The first think to note is you can have a Netbook without owning any other computer. The Netbook can do just about anything a desktop PC or High Powered Laptop can do. However It may do it a lot slower.
The Second Point to note is if you purchase an iPad you will need another computer. You can not even set it up or create an account without the use of a computer either a Mac or a Windows PC, For those of you running Linux you are out of luck. You need a fully functioning version of iTunes running on the computer.
However a Netbook can be used to activate the iPad.
Cost.
A Netbook can be found for as little as $279.00 cdn. This has a 160gb hard drive for storage. Some are shipping with as much as 500gb drives. Some of the Cell Phone Providers are adding a Cell Modem and giving them to you if you sign up for a 3 yr data plan.
A iPad with 16gb of Storage space and Wi-Fi only will set you back $549.00, if you want the 3G access as well you are looking at $679.00. However to be honest you will probably want to go to at least the 32gb models at $649.00 and $779.00 respectively.
What do you use your computer for?
If you surf the web and check and send email, play a bit of music. Either will do fine.
If you take a lot of Photo’s, want to do some editing of those photos and use the device to store your photo’s on then Look to the netbook. Currently I am using a 32gb card in my Camera. That is the same as the entire storage available on my iPad.
Apple has released a camera connector kit which will allow you to transfer photo’s from your camera to the iPad. The early versions would evidently allow you to use an external hard drive hooked up thru the usb port however later versions this will not work. As I do not have this kit and they are very back ordered at this time I will reserve judgment on the Camera Connector
Yes there are ways of getting the photo’s off the iPad and onto another computer but why take that extra step. I can see keeping some favourites on the iPad to show your friends but as a photo tool it’s not there yet.
If you edit / write long or complex documents the word processing facilities in the iPad are not up to the task. Pages sold by Apple is a great Basic Word Processor but if you need the use of footnotes or any special formatting you are out of luck.
Documents to Go by DataViz supports footnotes and other formatting on the iPad however they at the time of this writing have one major problem/bug that makes it unusable for long documents. The software doesn’t recognise the arrow keys on the add-on keyboards.
Keyboards – If you do a lot of typing this could be very important to you.
iPad
The Onscreen Keyboard takes up a lot of the screen when typing on it. If you want you can order a bluetooth Keyboard or a keyboard/dock to use with iPad. The onscreen keyboard has no arrow keys to move the cursor in a document. There are keys for these functions on the add-on Keyboards. Also Additional cost of $69.00 for the keyboard.
Netbook
All netbooks have a smaller than standard keyboard however all the needed keys are there and this does not affect the useable screen size. All of the different Netbook makers adjust the size of the keys to fit in different ways on the reduced size of the netbooks. You would be wise to stop in at a store and check out the keyboards before purchasing one. I find some models have shrunk the shift keys to be so small they are unusable.
Software.
iPad
Software for the iPad must be purchased thru the App Store in iTunes or directly from the iPad. The software is very inexpensive for the most part with few packages over $10.00 in price. The occasional app can be quite large and if you only have a 3g connection your data charges could be more than the purchase price of the app.
Netbook
Standard software for the PC will run on most netbooks. You may have all the software you need already. If Not It could be very expensive. No new learning curve. You may need to purchase an external CD Rom drive to install software.
Standard PC Software in general is much more capable than the apps available for the iPad.
The Advantages of the full version software on the Netbooks is balanced out by the reduced cost of the iPad apps. You may need to spend the price difference between the two to get up and running on the netbook.
Screen.
iPad – 1024 X 768
Netbooks – 1024 X 600 to 1366 X 768
The Vast majority of the netbooks have the 1024 X 600 screen. The iPad is ahead of the game here however if you have to use the onscreen keyboard the advantage moves over in favour of the Netbook.
The Screen on the iPad needs cleaning daily if you use it regularly. As it is a touch screen and it will not work with a pen or stylus your finger is the one making the mess. On the Netbook you may only need to clean the screen monthly.
Video Playback The Good the bad and the ugly.
Holding the iPad in your lap or placing it on a book stand from your local book store and it is a great experience. The speaker is surprisingly loud and clear. The headphone Jack works well. You can get TV out or VGA out connectors at extra cost for the ipad.
Playback on the Netbook can be just as good. However you do not need a stand and you could easily hook it up to a larger monitor if desired usually with just a VGA Cable (Most LCD TV’s also have a VGA in on the back.
However.
The Netbook will play almost any video type once you get a codec pack installed on the netbook. The iPad will only play mp4’s or some mov files with specific encoding.
Looking for a new movie?
Netbook. Fire up your favourite file sharing program or Bit Torrent client or for that matter drop in at your local video store and play it directly on the DVD rom drive you had to purchase to install your software.
iPad. On you home PC or Laptop Fire up your favourite file sharing program or Bit Torrent client or for that matter drop in at your local video store and rip it to your hard drive. The using a program like Handbrake or a purchased software designed for converting video files. Convert the files into mp4 on your PC. Then import them into iTunes. The Transfer them to your iPad. Now Enjoy the movie.
Because you only have limited space on the iPad you will need to store your movies on your PC at home. With the Netbook you can store the movies on the netbook and have them with you at all times.
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In the first part of this article I discussed a number of the differences between the iPad and the Netbook. Please remember I am coming from A PC Background and have no experience with Mac products other than the iPod and iPad.
OK here is the big one and for many especially those from a PC Background it may be the deal breaker as far as the iPad goes.
The file system or lack thereof. Well we know the iPad has to have a file system of sorts however Apple has done its best to make sure you don’t see any of it. And as Apple has approval on all apps for the iPad I don’t see this changing.
There are basically two ways of moving data on or off the iPad. Thru iTunes. Where you import the data into iTunes and then drag the data to the iPad when it is docked to the PC. Or thru a specific application designed to link up in some way with an external server to get the data.
Some of the servers include – Mailing it to yourself., Dropbox (www.dropbox.com), Google Docs, box.net, Mobile me or a web dav server or ftp server that you have access to. Note access is configured within the app on the iPad and you will not be able to use that downloaded file with any other app installed on the iPad as they have no way of finding it.
Possibly if you jailbreak your iPad you may be able to access more of the file system however you also run the chance of bricking your iPad (killing it completely, no warranty). Also Apple has the habit of putting out updates to the software on the iPad or to iTunes which will also kill you iPad or greatly reduce its functionality.
Summary.
As a second computer for quick notes while traveling or occasional surfing of the web as well as use as an e-book reader the iPad will do you fine. However you will need another computer in the household. Whether you have a netbook, laptop or desktop pc you will need one of them.
Above all do your research make sure that the iPad or the Netbook you choose will do what you want it to do before shelling out the big bucks. If it ends up sitting on the desk all the time unused because it can’t do what you thought it would it is nothing more than a big paper weight and if I have made you think of a few more questions to ask before you make your decision then it is all worth while.