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All iPads Feel like I don’t really need an iPad anymore.

jdb8167 said:
This is my dilemma. My iPad use is completely covered by an iPad mini 6 but I really like the iPad Pro but it is such overkill for anything that I would use it for. I keep putting an 11" in my cart at the online Apple store but even the minimal configuration with Apple Pencil Pro, Smart Folio, and Magic Keyboard is $1706. And I would much prefer not to get the binned M4 so that puts the price at $2306. I can afford either configuration but I can't convince myself to hit the buy button. It is just too much money for what I can use an iPad for. I could remove the Magic Keyboard since I wouldn't use it much but that only helps a little.
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I can completely relate. I'm doing this between the Air and the Pro. I'm starting to feel 'want' might win out over 'need' though.

I have an incredibly thin, light and easy to use and carry Bluetooth keyboard that I use for emergency trips. It gathers dust the rest of the time. Something cheap and just in case, might make you feel better about taking the Magic Keyboard out of your basket.
 
Ditched iPad a while ago after realising that I used it exclusively as a not very good, top heavy laptop with a minuscule trackpad and half an operating system. Because Apple gonna Apple, it is deliberately denied the opportunity to replace my Mac, and I'm done allowing Apple to continue robbing me blind by trolling me into buying and operating both. iPad is the superior device in some ways for some things, sure, but it's not so good that I can't live without it. I prefer one computer, not one and a half 👍
 
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If I had a MacBook instead of a iMac I could ditch the iPad, can’t carry a iMac around the house etc lol
My kids in 20’s have MacBooks and iPhones no iPads. Their friends i see too.
I do like apps though.
 
I wouldn’t say having an iPad is a luxury, luxury is having both a Macbook Pro and iPad Pro. Notice how I’m specifically indicating the Pro variants of both (honestly, the Air does kind of fit also in here)

Having both laptop and a tablet nowadays just seems super redundant (unless you have a setup of a Macbook Pro and an iPad Mini, where the mini feels more justified as an e-book reader/media consumption).

I had an M1 Max Macbook Pro and a 2020 11” iPad Pro, a month ago I realized that I could do everything on my iPad and since I’m traveling a lot for work, I traded in both devices to get the new M4 11” with the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil and to be honest, it’s been a great move, this iPad does everything I used to do on my Macbook.

I think it’s also important to understand that as Apple keeps updating the iPad with new hardware and capabilities, it’s becoming more of an alternative computer device.
 
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I’ve tried to replace my 12.9” M1 three times with a MacBook Air. Once with the 13” M1, then I tried the M2 Air with the updated design and then with a 15”.

Returned all three times as the IPad Pro/Magic Keyboard is a better device for me. Better screen, more actual content when viewing in Safari and can be used off the keyboard. Numerous other reasons but won’t bother listing.
 
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Studies have shown that people nowadays spend more time on their smartphone than they do on their "real computers".

So Apple knows what they are doing.

If you guys think you are so much smarter than Apple, go put Windows on a tablet and destroy the iPad. Oh wait ... Microsoft keeps trying that but is failing horribly.
 
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GoodGuy313 said:
Having both laptop and a tablet nowadays just seems super redundant (unless you have a setup of a Macbook Pro and an iPad Mini, where the mini feels more justified as an e-book reader/media consumption).
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I’ve never really felt this way. Then again, I have a Windows gaming laptop which I reckon makes it sufficiently different from the iPad.

Plus, I’ve never viewed redundancy as something bad. To me, having a laptop means I have a fallback in case the desktop fails.
 
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cupcakes2000 said:
Stands to reason if you dont need one or feel you get use from one. I use mine daily and it can do many things my Mac cannot do, for me. My Mac does many things my iPad struggles with. I use both about the same.
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Exactly how Apple continues to design it, to convince folks to keep paying for both!
 
Makisupa Policeman said:
For me it’s 100% a consumption device. My MacBook does all the heavy lifting. And I’m thinking of getting a ProMax next time I upgrade my iPhone. With the bigger screen size do I really need another similar device that’s only a few inches bigger?

Kudos to all the creatives and people who use iPad as their main device—the new M4 iPP is a great machine. But I’m thinking of maybe simplifying my ecosystem and getting rid of this thing, that took me twice as long to type these paragraphs on as it would have on my Mac, lol.
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I love my iPad 12.9inch M1 but it can’t do web design that I use in RapidWeaver. For that my 16 inch M3 Max is a beast of a machine for that.
 
jdb8167 said:
This is my dilemma. My iPad use is completely covered by an iPad mini 6 but I really like the iPad Pro but it is such overkill for anything that I would use it for. I keep putting an 11" in my cart at the online Apple store but even the minimal configuration with Apple Pencil Pro, Smart Folio, and Magic Keyboard is $1706. And I would much prefer not to get the binned M4 so that puts the price at $2306. I can afford either configuration but I can't convince myself to hit the buy button. It is just too much money for what I can use an iPad for. I could remove the Magic Keyboard since I wouldn't use it much but that only helps a little.
Click to expand...
You say your iPad mini 6 covers all your needs as to iPad use. Then, you say you wouldn't want to buy the binned M4, which really doesn't make sense if the former statement is true. Even if you were to get the binned M4, you would never ever be able to tell from a user standpoint. And that shows that you really don't need the full package setup. I think you should consider buying the M4 by itself without all the accessories. Once you have it set up and have used it for a week, you can then make a more informed decision as to whether or not you really need the keyboard etc. Are you using a keyboard with the mini now? If you aren't, then don't worry about buying such now. If you aren't careful, you will hit the buy button for accessories you really don't need and then return it all, when you would have been fine with the iPad itself. You can always buy the MKB and or pencil later on.

I have the mini 6 (which meets my iPad needs) and have also been looking at the new M4. Can I easily use the M4 in the recliner and type what is needed without the MKB or needing to reach for my MBP all the time? That is my main consideration at the moment. I can two-thumb type on the mini 6 but, it isn't seamless lol I have never been good at that. I use the mini 6 in portrait mode most of the time. If I got the M4, I would have to find out if I can still two-thumb at home and on the go in portrait, or do I have to go landscape just to type.
 
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Apple_Robert said:
You say your iPad mini 6 covers all your needs as to iPad use. Then you say you wouldn't want to buy the binned M4, which really doesn't make sense if the former statement is true. Even if you were to get the binned M4, you would never ever be able to tell from a user standpoint. And that shows that you really don't need the fully package setup. I think you should consider buying the M4 by itself without all the accessories. Once you have it set up and have used it for a week, you can then make a more informed decision as to whether or not you really need the keyboard etc. Are you using a keyboard with the mini now? If you aren't, then don't worry about buying such now. If you aren't careful, you will hit the buy button for accessories you really don't need and then return it all, when you would have been fine with the iPad itself. You can always buy the MKB and or pencil later on.

I have the mini 6 (which meets my iPad needs) and have also been looking at the new M4. Can I easily use the M4 in the recliner and type what is needed without the MKB or needing to reach for my MBP all the time? That is my main consideration at the moment. I can two-thumb type on the mini 6 but, it isn't seamless lol I have never been good at that. I use the mini 6 in portrait mode most of the time. If I got the M4, I would have to find out if I can still two-thumb at home and on the go in portrait, or do I have to go landscape just to type.
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You can with no case easy enough, well I can anyway, never do though.
 
Apple_Robert said:
You say your iPad mini 6 covers all your needs as to iPad use. Then, you say you wouldn't want to buy the binned M4, which really doesn't make sense if the former statement is true. Even if you were to get the binned M4, you would never ever be able to tell from a user standpoint. And that shows that you really don't need the full package setup. I think you should consider buying the M4 by itself without all the accessories.
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I guess you didn’t get the part that my want is pure techno-lust. I have no real use for an iPad Pro but I want it. Hence desiring the top of the line SoC. So yes, my iPad mini 6 is sufficient and I don’t need a iPad pro at all.
 
I'd happily use multiple iPads for the sidecar screen sharing thing, if only it would reliably work.
 
sparksd said:
It's like the Apple folio with magnets.
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I’ve been looking at that one for my M4 IPP. it looks like a good option - I like the idea of the magnetic connectio, rather than having to force it in and out of a case. Some of the reviews on Amazon questioned the strength of the magnet. How’ve you found it in use?
 
Greggio said:
I’ve been looking at that one for my M4 IPP. it looks like a good option - I like the idea of the magnetic connectio, rather than having to force it in and out of a case. Some of the reviews on Amazon questioned the strength of the magnet. How’ve you found it in use?
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Works great. I have the same case for the 13" M4 Pro, M1 12.9, & Mini 6.
 
As I always say, the problem is not how the iPad works, but people using an iPad like they would a Mac, the iPad is another device, with a different workflow, if you adapt, it's great, if you stick to using it like a mac you'll be frustrated.

That said, iPad os has it's quirks, and Apple is updating it slower than needed, but it can be a very rewarding thing if used correctly.
 
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ronb said:
At 64 (though still working), I use the iPhone Mini (while it lasts) for calls and text mostly (and more when I'm out and about); use my iPad Mini (but will probably go to the light iPad Pro 12") for consuming with AirPods next to the wife on the couch as she watches her "drama traumatizing, reality tv, or vice versa; and for all personal business. No need for a Mac anymore. Simplifying your life as you get older is highly recommended.
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This is an exact mirror of my life and the same age 😊.
 
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