Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPad as a laptop replacement
- Thread starter Omar Comin' Yo
- WikiPost WikiPost
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
- Status
I use Word for iPad with my Office 365 account, but there are limitations that prevent me from using it for most of my work.
Some basic limitations:
- impossible to compare Word files (I need to do comparisons often to track changes)
- impossible to open RTF files (my clients send me RTF files and want them back in the same format, because they software imports and exports RTF). You can use third party Office apps for RTF but you need to pay an additional subscription. RTF works on Android Word.
- impossible to have more than 2 Word documents open at the same time and switch between them... (I often need to have 5 or more open and constantly switch between them).
These are very basic things I need for my work that do no work on iPad Word.
By the way there is also an Office apps, from Microsoft, in addition to the Word app, but it tends to destroy the layout of some Word files, especially with images, tables etc. so I tend not to use it... The Word app has better compatibility with files created on Windows.
That is a bit of a false argument. Its just like arguing that windows computers are crap because there is just crappy movie editing software on windows.
Or, to continue your reasoning, if there would just be Mac computers, cad programs would just run fine on macs and everything would be engineered and designed on a Mac.
btw, cnc machines don’t run on windows either, they usually have their own proprietary software (which can be a pain in proverbial place as well).
So horses for courses, I’m really happy with my iPad Pro as a secondary device next to my MacBook Pro for consuming and for doodling. I like my MacBook for work and I’m happy with the computerhardware in my car.
But I don’t think I would enjoy a cnc-computer much for evening entertainment.
One way to deal with this iPad vs laptop dilemma is to go with the desktop + tablet combo. You reduce the overlap in functionality and make the iPad your portable solution and the desktop your office solution. You would have to accept some limitations while mobile, but for common computing tasks that many people do on the go, the iPad is more than up to the task. Also, the iPad is the better device for reviewing, annotating, and note taking which are common mobile activities at meetings and the like.
I tried that as well, but the magic iPad keyboard is just way to heavy, if you want to write on your iPad you have to open it, take out the iPad and then fold it back etc.
if you use the folio keyboard it’s a pain to type on. I can’t stand that thing.
So right now I’m using my MBP for work, iPP 11” for planning, reading and entertainment and have a 27” 5k display on my desk.
if you use the folio keyboard it’s a pain to type on. I can’t stand that thing.
So right now I’m using my MBP for work, iPP 11” for planning, reading and entertainment and have a 27” 5k display on my desk.
Sounds like you have the best of both worlds.
I have a MBA + an iPad Air 4. I also have the folio smart keyboard and it is a compromise in terms of typing, but it does retain the light thin iPad portability, so I accept it for what it is. I use the MBA for productivity and, like you, the iPad for lighter tasks like reviewing pdfs and marking up docs.
Having these two devices is really not that expensive; MBA $900 on sale and iPad Air $550 on sale. It is still way less than the new base MBP, which starts at $2000 and has features and power that would really be lost on me for my uses.
Last edited:
It’s not a false argument at all because none of the software I use is Mac compatible. When someone says you should be using a Mac, it’s rather difficult when you can’t, that is my point. Nothing wrong with macs and you say it yourself ‘horses for courses’.
I found it amusing you’re here telling me ‘CNC machines don’t use Windows either’. I know a CNC machine has its own proprietary software like Fanuc, EluCAD, Hurco, Haas etc. Some of these are based on windows too, see pic I took:
I program for these machines all the time and for operators who aren’t even in my country. All the programming we do is through SolidCam and sent to these machines. The software on the machines themselves is used to manipulate certain aspects of the programs for override, and you can program on them from scratch if you’re proficient in G-Code. I don’t spend my evenings doing this for CNC machines either and dumped a laptop for personal use many years ago. Perfectly happy with my iPad Air 4 thanks.
I consider your needs are not very basic according to most use case. Many of us here are stating that it is possible to use basic function in MS Office for iPad, but of course with limitations and unfortunately sometimes some workarounds.
I am talking working, not personal computing. For virtually any type of office work, things like being able to compare Word files, open RTF files or just have more than 2 Word files open at the same time ARE basic tasks....
On the iPad, you can have two Pages files open at the same time. I assume you can do the same thing with Word.....not sure.
Agree. Office works for me for personal work but not “work” work where my docs are more complex.
The gate keeping amazes me here. If you think there is only one type of office, you have zero idea what the working office of the 2020s may look like.
Many times the iPad fails when compared to the office environment of the 1990s. Reminder, those are 30 year old requirements.
Do you walk around computing, shoot videos, draw,
Need Touch Screen?
Need accelerometer?
Need portrait mode?
Need better than a camera that only faces the user?
Need Lidar?
Need Pro Motion?
Need Cellular?
For the modern worker, the iPad is a more than capable device. If you skew towards legacy office work where you work in an antiquated spreadsheet instead of an app that is tied to a database, there are more capable setups.
It is an individual choice depending on industry.
Many times the iPad fails when compared to the office environment of the 1990s. Reminder, those are 30 year old requirements.
Do you walk around computing, shoot videos, draw,
Need Touch Screen?
Need accelerometer?
Need portrait mode?
Need better than a camera that only faces the user?
Need Lidar?
Need Pro Motion?
Need Cellular?
For the modern worker, the iPad is a more than capable device. If you skew towards legacy office work where you work in an antiquated spreadsheet instead of an app that is tied to a database, there are more capable setups.
It is an individual choice depending on industry.
Well, my son has a double major in Math and Economics, and works as a research analyst in DC. He spends his day doing quantitative analysis: R, Stata, C++. Also, he works on research papers and presentations rapidly moving between multiple analytical results and technical documents. I see him as a young (25 y.o.) modern office worker. When I asked him about using an iPad to do his work, he just chuckles.
Edit: I would also add that at our town's community coffee shop that is a hang-out for remote workers and college students, I see nothing but laptops. Occasionally, there are iPads being used as complementary devices. But, it is basically laptops laptops everywhere. So, if the working office of 2020 has transitioned to iPads, these folks didn't get the memo.
Last edited:
Agree. There are folks making 7 figures making videos.
There is a corporate trainer making 6 figures on a good week selling training videos made on her iPhone.
Again. Some jobs need legacy hardware and some need more modern tools.
I agree that there are some YouTube’s and influencers making money with their phones and iPads. Although, I would suspect the vast majority do editing on their desktops. However, you were talking about the modern office worker of 2020, and I would bet that the vast majority are using laptops or desktops.
I would agree that some of these folks might be able to go with the desktop and iPad combo (e.g. iMac plus iPad). But for now, the laptop is king in the modern business/office.
I purchased an iPad air 4th gen and got the Logitech folio keyboard to replace my aging 2014 MacBook Air . The keyboard with trackpad case has really made this a laptop replacement for me . The keyboard is slightly smaller but very good and the trackpad is very responsive. I went with the iPad Air because the pro was too expensive and the apple magic keyboard with iPad Pro 11 inch would have worked out to twice the price of the iPad Air with Logitech folio touch . Since this has USB-c I purchased a san disk usb c drive which works very well to carry all my larger files ( i have a 64gb air ) . Multitasking has worked fine. I mainly use my laptop for power point, word, mails, browsing and few medical apps ( I am a doctor ) , video calls for telemedicine and for reading medical pdfs . PDF expert and liquid text have been great pdf apps. I use either the microsoft office suite or apples own keynote for presentations.
The ability to load files directly off an external drive in recent versions of ios has made the whole experience more like a laptop .
I feel that either the apple keyboard or the logitech folio are essential to get the full experience of using a laptop
since they use the apple smart connector . The experience with other bluetooth keyboards has not been great in the past
The ability to load files directly off an external drive in recent versions of ios has made the whole experience more like a laptop .
I feel that either the apple keyboard or the logitech folio are essential to get the full experience of using a laptop
since they use the apple smart connector . The experience with other bluetooth keyboards has not been great in the past
There is no gate keeping, just some limitations of using iPad software, as mentioned (maybe just due to Microsoft, maybe partly due to MS, partly to iPadOS)
Anyway all those things you mention are limitations of Macs, not Windows devices. My devices have them all except lidar (which I have no use for) and pro-motion (the latest surface pro has it too).
Another limitation of the iPad is the terrible external monitor support, which again prevents some more types of office work (where you have a document in one monitor and one in the other...)
And the legacy vs modern separation is just (Mac user?) bias, my office is perfectly modern, with touchscreens, stylus, portrait mode, cellular, portable touch monitors. While the iPad is part of it, it's role is very limited. It could do so much more without its software limitations...
I may have, but I think you can have more than 2 Word docs open….at least you can with Pages.
Aims: 1) Use tech less but be more productive when on it & 2) reduce weight of setup
In November 2020, I tried something new and bought a M1 mini with two 27 inch monitors. Found myself not using my computer (plus) but struggling having to use a desk when faced with important tasks. Also, it became ideal to leave the door open for travelling in the future. I
dropped the mini and wound up with a 11 inch 2015 MacBook Air. Grabbed a portable monitor to go alongside too but never used it because I’m lounger clearly!
Whilst undoubtedly the best MacBook for my requirements, laptops are the problem. Having bought a iPad mini 6 recently, I can see now that I won’t be satisfied as long as I still own a laptop. Laptops are more ergonomic due to the stand, no need for a desk, built in trackpad and keyboard which are a downside for focus given ease of multitasking and they have operating systems that simply can’t really be adjusted for focusing. Right up to your face, the screen size never seems a problem either. Logically, the mini was obviously the wrong choice for a direct replacement of the MacBook but this wasn’t clear to me because I thought I could keep the MacBook but make it redundant. Also, a like for like switch to 11 inch iPad with magical keyboard and all seems counterproductive to requirements because I wind up with lot of laptop qualities.
In the last few months I switched to a lowly Nokia feature phone to exploit limited experiences and I’m massively, massively happy with how that went. IPadOS is a certain solution as long its accompanied with a VPS I can remote into to use full versions of software. The mini doesn’t do this well unsurprisingly which is the death blow but I’m praying to bump in display size doesn’t make using a iPad unpleasant for reading.
In November 2020, I tried something new and bought a M1 mini with two 27 inch monitors. Found myself not using my computer (plus) but struggling having to use a desk when faced with important tasks. Also, it became ideal to leave the door open for travelling in the future. I
dropped the mini and wound up with a 11 inch 2015 MacBook Air. Grabbed a portable monitor to go alongside too but never used it because I’m lounger clearly!
Whilst undoubtedly the best MacBook for my requirements, laptops are the problem. Having bought a iPad mini 6 recently, I can see now that I won’t be satisfied as long as I still own a laptop. Laptops are more ergonomic due to the stand, no need for a desk, built in trackpad and keyboard which are a downside for focus given ease of multitasking and they have operating systems that simply can’t really be adjusted for focusing. Right up to your face, the screen size never seems a problem either. Logically, the mini was obviously the wrong choice for a direct replacement of the MacBook but this wasn’t clear to me because I thought I could keep the MacBook but make it redundant. Also, a like for like switch to 11 inch iPad with magical keyboard and all seems counterproductive to requirements because I wind up with lot of laptop qualities.
In the last few months I switched to a lowly Nokia feature phone to exploit limited experiences and I’m massively, massively happy with how that went. IPadOS is a certain solution as long its accompanied with a VPS I can remote into to use full versions of software. The mini doesn’t do this well unsurprisingly which is the death blow but I’m praying to bump in display size doesn’t make using a iPad unpleasant for reading.
Who is “we” and why do they “need” to?