equals the potentials of a laptop,” he noted.

But unlike laptops, its weight and size make the iPad easier to carry day after day. It is no surprise that its portability is an advantage strongly emphasized by most users.

However, size is not everything and being small is not always a benefit. “Due to its small operating surface which happens to be a touchscreen that needs frequent cleaning, I cannot plan designs on it,” Szabó admitted, although adding that this might be the only shortcoming of the iPad he can think about. “It even enables some web editor tasks I often need,” he said.

Ferenc B. Nagy, the managing director of real estate investment and design company Stay in Hungary is more critical. For one, the iPad cannot measure up to large monitors when checking floor plans, so it is of no use there. And just like its little brother the iPhone, it cannot handle any Flash-based content, which several other users called “nonsense”. Also, “fitting out the iPad with a stylus pen would make my life much easier sometimes,” B. Nagy added.

Despite that, we found no one during our survey that doubted how handy the iPad is for the ease of sending quick emails, watching videos or reading the tablet editions of weeklies such as Time Magazine or Hungary’s HVG.

And, above all sensible reasons, an iPad is still widely considered to be a “very cool, must-have” device.