If this was a widget on Amazon that one had to buy and get shipped and plug it into an iPad, folks would think it was a bargain at just $20. But $20 for an app...
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Astropad's New 'Slate' App Lets You Control Your Mac With Your iPad and Apple Pencil
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If this was a widget on Amazon that one had to buy and get shipped and plug it into an iPad, folks would think it was a bargain at just $20. But $20 for an app...
If you wanted to edit your image on your laptop, you'd just put it in your iPad desktop folder, and it would be on your Mac.
I think Astropad are being very honest about this.
They are not saying it is as good or better than a Wacom and it shouldn't be seen as a full replacement. But it's the best thing out there outside of a wacom.
I just want to see a few video's and reviews of first world use before I buy it.
"In some ways, choosing between iPad and Wacom will come down to personal preference. Sometimes, having all the bells and whistles is the way to go. Other times, versatility is the name of the game." - Astropad
They are not saying it is as good or better than a Wacom and it shouldn't be seen as a full replacement. But it's the best thing out there outside of a wacom.
I just want to see a few video's and reviews of first world use before I buy it.
So will Apple pilfer Astropad's products again, or will this result in an acquisition this time?
True for the first sentence. But an iPad and a Mac are absolutely awful at working together. It's like they came from two completely different companies. Why else do I need to buy iMazing just to move large files back and forth.
No, is an app, althohgh I am struggling to work out what the value add is as you can already do a lot of this already.
For drawing and illustration, a horizontal tablet is an easier surface to work on than a vertical screen.
Don't you ever connect your iPad to you Mac via USB-C and then copy files back and forth? Works fine for files. Of course a lot of data on iPad apps is store in databases so the documents aren't always accessible. It depends on the apps.
You can’t do as much with continuity as with this. It basically emulates a trackpad, but with much more precision and using the Apple Pencil.
Sidecar shares your computer screen with an iPad. Btw, Astropad has "Luna" which is a partial hardware item that does a better Sidecar than Sidecar. They are a solid company that promote items that have function for many. Some folks wouldn't mind having this capability of a tablet from their iPad for a few dollars. The app is not costly at all.
I do a bit of digital photo restoration and might be a fair match for me. Btw, I have in the past used Wacom tablets and Cintiq. For some wishing to upgrade their iPad, they could take the older one (if not too old I imagine) and now have a good drawing tablet.
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I generally agree focused devices are better, but the only problem is that some professional drawing software is desktop only, so for those people who have to use that software but who also need good portability, Apple doesn’t have a good solution for them—meaning, an all-in-one device with high accuracy drawing that runs desktop software.
And by those people I mean me, which is why I’m currently using a Surface Laptop Studio. The hardware is outstanding in some ways (eg. the double hinge form factor is perfect for my needs) and just ok in others (eg. smaller than I’d like), but I don’t particularly like using Windows—but the portability it affords me to do my work anywhere is so valuable that it’s worth suffering.
Firstly, it’s to be able to draw using macOS drawing software (not available on iPad). And while Astropad does also offer the ability to show your Mac screen on your iPad so you can draw on there, there are a number of possible reasons it may be preferable for someone to draw indirectly:
- in Astropad’s case, stylus performance/accuracy might be better not having to deal with video bandwidth
- if you have a large monitor, you can take full advantage of its real estate plus the largest possible drawing surface area using your iPad
- better ergonomics
- your drawing hand is not obscuring any part of the screen
- this is probably rare but I knew someone who said they just drew better indirectly
Of course the disadvantage of indirect drawing is it’s not as natural for most people and can be more difficult to draw accurately/quickly. Many are able to become proficient at it, but I was one of those who could not, so this product isn’t for me personally.
As long as you buy the app and that’s that. I tried a competitor app a few years ago and it was a subscription. Deleted immediately. I am so sick of subscription models for every useless feature and service. Soon toilets are going to charge a subscriptions to flush. It’s beyond a joke.
I think there are two of the biggest problems I had with sidecar – my 31" Mac cropped down on a 13" iPad. Having to move the visible area around is a hassle.
And drawing on an iPad for a long time gives me a stiff neck from looking down. With a Wacom (or now with iPad), I would look straight forward, which is ergonomically better.
I was the same. It was great for making masks etc. really zooming in. But I could only do it for a short while.
I am a target market for this. Well, kinda. I’m a niche of a niche. I love any opportunity to reduce device clutter. I have the iPad and Pencil. When I travel, it’s an iPad… and when I’m home, I can hook it up to my Mac to enhance its capabilities. I will be the judge of how well that works for me…
I have friends in the design fields who will love this… if it works well. And I will not be the judge of that.
I have friends in the design fields who will love this… if it works well. And I will not be the judge of that.
I completely agree, Apple wants to sell consumers 2 devices, but I disagree on the reasoning. My own personal opinion is that it's pure and simple economics, 2 devices = more money. Personally I find a 2-in-1 easily as good as having a laptop and a tablet the vast majority of the time assuming the laptop would be the same size, but again, that's only my personal opinion and use case and I totally respect someone else's use case. I just think that the market for a 2-in-1 or full MacOS tablet is MUCH greater than many of estimate. If Apple released a MacOS iPad the line would be a mile long, similar to the heyday of the iPhone.
Why? If you could simply fold down your tablet flat isn't it the same thing minus having to carry around another full tablet? Just seems odd to me that people are using an iPad to make a laptop do...what an iPad does. I get the appeal of having a separate screen similar to purchasing a Wacom plug in drawing tablet, but does every consumer need this?
Listen, I grasp the obvious, the app was invented because Apple doesn't have a MacOS tablet. I thought being sarcastic was obvious enough.