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iPad Pro 13" iPad PRO M4 now good enough for atleast 75% dev work ?

anjanesh

anjanesh

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 20, 2010
190
21
Navi Mumbai
What's the deal with 13" iPad PRO M4 ?

Can I use it, not as a replacement for my MacBook Air M2, but as to complement my dev work when traveling out of town since I don't carry my MBA for weekend travels.

I use the following on my M2 almost on a daily basis : Terminal, Warp, PhpStorm, PyCharm, WebStorm, VSCode, SublimeText, FileZilla, TablePlus, Laravel Herd, and then usual, 1Password, Chrome, FireFox etc.

I am also looking at the M4 iPad PRO for taking to tech events and on holidays rather than a laptop itself.
 
chrfr said:
The iPad having an M4 has not changed anything with regard to being able to use an iPad for development work. It still can’t do it.
Click to expand...
I do know a few devs that remote into their Macs occasionally to do things, but that is about it for our uses on an iPad. Sadly.
 
anjanesh said:
You're able to use the Terminal and your choice of IDEs ?
I mean, we can run `python manage.py runserver` and `php artisan serve` on an iPad PRO ?
Click to expand...
There are development tools out there... from Termius app to Textastic, you won't get macOS-level of tools. But you have to see for yourself if the tools that's available on iPadOS are good enough for you. Questions like these make me miss Coda (now called Nova) ... reason why it's not available on iPadOS is there wasn't a demand for it.
 
No. Just use your MacBook Air. It's already the perfect tool for this and basically the same size and weight. Almost none of the software you've mentioned is even available for iPad.
 
Thanks for your responses - I guess the max one can do is remote login and work using Termius and the like.
I understand VSCode works on iPad and hence my train of thought in coding in iPads.
 
You can install Ubuntu/Linux on an Android Pad with Termux.

Termux: https://github.com/termux/termux-app/...
Andronix
RVNC


I administrated some Gallery's and configured them with an iPAD and VPN connected to their Office Lan working with Filemaker and even RemoteDesktop using Photoshop on their first iPad´s.

They had VPN´s since the first Tomato Releases for Router coming with Open VPN.

Now they use just a Browser for Filemaker or VPN and RemoteDesktop if they need it.

On the other Hand i used light 14" Laptops 1.38 kg (3.04 lbs)
(now MBA 13,6" M2 - 1.24 kg (2.73 lbs)) and need a keyboard anyway.
For me the use of an iPad would make no sense when adding the Keyboard.

There were the Rumors that MacOS would be developed for iPad Pro but Apple´s Marketing CEO said no just recently.

Anyway if you are using the MiniForum V3 with the AMD CPU you can not Hackintosh but have a solid X86 for instance:

store.minisforum.de

Minisforum V3 3-in-1 Tablet mit magnetischer Tastatur

V3 Tablet, das ein Tablet, einen Laptop und einen tragbaren Bildschirm in einem integriert. Mit einem Dual-Lüftungssystem für stabilen Betrieb und einer integrierten KI-Engine erfüllt es die Anforderungen der Programmierentwicklung, des 3A-Gaming, des Grafikdesigns, der Videobearbeitung und...
store.minisforum.de store.minisforum.de


I Like my MacOS also because i work since 1984 with it but for me to Work i use any OS that fits.
Lucky Me the MacOS has a Unix base otherwise i should have to use Linux but there are plenty MacOS Style Desktops avail these Days.

Btw.: KDE Plasma any Day :)

This is a Report from a Guy with Apple Devices have bought the Minisforum V3:

mudkip.me

A Brief Review of the Minisforum V3 AMD Tablet

Update: I have created an awesome-minisforum-v3 GitHub repository to list information for Minisforum V3 users, including some workarounds for the issues mentioned in this review. Quest for the Ideal
mudkip.me mudkip.me

"

Quest for the Ideal Portable Linux Device​

After my 2016 MacBook Pro experienced multiple hardware issues and was sent for recycling, I no longer have a personal laptop. Until recently, if I wish to do some programming in a coffee shop or during a family trip, my only options are the corporate-provisioned MacBook or my iPad Pro 2020, neither of which is ideal. I had hoped the iPad Pro could be more productive and tried various setups involving code-server and remote development, but I encountered many limitations. Furthermore, the fact that Apple has restricted iPadOS, preventing me from installing any software I want, has become increasingly uncomfortable for me in light of the recent Digital Markets Act and antitrust discussions."
 
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I don't know how people come to the conclusion than an iPad is a suitable development machine at all or even try it.

Yeah you could but you would realistically have to cram yourself into a terminal emulator and use a remote VM but it's terribly inconvenient and it's like working with boxing gloves on. Also, on top of actually paying for the hardware, you then have to pay for a VM somewhere, incur latency and connectivity issues. And when you need to be truly mobile and disconnected, like on a plane for example, it's a brick because there's no way you're getting a reliable SSH connection to your VM anyway.

Also on top of that, by the time you add the keyboard case to the iPad it's as heavy and bulky as the MBA/MBP anyway.

It's a pointless exercise that ends in personal suffering. Just take the M2 MBA and leave your dev stuff at home at the weekends and get out a bit without it. I find most of the good ideas come when I'm NOT actively engaged or thinking about it.

My M2 iPad Pro is literally consigned to administrative tasks, note taking and consuming media. That's all it's good for really. And it's not ideal for any of those. I may just sell it at some point.

This is top tier iPad usage - laptops are a bugger on plane tables...

1724062302333.jpeg
 
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cjsuk said:
It's a pointless exercise that ends in personal suffering. Just take the M2 MBA and leave your dev stuff at home at the weekends and get out a bit without it. I find most of the good ideas come when I'm NOT actively engaged or thinking about it.
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Point taken. Thanks.
 
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anjanesh said:
What's the deal with 13" iPad PRO M4 ?

Can I use it, not as a replacement for my MacBook Air M2, but as to complement my dev work when traveling out of town since I don't carry my MBA for weekend travels.

I use the following on my M2 almost on a daily basis : Terminal, Warp, PhpStorm, PyCharm, WebStorm, VSCode, SublimeText, FileZilla, TablePlus, Laravel Herd, and then usual, 1Password, Chrome, FireFox etc.

I am also looking at the M4 iPad PRO for taking to tech events and on holidays rather than a laptop itself.
Click to expand...
IMO it is mostly about UI and iPad OS versus Mac OS. Personally I find it impossible to do pro work on an iPad because of UI/OS differences, but each individual is different.
 
You don’t need M4, I have been using M1 iPad Pro more and more, as my MBP runs full throttle most of the time.
 
anjanesh said:
Thanks for your responses - I guess the max one can do is remote login and work using Termius and the like.
I understand VSCode works on iPad and hence my train of thought in coding in iPads.
Click to expand...
What is that you want to achieve? I know some posters here who have fully moved to iPad Pro for iOS development/maintainance of their iOS code.
 
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anjanesh said:
Thanks for your responses - I guess the max one can do is remote login and work using Termius and the like.
I understand VSCode works on iPad and hence my train of thought in coding in iPads.
Click to expand...
vscode on the iPad is just running a VM on a remote server, so you always need an internet connection.
 
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