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All iPads iPad as a laptop complement?
- Thread starter mrdeluxe
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I use my 11" iPad Pro in Sidecar mode with my M1 MBA. It works great. I also find the 11" iPad size perfect for being mobile at work or at home reading etc.
I travelled from Heathrow every week for work with 2 laptops and iPad with no issues.
Maybe they just didn't like the look of you lol.
Old late 2013 macbook pro retina and 12.9” pro 2018. The first as desktop at home machine, the second one everywhere for daily activities.
I have a 16” MBP that is mostly my wife’s computer and an 11” IPP. Like most of these decisions it was difficult for me to decide on the size of the iPad. However, most things I read is if you plan to use it on a couch or other non-desk related spots the 11” is likely the better answer, plus it’s cheaper. I’ve been happy with the 11” and never felt I was missing out without the 12.9”.
Having spent some years enthusing about iPads and still generally happy with my 10.5 I have reluctantly gone back to my Mac with much less use of my iPad. Yes it is the software gap but unless I have a real pencil use for markup or notes then using the Mac is just easier. Hoping apple do something good with os15 and I will reconsider an upgrade but for now it is mostly a complement or when my Mac is out of reach.
My uses are pretty much exactly as you describe, but even so, you may prefer a different size iPad than me because it depends on exactly how much you use the iPad for each task, how important each task is to you, plus other tiny nuances you may not even realize at the moment. So you likely won’t really know until you take the plunge.
But for what it’s worth, I use a 12.9” and an iPad mini. I find I need the extreme sizes for different tasks, with the 11” being both too small and too big for a few particular needs that are too important to me to compromise.
I usually work at an office (pre covid), and I bring the 12.9 in a bag every day and keep it on the side, on its keyboard, and I use it for personal things and to play background video. I also have a 15” MBP which mostly stays at home for when I need to work at home, and occasionally I’ll bring it on trips when I need to do work. Working at home I’ll use it the same as at the office. On trips, the 12.9 is used as a second portable monitor. I also use the 12.9 (with keyboard and Apple Pencil) as my main device for personal productivity and for some work-related drawing and PDFs. For all these tasks, I need the larger 12.9” size.
My iPad mini is my main device for casual consumption and quick tasks and is always with me at home. It never leaves the house, and even so, it is my most used device time-wise outside of my work computer. I use it for all my reading (text only, not comics), browsing, messaging, short video watching, games, and quick productivity. A bigger device would be difficult to use the same way since it would be harder to keep with me around the house. Also with the aid of a pop socket, I can hold the mini with one hand forever for long reading sessions in bed or on the couch.
Out of curiosity: Why the iPad Mini over an iPhone 12 or an iPhone 12 Pro Max for the pocketable casual consumption use case?
I would also look at your drawing - I found the smaller ones harder to draw on - always zooming in and out. Now my 13y daughter would rather have the 11" than my 12.9... but she has only known smaller screens - she also loves to draw on her phone....
12.9 is a great size for drawing. I now am using 2018 & 2021 12.9'. I have found them not a pain to take together in a bag, not that bad and close to your usage. I also have a mini that I use more portable....
12.9 is a great size for drawing. I now am using 2018 & 2021 12.9'. I have found them not a pain to take together in a bag, not that bad and close to your usage. I also have a mini that I use more portable....
Sounds like those are good reasons.
The 12.9 would be better if you intend to use it for sidecar.
Check out the 12.9 and return it if it’s too big.
Yes, I use the iPad Pro alongside my laptop (windows) and my phone (Android). I have the 11” version (2020). I use it for the reasons you listed except that I don’t use it for comics, I draw diagrams (not sketching etc), and I rarely use it for videos (if I do, it’s YT only). I should add that the iPad is integral to my work and I use it as much as my laptop. In fact, I would be likely hampered if I had to do without it. My primary use of it is as an interface with my digital library of books and papers, which I am constantly reading and/or referring to. I also use it to make notes (some quite extensive) for which I use OneNote thus making them accessible across the devices I use.
I use OneDrive to link my devices and that surveys my purpose. Also, I am very sure the larger iPad would not serve my purposes as I need to be and like to be mobile. Thus the 11” size is important for me.
You mean use the larger iPhone as my phone? Or use the larger iPhone as a supplementary device like the iPad mini? If as a phone, it’s because I can’t stand big phones. Otherwise, I probably would just have a pro max and forego the iPad mini for the sake of simplicity, even though the iPhone is about half the screen size. As it is though, because of my particular preferences, I love a small iPhone (SE1) when I go out, and at home an ideal device for me would be something slightly smaller than the iPad mini (about the size of the old nexus 7). If you mean use a large iPhone purely as an iPad, I actually tried it before using an iPhone Plus, but the Continuity functions didn’t work right. Biggest issue was I couldn’t make calls or send sms messages from the second phone (only receive or iMessage/internet). So I ended up having to carry both phones around, which got tiresome.
So iPad mini it was.