Previously, I wrote about taking an iPhone on tour. In May, 2011, I took an iPad with me on a month-long tour of the UK. The iPad I was carrying was an early one and didn't have access to the internet expect via Wi-Fi.

Not surprisingly, I found both positive and negative aspects of the iPad. It was of little use while I was biking. But, it greatly enhanced the time when I wasn't.

What I liked about the iPad

If you have time to fill, an iPad can be a lot of fun! I gamed on it every day, usually in that time between eating dinner and going to sleep. Though, it does help that I had a game* that was highly engrossing.

When it is connected via Wi-Fi, it is a great way to browse the web. The screen is big and easy to read. One thing I really liked was that the iPad wouldn't run down its battery by continually searching for a Wi-Fi connection, like an iPhone does. As a result, I didn't connect my iPhone up to a Wi-Fi system my whole time on tour!

In addition to gaming, I used Google Maps quite a bit to both search out routes and evaluate options. On an iPhone, this can be painful. On the iPad, it worked well, though I was only ever connected via Wi-Fi, not over a cellphone data connection.

I plan to write a journal for every bike tour I do. To remember interesting tidbits about each day, I need to write daily entries. I used to use paper. Then, I moved to the iPhone, which was a definite step back. This time, I used the iPad. It has a much larger (virtual) keyboard that doesn't get in the way like the iPhone's does. But, it still makes the same annoying spelling mistakes requiring the same pinpoint fingertip to fix. I just finished that journal and found that the notes I took were much better than the ones I could get down on the iPhone.

The iPad can also be used to store photos off your camera chip. I didn't use this feature, as I didn't run out of space on my camera. All it takes is a small plug-in attachment and time to do the transfer. Note that the only thing you really can do with the photos on an iPad are email or erase them.

The iPad also has enough battery life to support serious gaming for several hours without needing a recharge. I did no camping and was able to charge my electronics every evening. It is hard to find a reason to take an iPad if spent much time without power.

What I didn't like about the iPad

The iPad weighs over a pound. While it is sleek and easy to slide into a protected place in a pannier, it adds a pound of dead weight to every pedal push.

I ride with a camelback, so am somewhat accustomed to a bit of weight on my back. When I did carry the iPad on my back, it was both too heavy and bulky.

It was also one more thing to "be careful" about. Since the iPad was virtually useless while I was riding, I kept it buried in my amongst my gear. When I left my bike to go into a store, I had to decide if I wanted to hassle digging into my bags for it or take the risk that someone might steal it.

The iPad can take photos of what's on its screen. I tried to use this feature to take "photographs" of zoomed map pages to be consulted throughout the day's ride. But, this turned out to be a complete waste of time. To get the kind of resolution I wanted, I had to take dozen of screen shots. The poor photo manipulation capabilities of the iPad meant that these maps were hard to access.

What's more, once I had a map photo on the screen, it was hard to figure out which one I was on. Given the size, form factor, and value of an iPad, I can't imagine having it out while riding. I always had to stop, dismount, and then extract the iPad before I could use it. To get faster access, I even carried it on my back a few times but that didn't seem to make much difference.

My iPad doens't have GPS on it. But, I can't imagine using it as a GPS. It is just too awkward to deal when riding a bicycle.

iPad vs PC

There are lots of things an iPad can't do that a PC, say a netbook, can. Some examples are photo manipulation, easy file editing, and interacting with machines over the internet (i.e. website management). Also, typing on real keyboard makes a huge difference than the iPad's virtual one (and no, I'm not going to bring along an iPad keyboard). If you wanted or needed to have a computer with me on a bike tour, you wouldn't be able to rely on an iPad.

Conclusions

I liked having the iPad with me. But, it was really only for entertainment purposes. There were very few things the iPad does that can't be done on an iPhone, albeit with a bit more difficulty.

Was carrying an iPad worth the trouble? For me, since I toured solo, it was. But, if I didn't have one, the main change would be going back to hand writing my daily entries.

*Should any one be interested, the game that kept my attention is a civilization building game called Civilization Revolution

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