It took a little while for the apps to come into their own, but we’re at a place now where the iPad has nearly as good of a selection of apps as the iPhone. Now, it’s harder than ever to find apps that are worthwhile. Let us save you some time with this collection of the best iPad apps.
The Lifehacker Pack is a yearly snapshot of our favorite, must-have applications for each of our favorite platforms. This list focuses specifically on apps that really shine on the iPad, so no half-done, blown up iPhone apps here.
Productivity
Outlook
You wouldn’t think it based solely on the name, but our pick for the best email client
Simplenote/Evernote
Depending on what type of notetaker you are, you have two excellent options on iOS. If you prefer plain text, Simplenote is the best out there
Clear
Like email apps, you have a billion options for to-do apps on the iPhone, but the iPad is a bit more limited. To that point, even though it’s pretty basic, we like Clear. It’s easy to use, fun to swipe around with, and does a great job of being a to-do app without a lot of extra junk.
Pixelmator
Editing images on your iPad isn’t ideal, but sometimes it’s your only option. Pixelmator is a worthy app for doing it because it features just about every tool that the desktop version has
Duet Display
Using your iPad as a second display is a great way to extend your desktop without taking too much space. The best app for doing so is Duet Display
Paper or Penultimate
The iPad is a fantastic (albeit expensive) notepad, and depending on what you’re looking for you have a couple options. As a sketchbook, Paper is a fantastic option that makes even the worst artist look like an artistic genius with it’s brush options, easy to use book, and downloadable color palettes. If actual note-taking is more your thing, Penultimate is one of the best out there. With Penultimate you can create all kinds of notebooks for various things, and it all hooks into Evernote for easy sharing and backup. While you’re at it you might consider grabbing a solid stylus
Sunrise Calendar
Sunrise Calendar is our favorite calendar app on the iPhone
Editorial
Writing on an iPad is great and you have a ton of quality apps to choose from to do it. That said, we like Editorial
Internet/Communication
Chrome
Third-party browsers on the iPad get a bad rap because Apple restricts them from being as fast as Safari, but that doesn’t mean Chrome doesn’t have its share of advantages. In fact, if you’re a Chrome user on your desktop computer, Chrome’s syncing features alone make it a stellar replacement for Safari. Chrome’s packed with some great features, including a desktop view, a solid incognito mode, easy to browse tabs, and the speed dial to quickly access your favorite sites. If Chrome isn’t your thing, you have a few other solid options
The official Facebook app does a good job of providing you with a solid mobile experience, but it’s especially good looking on the iPad. With big pictures, a nice wide view of everything, and a full set of features, if you’re using Facebook, the iPad app is well worth keeping around.
Google Hangouts or Skype
Skype has long been the kind of video calling, but Google recently introduced Google Hangouts is giving it a run for its money. The reason is simple: pretty much everyone already has a Google account, and that’s all your need to use Google Hangouts. The iPad version looks great on the bigger screen, and the added scree real estate makes video chat a lot better than the iPhone counterpart. With it, you can make video calls instantly, and it doesn’t cost you a dime. That said, Skype is still the kind of VOIP, and it’s widely used enough that most people have it. Both work great for video chats, so pick whichever suits you best.
IM+
When it comes to finding a good IM client
Utilities
Dropbox
Dropbox is already a fantastic cloud storage service, but what really sets it above the competition is its mobile app. While it used to be nothing more than a file browser, nowadays you can instantly upload all your pictures, edit files, and easily share anything in your Dropbox through a wide variety of services. The PDF viewer alone is fantastic on the iPad, but overall it’s an incredibly useful app to keep around. Plus, you can always score more space with a little work
Workflow
Workflow is an app that allows you to create macros and small apps for iOS. Essentially, it’s Automator for your iPad. You can make it so with a tap of a button you can load up upcoming calendar events, print a page to PDF, find lyrics for the currently playing song, and more.http://lifehacker.com/how-to-create-…
Launch Center Pro
Launch Center Pro makes doing serious work on your iPad a lot easier by allowing you to create application specific shortcuts.
Actions for iPad
Actions turns your iPad into a shortcut machine. With it, you can create buttons on your iPad that trigger events on your computer
IF
If This Then That is already one of our favorite web apps, and the iPad app is just as powerful
Ebooks, Music, Photos, and Video
iBooks or Kindle
It’s hard to really differentiate between any of the ereader apps on the iPad because they’re all pretty similar. They all let you read books on your phone, and most of them are tied to an account on the the store they’re part of. So, if you’re using iBooks on another device, then that’s the logical choice. The same goes for the Kindle app. Pick the ebook app that works best for you. That said, if you’re a student, the Kindle app has all kinds of killer features
Reeder
Google Reader might be dead, but Reeder is still our favorite RSS reader
Instapaper, Pocket, or Readability
Bookmarking services are great on the desktop, but they really excel on the iPad. Save articles wherever you find them, and you get access on your phone so you can read when you’re bored. Each service has its own set of benefits and downsides
Pocket Casts
Listening to podcasts on your iPad is a fantastic way to pass the time, but Apple’s option is less than perfect. We’re big fans of Pocket Casts, because once you set it up it automates pretty much everything for you. It downloads all your podcasts directly in the app, it works over the air or Wi-Fi, or you can set it up so it only streams content. It’s a powerful podcast app that’s a heck of a lot more useful than the other options out there. Plus, if you sign up for the desktop version, all your podcasts are synced up between your computer and your iPad.http://lifehacker.com/the-best-podca…
Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, or Hulu
If you want to watch TV shows and movies on your iPad you have plenty of options, and most of them are pretty similar. It really depends on what you’re paying for to watch on your TV, because for the most part the apps for Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, and Hulu are all pretty similar. Having these apps on your iPad makes it a lot easier to get through your massive queue
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