iPad Pro Can I just use iPad for my use?

[courboy]

Hi all

Sorry this isn't one of those generic use-case questions; hopefully this is more specific:

I currently have a 10.5" pro and a 15" MBP, but would love to consolidate both into a 12.9" ipad. I use my MBP for email, web browsing, crypto trading, photoshop (I believe Adobe is releasing this on the ipad soon), lightroom cc (ipad version will be fine), but I also run a food business and do a lot of editing in illustrator and indesign.

I am not a design guy at all, so i use these to tweak existing designs. I know that there is currently no adobe version of illustrator or indesign, but wondered whether there are any ipad alternatives that might work?

I wouldn't do this before ipadOS comes out anyway, but i'd love to move my workflow onto the ipad fully.

Thanks

 

[maflynn]

Well will you be able to do crypto trading on the iPad? Also what about Illustrator and inDesign? Your post infers a lot of content creation, and I think the iPad has not reached parity with a laptop in this area and its my opinion that you're still better off with using a MBP.

 

[hovscorpion12]

With crypto trading, i’ve using robinhood, coinbase Robinhood do not have an iPad version, but the iPhone version does work. Coinbase, i do use the web.

As far as illustrator/design, we may have to wait. if the iPad Photoshop is a hit, then i cant imagine Adobe not working on their full suite for iPad. I’ve been using procreate/pixalmator to pass the time.

 

[AutomaticApple]

there is currently no adobe version of illustrator

Wait, I thought there was?

 

[petvas]

Hi all

Sorry this isn't one of those generic use-case questions; hopefully this is more specific:

I currently have a 10.5" pro and a 15" MBP, but would love to consolidate both into a 12.9" ipad. I use my MBP for email, web browsing, crypto trading, photoshop (I believe Adobe is releasing this on the ipad soon), lightroom cc (ipad version will be fine), but I also run a food business and do a lot of editing in illustrator and indesign.

I am not a design guy at all, so i use these to tweak existing designs. I know that there is currently no adobe version of illustrator or indesign, but wondered whether there are any ipad alternatives that might work?

I wouldn't do this before ipadOS comes out anyway, but i'd love to move my workflow onto the ipad fully.

Thanks

For your use you are much better off with a laptop. Do not make the mistake to get the iPad as a laptop replacement.

 

[muzzy996]

There currently isn’t anything that a 12.9” iPP is going to do for you that your 10.5” can’t already do so you already should have an idea whether or not you can find workflows that are acceptable to you on the iPad alone.

From what you’re describing I wouldn’t suggest making any investments in new iPad tech until you confirm on your 10.5 that everything will work out. This is especially true for the graphics you describe based upon your description of your use case; you’re describing that you have a library of files that you continually maintain. While I’m sure there may be alternative software packages that do similar things as full blown Illustrator/Indesign I would also think that in order to migrate over to them you’ll possibly be looking at recreation of work into those new formats. Only you can decide if that is an endeavor worth your time and efforts as we would not know how extensive your library of files are or how complex they are.

 

[courboy]

Thanks for the replies all, they are really appreciated. It does feel that maybe things are a bit too early to fully migrate over. I'm excited for where the Ipad will go over the next few years though, and for me at least, I hope developers really start to port their apps properly over to ipados.

 

[macduke]

Thanks for the replies all, they are really appreciated. It does feel that maybe things are a bit too early to fully migrate over. I'm excited for where the Ipad will go over the next few years though, and for me at least, I hope developers really start to port their apps properly over to ipados.

Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer are great alternatives to Photoshop and Illustrator and are inexpensive and can handle Adobe files. They have a much better rendering engine than Adobe that runs a lot faster.

 

[spiderman0616]

Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer are great alternatives to Photoshop and Illustrator and are inexpensive and can handle Adobe files. They have a much better rendering engine than Adobe that runs a lot faster.

Yes, the Affinity software is absolutely fantastic and very powerful. Definitely desktop class. Very few differences between the iPad versions and the Mac versions. And using it with Apple Pencil is like a whole new world. They have Designer and Photo now and will be bringing Publisher to iPad next year.

If you're absolutely married to Adobe software, they are bringing their "real" software to iPad this year (or maybe they already have), so you might want to wait for that. If you don't care if you do your work specifically in Adobe software and don't mind learning a new program, Affinity Photo/Designer would probably do the trick for you. I have been working in Affinity Photo for the last few months and am doing some amazing things with it.

I was thinking of learning Photoshop instead, but Affinity software is a one time charge--no subscriptions. And it's every bit as powerful.
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For your use you are much better off with a laptop. Do not make the mistake to get the iPad as a laptop replacement.

Nonsense.

 

[petvas]

Whatever. Read the OP's original post and if you still do not believe he should get a laptop, then ok, what can I say..
What most people do not understand is that it is not only the OS that is limited, it is the form factor which is not suitable for most computer related tasks. Add to that the lack of applications with advanced functionality and you have a product that is severely limited. Sure, someone could find ways to make it work, but why bother?

 

[spiderman0616]

Whatever. Read the OP's original post and if you still do not believe he should get a laptop, then ok, what can I say..
What most people do not understand is that it is not only the OS that is limited, it is the form factor which is not suitable for most computer related tasks. Add to that the lack of applications with advanced functionality and you have a product that is severely limited. Sure, someone could find ways to make it work, but why bother?

The OP did not list anything at all that you can't do on an iPad, and obviously DOES like the form factor. His/her question was about software being available to do the things he/she wants to do. It is.

 

[macduke]

Yes, the Affinity software is absolutely fantastic and very powerful. Definitely desktop class. Very few differences between the iPad versions and the Mac versions. And using it with Apple Pencil is like a whole new world. They have Designer and Photo now and will be bringing Publisher to iPad next year.

If you're absolutely married to Adobe software, they are bringing their "real" software to iPad this year (or maybe they already have), so you might want to wait for that. If you don't care if you do your work specifically in Adobe software and don't mind learning a new program, Affinity Photo/Designer would probably do the trick for you. I have been working in Affinity Photo for the last few months and am doing some amazing things with it.

I was thinking of learning Photoshop instead, but Affinity software is a one time charge--no subscriptions. And it's every bit as powerful.

I have both. My work pays for one CC subscription, and then I have a personal one alongside Affinity Photo and Designer. I haven't used it much on my Mac, though. Since I use CC so much at work it has been difficult to move away from it for my personal work. I've been very busy so it's difficult to take the time to relearn all the shortcuts that are just muscle memory for me at this point since I've used Photoshop since 5.5 when I was a kid. I've used Affinity Photo a bit on my iPad over the past couple years, and it is very powerful, but the reason I used it on the iPad is because there isn't a better alternative. If full blown Photoshop had already existed, then I would probably have used that instead and never would have realized how powerful this was. With Photoshop coming, likely included with CC so many people won't have to pay extra for it, I worry about Affinity going forward. One thing that would help me move away completely is if they offered a Lightroom-like product that seamlessly syncs to the iPad just as well as CC. I only use about 250GB of my 2TB Dropbox. I would absolutely love it if an app like Affinity Photo "Studio" or something came along that could just use an existing cloud storage provider to handle syncing and replace Lightroom. It would also need to be able to import and convert my existing Lightroom catalogs.

 

[TechGod]

Whatever. Read the OP's original post and if you still do not believe he should get a laptop, then ok, what can I say..
What most people do not understand is that it is not only the OS that is limited, it is the form factor which is not suitable for most computer related tasks. Add to that the lack of applications with advanced functionality and you have a product that is severely limited. Sure, someone could find ways to make it work, but why bother?

It is not severely limited.
Don’t sell it short, it’s very very functional especially with iOS 13 which I’m running on my iPad.

 

[spiderman0616]

I have both. My work pays for one CC subscription, and then I have a personal one alongside Affinity Photo and Designer. I haven't used it much on my Mac, though. Since I use CC so much at work it has been difficult to move away from it for my personal work. I've been very busy so it's difficult to take the time to relearn all the shortcuts that are just muscle memory for me at this point since I've used Photoshop since 5.5 when I was a kid. I've used Affinity Photo a bit on my iPad over the past couple years, and it is very powerful, but the reason I used it on the iPad is because there isn't a better alternative. If full blown Photoshop had already existed, then I would probably have used that instead and never would have realized how powerful this was. With Photoshop coming, likely included with CC so many people won't have to pay extra for it, I worry about Affinity going forward. One thing that would help me move away completely is if they offered a Lightroom-like product that seamlessly syncs to the iPad just as well as CC. I only use about 250GB of my 2TB Dropbox. I would absolutely love it if an app like Affinity Photo "Studio" or something came along that could just use an existing cloud storage provider to handle syncing and replace Lightroom. It would also need to be able to import and convert my existing Lightroom catalogs.

It's possible that Affinity might have something to worry about once full blown Adobe stuff is on iPad, but I feel like there has been a growing anti-Adobe sentiment lately due to the fact that they're going with subscription based pricing now. Affinity definitely uses that in their favor in their marketing, that's for sure.

Either way though, even if Affinity were to be ultimately taken down by Adobe, it was Affinity Photo that made me realize how great photo editing is with an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, and I would definitely continue that with Photoshop once the real version is on iPad.
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It is not severely limited.
Don’t sell it short, it’s very very functional especially with iOS 13 which I’m running on my iPad.

Exactly.

It drives me crazy when people think that because something isn't their preference for their workflows, that it shouldn't be anyone else's either. If you prefer to work on a Mac, work on a Mac. Last I checked, Apple still sells Macs and still will for the foreseeable future. But there are also an awful lot of people out there (me included) who have always loved the iPad form factor but wished it would allow them to do more. For me, the OS and third party software available in 2019 have turned my iPad Pro into a full blown content creation powerhouse that I can use anywhere, and for hours on end without worrying about the battery dying.

That doesn't mean I'm going to tell a die hard Mac user that they shouldn't continue using their Mac though. Macs are great. iPads are great. Everyone should just use what they're more comfortable with. But continuing to bang the "iPad has no software" drum in 2019? That's just flat out ridiculous. It is, as you pointed out, a very functional computer, and very capable of some pretty high end content creation.

 

[macduke]

It's possible that Affinity might have something to worry about once full blown Adobe stuff is on iPad, but I feel like there has been a growing anti-Adobe sentiment lately due to the fact that they're going with subscription based pricing now. Affinity definitely uses that in their favor in their marketing, that's for sure.

Either way though, even if Affinity were to be ultimately taken down by Adobe, it was Affinity Photo that made me realize how great photo editing is with an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, and I would definitely continue that with Photoshop once the real version is on iPad.

Well, what I'm more worried about is their ability to grow and challenge Adobe on a broader level. I think they will probably be okay, but I want them to be more successful. The hard thing to change is all the agreements many large companies have in place with Adobe. I have full admin capabilities on my iMac Pro so I can install whatever I want, including apps I've purchased myself on the App Store like Affinity. But many people don't have that luxury and just have to go with whatever tools they're given.

For the unit I'm in, I'm the sole in-house designer and developer, so I don't have to worry too much about compatibility for collaboration. But in many larger studios and companies, the interoperability of files is really important. I know InDesign is especially a pain when it comes to file compatibility. I read that it doesn't yet support the ability to import InDesign files, so I would have to manually set up some of my commonly used documents. That's not too bad for me because I don't use InDesign as much any more. Affinity has been pretty good about providing backwards compatible support for Adobe files, so I wonder if they will eventually add that to their Publisher app. But given how most InDesign files aren't even compatible with older versions, I tend to doubt it.

I should probably buy it while it's still on launch sale since I have a lot of store credit.

 

[TechGod]

It's possible that Affinity might have something to worry about once full blown Adobe stuff is on iPad, but I feel like there has been a growing anti-Adobe sentiment lately due to the fact that they're going with subscription based pricing now. Affinity definitely uses that in their favor in their marketing, that's for sure.

Either way though, even if Affinity were to be ultimately taken down by Adobe, it was Affinity Photo that made me realize how great photo editing is with an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, and I would definitely continue that with Photoshop once the real version is on iPad.
[doublepost=1561559195,1561558595][/doublepost]
Exactly.

It drives me crazy when people think that because something isn't their preference for their workflows, that it shouldn't be anyone else's either. If you prefer to work on a Mac, work on a Mac. Last I checked, Apple still sells Macs and still will for the foreseeable future. But there are also an awful lot of people out there (me included) who have always loved the iPad form factor but wished it would allow them to do more. For me, the OS and third party software available in 2019 have turned my iPad Pro into a full blown content creation powerhouse that I can use anywhere, and for hours on end without worrying about the battery dying.

That doesn't mean I'm going to tell a die hard Mac user that they shouldn't continue using their Mac though. Macs are great. iPads are great. Everyone should just use what they're more comfortable with. But continuing to bang the "iPad has no software" drum in 2019? That's just flat out ridiculous. It is, as you pointed out, a very functional computer, and very capable of some pretty high end content creation.

Exactly! In fact with the way the Files app actually works like a proper file manger and I have support for external devices and things? It can legit nearly replace my MBP and now I regret getting such a powerful 13" MBP.

 

[bensisko]

Hi all

I also run a food business and do a lot of editing in illustrator and indesign.

I am not a design guy at all, so i use these to tweak existing designs. I know that there is currently no adobe version of illustrator or indesign, but wondered whether there are any ipad alternatives that might work?

For your InDesign question - There is a little known app from Adobe called "Adobe Comp" - depending on how basic your layout needs are, it may work for you. It is not anywhere near as powerful as InDesign, but you can certainly create some basic layout design on the iPad, then transfer it to InDesign (and vice versa). I actually use this app quite a bit (in conjunction with InDesign) and I enjoy using it!