Why is Apple iPad the gadget of the pandemic?

In a flat economy, the $ 399 iPhone that Apple unveiled last week may sound appealing. But there is a better device offering in the pandemic: the iPad.

Do you remember the iPad? You would be forgiven if you had forgotten.

Apple unveiled a new entry-level model of the tablet last year for $ 329. However, it barely received a mention at the company’s dazzling product event in September, when Apple highlighted new iPhones that cost between $ 699 and $ 1,099. The iPad, which always seemed like an optional accessory located between your computer and your smartphone, has always been treated as that “other” device.

Now it’s time for us to reconsider the iPad. Last week, I wrote about how the coronavirus had revealed our most essential technology and removed excess. The technology we turn to comes down to a computing device, communication tools, entertainment, and an Internet connection. The iPad meets all of those needs even better than a smartphone.

With a screen larger than an iPhone, the iPad excels at video conferencing with apps like FaceTime and Zoom, and is great for watching movies and shows on Netflix and YouTube. When you connect it to a good keyboard, you become a great budget computer with a fast internet connection for surfing the web, writing emails, and composing documents. All for half the price of a normal iPhone.

“It really is at that sweet spot of being relatively affordable and having everything I think most people will need,” said Nick Guy, writer for Wirecutter, a New York Times publication that tests products.

So while Apple will launch its new iPhone SE this week, with its accelerated internal components and a better camera than its predecessor, now may not be the ideal time to buy one. After all, what good is an improved camera if you can’t get out of the house?

It is actually difficult to recommend buying any technology in the coronavirus outbreak. But if your devices don’t meet your needs in any of the aforementioned areas and you have the money to spend, an iPad is one of the few products that I can endorse for its practicality. (Apple declined to comment on this column.)

I picked up an iPad for a $ 100 discount last Black Friday. For the past few weeks, it’s been my favorite device. Here’s why I call it the pandemic gadget.

STAY IN TOUCH

I’ve never been a great video presenter, but the pandemic has forced almost everyone to use video conferencing with the people we care about and work with.

Initially, I preferred to make video calls on my office-supplied laptop because the angle of the screen was adjustable. But after about a week, I realized that video calling on a laptop was a lousy experience. They are a power freak; A half-hour call on Google Hangouts used 25 percent of my laptop’s battery.

Additionally, security researchers have discovered that Zoom, the most popular video chat application, has significant security vulnerabilities on computers, but not on mobile devices like the iPad. This is because mobile apps work in a more restricted environment with limited access to your data.

This eventually made me switch all my video calls to the iPad, which was by far a better experience. The iPad has a much longer battery life than a laptop. And compared to a smartphone, the tablet has a large screen for video calls and can be easily held with a protective cover.

My wife and I recently used an iPad for a two-hour FaceTime call with my brother-in-law while playing a video game together. At the end of the session, the iPad still had more than 70 percent of its remaining battery.

GET WORK DONE

After starting to make video calls on the iPad, many of my work assignments started moving to the tablet as well, including writing emails, taking notes, and even spending. I appreciated the long battery life of the device and preferred the way apps filled the full screen, which helped me focus on tasks.

Not all credit goes to the iPad alone. The device only has a virtual keyboard, and using it to type on a glass slab is no fun.

Fortunately, I had researched several iPad keyboards before the pandemic and decided on the $ 100 Logitech Slim Folio keyboard, which was easy to connect. Typing it feels just like using a normal keyboard, and its sleeve protects the tablet while holding it.

I still type most of the time on the laptop because the software is more suitable for multitasking. But I can do a surprising amount of my work on the tablet thanks in large part to finding the right keyboard.

WE ENTERTAIN THEMSELVES

I usually read a lot of books, but lately I’ve been in the mood to turn off my brain by reading comics. Comixology and Comic Zeal apps on iPad make digital comics a better experience than reading in print – you can zoom on individual panels, plus the screen is bright enough that you don’t need to turn on a reading lamp.

While I prefer to watch videos on a television screen, it has been nice to have an iPad to stream an HBO show while my wife uses television to watch “Love Is Blind”.

Now I also spend several hours a day watching YouTube videos on everything from baking to home improvement. Thanks to this new obsession, I finally optimized the homemade pizza dough, learned how to install a part on my motorcycle, and even managed to install a bidet for my toilet. The iPad has been a great companion video player on this journey.

ABOVE THE REST

So why the iPad and not another tablet? After all, many of the same tasks can be done on cheaper tablets, like Amazon’s $ 50 Fire HD 8.

However, those other devices are generally much slower and have lower screens. The iPad is, ultimately, the best tablet on the market.

There are only two caveats, which add to the price of the gadget. The first is that a keyboard increases its cost by an additional $ 100. The second is that I recommend more storage (128 gigabytes instead of 32) to carry more applications and games, which adds another $ 100.

That brings the total to $ 529.

Don’t let that put you off. The iPad is still cheaper than most iPhone models and has a better value than regular Lenovo, Dell and HP laptops, which cost around $ 500.

Ryne Hager, editor of the technology blog Android Police, said he bought an iPad for his girlfriend last Christmas and noted that he was using it more frequently during the shutdown to video chat with his family. The device’s ease of use and value were so compelling that it broke the tradition of the Android Police site of writing exclusively about Android products and wrote an article on why people should buy an iPad for the pandemic.

“In a thousand little ways, it offers a much better experience,” he said of the Apple tablet. “It’s a little priceless right now.”

2020 The New York Times Company