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The iPad at work: Can it get the job done?

For almost two years now, I’ve started nearly every morning by reaching for my iPad. Before I even get out of bed, I check email, catch up on Twitter, read some comics, and surf some websites. However, when it’s time for work, I put down the iPad and get out my Mac.

But as the iPad’s hardware and software have developed since its launch in 2010, and especially since the recent release of iOS 5, I’ve been wondering whether that handoff is really necessary. Can the iPad replace a Mac for work? Or, more accurately, what kinds of work can it do now? What kinds of sacrifices are still required? Can you actually get things done with it?

Since I was the one who, not so long ago, wrote that iOS 5 makes the iPad a better computer than ever before, I volunteered to be the guinea pig for a little experiment. For three days, I vowed to go Mac-less, using my iPad instead of my laptop for everything. Here’s how it went.

The iPad at Work

As more and more iPads make their way into the hands of business users, the question remains: Can the iPad really replace a laptop. Macworld senior associate editor Dan Moren finds out.

The iPad at work, Day 1: Getting it all set up
On his first day of using nothing but an iPad for work, Dan Moren found that it takes a bit of adjustment--but only a bit.
The iPad at work, Day 2: testing the limits
On the first day of his iPad experiment, Dan Moren took it easy on the tablet. On day two, he was ready to really test the iPad's limits as a work machine.
The iPad at work, Day 3: making adjustments
After three days of working with nothing but his iPad, Dan Moren knew how to do what he needed to do for work--but he also knew what the iPad really can't do on the job.