How well can you cope with those round keys? That shape looks a bit funky to me. Have a Logitech folio for my Air 2 and an external Logitech solar keyboard and am very satisfied with them.
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Anyone Using iPad Pro as Main Device?
- Thread starter Mr_Killjoy
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How well can you cope with those round keys? That shape looks a bit funky to me. Have a Logitech folio for my Air 2 and an external Logitech solar keyboard and am very satisfied with them.
Bought the k780 myself this afternoon and switching from a Apple Magic Keyboard I had no troubles at all. No getting used to, no learning curve, just pull the tab from the batteries, connect the bluetooth and start typing. Switching works perfect, take about a seconds for the new device to get activated but the keyboard remembers the keystrokes you made and it catches up.
I know a few hours ain't a real long term review, but first impressions are good.
Yes the rounded keys look a bit strange but they had a demo setup in the store I was able to try before purchasing and liked it. It feels much better than it looks, is very heavy and solid-feeling - much better than my MK700.
Only minor complaints so far are no capslock and numlock indicators.
Capslock can be indicated on screen and in the status bar when you install the Logitech program. Numlock isn't a problem, for me.
I was considering the K780, but when I went to Best Buy to take a look at it, I saw the Brydge 12.9 keyboard and had to have it.
Nice too, but the logi can work with my Mac, iPad Pro 12.9 and the iPhone, almost at the same time, just a button and the next device is working! Then I have my iPad Pro 9.7 with pencil flat on my desk as an old fashioned (bloody expensibe) notebook/lawbook/textbook next to me.
Edit: never mind, I see the K780 has the Apple-specific keys. That's good!
The K811 is also a nice backlit Logitech keyboard for iOS. I also use the Ultrathin for iPad Air a lot, for writing.
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I was just discussing this with someone the other day. I have a macbook, a 9.7 and now the 12.9 Pro. Since I pretty much consume content and don't really create it, I found myself using my 9.7 almost exclusively. It satisfied all my needs, but I found the screen a bit small. I had an old 6s lying around that my dd didn't want, so I traded it it towards the larger ipad and couldn't be happier. It actually has a larger screen than my macbook (which is almost full right now anyway) and since I won't be putting too many pictures on it, 32 gigs is plenty of room for me. I will keep my macbook just in case one of my kids eventually wants it, but if I didn't have it, I would be just fine with my using my larger ipad at home and taking my smaller one on the road and tether it to my phone if need be.
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Depending on your needs, there might not be "an app for that".
Case in point, I tried to migrate from my 2011 MacBook Pro to the iPad Pro, but there were no apps to read/visualize EEG files, the virtualization software (i.e., to run windows-exclusive software for a very expensive machine), is practically non-existant and there is no way to read an MRI from the disc the patient in front of you just handed you to review. There was no way I could make do with just the iPad Pro, hence, I got a new MBPro.
So, just like the poster you were ironically berating, when I have real work to do, I turn to my mac.
This isn't meant to be dismissive, but I had a thought about Real Work. The best definition I can come up with for what Real Work is: That thing that I do, that you don't do, that can't be done on the device we are talking about.
As an aside, my dad had cancer. When the doctor reviewed his PET scans, he used an iMac. Only -- similar to you, in a way -- he ran the software in Parallels desktop. So, from your description you also can't do Real Work on your MacBook Pro if you're virtualizing Windows. At that point, you're likely doing Real Work in Windows.
There's an interesting divide between those of us who can do a lot of our computing on iOS. If we can, the perception from other people is we don't do Real Work. But we do. It's just different work than what other people do. That doesn't make it any less real. Likewise, iOS-primary people can adopt the attitude that "there's an app for that," or "you just need to adjust your workflows." Obviously iPads as a main device aren't for everyone, just like OS X can't be the primary for everyone. As someone mentioned earlier in the thread "horses for courses."
Your use case, though, is an example of what's kind of wrong with some health care though. I work in health care (not as a provider) and it still amazes me in this day and age, the best way to get this information around is the equivalent of sneakernet. It would be even better if their EHR system could record the ROI release and send the scans in a way your EHR system could understand, and have the information available via a web page on your secure network.
What this thread needs less of is a debate over what Real Work is, and more discussion of use cases where iPads do, or don't work as primary devices.
Dude implied all the iPad was good for was checking email and browsing the web. I never said there's an app for everything.
I think those are the only two.
I use the Smart Keyboard. It's not the best keyboard I've used, but it's not the worst either.
Like Brammy said, those are the only two. The smart keyboard I guess is essentially the same design for both 9.7 and 12.9 inch models, while the Logitech Create for the 9.7 I believe received some improvements, backlit keyboard, and a slimmer case overall.
I use the Apple smart keyboard myself with a 9.7" Pro. I know some people tend to dislike the keyboard, but I love it and can fly when typing on it. I especially like how it can quickly fold up and be used just like a smart cover with the iPad. My only complaints for it are no backlighting and lack of function key / media controls.
I would love to use mine as the main item. The literal only thing stopping me is Photoshop. I need it too much. Sigh.
That is my BIGGEST problem going to a iPad Pro...I do have some content creation hurdles to overcome:
1. I am a photographer and until there is a good DAM that works on the iPad I am stuck using a MacBook (Pro)
2. I have a HUGE local photo catalog (can you say 3.2TB
) on a Drobo hard drive. I can only access this with my MBP - If I could access and edit these photos from a iPad Pro I would have a 90% solution (suggestion welcome!)3. Affinity Photo will come out with a iPad version that is feature compatible with the Mac version so that should take care of my Photo Editing issues
4. I do personal database design to manage hobbies and projects on FMP. FM Go on the iPad is a joke! (still cursing FM for dropping Bento - that was a PERFECT Database for me and it worked on the iPad JUST fine (iPad database solution recommendations happily accepted BTW! I do not need a relational DB, but it has to be able to heavy-lift a large flat file DB and I DO need one that can be used on a iPad/iPhone and when necessary a Mac)
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Take a look at Affinity Photo - IMHO (as a 25+ year Photoshop user) it is every bit as good as Photoshop plus it is a stand alone app (I *HATE* the Adobe subscription model!)
Affinity is promising a DAM in 2017 - hopefully it will be aimed as a Lightroom killer (Affinity Photo is aimed as a PhotoShop killer) - so stay tuned
I finally solved the last issue which was keeping me holding onto an old PC...
I keep all my files in Microsoft OneDrive. I have a Microsoft Office 365 subscription which I pay $15/month for. This gives me exchange email for my business and use of the Microsoft Office Suite on my iPad Pro 12.9 (and on any other computers if I needed).
I use Documents 5 on my iPad to access the files from OneDrive, which has worked very well for me. The only issue I have had is how to keep my files backed up. OneDrive is where my files are stored, but if I accidentally delete something, there would be no way to get it back after 30 days (that is when OneDrive deletes files from the trash folder).
I found a company called SkyKick that offers an Office 365 cloud backup service. For $3/month, it backs up all the emails, contacts, calendar and all the contents of OneDrive. It does backups 6 times per day, and keeps old versions of all files. So in case of an accidental deletion of a file or email, or the accidental deletion of content within a file, I am protected.
Previously I had been using an old PC to do a backup of the contents of my OneDrive to a USB drive. Now that will no longer be necessary.
At this point I think I will be completely PC independent.
I keep all my files in Microsoft OneDrive. I have a Microsoft Office 365 subscription which I pay $15/month for. This gives me exchange email for my business and use of the Microsoft Office Suite on my iPad Pro 12.9 (and on any other computers if I needed).
I use Documents 5 on my iPad to access the files from OneDrive, which has worked very well for me. The only issue I have had is how to keep my files backed up. OneDrive is where my files are stored, but if I accidentally delete something, there would be no way to get it back after 30 days (that is when OneDrive deletes files from the trash folder).
I found a company called SkyKick that offers an Office 365 cloud backup service. For $3/month, it backs up all the emails, contacts, calendar and all the contents of OneDrive. It does backups 6 times per day, and keeps old versions of all files. So in case of an accidental deletion of a file or email, or the accidental deletion of content within a file, I am protected.
Previously I had been using an old PC to do a backup of the contents of my OneDrive to a USB drive. Now that will no longer be necessary.
At this point I think I will be completely PC independent.
i sold my 2015 13" rMBP in February...thinking that new MBP's would be launched at WWDC. so i went straight to only owning the 12.9 iPad Pro with ASK and Pencil. By the time the new MBP's were released last month, i had determined that for long days of work with PDF's, Word, and Excel and email, the iPad Pro set up was painful ergonomically. even with keyboard shortcuts, the constant reaching up and down from the screen was not optimal.
so while there are new workflows to learn, the ipad pro could do most of what i needed, except be comfortable at a desk for a work day. Once i got back to a mac, it was more productive on most apps, and ergonomically much more comfortable.
just my experience.....and i am definitely keeping the ipad pro.
so while there are new workflows to learn, the ipad pro could do most of what i needed, except be comfortable at a desk for a work day. Once i got back to a mac, it was more productive on most apps, and ergonomically much more comfortable.
just my experience.....and i am definitely keeping the ipad pro.
I considered this possibility, but the time involved in doing this would not have been worth the small price ($3/month) it will cost me to have this cloud backup system. This way it is automatic, and the price is very small.
Yeah, positioning iPad Pro as a laptop (not as a laptop replacement, which it clearly can be) downplays its biggest strengths, and plays up its biggest weaknesses, IMO. It's always seemed to me to be a confused message from Apple, and a bit of a "me too" response to the Surface.
The less I use an external keyboard, and physically distance myself from the iPad, the happier I am with it ergonomically. I feel the same way about any "2-in-1", which as the name implies is half as good at two things.
yes, I agree: typing, then picking up the pencil to navigate, then put it down and start typing again, is not exactly the definition of ergonomically sound workflow
if the ipad pro ever reaches the point of being a device that you can do real work, this will be achieved IMO by:
- a better dictation system that would negate the need for long typing sessions
- a smaller on screen keyboard where you can type in with the pencil while the keyboard is not taking any significant screen real estate
I do see a great potential in pencil as an input device. I think that if they work I little bit more on the software side, the pencil can be a very accurate and efficient input device that will be by far the most intuitive.
iPadPro with keyboard and with current software is currently NOT an efficient way of doing real work.
Of course people who:
- never felt the need to have two word documents side by side,
- people who have never been to places with not reliable internet connection
- people who feel 16GB is enough local storage
might have a different opinion, but the matter of fact is that anyone (at least anyone I know) who currently has mac and iPad, will turn to mac for real work.
Having said that, I love my iPad and there are many functions that it can do and mac cannot.
For the foreseeable future I will have devices from both categories (mac and iOS). Instead of trying to find the single best device or to put it otherwise, instead of searching for the device that does it all perfectly, I am leaning towards:
- use iCloud to sync data across my devices
- use multiple devices, even simultaneously to do work, e.g. have reference pdfs open in iPad, type in and edit in Office documents in my mac
