Most people don't find a virtual keyboard to be a replacement for a physical keyboard, although I have to say I saw a guy in an airport typing amazingly fast with his iPad. There are Bluetooth keyboards available for the iPad and even a case to hold everything but by the time you do that, you might want to think about a laptop.

Apple does offer their Pages app that provides some degree of word processing functionality but only you can decide if it will meet you needs. I would have to imagine that you also want to ensure compatibility with whatever software you are using now.

There's also photo editing apps available for the iPad but, again, only you can decide if they meet your needs. Obviously because of memory limits you'll only be able to store so many photos on the iPad but Apple makes it pretty easy to share photos with other devices.

If you have access to an Apple store, I'd suggest a visit. They're pretty darn accommodating and quite happy to answer questions. If I'm not mistaken you can even schedule a visit.

It is a fine unit, but for heavy-duty word processing and a fast typist, forget it without an external keyboard. I am not a touch typist, but I'm fast enough, and it's too easy to lean a palm pad on the wrong key, and you're down in another paragraph, not to mention highlighting things or moving the cursor around. I would take Mike's advice and visit an Apple store and give it a try.

Seems to me the addition of a separate tactile keyboard would sort of defeat the purpose of the thing. At first I was thinking it could be a replacement for the desktop. Increasingly thinking it would more likely be an addition to rather than a replacement for. Thinking.

Thanks for your responses.

It very much depends on your needs. From your description of your needs it seems that iPad would be, as you said, an supplement rather than a replacement for a desktop. I know several people where their iPad has all but replaced their desktop. Of course, they're browsing, reading mail, using social media, and performing other relatively undemanding tasks.

I'm having a little trouble discerning how mine is doing me any practical good, too. ;) But... it sure is fun. I use mine for Email, web browsing, recipes in the kitchen, watching streamed Netflix movies, games, useful apps, etc...just fun stuff mostly. I really couldn't do without my desktop...I prefer it to the laptop for word processing, spreadsheet work, photo manipulation and those kinds of things.

I didn't really need a laptop, I made an excuse that I can use it for travel. I hate typing on it, but did watch movies on it in hotels. I checked out the IPads while searching for something like a palm pilot. It looked like so much fun, but I got the he** out of Dodge and will not look at them again. LOL

Sometimes it's not a matter of being "practical", but just loving having the gadgets for the fun of it. I really had no "need" for a tablet or a smart phone, but I have both plus an e-reader and a laptop in addition to my desktop. Yeah, I'm stopping now----enough of this!

grandms,
Tell me...I've been thinking about a smart phone...do I need one of those? :) What do you use yours for?

Everyone needs a smartphone. :-)

The better ones are pretty much a small tablet and can do lots of stuff.

I was just reading today that "dumb phones" are on their way out. Originally smart phones were primarily for business people, especially those who travel a lot, but in the last couple of years, almost everyone can make use of one. For example, with the application Google Maps on mine, I no longer need a separate GPS with the costly upgrading of the maps. I can play games on mine, check the latest headlines (CNN), check sports scores, scan barcodes to find the best prices for a particular product, etc. I have not yet bought an app; all mine are freebies. I have both Nook and Kindle readers on mine, so that I can continue reading one of my books if I'm waiting for an appointment, etc. Great for Facebook, too, as I can take a picture and upload it almost instantly. I'm still learning to use the stuff that's available for it. Besides all that, I make and receive phone calls. LOL!

Well, one thing I DO NOT have is $100.00 per month telephone problems.

Or perhaps I'm mistaken about that and the contracts are much cheaper.

Willing to be educated. However, games/headlines/sports scores/facebook mean less than nothing to me. Guess I need to explore the apps store and decided if there's anything in there of any value to me.

I hope "dumb/cheap phones" are not on their way out. I don't like monthly bills and any of those smart phone services can wait until I get home. A phone to me is just a tool that I need once or twice a week. I pay $8. a month with roll over minutes, that's all I need.

The unfortunate part is that smartphones come with data charges. For many phones one could use WiFi networks exclusively for data but the carriers still want a data plan.

Even worse is that carriers are requiring data plans on some not so smart phones.

Thank you, grandms for your helpful reply. I will think about it, but I'm reticent because of the steep monthly charges and whether it would be worth it to me. I might have to stick with my dumb phone. :)

Mike Kaiser is right about carriers requiring data plans on some phones that are less than smart phones. The last phone I had was capable of internet access, and when I got mine (it had just been released) I was not required to have a data plan. Yet within a month's time, I noticed that Verizon was requiring a data plan with that phone. I still have that phone, and when my present contract is up, I might just reactivate it, but not if a data plan is still required. I'm getting too old for all this stuff anyway. :-)

I never wanted a smart phone either. But I wound up with a Blackberry because my regular, dumb phone died and Verizon offered a free Blackberry. I absolutely love it and wonder how I every lived without it. It is so much better than getting emails on the computer. Its instant, on the phone plus you don't log on and all that stuff. It has so many features, I love playing with them and do use many.

It has a tiny keyboard, but I type like a kid with it. My daughter has a IPhone and I didn't like it at all. There is no keyboard and I can't type on the screen.

I get the cheapest data plan and 700 minutes. It still is over $100 for my Blackberry and my husbands 'dumb phone,' but I love the phone. I use it more for internet than I do for phone calls. I can do my banking, check the stock market, use apps for shopping, scanning...all sorts of things.

My kids have IPads and although they are pretty and very neat to use, I really have no use for them.

I love my Blackberry and just hope the company, RIM, doesn't go under.

Jane

No one wants to make dumb phones anymore because the demand is too low. It's a boon for the wireless companies, because now they get to require a data plan, which is WAY too expensive. It drives me nuts. Instead, I wish they offered a way to disable data (and the charges) for smartphones. I could then use it all I want when connected to wifi, and it's my loss that I can't get my data when I'm connected to the cell tower only.

While I agree it's a bit over-the-top for cellular carriers to charged you for data even if you explicitly say that you don't want it. I suppose, like any company, they exist to make a profit.

One option is to buy an unlocked phone but the added cost of buying the phone may exceed the cost of cellular data over the typical 24 month contract.

grandms,
I just had to tell you that I did get a smart phone yesterday. Oh my...lots of fun!

The gal who helped me at my provider said she was surprised there wasn't a rotary dial on the back of my old phone.

I have T mobile and do not have a data plan, data is blocked to our phones. Our phones are web capable but aren't blackberry type phones. They don't have keypads or touch screens.

Neither my husband nor I can see well enough to use a phone for data nor can we type on such a small device. I have trouble with my 11" netbook's keyboard. I have fibromyalgia and my fingers are sooo stiff and painful. I do not ever see myself wanting a smart phone. Now a tablet? maybe.....putting on my readers in public when it might be a book is fine but not to read a text message....