When the iPad launched last spring, I was pretty skeptical…at first. I thought there was no way I really could use something like that, after all I owned an iphone. I didn’t see what good it would do me to spend another 500-700 bucks on something that i honestly thought I would rarely use. So, like any reasonable apple fan, I bought one anyway. HA! Just kidding. Actually I started doing a little research on ways that I could potentially use it. I looked up apps, read reviews, played around with them at my local retailer and started seeing that I could get a lot of use out of this piece of hardware. So I bought the 32GB WiFi version and now I can honestly say that in 2010 it was the best investment I made as a Media/Worship guy. I use it everyday, it numerous ways, most of which I am going to blog about and clue you in on as time goes by. Just to give you a hint of all the ways I use it, here are a few tasks the iPad handles for me.
- Calendaring (syncing across all my devices and computers) will cover in a later post.
- To-do lists.
- Remote controlling ProPresenter and other programs on computers
- Chord Charts
- Guitar practice
- Bible reading and study
- Book reading
- Song Writing (well, i’m trying at least, unsuccessful at this point)
- Blogging, Note-taking
- Digital portfolio for my photography
- Website Analytics tracking
- Music, Videos, and Photos
Plus a whole lot more. The great thing about the iPad is that the battery is amazing. I can typically go a week without needing to charge it. Depending on how many episodes of Modern Family and other shows from Netflix I watch. 
Let me take you through a typical Sunday morning with my iPad. Remember I’ll cover the how-to’s and in’s and out’s of the apps I use in later posts, so this is pretty general…
Sound check starts at 8am, so I have my iPad attached to my microphone stand if I need to reference any Chord Charts during practice or during worship. Then we go to Community groups, in which i take the iPad and use it as my “Digital Bible” as I like to call it. I can look up verses, as well as commentaries from various folks via apps, or online. Then we move on to Worship. I have it with me during that time as well. Chord Charts while i’m leading, then I use it to monitor ProPresenter if need be from my seat in the sanctuary. I don’t have be sitting in front of the Mac upstairs, I can control it if I need to right from my seat. I usually flip between that and the teaching guide and digital bible that are all condensed into one app. If someone has a question about the church calendar, i’ve got the master calendar right there. If you are rockin’ a Digital Console for your sound, then you can even change mixes from the iPad from anywhere!
I think Apple has really hit a home run with the iPad and I can’t wait to see what the next version brings. Also looking forward to sharing with you all the apps and how-to guides on all things iPad and iPhone later. But if you have some spare change from a tax refund, or a side job, then I would recommend investing in an iPad very soon. A great piece of technology, that actually is very useful and practical.
-Bradley
PS: the picture at the top is being used because it also has 2009 Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram in it. Roll Tide!
