iPad I ditched my iPad and used Microsoft Surface 3 for a month

[koelsh]

Reading comprehension fail:

I said - specifically - that I can get document based work done on my iPad - I also pretty much exclusively do my PDF reading and markup on iPad rather than Mac as it is by far the better device for this task.

I am not imagining workflows. I was responding to a post that basically said all the iPad was good for was web browsing and watching videos ... this was a failure to look beyond their own biases.

As I keep expressing, doing more on an iPad should be possible, Apple will hopefully be forced to open up their platforms more by regulations (the EU has started on this already and hopefully it forces them open elsewhere as well).

What app(s) do you use for PDF reading and markup? I've tried a few with varying success. Many of them didn't delete the actual data when deleting an annotation meaning the PDF file size would only grow.

Indeed more should be possible with iPadOS and it would(should) be great if they are forced to open up the iOS platform. I'm concerned that much of what users want are system level things that apps wouldn't be able to punch through without breaking or hacking further into the system.

I feel the consternation about workflows is ones that have worked for decades on MacOS and even Windows and Linux are thrown out with the bath water. For instance on the Mac for most document based apps when you right click on the file's name in the title bar you're presented path to exactly where that file is. I've been trying it with PDFs in Acrobat, PDF Expert, and PDF Viewer (from PSPDFKit) and can't find a way to get them to answer "where did this come from"

 

[bcortens]

What app(s) do you use for PDF reading and markup? I've tried a few with varying success. Many of them didn't delete the actual data when deleting an annotation meaning the PDF file size would only grow.

Indeed more should be possible with iPadOS and it would(should) be great if they are forced to open up the iOS platform. I'm concerned that much of what users want are system level things that apps wouldn't be able to punch through without breaking or hacking further into the system.

I feel the consternation about workflows is ones that have worked for decades on MacOS and even Windows and Linux are thrown out with the bath water. For instance on the Mac for most document based apps when you right click on the file's name in the title bar you're presented path to exactly where that file is. I've been trying it with PDFs in Acrobat, PDF Expert, and PDF Viewer (from PSPDFKit) and can't find a way to get them to answer "where did this come from"

I use LiquidText because I like its auto-excerpt, highlight and commenting features. I haven’t actually checked to make sure it’s deleting comment data since file size was never an issue.
On the Mac I too I really like when apps follow that file path jump list standard on macOS as well, (I use macOS for development, I wish I could use iPad os but I can’t yet). Not all of the workflows are thrown out and I think apple has been way way to slow to add better support for them back into iPad os… we know they could add more power back, iPad os and macOS still share their core architecture so they should be able to port the XPC tech reasonably quickly.

 

[bcortens]

I'm sorry you got the understanding that I was trying to comment on your use case. That is not what I meant. I was just commenting that you CAN run everything on it, but it's cumbersome, since it's not relying solely on the iPad.

Sorry about that, felt like the wording was an attack, jumped back too aggressively. Will go a bit more calmly in the future.

 

[koelsh]

I use LiquidText because I like its auto-excerpt, highlight and commenting features. I haven’t actually checked to make sure it’s deleting comment data since file size was never an issue.
On the Mac I too I really like when apps follow that file path jump list standard on macOS as well, (I use macOS for development, I wish I could use iPad os but I can’t yet). Not all of the workflows are thrown out and I think apple has been way way to slow to add better support for them back into iPad os… we know they could add more power back, iPad os and macOS still share their core architecture so they should be able to port the XPC tech reasonably quickly.

Oh wow LiquidText is cool! Had never seen a system for making notes outside of PDF bounds, this would have been very useful 5 years ago but probably couldn’t justify the price now. Pinch to see separate parts of the same document is quite something.

At the moment I’m liking PDF Viewer (from PSPDFKit) as it sits on top of the Files app and doesn’t copy to its own space, leaves behind minimal annotation data cruft, and has the dynamic page curl animation like iBooks before iOS 16. Apple really needs to bring that back as an option, new animation is cool, page curl is better.

I did some annotation cruft testing with the Files app, LiquidText, PDF Expert, PDF Viewer, and Acrobat and the results are odd. Interpret as you will because I don’t see a good reason for the file size to increase after deleting a comment… I really like the Files app tool pallet but it has the most bloat. Probably not a big deal unless it’s used for a table top character sheet

 

[bondr006]

iPad to me is a devices with powerful hardware but limited by the software. In one hand, Apple trying to make a distinctive line between iPad and Mac; And in other hand, Apple is trying to make iPadOS more mac-a-like. It is more apparent with iPadOS 16 with the awkward attempt of Stage Managers. Although I have own several iPads over years, I have been been fan of it. Most of time, my iPads are end up in my drawers.

As a person who was born in 80s. I started with Microsoft Windows 3.1 and used every version of Windows (with exception of Windows Me) and I also used every version of macOS starting Leopard. To me, desktop class OS offers usability and versatility that no mobile OS can match, including iPadOS.

Recently I bought a very cheap Microsoft Surface 3. It is the higher end model with 4GB and 128GB storage. And I give it a try for a month, and I am surprised by the versatility of the Surface and things I could do.

The Surface 3 runs full version of Windows 10 Professional. It runs all Windows applications. I don't need to go to App Store to get applications, I don’t have go through bunch of hoops to transfer files, I don’t need to adjust myself to mobile OS, I can simply plug in peripherals and expect it to work. When I am paying thousands of dollars to a computing devices, I am expecting it to work and not to adjust my habit. I can plug in external monitor as secondary display, and it will work. I don’t need to spend more than one thousand dollars to get all of these. And all of these were powered by Intel Atom processors. If Intel Atom processors are able to handle this, there is no reason why much more powerful iPad can’t do.

My 2018 iPad Pro is up in the Facebook Marketplace for sale and I am intended to purchase Surface Pro 9 as replacement. i am keeping cellular iPad 7 for cellular connectivity.

P.S. Everybody is talking about integration between iPhone, iPad and Mac. Well, aside of phone. Surface devices kind take job of iPad and Mac. So the only missing piece is the phone part.

Back in Nov. 2021, I sold my MBP, and my M1 iPad Pro 11 took its place. I also had a Surface Pro 6 at the time, and it was ok as a laptop, but dismal as a tablet, and most importantly, it never made me want to replace my MBP. It did however, make me very much want to try an iPad Pro. So I sold the SP6 and MBP and replaced them with an M1 iPad Pro 11, and the story goes....

My M1 iPad Pro 11 replaced my MBP in Nov. 2021 for use in my real estate and property management business and totally streamlined my workflow, reduced steps I had to take, and made work a lot more fun. It is so much easier, convenient, and more intuitive to use the iPad for the work I do. In fact, I would go so far as to say, in my opinion the laptop is limiting and cumbersome compared to the iPad Pro for the type of work I do. I work with contracts, forms, docs, pdf's, take a huge amount of notes, sketch house dimensions, take pictures, communicate(messages and email), and do a bunch of scanning. Working with documents, pdf's, contracts, and forms is so much easier for me. Editing, marking up, and then sending to clients is all done within the app, and reduces the amount of steps it takes to communicate. The iPad also reduced the amount of hardware devices I needed, and condensed them all into one really portable device that actually makes my work more easy and convenient. I am 62 and have used Macs and PC's for going on 40 years now, and for some reason using an iPad and iPadOS is just something I get. I have really enjoyed using my iPad as my main device this past year, and it makes me feel good at my age, that I was able to pick the iPad up, and just run with it. Pretty cool to have something you love using for mobile work, and now with iPadOS 16.2 and Stage Manager, my iPad is getting lots of desktop love also.

 

[Joe Dohn]

Back in Nov. 2021, I sold my MBP, and my M1 iPad Pro 11 took its place. I also had a Surface Pro 6 at the time, and it was ok as a laptop, but dismal as a tablet, and most importantly, it never made me want to replace my MBP. It did however, make me very much want to try an iPad Pro. So I sold the SP6 and MBP and ended up getting an M1 iPad Pro 11, and the story goes....

My M1 iPad Pro 11 replaced my MBP in Nov. 2021 for use in my real estate and property management business and totally streamlined my workflow, reduced steps I had to take, and made work a lot more fun. It is so much easier, convenient, and more intuitive to use the iPad for the work I do. In fact, I would go so far as to say, in my opinion the laptop is limiting and cumbersome compared to the iPad Pro for the type of work I do. I work with contracts, forms, docs, pdf's, take a huge amount of notes, sketch house dimensions, take pictures, communicate(messages and email), and do a bunch of scanning. Working with documents, pdf's, contracts, and forms is so much easier for me. Editing, marking up, and then sending to clients is all done within the app, and reduces the amount of steps it takes to communicate. The iPad also reduced the amount of hardware devices I needed, and condensed them all into one really portable device that actually makes my work more easy and convenient. I am 62 and have used Macs and PC's for going on 40 years now, and for some reason using an iPad and iPadOS is just something I get. I have really enjoyed using my iPad as my main device this past year, and it makes me feel good at my age, that I was able to pick the iPad up, and just run with it. Pretty cool to have something you love using for mobile work, and now with iPadOS 16.2 and Stage Manager, my iPad is getting lots of desktop love also.

View attachment 2127773 View attachment 2127774

The problem with using the iPad as a desktop is when you use Office heavily. By "heavily", I mean "installing a particular MS Word add-on to process a 200-page document". The native office alternatives for the iPad are just lacking.

 

[bondr006]

The problem with using the iPad as a desktop is when you use Office heavily. By "heavily", I mean "installing a particular MS Word add-on to process a 200-page document". The native office alternatives for the iPad are just lacking.

About the biggest documents I use or create with Word on my iPad, are 13 to 14 pages, and that has never given me a problem. I have been using both Excel and Word (Office 365) on my iPad Pro since I got it in Nov. 2022, and have been very pleased with their performance so far. I do use Word extensively but I guess my needs for Office, aren't as intense as yours.

 

[bcortens]

The problem with using the iPad as a desktop is when you use Office heavily. By "heavily", I mean "installing a particular MS Word add-on to process a 200-page document". The native office alternatives for the iPad are just lacking.

You don’t really mean ‘heavily’ though. Heavily usually means intensely or with a lot of time involved, and many people can use word all day every day on iPad without encountering this problem.

What you mean is that the version of Office for iPad is missing features that are important to edge-case workflows. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think that these edge cases are important to take into account and making sure to capture more and more edge cases should be an important goal for Apple. But this is partially on MS, they don‘t invest or care to make sure that the iPad version is as good as the desktop version either…

 

[Abazigal]

About the biggest documents I use or create with Word on my iPad, are 13 to 14 pages, and that has never given me a problem. I have been using both Excel and Word (Office 365) on my iPad Pro since I got it in Nov. 2022, and have been very pleased with their performance so far. I do use Word extensively but I guess my needs for Office, aren't as intense as yours.

I have used word on my ipad to type out minutes for my meetings. One thing I like about iOS apps is the integrated share sheet extension. After I was done with the document, it was fairly straightforward to email it directly to my school leader using the gmail app via the share sheet.

I am also reminded of how, after I was done editing a video in LumaFusion, I was able to upload it directly to YouTube (don’t think I can do that with iMovie on the Mac).

It’s these little conveniences that just make iOS more streamlined to use sometimes.

 

[Aoligei]

About the biggest documents I use or create with Word on my iPad, are 13 to 14 pages, and that has never given me a problem. I have been using both Excel and Word (Office 365) on my iPad Pro since I got it in Nov. 2022, and have been very pleased with their performance so far. I do use Word extensively but I guess my needs for Office, aren't as intense as yours.

I am working on Financial industry, we use Excel pretty regularly. Especially Excel with macro build in. We also run database programs and will need to import data from database into Excel and coding with VBA. iPadOS will not make cut for me, since Excel for iPad does not and probably will never able to run macro.

I am not in your profession. But for most of your tasks (i.e., ork with contracts, forms, docs, pdf's, take a huge amount of notes, sketch house dimensions, take pictures, communicate(messages and email), and do a bunch of scanning. Working with documents, pdf's, contracts, and forms is so much easier for me. Editing, marking up, and then sending to clients is all done within the app, and reduces the amount of steps it takes to communicate.), I can work with Surface Pro as well.

Maybe just me being lazy, I deeply dislike how iPadOS handles file. I don't want to create word documents and I must using sharesheets to send my documents to Microsoft Outlook. I would rather just save my documents locally and attach documents as attachments.

 

[Aoligei]

I have used word on my ipad to type out minutes for my meetings. One thing I like about iOS apps is the integrated share sheet extension. After I was done with the document, it was fairly straightforward to email it directly to my school leader using the gmail app via the share sheet.

I am also reminded of how, after I was done editing a video in LumaFusion, I was able to upload it directly to YouTube (don’t think I can do that with iMovie on the Mac).

It’s these little conveniences that just make iOS more streamlined to use sometimes.

Share sheets sometimes does not includes apps that I wanted to send. When it doesn't, it is PITA. I hate share sheets, I would rather edit my video, save it on my local drive, and upload via browser.

If I wanted to export my edited video to my external hard drive, it is even more PITA.

 

[Aoligei]

You don’t really mean ‘heavily’ though. Heavily usually means intensely or with a lot of time involved, and many people can use word all day every day on iPad without encountering this problem.

What you mean is that the version of Office for iPad is missing features that are important to edge-case workflows. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think that these edge cases are important to take into account and making sure to capture more and more edge cases should be an important goal for Apple. But this is partially on MS, they don‘t invest or care to make sure that the iPad version is as good as the desktop version either…

Why would Microsoft even want iPad version as good as desktop version? Even with Office for macOS are missing some features found on Window version.

Microsoft even willing to implement pivot table on their web version of Excel than add to their iPad apps. Not even motion macro (Visual Basics for Applications). I doubt macro/vba will ever made into iPad app.

 

[koelsh]

I have used word on my ipad to type out minutes for my meetings. One thing I like about iOS apps is the integrated share sheet extension. After I was done with the document, it was fairly straightforward to email it directly to my school leader using the gmail app via the share sheet.

I am also reminded of how, after I was done editing a video in LumaFusion, I was able to upload it directly to YouTube (don’t think I can do that with iMovie on the Mac).

It’s these little conveniences that just make iOS more streamlined to use sometimes.

Oh that's quite interesting. I just tested it in iMovie 10.3.5 and it exports a Youtube ready file that then has to be manually uploaded. Instead, there's an upload to Youtube option in sharing files from Quicktime... awkward.

How well do you get along with the Gmail app replying to an existing thread? The share sheet creates a new email so replying requires opening the email to attach and that interface is not great especially since it assumes I'd want to attach a recently received attachment meaning I'm essentially spammed by newsletters still in the inbox.
Prior to maybe 18 months ago though I'd have to upload to Google Drive or use a different email client instead so at least it has that going for it.

 

[Marsikus]

Even with Office for macOS are missing some features found on Window version.

Well, they want to sell Windows and related stuff first of all

 

[bondr006]

I am not in your profession. But for most of your tasks (i.e., ork with contracts, forms, docs, pdf's, take a huge amount of notes, sketch house dimensions, take pictures, communicate(messages and email), and do a bunch of scanning. Working with documents, pdf's, contracts, and forms is so much easier for me. Editing, marking up, and then sending to clients is all done within the app, and reduces the amount of steps it takes to communicate.), I can work with Surface Pro as well.

Maybe just me being lazy, I deeply dislike how iPadOS handles file. I don't want to create word documents and I must using sharesheets to send my documents to Microsoft Outlook. I would rather just save my documents locally and attach documents as attachments.

You may be able to do these things on a Surface Pro as well, but you will take more steps to do them, and the tablet features of Windows on the SP aren't even in the same ballpark as iPadOS on an iPad. That's what I like about the iPad and iPadOS. Everything I do is done within the app which slims my workflow. Also, you can send Word documents directly to Outlook from Word on the iPad. And, with the Files app, any file can be saved locally or remotely. It couldn't be any easier. People don't want to leave their comfort zone of the PC and Mac world and discover how much easier and intuitive many things are with the iPad and iPadOS. It is slimmed down with in-app abilities that Windows and MacOS just don't have. For the productivity work that I do, I could never go back to Windows or MacOS. Been using PC's and Macs for 40 years, and I much prefer the IpadOS experience for my real estate work.

Word to Outlook all within the Word app on iPad

Save any file locally in the Files app

 

[Aoligei]

You may be able to do these things on a Surface Pro as well, but you will take more steps to do them, and the tablet features of Windows on the SP aren't even in the same ballpark as iPadOS on an iPad. That's what I like about the iPad and iPadOS. Everything I do is done within the app which slims my workflow. Also, you can send Word documents directly to Outlook from Word on the iPad. And, with the Files app, any file can be saved locally. It couldn't be any easier. People don't want to leave their comfort zone of the PC and Mac world and discover how much easier and intuitive many things are with the iPad and iPadOS. It is slimmed down with in-app abilities that Windows and MacOS just don't have. For the productivity work that I do, I could never go back to Windows or MacOS. Been using PC's and Macs for 40 years, and I much prefer the IpadOS experience for my real estate work.

Word to Outlook all within the Word app on iPad

Save any file locally in the Files app
View attachment 2128207

To be clear, I can also directly share Word/Excel documents to Outlook if I wanted to.

I always store my files, especially important files into separate drive. In my desktop, which I have 6 hard drives attached to motherboard, I store file accordingly. For example: One drive is only for documents or work related staff, one drive is only for games, one drive is only for movies or music etc.

With my Surface, I have 256GB MicroSD card installed and save my file in SD card. I don't trust saving my important documents into drives where OS is installed on, this applies to my Macs.

 

[Aoligei]

I wanted to share my final thought about Microsoft Surface products and iPad. This is not meant for Surface vs iPad comparison.

1. Microsoft Surface line (Not the Surface Book, Surface Studio) is a compromised products. It does not excel anything, but it can do lots of things. Maybe it doesn't do anything particular well, but it none the less can do everything. That is OK for me. I am more than willing to compromise in order to use my desire of all in one devices.

2. Microsoft Surface line will be niche products for niche market. Microsoft Surface line revenue is about 2 billion USD. Which is big number and Microsoft is actually making profit from Surface Line and this is remarkable achievement, especially how it was predicted as other Microsoft's failure. However, when compared with 20-30 billion USD generated by iPads sale, revenue generated by Surface line is not that impressive.

3. Surface line has very good design and it is very well build. Even with the entry level Surface Go, I can feel the design and great build quality. But make no mistake, Microsoft Surface is very expensive. It definitely not provide dollar/performances ratios that some value orientated folks are looking for. The base configuration Surface Go, which cost $500CAD offers very poor value. Especially when factor in cost of keyboard cover and pen.

4. Where Surface devices provides great value is in second hand market. You will able to find some great deals for used Surface devices. For example, you can get second generation Surface Go with 8GB + 128GB SSD with Pentium Gold processor for about $200CAD or 5th or 6th Surface Pro for about $300-$400CAD.

5. I wishes Apple offers better multitasking capabilities for iPad and better file management. But if you are able to work with iPad and get experience with it, then I am glad. iPad is not for me and I am expecting more out of iPads.

 

[Digitalguy]

I wanted to share my final thought about Microsoft Surface products and iPad. This is not meant for Surface vs iPad comparison.

1. Microsoft Surface line (Not the Surface Book, Surface Studio) is a compromised products. It does not excel anything, but it can do lots of things. Maybe it doesn't do anything particular well, but it none the less can do everything. That is OK for me. I am more than willing to compromise in order to use my desire of all in one devices.

2. Microsoft Surface line will be niche products for niche market. Microsoft Surface line revenue is about 2 billion USD. Which is big number and Microsoft is actually making profit from Surface Line and this is remarkable achievement, especially how it was predicted as other Microsoft's failure. However, when compared with 20-30 billion USD generated by iPads sale, revenue generated by Surface line is not that impressive.

3. Surface line has very good design and it is very well build. Even with the entry level Surface Go, I can feel the design and great build quality. But make no mistake, Microsoft Surface is very expensive. It definitely not provide dollar/performances ratios that some value orientated folks are looking for. The base configuration Surface Go, which cost $500CAD offers very poor value. Especially when factor in cost of keyboard cover and pen.

4. Where Surface devices provides great value is in second hand market. You will able to find some great deals for used Surface devices. For example, you can get second generation Surface Go with 8GB + 128GB SSD with Pentium Gold processor for about $200CAD or 5th or 6th Surface Pro for about $300-$400CAD.

5. I wishes Apple offers better multitasking capabilities for iPad and better file management. But if you are able to work with iPad and get experience with it, then I am glad. iPad is not for me and I am expecting more out of iPads.

Agreed with most things, second hand is where value is and that is actually often also true for Apple devices too (but to a lesser extent since Apple devices tend to retain more value in the used market).

As for revenues, these data are just estimations, no one has precise data, some people talk of 4 billion dollar revenues for Surface devices but no profits etc. (and it might be true at some point in the past, that fact that something is profitable at some point, doesn't mean it always is)
iPad revenus mainly come from the base model (which generally accounts for more than half the revenues) so it's not really comparable with surface devices, which sell at a high price and also have a ton of clones for the pro with the same OS (which combined probably sell much more than Surface alone)

I think there is only so much Apple can do with iPadOS, I believe the main issue is not Apple, is the lack of fully featured apps on mobile OSs. Office is just one example. Tons of business software applications are simply not available and some are not even available for MacOS (but at least there you have options like Parallels to run them...)

PS since you mentioned the Surface Book, I think the 15" version is an amazing device, especially for home use. My Surface Book 3 is my favorite Windows laptop among the dozen that I have, if not my favorive device overall for so many reasons... (writing from it now...)

 

[bondr006]

I always store my files, especially important files into separate drive. In my desktop, which I have 6 hard drives attached to motherboard, I store file accordingly. For example: One drive is only for documents or work related staff, one drive is only for games, one drive is only for movies or music etc.

With my Surface, I have 256GB MicroSD card installed and save my file in SD card. I don't trust saving my important documents into drives where OS is installed on, this applies to my Macs.

Yes, I also keep my work, and important personal files on external storage. I have a Samsung 1TB T7 SSD attached to the HUB in my desktop iPad setup, and also have set up access to 4 network attached drives through the network sharing feature in the Files app that I can also access remotely with the use of a third party app. I also have 1TB of cloud storage on OneDrive, 2TB on Google Drive, and 2TB on iCloud+. Because of the nature of my real estate business, I am legally bound to keep backups, so I tend to be redundant in that regard. I know the Files app still has some maturing to do, but it has come a long way since its introduction, and has become an indispensable tool that I rely on daily for my work, and personal needs.

 

[Isengardtom]

I think there is only so much Apple can do with iPadOS, I believe the main issue is not Apple, is the lack of fully featured apps on mobile OSs. Office is just one example. Tons of business software applications are simply not available and some are not even available for MacOS (but at least there you have options like Parallels to run them...)

I agree. Although you can get quite far with the apps Microsoft has released on iPadOS (office, SharePoint, OneDrive,…) business apps are definitely lacking.

And as you mention, it’s also a limitation on MacOS. (Excel functionality for example is limited), so I run parallels too on my iMac.

Therefore I‘m going to be a little weird here but I would be most happy with this on my iPad Pro : iPadOS + Windows 10 / 11 boot option instead of MacOS, even if apple would only allow that for Microsoft apps and not 3rd party apps.
It would add much more value for me that adding MacOS

Never going to happen off course, but we can dream

 

[bcortens]

I agree. Although you can get quite far with the apps Microsoft has released on iPadOS (office, SharePoint, OneDrive,…) business apps are definitely lacking.

And as you mention, it’s also a limitation on MacOS. (Excel functionality for example is limited), so I run parallels too on my iMac.

Therefore I‘m going to be a little weird here but I would be most happy with this on my iPad Pro : iPadOS + Windows 10 / 11 boot option instead of MacOS, even if apple would only allow that for Microsoft apps and not 3rd party apps.
It would add much more value for me that adding MacOS

Never going to happen off course, but we can dream

Why not ask for something like Parallels then instead of booting into Windows? I would rather they let people install a virtual machine than start supporting multiple boot targets.

 

[Digitalguy]

I agree. Although you can get quite far with the apps Microsoft has released on iPadOS (office, SharePoint, OneDrive,…) business apps are definitely lacking.

And as you mention, it’s also a limitation on MacOS. (Excel functionality for example is limited), so I run parallels too on my iMac.

Therefore I‘m going to be a little weird here but I would be most happy with this on my iPad Pro : iPadOS + Windows 10 / 11 boot option instead of MacOS, even if apple would only allow that for Microsoft apps and not 3rd party apps.
It would add much more value for me that adding MacOS

Never going to happen off course, but we can dream

Yeah I'd take Windows / Windows apps on iPad over MacOS anyday. And that's my main use for external display on iPad, remoting into Windows on the display while still using iPadOS.

 

[koelsh]

Yes, I also keep my work, and important personal files on external storage. I have a Samsung 1TB T7 SSD attached to the HUB in my desktop iPad setup, and also have set up access to 4 network attached drives through the network sharing feature in the Files app that I can also access remotely with the use of a third party app. I also have 1TB of cloud storage on OneDrive, 2TB on Google Drive, and 2TB on iCloud+. Because of the nature of my real estate business, I am legally bound to keep backups, so I tend to be redundant in that regard. I know the Files app still has some maturing to do, but it has come a long way since its introduction, and has become an indispensable tool that I rely on daily for my work, and personal needs.

View attachment 2128713

For keeping backups do you copy files manually or have you found apps/tools to handle that?

 

[bondr006]

Both. iCloud backs up everything automatically from the iPad, even OneDrive. OneDrive backs up everything from Office 365. I manually backup to the Samsung T7, and then make redundant copies of everything to one of the dedicated WD network drives. Once on the Western Digital NAS, WD SmartWare makes an automated backup to one of the other NAS drives. I would like a little more automation, but what I have now works for me.