First Apps for New iPad Users

With the arrival of the iPad 2, there will be lots of new users, both for the latest model and for those picking up pre-owned original iPads. Of course, the first they they want to do is find out what apps are must-haves. Here’s my list, with both free and paid options.


Pandora Radio (free) – instant music gratification…and who doesn’t already have a Pandora account?


TextExpander ($4.99) – One of the very best Mac utilities becomes even more useful on the iPad because of the ability to share snippets between the two versions.


Simplenote (free) – A…um…simple…way to keep synchronized notes on your iPad and on your desktop via the Simplenote website. Load them both up, enter a new note in one and watch it appear on the other within seconds.


Star Walk for iPad – interactive astronomy guide ($4.99) – Yes, the iPhone version of this amazing astronomy program will run on your iPad, but there are plenty of enhancements that make the iPad version worth the extra $2. If you only buy it for the interactive sky display, buy it.


GoodReader for iPad ($2.99) – One of the best document-reading apps out there, GoodReder will take almost anything you throw at it and make it available. Good management of the large library of files you’re bound to accumulate adds to the value. (You can hear my conversation with Good.iWare founder Yuri Selukof on MacVoices #1078.)


Flipboard (free) – Forget all the buzz around digital publications. Flipboard lets you control the content via your social media feeds, Google Reader or pre-prepared topic options, and have it delivered in an appealing format.


Instapaper ($4.99) – Save web pages for later offline reading. Sounds simple? It gets better. Instapaper strips away all the annoying distractions and delivers just the content, optimized for the iPad screen. (Developer Marco Arment and I talked about the many versions of Instapaper on MacVoices #1070.)


Dropbox (free) – Access documents, videos and more from your Dropbox online storage on your iPad. You’ll need to set up a Dropbox account from your computer first. After that, just throw whatever you want in your Dropbox, and it will be available on your iPad.


NewsRack ($4.99) – My favorite newsreader on the iPad because of the two-pane layout that allows you to see the headlines and summaries on the left, then read the entire story, even with pinch and zoom capabilities, on the right.

Twitterrific for Twitter (free, with $4.99 in-app upgrade available)


TweetDeck for iPad (free)


Twittelator for iPad ($4.99)

Everyone needs a good Twitter client on their iPad. I like each of these for different reasons – Twitterrific for its simplicity and usability, TweetDeck for its multiple panel layout, and Twittelator for its ability to do just about anything any Twitter client can do. Try ‘em all and pick your favorite.


Zinio Magazine Newsstand & Reader (free; magazine subscription prices vary) – You can sample content from your favorite magazines on your iPad, and subscribe within the app to the ones you wish. At the very least, it is a great way to get a feel for what some of the more forward-thinking publishers are offering.

Those are a few to get you started, but there are plenty more. What are some of your “must-have” apps?

Leave a Reply