Are iPads getting boring?

[Wildkraut]

Well, I still wish (since many years) it would optionally support a mouse and maybe a external display, and a Bash Terminal.
With a cross app file system place to store mixed file types, incl. decent advanced finder.

It's not boring, but without the Pen I wouldn't have bought a iPad again.

 

[Hanson Eigilson]

• What apps does your contractor relative use? I am genuinely curious

I actually coded most of a quality control app (enterprise distribution) IOS was picked because of the low cognitive load, it's a pretty good device for people that did not chose to spend years in school.

Word processing, spreadsheets, presentations - is an iPad really better than a Chromebook for students?

I doubt it, i kinda dread doing large IOS projects compared to other platforms and I doubt many companies are ever going to be willing to make full feature applications for an ecosystem like that.

 

[muzzy996]

At the end of the day the usefulness of a device for someone is all about the availability of workflows that suits their needs and resources. We can debate till the cows come home about it and it won’t change the fact that we each see different value in the iPad than others. I know what I like to do with mine and when to reach for my laptop or phone. I don’t get butt hurt about others finding workflows that work better for them or them finding a device I like completely useless as it says nothing about the device’s failure, their failure or mine...it just is what it is.

 

[pika2000]

Well, I still wish (since many years) it would optionally support a mouse and maybe a external display, and a Bash Terminal.
With a cross app file system place to store mixed file types, incl. decent advanced finder.

It's not boring, but without the Pen I wouldn't have bought a iPad again.

Maybe you are confusing the iPad with a Mac. What you want is a Mac.

 

[Atomic1977]

iPads are never boring they are full of fun.

 

[richinaus]

It’s boring cause there is no new iPad Pro. If we ever get a bezel-less iPad with Apple Pencil two, Face ID, Super-Retina display, Improved Sound, BT 5.0, and an A12X processor... then it’ll get mind blowing...


But that’s a big IF and probably not going to happen because we want it, (when has Apple made something when fans want it?) :/


K.

eh?
The apps and main functionality remain exactly the same with the updates you describe.
I use my iPad every day for multiple reasons and any upgrades are welcome but really nothing you mention would really change the way I use it. The Pencil was the last biggest update since the start of the iPad for me - changed the way I work.

 

[MDMac]

I used to think that it was nothing more than a big iPhone. Recently I've purchased a keyboard and tried seriously using it for some excel work, RDP into my office PC, e-mail (and coordinating how to get all the desired files into said e-mail). It's actually been a pleasant experience. I enjoy the form factor and the speed of the OS.

 

[Kal-037]

eh?
The apps and main functionality remain exactly the same with the updates you describe.
I use my iPad every day for multiple reasons and any upgrades are welcome but really nothing you mention would really change the way I use it. The Pencil was the last biggest update since the start of the iPad for me - changed the way I work.

Sound for me is a huge issue, (super sensitive hearing, and work with sound often,) so I thoroughly enjoy improved peripheral speakers. The gen 2's iPP took a tiny hit in quality compared to gen 1's for some reason. Also, a better processor helps me when I am editing 4K video or huge image files from my photography... the cpu and GPU are managed better with the A12 (it has serious juice and is great at heat, energy, and overall efficiency compared to all past chips... even the X series.) And BT 5.0 IS a huge deal too, better more powerful connectivity, farther reach, better energy management and dual audio would be great (especially if I connect two different external speakers) when showing test videos.
And I always want the iPads display tech to improve so my end work is as accurate and high quality as I intended.

Also Face ID is an incredible thing, home buttons/Touch ID have been the bane of my existence for 8+ years.

Kal.

 

[CrystalQuest76]

This is one of the more useful / informative posts, I'd like to it discuss further:

• I definitely agree with illustration, if you have a use case for the Apple Pencil, the iPad definitely fulfills a distinct need neither an iPhone nor an iMac, and I daresay any competitor device currently can fulfill.
• Video Editing - I am skeptical, but admit I haven't really tried Lumafusion. I will admit to my own bias to prefer an actual file system when dealing with videos. Does LumaFusion have video stabilization and audio editing processing tools on par with Final Cut Pro?
• What apps does your contractor relative use? I am genuinely curious
• Word processing, spreadsheets, presentations - is an iPad really better than a Chromebook for students?

I was sitting on a plane next to an individual that was doing some impressive illustrative work on a MS Surface device. Looking over his shoulder, I thought it was a full featured application. I forget the name of the application he mentioned.

LumaFusion does have some video stabilization capabilities. It also has audio editing. It is a $20 (I bought it when it was on special for $15) application, so it is not on par with Final Cut Pro. It is very much worth the 20 dollars and in my opinion much more. the multi-video track with cropping, chromakey, key framing really make it worth it for the mobile video producer. I am not a video journalist, but I think LumaFusion gives one everything they need to produce a broadcast ready submission.

If you have Final Cut Pro and no need for mobile editing, then save $20 and stick to what you have. If you are looking to increase productivity beyond iMovie on iPad it is worth the money.

the iPad does have a file system. However, its rather different than what we use on the MacOS or Windows. Some apps utilize it, while others do not. It does take a little bit getting used to it. It does integrate with the LumaFusion workflow.

My contractor relative uses the iWorks apps and what came loaded. He sketches out what he needs in Keynote and uses Annotations within Photos for any markup he needs to do. He uses Numbers and Pages for project budgets and writing invoices. He is a small subcontractor; three person operation, so he does not require sophisticated tools.

I have never used Chromebook so I don't know how it compares. For the average grade school student, I do think the iWorks applications are good enough. However, if the student needs to collaborate with other students and they don't have iWorks, then collaboration will be limited. Google Docs would probably be better in that situation. If the user is a University level student, they should have a full featured Word Processing application that allows for formatted citations (a feature lacking in Pages).

 

[spacebro]

Why do you play one of the most garbage pay to win games that exists on iPad?

 

[masotime]

Thanks for the responses!

I was sitting on a plane next to an individual that was doing some impressive illustrative work on a MS Surface device. Looking over his shoulder, I thought it was a full featured application. I forget the name of the application he mentioned.

Yes I had forgotten about the Surface. I think Microsoft's Surface is probably the closest viable competitor - I had only considered Samsung / devices with "pure mobile operating systems", but I agree, the Surface is a strong hybrid alternative to iPad for sketching.

LumaFusion does have some video stabilization capabilities. It also has audio editing. It is a $20 (I bought it when it was on special for $15) application, so it is not on par with Final Cut Pro. It is very much worth the 20 dollars and in my opinion much more. the multi-video track with cropping, chromakey, key framing really make it worth it for the mobile video producer. I am not a video journalist, but I think LumaFusion gives one everything they need to produce a broadcast ready submission.

If you have Final Cut Pro and no need for mobile editing, then save $20 and stick to what you have. If you are looking to increase productivity beyond iMovie on iPad it is worth the money.

Thanks. I'll look at it more seriously, $20 is not expensive compared to FCP / Premiere.

the iPad does have a file system. However, its rather different than what we use on the MacOS or Windows. Some apps utilize it, while others do not. It does take a little bit getting used to it. It does integrate with the LumaFusion workflow.

Yes it feels a little awkward / tacked on, but I will try it out. I think the iPad makes an excellent on-the-go post-processing solution, but I feel it's tedious when you get back to your workstation and have to sync the changes you made in iOS with third-party apps on your iMac or MacBook. Apple doesn't have its own professional dedicated camera, which I feel is a strong reason for them to support more typical video workflows.

In addition, I often fill up a 128GB SD card frequently with my camera - having to transfer / manage files mixed up with the camera roll / photo stream on an iPad seems troublesome, but I suppose this is more appropriate work for a MacBook Pro. Still, I'd very much appreciate external filesystem management for purposes of heavy media post-processing.

My contractor relative uses the iWorks apps and what came loaded. He sketches out what he needs in Keynote and uses Annotations within Photos for any markup he needs to do. He uses Numbers and Pages for project budgets and writing invoices. He is a small subcontractor; three person operation, so he does not require sophisticated tools.

This is good to know - I don't use the iWorks suite myself - my workplace has a contract with Google Docs, but your anecdote is a good example that others find it useful on a professional level.

I have never used Chromebook so I don't know how it compares. For the average grade school student, I do think the iWorks applications are good enough. However, if the student needs to collaborate with other students and they don't have iWorks, then collaboration will be limited. Google Docs would probably be better in that situation. If the user is a University level student, they should have a full featured Word Processing application that allows for formatted citations (a feature lacking in Pages).

Thanks for your input

 

[Wildkraut]

Maybe you are confusing the iPad with a Mac. What you want is a Mac.

No, I have a MacBook. What I want is a non-castrated advanced Tablet with iOS in addition to my Mac.

 

[masotime]

No, I have a MacBook. What I want is a non-castrated advanced Tablet with iOS in addition to my Mac.

Do you want a "non-castrated" tablet or a "non-castrated" iOS? Those are 2 very different things.

 

[Falhófnir]

Of note, I think is that these upcoming iPads are only going to be the third redesign* out of all the iPads that have been released to date!

1. iPad 1
2. iPad 2 -> 4
3. IPad mini -> iPad Air -> 2nd gen pros

* yes there have been some tweaks and slight changes to the design debuted with the iPad mini through its various iterations but broadly speaking it’s the same.

 

[pika2000]

No, I have a MacBook. What I want is a non-castrated advanced Tablet with iOS in addition to my Mac.

Then use your Macbook. What you want is another (maybe lighter) Macbook, not an iPad. Don't kid yourself. You don't even know what an "advance" tablet is.

Look at the Surface Pro, the so called "full featured" tablet. Most people (and even Microsoft's own ads for it) use it as a laptop.

 

[Greenmeenie]

No, I have a MacBook. What I want is a non-castrated advanced Tablet with iOS in addition to my Mac.

Well, considering that Adobe announced it is releasing a FULL version of photoshop for the ipad pro in 2019, i’d say the ipad pro is far from castrated. It’s just that you haven’t made that connection with it that other professionals have. It seems you want Mac OSX on an iPad, or something like what Microsoft is doing with the surface. Well, thats just not happening. At least anytime soon. If ever. But i do believe it is evolving. Many like me are evolving with it. I no longer own a laptop, and have even stopped using my imac as much for photo & video editing. More and more, I am doing everything from leisurely activities to content creation on my ipad. Personally, i can’t wait for the new ipad pros(hopefully this month).

 

[Hater]

Mine gets used daily and recipes and Google maps.

I mean yeah it's boring but...

Why should it be exciting? It's a tablet computer, not a motorbike or skydiving lesson.

 

[The Samurai]

I use my iPad pro in the toilet and it helps me be productive.

 

[NIKKG]

Why do you play one of the most garbage pay to win games that exists on iPad?

It's still a good game and I never spent a penny on it while still managing to get all the top robots.

 

[DNichter]

If you don't have a use for it, any tech product will be boring. I use an iPad Pro and iPhone XS Max as my only computers, for work and personal. I use both pretty much all day in the office.

 

[nburwell]

I use my iPad every day. It serves it's purpose for what I use it for (iMessage, email, web browsing, Netflix, PS Vue, reading NY Times). I don't use my iPhone much when I'm home since I'm primarily on my iPad or MacBook.

 

[smetvid]

It isn’t the iPad getting boring but the user of the iPad. The iPad itself doesn’t change and is just as capable of great things as the day it came out. It is we as users that get bored way too easily.

 

[ignatius345]

I think boring is actually a sign of good design here. You don't notice the hardware because it gets out of your way and provides a little window for you to interact with what's on the screen. It's all well and good to have something fun to play with, but a really good tool kind of "disappears" ideally.

 

[Perene]

The only boring aspect from the iPAD in my opinion is the ridiculous battery that lasts the same 10 hours * since the first release.

* When the device is new and using the iOS that shipped with. Of course you'll get a reduction over time, for example 10-14% degradation after a year means 8h30m instead of these 10. And 10 depending on the settings you use and if you watch videos, browse, etc. Depending on the app = more or less. Watching a video will obviously waste more battery than reading an ebook.

That and the fact I can't play with classic games released in the 1990's and before... I want the same games, converted to iOS instead of some emulator or alternative that never works right (if works, that is).

Fix these two things and then the iPAD will be a lot more interesting. Perhaps 15, 20 hours in a single charge. Apple isn't the only one guilty of that, of course, yet the fact remains these batteries are never improving.

 

[rui no onna]

The only boring aspect from the iPAD in my opinion is the ridiculous battery that lasts the same 10 hours * since the first release.

* When the device is new and using the iOS that shipped with. Of course you'll get a reduction over time, for example 10-14% degradation after a year means 8h30m instead of these 10. And 10 depending on the settings you use and if you watch videos, browse, etc. Depending on the app = more or less. Watching a video will obviously waste more battery than reading an ebook.

That and the fact I can't play with classic games released in the 1990's and before... I want the same games, converted to iOS instead of some emulator or alternative that never works right (if works, that is).

Fix these two things and then the iPAD will be a lot more interesting. Perhaps 15, 20 hours in a single charge. Apple isn't the only one guilty of that, of course, yet the fact remains these batteries are never improving.

For reading at low brightness, I've actually noticed pretty significant differences in onscreen time:

iPad 3: ~12 hours
iPad 4: ~15+ hours
iPad Air: ~12 hours
iPad Air 2: ~10 hours
iPad Pro 9.7: ~10 hours
iPad 5th gen (2017): ~15+ hours

One thing to note, Apple has actually put 10+ hours in the technical specifications for some of their iPads but they've never qualified what that + meant with an actual figure/number.