iPad How come MacRumors hate the iPad?

[Night Spring]

Really the ipad is an iPhone with a big screen, not a mac replacement. So far the only compelling arguments for an iPad in this thread are as a drawing tablet (my own suggestion), and for reading with bad eyesight. Mine is still pretty sharp so to me the iPad is mostly a big and heavy and awkward iphone that takes both hands to use. Once you add a (not cheap) keyboard case so you can actually get some typing done on it, you might as well have just bought a base m1 macbook air. I’m not saying it doesn’t have its place, I know a lot of people love them. I use mine occasionally, but usually it’s just when my iPhone is charging and I want to check my email.

When I first bought the iPad, back when the very first model came out, I thought I might occasionally use a keyboard with it, but I discovered very early on that's not how I use the iPad. I found that the onscreen keyboard worked well enough for me to type emails, forum posts, and shorter work projects. Longer things could wait until I got to my desktop at work or at home. It worked great for me, because I never actually needed a laptop for mobile computing -- I was never going to punch out code on the subway (which I've seen people doing). For me, laptops were too clunky to take out on bus/train while commuting, and desktops more comfortable at home/office. iPad was the perfect mobile device for my commutes, to do reading and light work, and to relax at home on the sofa or bed.

However, the recent models have the same chips as the Mac, and as you say, are the same price as MacBooks if you add the keyboard. It really makes me feel like iPad + keyboard should run MacOS, or ios get updated to the point iPad can do everything that an MBA does. I, personally, would still not have a need for that, and keep using the iPad on iOS as a tablet. But it's frustrating to see all the hardware in place for a paradigm shift, and then, nothing seems to be happening on the OS side.

 

[prospervic]

Read the rest of the thread, that was what other users here suggested, not me. I literally said in the next sentence that my eyesight is pretty sharp so its not an issue for me.


Tell me you’re not a piano player without telling me you’re not a piano player lol. Musical keyboards on a touch screen are a total gimmick. A cool one sure but not a real music composition tool by any means, unless you’re playing one note at a time I guess?

Some of you guys are getting oddly offended by my opinion about the iPad, you sound like you’re trying to sell them

I think its great that iPads work for you. I’m just saying its by far my least used apple device.

You assume that I am offended, when I’m not. I believe people should be able to use whatever the hell device they’d like to use. In responding to you I was also responding to many of the comments I’ve seen on these forums calling the iPad useless because it doesn’t serve someone’s Mac/PC power user needs.

And for your information, yes, I do play the piano. I didn’t say I was giving a concert with the iPad, I said I was composing (an activity that, given your comment, you don’t engage in). The onscreen keyboard makes it much easier to play notes and chords into Dorico, Sibelius, and other sheet music apps. Doing the same thing on my MacBook Pro would require me to plug in a physical (mini) piano keyboard. Combined, those two devices make for a really heavy backpack.

 

[prospervic]

However, the recent models have the same chips as the Mac, and as you say, are the same price as MacBooks if you add the keyboard. It really makes me feel like iPad + keyboard should run MacOS, or ios get updated to the point iPad can do everything that an MBA does. I, personally, would still not have a need for that, and keep using the iPad on iOS as a tablet. But it's frustrating to see all the hardware in place for a paradigm shift, and then, nothing seems to be happening on the OS side.

The good news is that Apple still makes non-pro iPads. The base model iPad and iPad Air sell at reasonable prices with external keyboards being available for those who really want them. I know plenty of people who have non-pro iPads and feel no pressure whatsoever to turn them into MacBooks.

 

[iPadified]

So much confusion about the iPad hardware.
iPad hardware with iPadOS=iPad experience.
iPad hardware with MacOS=Mac experience.

Both would work fine with current iPad hardware. The hate is really about iPadOS and the envy of iPad hardware modularity and options that surpasses the clamshell format of MacBooks in versatility and coolness. The hate would stop immediately if dual boot was allowed.

That people do not do research before purchase and then hate the device instead of themself and vent it here is both embarrassing and irritating.

 

[The point and shoot pro]

If you could dual boot iPad M series, I would instantly sell my 10th gen and get a new pro. For no other reason than I could use MacOS without purchasing two devices.

 

[Aneres11]

Also, one thing I forgot to mention on my post - the speakers on this 12.9 iPad Pro are insane.
I rarely use on device speakers and just opt for everything through my headphones, but wow… very good!

 

[The point and shoot pro]

Also, one thing I forgot to mention on my post - the speakers on this 12.9 iPad Pro are insane.
I rarely use on device speakers and just opt for everything through my headphones, but wow… very good!

They must be much better than my 10th gen's speakers. They are average. I think my iPhone is louder.

 

[Aneres11]

They must be much better than my 10th gen's speakers. They are average. I think my iPhone is louder.

Yeah they definitely will be.

 

[prospervic]

I think the reason for this is the ‘Pro’ moniker creates different expectations, especially with a device that’s often marketed as a laptop replacement. For many here the iPad Pro doesn’t quite hit the spot just yet - almost entirely due to software.

I haven’t seen any Apple marketing material explicitly say “iPad can replace your laptop“. They do, however, suggest iPad as an alternative, particularly to PCs (and not necessarily MacBooks).

 

[The point and shoot pro]

I haven’t seen any Apple marketing material explicitly say “iPad can replace your laptop“. They do, however, suggest iPad as an alternative, particularly to PCs (and not necessarily MacBooks).

That's even worse considering the vast amount of great software for PC devices.

 

[The point and shoot pro]

I haven’t seen any Apple marketing material explicitly say “iPad can replace your laptop“. They do, however, suggest iPad as an alternative, particularly to PCs (and not necessarily MacBooks).

There are two basically insinuating just that....

 

[prospervic]

There are two basically insinuating just that....

These "insinuations" leave it for the viewer to draw their own conclusions. I still see nothing here that says "Get rid of your laptop and buy an iPad." Instead iPads are being offered as fun alternatives to people for whom traditional computers are too complicated or intimidating.

 

[Adelphos33]

I think this whole "once you add a keyboard, you should have just bought a MacBook Air" argument misses some key points. iPads can do some things that a MacBook Air cannot:

1) I can access wireless internet with my iPad

2) Through VPN, I can run several corporate apps on my iPad, direct from the iOS Home Screen, that I can't do on not only a MacBook, but really a Windows laptop (Microsoft Office apps that log in to my work account, other corporate apps)

 

[Shanghaichica]

I think this whole "once you add a keyboard, you should have just bought a MacBook Air" argument misses some key points. iPads can do some things that a MacBook Air cannot:

1) I can access wireless internet with my iPad

2) Through VPN, I can run several corporate apps on my iPad, direct from the iOS Home Screen, that I can't do on not only a MacBook, but really a Windows laptop (Microsoft Office apps that log in to my work account, other corporate apps)

Attaching the Magic Keyboard to my iPad makes it a more enjoyable experience to navigate. Whilst I expect that my MacBook Air can do ‘more’. I prefer my iPad.

 

[The point and shoot pro]

These "insinuations" leave it for the viewer to draw their own conclusions. I still see nothing here that says "Get rid of your laptop and buy an iPad." Instead iPads are being offered as fun alternatives to people for whom traditional computers are too complicated or intimidating.

That's exactly Apple's MO. They always insinuate, hint etc at what they are saying but never saying it directly. For most people, I am in the ipad works great for 90 percent of people if they get a keyboard/trackpad setup. You can do 99% of "computer" stuff on it now. I know I love mine. I just need more for 20 percent of the time. I bought the 10th gen as a "get my feet wet" iPad again. I will move that to my son when his 6th gen kicks the bucket soon, and I will be getting a 12.9 Pro with 1tb of storage, and LTE.

 

[engbren]

I've had my iPad Pro 11 inch since release in 2018. My use cases outside of content consumption skew towards fairly mundane office type tasks. ie making notes, editing documents, slide packs, spreadsheets etc. I've found my iPad Pro is quite capable of undertaking these tasks but that my productivity is limited in various ways. The workarounds generally mean that getting the job done takes me longer on my iPad. As such, I tend to use my iPad Pro more for a quick review / quick edit of documents on the go rather than my primary device. For my primary device, I switch between a Macbook Air and a Windows laptop.

 

[Atomic1977]

As far as forums go. I don’t really see any hatred toward the iPad.

 

[subjonas]

iPads are not the same product category nor the same market as Macs, so it’s not very useful to compare sales. It’s kind of like comparing car and bike sales. There is some overlap in function, but they’re very different and many people own both. This Mac vs iPad competition is a narrative mostly imagined.

As far as why it may seem like to you that people in MacRumors hate iPads, it’s because, as is the case everywhere, the entitled/complainers are always the most vocal. I say entitled because that’s how many of the complainers come off. They seem to believe Apple owes them this device they imagine in their heads. It’s puzzling because I watch the same iPad marketing that they do, yet I see none of the promises they claim Apple made to them. And I don’t believe just because I bought products from a company before, that the company is beholden to me for the direction of their next products. I chose to make the purchase, and after it is made, besides reasonable support for that product, the transaction is over. If one thinks they are owed more than the product they are receiving for what they paid for it, then it was their fault for making that purchase. They have no one to be mad at except themselves.

 

[subjonas]

Recently started a new job and was forced to use Windows after years. What I realised is that these operating systems do 95% the same thing, and I actually found myself feeling incredibly focussed working on Windows. It's made me consider getting a personal Windows and Android machine to get out of the Apple bubble a little bit more.

What is it about Windows that helps you to focus?

 

[Fishels]

I’m not a Apple guy at all but iPad is my favorite thing they make

 

[The point and shoot pro]

I’m not a Apple guy at all but iPad is my favorite thing they make

I use an iPhone 13 and iPad 10th gen. My ipad is used when we travel and I don't want to take my laptop with me. It works great for reading on content consumption. My iPhone, I need because of family members who use iPhones, imessgae and facetime are important to me. I despise mac. I cannot use it. But iOS is good and reliable. I just wish moving forward they give some customization options to use like OS level theming instead of the whole shortcut fiasco.

My PCs, communicate with my apple devices enough to where the ecosystem is not a big deal for me.

 

[flobach]

What is it about Windows that helps you to focus?

Not OP, but have had a similar experience: used Windows for work after aaaages on MacOS, and because I didn’t know my way around as much I didn’t fiddle around.

After a couple of months i know my way around more, and the fiddling started again. Now I wish I was Back on MacOS.