iPad If you have a Macbook, iPhone, and an iPad ... what do you use the iPad for?

[Lee_Bo]

Primary - photo editing

Secondary - streaming / Diablo Immortal.

 

[Skeptical.me]

Congratulations!
I got one for my wife about a month ago, and it's a quick device indeed.
Enjoy

They’re fantastic… really enjoy using it.

 

[Boidem]

iMac rather than MacBook, but I have to say I don't use my iPad Air 5 that much. I bought an Air 2 s/h a few years ago, for travelling mainly, but Covid put paid to that for a while. I only bought the Air 5 because I could get a student discount and a voucher off some Airpods. Well; I wanted a replacement for my Air 2 which had become 'vintage', and I wanted something secure and up to date. So it seemed as good a time as any to replace it. But I need to find more use for it tbh. Oh, and I also bought the Pencil, which I haven't used at all, bar some exploratory scribbling. I had thought it might be a boon for graphic stuff, but it isn't anywhere near a viable alternative to a proper graphics tablet, regardless of what Apple might claim. But I know that if I sell it, I'll only find a good use for it a week later...

 

[GalileoSeven]

My M2 Air is something of a desktop replacement. It's a crapshoot whether I take it or my mini 5 + magic keyboard with me when I go to the coffee shop and such (where I use my 13 Pro Max as a secondary screen to watch movies).

At home, my Air stays on its stand at my desk while if I want to read or do anything out on the couch, I'm on my mini and leave my phone in my pocket.

 

[jclardy]

My iPad overlaps both my iPhone and Macbook Air. I use it all the time for emails, web browsing, note taking, twitter, youtube, etc. When at my desk, it becomes a second display that I usually use for a single fullscreen app. I'll also use it to control media I'm playing (connected to a homepod.) When on the couch, I use it instead of my phone as it feels more "productive" on the large screen and I spend less time just mindlessly scrolling things.

I also have been using it for swift playgrounds to do simple app prototypes, and it is amazing for that as Playgrounds is honestly faster than Xcode in many cases (Especially in rendering swiftUI previews.) When I need to do simple website updates I'll use the iPad, and any simple web browsing stuff.

Basically, I could live without it, but I'd miss it. I don't think there is any specific "Killer App" for me that makes it indispensable.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I use my iPad(s) for watching videos, reading news, web browsing, colouring, social media etc. it’s my MacBook that I use the least.

 

[Skeptical.me]

It’s amazing how smooth the user experience is on this iPad Air 5th Gen. No lag at all.

I’m mainly using it to read and look at social media so far, so I really do think they will be the main area of use, while also watching videos while on the treadmill, using it while cooking, and using it as an extra screen with my MacBook.

 

[Ctrlos]

Oh man, where to begin?

I recently ditched my Macbook Air for a Mini and a larger display simply because my iPad Pro had made the Air redundant. I use my iPad Pro for a lot of work related tasks as much as home ones:

- Usual computer gumph (web etc)
- LiDAR scanning
- Site mapping from LiDAR scans using Shapr3D
- CAD/CAM modelling and 2D drafting for laser cutting using Shapr3D
- Portable games console: I travel a lot for work and bring a Dualshock 4 with me. I can hook my iPad up to a Hotel TV and stream xCloud and Fortnite. I can play a ton of retro titles from the App Store (cheers, Sega!). I can play Apple Arcade titles. Its is a JRPG encyclopedia playing everything from Castlevania: SOTN and Lufia to FF and Dragon Quest. I recently got the port of Disgaea 4 which is brilliant.
- Writing platform via Medium and Scrivener
- Photography platform via Pixelmator Pro
- I use a combination of Pixelmator and Procreate to draw fictional maps for laser cutting. Pencil > Mouse.
- I run Keynote presentations off it for work
- Its a video meeting powerhouse

If work ever took it back off me I'd probably replace it with an Air as the only thing I'd miss is LiDAR.

 

[Saturn007]

This thread made think of a joke along the lines of

“A Mac, an iPad, and an iPhone walk into a bar.​

The barkeep asks…”​

One of the following.

“What are you having?”​

“Are these your buddies?”​

“Who are you guys and what do you do?”​

With appropriate answers such as

“I do it all, but I don't fit in a pocket.”​

“I do some of this and some of that, but also don't fit in a pocket.”​

“As Steve said, I'm 3 devices in 1; I fit in your shirt pocket; and, oh, I sometimes make phone calls.”​

Scuffle at the door.

“Look out!”​

“Watch out.”​

Apple Watch saunters in.

“Move aside guys! I can do it “all” (🔥) and I fit on a wrist!​

I'm a complex character, filled with complications.​

​

If you feel like crashing, I can detect that.​

Only problem is I need that guy/gal/them (pointing to the iPhone) somewhere at home or in a pocket.”​

​

OK, I won't give up my day job to try to write for SNL 😎, but was hoping you all can supply better humorous responses that would also address the OP's original question, even though it was long ago answered and their purchase made (4-5 pages back)!

 

[nburwell]

I use my iPad Pro for basically everything — web browsing, messaging, streaming consumption, email, social media. I recently purchased the Magic Keyboard and I’ve noticed that my usage for my iPad has gone up a lot. I use my IPP a lot during the day since I work from home. So I have the iPad mounted on the MK and essentially use it as a laptop next to my work computer. After I’m done work, I remove the iPad from the MK and use it mainly as a tablet.

I have both a MBP and iPhone as well. I usually save my MBP for photo editing sessions, so it’s not used as much as my iPad and iPhone, but it definitely serves it purpose since I don’t like the experience of editing images on my iPad.

 

[Skeptical.me]

This thread made think of a joke along the lines of

“A Mac, an iPad, and an iPhone walk into a bar.​

The barkeep asks…”​

One of the following.

“What are you having?”​

“Are these your buddies?”​

“Who are you guys and what do you do?”​

With appropriate answers such as

“I do it all, but I don't fit in a pocket.”​

“I do some of this and some of that, but also don't fit in a pocket.”​

“As Steve said, I'm 3 devices in 1; I fit in your shirt pocket; and, oh, I sometimes make phone calls.”​

Scuffle at the door.

“Look out!”​

“Watch out.”​

Apple Watch saunters in.

“Move aside guys! I can do it “all” (🔥) and I fit on a wrist!​

I'm a complex character, filled with complications.​

​

If you feel like crashing, I can detect that.​

Only problem is I need that guy/gal/them (pointing to the iPhone) somewhere at home or in a pocket.”​

​

OK, I won't give up my day job to try to write for SNL 😎, but was hoping you all can supply better humorous responses that would also address the OP's original question, even though it was long ago answered and their purchase made (4-5 pages back)!

I don’t mind, gives me something to read and respond to lol

 

[jace88]

I'm about to go on a trip and want to pack as light as possible... in the past, I would've brought the iPhone 12 (before I got my 14 Pro Max), iPad Pro 11" and my Macbook Pro 14", and maybe a Nintendo Switch or GPD Win2, but this time I'm going to try and just carry the iPhone and iPad Pro 12.9" with Magic Keyboard. I'm still debating if I will bring the DSLR/tripod/flash/etc setup since it's a family trip and I can import/edit/etc on the iPad.

 

[NastyMatt]

I'm about to go on a trip and want to pack as light as possible... in the past, I would've brought the iPhone 12 (before I got my 14 Pro Max), iPad Pro 11" and my Macbook Pro 14", and maybe a Nintendo Switch or GPD Win2, but this time I'm going to try and just carry the iPhone and iPad Pro 12.9" with Magic Keyboard. I'm still debating if I will bring the DSLR/tripod/flash/etc setup since it's a family trip and I can import/edit/etc on the iPad.

Do you have a controller for the iPad? I use a PS4 controller - great for games like COD.

 

[brig2221]

For me, the iPad is that perfect go between device, meaning it fits perfectly between my iPhone and my MacBook Pro.

I use my MacBook Pro more like a desktop in that it's in my office on my desk hooked up to power 99% of the time. Regardless of the size or weight of laptops, I've just never enjoyed hauling them around as portable devices, whereas that's all I use my iPad for (in bed, on the couch, on the kitchen table, out at Starbucks, McDonalds, etc.).

I would say I use my iPad primarily as a media consumption device for email, YouTube, streaming services, and surfing the web. However, the size of the iPad works much better for all of those things than my phone, especially when on the Internet if you ask me.

I have my MacBook Pro as it's my go to device when I'm in my office (which is a lot), and is needed to when I have real work I need to do with documents I need to edit/save, 3rd party apps I need to use, etc.

I certainly understand having three devices is a luxury not everyone can afford, but I really enjoy having all three as all my bases are completely covered. If I had to get rid of a device, it would for sure be my iPad, but hopefully it never comes to that.

 

[rui no onna]

For me, the iPad is that perfect go between device, meaning it fits perfectly between my iPhone and my MacBook Pro.

I use my MacBook Pro more like a desktop in that it's in my office on my desk hooked up to power 99% of the time. Regardless of the size or weight of laptops, I've just never enjoyed hauling them around as portable devices, whereas that's all I use my iPad for (in bed, on the couch, on the kitchen table, out at Starbucks, McDonalds, etc.).

I would say I use my iPad primarily as a media consumption device for email, YouTube, streaming services, and surfing the web. However, the size of the iPad works much better for all of those things than my phone, especially when on the Internet if you ask me.

I have my MacBook Pro as it's my go to device when I'm in my office (which is a lot), and is needed to when I have real work I need to do with documents I need to edit/save, 3rd party apps I need to use, etc.

I certainly understand having three devices is a luxury not everyone can afford, but I really enjoy having all three as all my bases are completely covered. If I had to get rid of a device, it would for sure be my iPad, but hopefully it never comes to that.

Same sentiment (except I use Windows laptops instead of MacBook Pro). I love the iPad as a go everywhere device. I basically only use my iPhone for calls and camera. Messaging, email, web browsing, etc. are all done on the iPad.

A lot of folks on MR tend to be hung up on the iPad Pro's pricing because they're around MacBook prices. For me, I buy iPads for the form factor and a well optimized OS for touchscreen, not because they're cheaper than laptops.

Coming from the Windows side, my iPad 2 64GB WiFi ($699) and iPad 3 64GB LTE ($829) cost more than my i7 Sandy Bridge laptop with 8GB RAM and 1TB HDD. At the time, iPads were a lot slower for web browsing. A lot of websites didn't work at all on iOS either and there were just a lot more limitations back then. For the tasks (reading comics, ebooks, PDFs) I bought the iPad for though, the iPad was great and much, much more convenient than laptops that I found it worth Apple's high asking price despite the limitations.

 

[Mainsail]

For me, the iPad is that perfect go between device, meaning it fits perfectly between my iPhone and my MacBook Pro.

I use my MacBook Pro more like a desktop in that it's in my office on my desk hooked up to power 99% of the time. Regardless of the size or weight of laptops, I've just never enjoyed hauling them around as portable devices, whereas that's all I use my iPad for (in bed, on the couch, on the kitchen table, out at Starbucks, McDonalds, etc.).

I would say I use my iPad primarily as a media consumption device for email, YouTube, streaming services, and surfing the web. However, the size of the iPad works much better for all of those things than my phone, especially when on the Internet if you ask me.

I have my MacBook Pro as it's my go to device when I'm in my office (which is a lot), and is needed to when I have real work I need to do with documents I need to edit/save, 3rd party apps I need to use, etc.

I certainly understand having three devices is a luxury not everyone can afford, but I really enjoy having all three as all my bases are completely covered. If I had to get rid of a device, it would for sure be my iPad, but hopefully it never comes to that.

I think your use pattern is pretty typical. Well, it is certainly very similar to mine. The iPhone and MacBook anchor my technology needs. They bookend my mobility and productivity requirements. The iPad fits in the middle. I don’t need an iPad, but I sure enjoy using it. If you get a base iPad and use it purely as a tablet without expensive accessories, then it really is not that expensive as a complementary third device that can also serve as a secondary screen with Universal Control/Side Car. You can buy the new iPad 10 on sale for $399 and easily get 4 years of use. That’s $100/year or $8/month. People spend more than $8 at Starbucks for a coffee and pastry.

 

[Skeptical.me]

I think your use pattern is pretty typical. Well, it is certainly very similar to mine. The iPhone and MacBook anchor my technology needs. They bookend my mobility and productivity requirements. The iPad fits in the middle. I don’t need an iPad, but I sure enjoy using it. If you get a base iPad and use it purely as a tablet without expensive accessories, then it really is not that expensive as a complementary third device that can also serve as a secondary screen with Universal Control/Side Car. You can buy the new iPad 10 on sale for $399 and easily get 4 years of use. That’s $100/year or $8/month. People spend more than $8 at Starbucks for a coffee and pastry.

I used universal control and side car today for the first time, it is brilliant. I can’t believe I can simply drag a file from my macook to my ipad without any lag or glitching. Incredible.

 

[MisterSavage]

iPhone: I use this as my phone and my main device when I'm away from home. It's main advantage is portability and I can fit it in my pocket. It's capable of almost anything my iPad or MacBook can do but not nearly as well.

This. I rarely touch my iPhone when I'm at home. Why would I when my iPad has a drastically larger screen?

 

[goldpin]

I’m in the middle of refreshing all my computing resources and with the release of iPadOS 16.2, I bought an M2 iPad Pro and have been using it dual screen with an external monitor for the past week or so. I shut off my other mac so I wouldn’t be tempted to use it instead. Honestly, for the few tasks where I want the large external display (family/business budgeting on Excel, etc.) the iPad has worked well. I use an external BT keyboard and trackpad and Stage Manager and while I can point to rough edges and have seen a few glitches here and there, it works. I’d say 80% of my computer usage is on an iPad as a tablet, moving around the house and in the kitchen, etc. Do I really want to buy another computer for the remaining 20%? Or just plug the iPad into the monitor and get the work done?

If the software you want doesn’t run on iPadOS then this isn’t an option, but I suspect it’s completely viable for quite a large group of people.

 

[sdwaltz]

I'm on my Macs most of the time because I use them to run my business.

I primarily use the iPad to take notes in meetings at this point, honestly. At the same time, I couldn't imagine not having one.

 

[jace88]

This. I rarely touch my iPhone when I'm at home. Why would I when my iPad has a drastically larger screen?

How do you post on macrumors forums from the bathroom?

 

[MisterSavage]

How do you post on macrumors forums from the bathroom?

People are sleeping and I almost laughed out loud.

 

[chrono1081]

I use my iPad for both media consumption and to do work when I don't want to get my laptop out (or for anything where the pencil is useful).

I also largely use it as a second screen so if I'm traveling and don't have my desktop monitors I can still have dual displays on my laptop. (M2 MacBook Air + 11 or 12.9 inch pro is an amazing combo).

 

[Skeptical.me]

I use my iPad for both media consumption and to do work when I don't want to get my laptop out (or for anything where the pencil is useful).

I also largely use it as a second screen so if I'm traveling and don't have my desktop monitors I can still have dual displays on my laptop. (M2 MacBook Air + 11 or 12.9 inch pro is an amazing combo).

I have an older Macbook Air and using my new iPad Air as a second screen is really handy, it’s made a big difference when I’m doing things.

 

[Skeptical.me]

Turns out the person who said because I have a MacBook and iPhone I wouldn’t use my iPad all that much was very wrong. I’m using it the most out of all three devices. It’s just so convenient to use, for one thing, it has a larger screen than an iPhone yet more portable than a Macbook. For most things I do, all I need is the iPad.

Edit: kicking myself for not getting the 256GB size, however.