i am thinking of buying an ipad and trying to work out the pros and cons between this and a apple laptop.
if i am moving around between home and uni etc can i connect it with its cable to the usb port of any computer pc or mac to to down load or upload a file without compatability problems etc
You can only transfer files via the USB syncing cable to one syncing computer. However. there are app available that allow exchange of files between the iPad and other computer (e.g., FileBrowser) and the cloud (e.g., DropBox).
I feel you need a more complete answer so you don't hang on to a misconception here.
The iPad does not have a general file management system with universal folders available to all apps and all devices. Each app contains its own files. If you want to share those files with other apps or to transfer them to other devices, there are ways to do it, but it's not as simple as browsing some folders and moving them around, or plugging in a USB cable or flash drive and simply copying/pasting them over to another device.
The USB cable provided can only be used to connect to iTunes on your laptop/desktop. Through that connection you will be able to backup all contents in total, and also to individually move certain files from app A to app B (IF these apps are designed to allow this. Not all apps are.). There will also be certain apps, like Dropbox, that are specifically designed to transfer and sync files between the iPad and your other devices. In fact Dropbox is my recommendation for doing such file transfers.
Good luck. The iPad is a very satisfying and useful device, once you fully understand its strengths and weaknesses.
blue4dolphin wrote:
can files be transfered by blue tooth if you plug a bluetooth adaptor into the usb port of any computer (if it is not already bluetooth enabled)
Natively, no. There may be apps in the App Store that will support BT file transfers, though.
I think you need to keep one thing in mind. The iPad is not meant to be or designed as a replacement for a laptop or desktop. It is limited in what it can do compared to a regular computer. It also requires a computer with iTunes for software updates and backup. Apps, music, video, podcasts etc. are also far more practical to download on a computer and then sync with the iPad then directly especially if the computer has a wired internet connection.
