iPad as a laptop replacement

[Bubble99]

Another thread which is the same as all the others.
Apple isn’t stopping you using the iPad as as laptop, they’re letting you use an iPad as laptop.
If you want windows or macos or Linux or some other os that doesn’t run on an iPad then buy a fecking laptop.

Yes and I keep asking people want is it that iPadOS is lacking so much and they complain about iPadOS but never explain what it is that iPadOS is lacking in features.

If it is full desktop apps like Photoshop, GIMP, Microsoft Office, Open Office, or desktop web browsers and such that is never coming to iPadOS as it is designed for mouse and keyboard not touch user interface.

And if I’m going to be taking a mouse and keyboard where ever my iPad goes and Dex like UI like Android I will get laptop or Desktop than iPad.

So I don't see Apple making a Dex like UI like Android would help. Those full desktop apps are made for mouse and keyboard not touch user interface.

If you using Dex all the time than just get laptop or desktop computer.

 

[Mr.Blacky]

iPad (Pro) is not a laptop. Buy some kind of Macbook, if you want a laptop.

 

[Bubble99]

Nah, it is desktop. Having the keyboard/iPad in your lap is very wobbly.

Most people that get Microsoft surface use it like laptop not like tablet.

The Windows 10 UI is not touch friendly it is even worse than windows 8 mentro that was more touch friendly.

And out side of Microsoft OneNote the Microsoft Office is not touch user friendly the same with Photoshop.

 

[Bubble99]

No, it is a tablet that YOU USE as a LAPTOP. People need to remember that Apple designs and builds for the masses, not necessarily for you. It's your choice if you buy their products based on if they meet your needs. If they don't, that isn't Apple's fault, that's yours for believing they cater to you.

I can't get over how everybody thinks their workflow or usecase is some how what Apple needs to cater to. It's the same with all these "but they don't allow Pro apps to shine" crap. Ever think that you're in a niche market or minority use case from the 10 million iPads sold last year? I get it would be nice if we could all get what we want, but that's not how large corporations work - they only build to a big enough market to support the cost and effort. Or they trying being everything to everyone and go bankrupt.

Apple became a $2 Trillion company not because they tried to cover every use case, but because they strategically select markets and use cases they know will drive sales and revenue. Your use case is only one data point of tens of millions out there.

These are similar threads of sub set of people complaining of similar theme of iPadOS.

Probably because of Apple ad some years ago of iPad replacement of PC and are mostly complaining of iPadOS.

But do not explain what it is they trying do that iPadOS cannot do or is lacking in feature.

 

[Basic75]

Precisely. The iPad is a computer for those whose needs it serves, while other's needs are served by a traditional desktop/laptop operating system. This doesn't make the iPad any less a"real" computer, just different.

BTW - YouTube premium subscribers can play videos in the background via the app.

Did you read my message above? As long as the iPad fails at basic computing tasks like "let me access and copy my own files" it's not a real computer, more along the lines of a glorified smart tv, an appliance. And sure, some apps allow background video, but then it stops as soon as you open a game that uses audio, duh.

 

[Basic75]

In this case (saved states), I'd say that is 100% on the developer.

It's the game developer's fault that, by default, an iPad does not allow me to access my own files?

 

[cupcakes2000]

Yes and I keep asking people want is it that iPadOS is lacking so much and they complain about iPadOS but never explain what it is that iPadOS is lacking in features.

Due to the fact they’re all ‘pros’, (never classified, of course) - it’s a terminal and a ‘real’ file system generally. Though those that are able utilise a terminal properly should of course know that the iPad uses a ‘real’ file system, somewhat obviously. So I dunno ?‍♂️

The fact is is that they want to change the iPad into what they want. But it isn’t that nor likely to ever be that, so they’re crying about it everywhere they can.

They wax on about it being a 2000 quid giant iPhone (even though, obviously it’s hugely exaggerated and out of proportion with what they’re saying) with a toy os and why not get a MacBook Air for half the price, whilst not realising how ridiculous they sound - of course, that the MacBook Air was the very definition of a toy computer - until it had a iPad derived chip put in it.

If they are as pro as they say, then even an m1 MacBook Air wouldn’t cut it. So again, I dunno ?‍♂️

You can run round in circles for hours and hours and hours trying to work out anything that they want or do or why they suddenly want all this on an iPad, which would just be an extremely weird way to do what they seem to want to do more easily with a keyboard and mouse and a traditional os.

Meanwhile plenty of people (Pros if you will) just get on with their work on iPad and love doing it partly because it’s not macos or windows or Linux.

 

[Apple_Robert]

How in the world is a remote login to a windows computer the same as dual booting an OS on the iPad? Talk about apples and oranges.

Apple has no desire to make the iPad run macOS. People around here need to stop with this constant complaining, grasping at straws, and false expectations over this.

 

[Username-already-in-use]

Sideloading.

What Apple loves about iOS/IPadOS is the level of control they have over the app eco system. For the consumer there is good (higher level of security, low level of viruses etc) and also bad (questions about competitive practice).

Apple is fighting tooth and nail to prevent sideloading onto the iOS/IPadOS platform. There is no way they’re going to voluntarily allow the freedom of installation that occurs on MacOS to then get onto their mobile platforms.

It would be a headache for Apple, both in terms of their revenue from the App Store being impacted - and secondly security vulnerabilities are more prevalent on MacOS compared to iOS/iPadOS. It would increase costs for Apple who would need to devote more labour to play whack-a-mole on the MacOS-on-iPad for vulnerabilities on the MacOS sideloading side.

If Apple could invent a new desktop OS tomorrow, they would much prefer it to be more akin to the closed iOS/iPadOS model.

 

[cupcakes2000]

If Apple could invent a new desktop OS tomorrow, they would much prefer it to be more akin to the closed iOS/iPadOS model.

100% correct. No doubt. It’s evidenced all through apples history the need for control. Just like there was hardly any physical access to the internals of the original Macintosh, if the tech was there for the os, it would have been the case also.

Lots of people scream about ‘New’ Apple, and how everything is locked down and soldered on. What they don’t seem get is that if all of this would have been possible with the first Macintosh, then it would have been released exactly like that.

 

[Never mind]

 

[jsmith1]

Nowhere near a laptop if you want to be serious with work and gaming etc.....always will be a sidepiece unless you never needed a laptop. Simple truth.

 

[rui no onna]

Nowhere near a laptop if you want to be serious with work and gaming etc.....always will be a sidepiece unless you never needed a laptop. Simple truth.

Thing is if you want gaming, even the M1 MacBook Air or MacBook Pro doesn't work for a lot of games. You'd need a Windows gaming laptop.

For my personal usage, the desktops and laptops have become the "sidepieces" (mostly functioning as server) while the iPad has become the primary device.

 

[Ludatyk]

For my personal usage, the desktops and laptops have become the "sidepieces" (mostly functioning as server) while the iPad has become the primary device.

So, we using “sidepieces” to describe our devices now…. I can’t imagine what’s next lol

 

[ofarlig]

Nowhere near a laptop if you want to be serious with work and gaming etc.....always will be a sidepiece unless you never needed a laptop. Simple truth.

No different from a Mac then in my book.

 

[DoubleFlyaway]

Thing is if you want gaming, even the M1 MacBook Air or MacBook Pro doesn't work for a lot of games. You'd need a Windows gaming laptop.

For my personal usage, the desktops and laptops have become the "sidepieces" (mostly functioning as server) while the iPad has become the primary device.

This is me. I do have a Mac mini, which I only use for work and don’t have the need/desire for outside of those hours. And even then, the only thing it is really providing me is the multitasking ability to have a million windows open side by side. For two years, I worked with just an IPad Pro and an old iPad Air 2 on the side to display PDFs and was perfectly happy with that arrangement.

I think the difference in mindset is pretty well captured by this exchange between you and the person you were responding to: always be a side piece unless you never needed a laptop. Well- no, some of us did need laptops because *that is what existed*— and then the iPad Pro came along, and for *us* it was a laptop replacement because it did everything we needed from a laptop and more/better.

Being able to routinely cross the Atlantic with an iPad Pro and run my small business over video chat, drawing on an online whiteboard for my students, with a better camera and mic was a significant improvement over carrying my heavy MBP and Wacom tablet (and you had to actually have a pretty decent computer to be able to support the Wacom tablet plus the online session platform— I had to upgrade from MBA to MBP to be able to do it without constant crashes).

So, that’s why this whole “No, an IPP can’t be an laptop replacement,” seems so silly to me. IT DEPENDS ON YOUR USE CASE. For some of us it absolutely can and has, and we don’t have to have a bunch of work arounds, and we don’t miss our laptops. Your one ultra important feature is not ultra important to everyone, and thus sounds really arbitrary. You don’t get to be the authority defining what it takes to be a computer.

 

[cupcakes2000]

Nowhere near a laptop if you want to be serious with work and gaming etc*.....always will be a sidepiece unless you never needed a laptop**. Simple truth***.

* Depending on what your definition of serious work and gaming is.
** Makes no sense
*** Truth = Opinion, your mileage may vary.

 

[secretk]

Thing is if you want gaming, even the M1 MacBook Air or MacBook Pro doesn't work for a lot of games. You'd need a Windows gaming laptop.

And if we have to be honest Windows gaming desktop always win over gaming laptop .

For my personal usage, the desktops and laptops have become the "sidepieces" (mostly functioning as server) while the iPad has become the primary device.

I think that we should use this thread differently. We won't convince each other as we have different needs. We can exchange however on how we use our iPads and thus improve our own workflows and make them more efficient.

Maybe I will say something that I prefer on a laptop over iPad and someone would tell me how it can be easily achieved on an iPad. Or someone is wondering if they can replace their current (outdated laptop) with an iPad and we can guide them through asking specific questions and mentioning specific use cases.

However to fight up the moon does not make sense. You use your iPad differently than the way I use mine and neither of is wrong. We just have different needs. It is so simple.

 

[rui no onna]

And if we have to be honest Windows gaming desktop always win over gaming laptop .

True but for high-end mobile gaming, Windows laptops are more practical.

I think that we should use this thread differently. We won't convince each other as we have different needs. We can exchange however on how we use our iPads and thus improve our own workflows and make them more efficient.

Maybe I will say something that I prefer on a laptop over iPad and someone would tell me how it can be easily achieved on an iPad. Or someone is wondering if they can replace their current (outdated laptop) with an iPad and we can guide them through asking specific questions and mentioning specific use cases.

However to fight up the moon does not make sense. You use your iPad differently than the way I use mine and neither of is wrong. We just have different needs. It is so simple.

Yes, this just boils down to personal use cases and preferences. One doesn't really know if it's doable or preferable unless they try. I like chocolate ice cream, you might like strawberry. Nothing wrong with either.

I'll always need a desktop/laptop of some sort. Can't imagine Apple opening up iPadOS for Blu-ray ripping, running background servers, etc. I don't mean to disparage desktops and laptops with my reuse of the term "sidepiece" from the other poster. It's just the reality in my case. At home, I rarely use desktops and laptops (80-90% iPad use, 5-10% iPhone and 5% PC). They PCs mostly function as support device/server for the iPad.

I find the iPad works majority of the time for my everyday needs (for home use): banking/finance, email, web, downloads and light file management (via combination of Files app and Dropbox), reading PDFs (technical), reading ebooks and comics (recreational), shopping, light Excel work, etc. Heck, even the iPhone can handle most of those tasks just fine (bar PDFs and comics). I just prefer having a bigger viewport.

My work is Windows-centric so can't really use either Mac or iPad for that. However, the iPad functions quite nicely as a communications and note taking tool for work and fits easier on my desk than a separate laptop with built-in keyboard would.

 

[svendobbelaere]

Yes and I keep asking people want is it that iPadOS is lacking so much and they complain about iPadOS but never explain what it is that iPadOS is lacking in features.

If it is full desktop apps like Photoshop, GIMP, Microsoft Office, Open Office, or desktop web browsers and such that is never coming to iPadOS as it is designed for mouse and keyboard not touch user interface.

And if I’m going to be taking a mouse and keyboard where ever my iPad goes and Dex like UI like Android I will get laptop or Desktop than iPad.

So I don't see Apple making a Dex like UI like Android would help. Those full desktop apps are made for mouse and keyboard not touch user interface.

If you using Dex all the time than just get laptop or desktop computer.

bolded above by me.

For me personally, what the iPad lacks:

- proper support for a second display. Even if it would just be running two full-screen apps together (one on the iPad screen, one on the external display but in the correct aspect ratio for that display), that would be ok for me.

- the ability to select and rename multiple files like we can on the finder in the Mac. This is something I use several times per week. Maybe it's coming in iPad OS 15, I don't know, I'm not running the betas.

- added to that, just more options for file management, like simply adding music files to iTunes. I have to use my Mac for iTunes library management like smart playlists and ratings and such (and yes, we've got an Apple Music family plan).

The iPad is in a strange place for me, it's my favourite device (I've got a second generation 12.9" Pro), but if I had to choose I'd keep a Mac and an iPhone over it.

Obviously, if you never have to batch rename files, you'll never run into that issue

 

[cupcakes2000]

proper support for a second display. Even if it would just be running two full-screen apps together (one on the iPad screen, one on the external display but in the correct aspect ratio for that display), that would be ok for me.

Agreed 100%. You may be interested in an app called shiftscreen. Not at all the same thing but still interesting.

the ability to select and rename multiple files like we can on the finder in the Mac. This is something I use several times per week. Maybe it's coming in iPad OS 15, I don't know, I'm not running the betas.

Agreed. Though I use file browser pro for this. So it’s possible, just not yet with files, strangely.

 

[jeremiah256]

It's the game developer's fault that, by default, an iPad does not allow me to access my own files?

Absolutely yes.

If they (the game developers) wanted you to access the game’s saved state that they built for iOS/iPadOS, they would have made it so.

 

[Abazigal]

It's the game developer's fault that, by default, an iPad does not allow me to access my own files?

That's actually my concern with Slay the Spire. Up till now, the developer still has not implemented iCloud save, meaning my game progress on my iPad doesn't sync over to my iPhone. Which also means that if I ever do restore or upgrade my iPad, my game progress will be done until I restore from a backup (I typically like to do a fresh install in such situations, just to clear out any unwanted cruft).

 

[Basic75]

Absolutely yes.

If they (the game developers) wanted you to access the game’s saved state that they built for iOS/iPadOS, they would have made it so.

But that's a different thing. I said "It's the game developer's fault that, by default, an iPad does not allow me to access my own files?" and that's clearly not the case. It's the game developer's fault to not give me access to my own files on a platform that doesn't do so by default, but the platform default is not their fault. And on a Mac I could use the Terminal and the Finder and somehow get at my all of my files, regardless of how lazy the developer was.

 

[jsmith1]

* Depending on what your definition of serious work and gaming is.
** Makes no sense
*** Truth = Opinion, your mileage may vary.

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