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iPad as a laptop replacement
- Thread starter Omar Comin' Yo
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So no answers to the question but another empty phrase.
And the future of the Windows PC is the Surface Studio. Sure sure.
Well, I don’t necessarily believe the future of the Mac is an iPad Pro…. however, I do believe the future of computing in general is the iPad Pro for Apple.
But I think its going to be a slow gradual process and Apple doesn’t want to alienate their Mac user base by uprooting their style of computing. You can look at this thread and look at the level of disapproval they have for an iPad as a laptop replacement.
ipad os is the limiting factor. There is already a ton of wasted space on a 12.9 inch display, 32 would be next level waste. Again, the current M1 with up to 16gb of ram is overkill for the capabilities of the os.
Surface Pro is mediocre in it's implementation of how its' used.
Touch points are too fine - Microsoft is STILL in the age of using a stylus / pen for selection. Don't believe what they say.
Battery life still doesn't compare.
you MUST have the surface dock to CHARGE IT!! silly.
you need a dock to extend or mirror it's screen onto another - well 7+ onward finally has USB-C. Heck I think iPad Pro beat Microsoft here.
For what you get you're better off buying an Asus Z13 Flow much better performance, 2y standard warranty globally, dedicated video card!
The last 4 corporations I've worked at offered the surface. in each roughly 300ppl tried it (died in the wolf desktop or laptop users - both corporate / home for windows OS). After 3-5mths nearly 80% chose to relinquish and go BACK to a laptop. 2-in-1's not even considered yet. Doesn't matter if these users pay for the lease (brand new in box except for imaging) or not - the majority return and cancel their lease.
If I had to make a choice between my 16" M1 Max MBP or my M1 12.9 iPad Pro, I would get rid of the M1 12.9 iPad Pro without a doubt.
The M1 12.9 iPad Pro is no way shape or form a replacement of my laptop at all. Not even close.
The M1 12.9 iPad pro is a complementary device that you have next to your MAC or iPhone, it is as simple as that.
I wish my M1 12.9 iPad Pro was a laptop replacement but it is quite clear Apple doesn't want it to be, because they make more $$$$$ this way.
The M1 12.9 iPad Pro is no way shape or form a replacement of my laptop at all. Not even close.
The M1 12.9 iPad pro is a complementary device that you have next to your MAC or iPhone, it is as simple as that.
I wish my M1 12.9 iPad Pro was a laptop replacement but it is quite clear Apple doesn't want it to be, because they make more $$$$$ this way.
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16GB is not overkill for the high-end experiences that the likes of Adobe are bringing to iPad Pro with their pioneering next-generation Creative Cloud experiences on iPadOS. 64GB would be more than useful.
Agree. I’ve seen a lot of movies that depict the future, there is almost never a MacBook in any of them. ?
In all seriousness, keyboards are archaic as an input device. Jobs did want us typing on the screen as a transition. If voice recognition was further along combined with gestures, we’d be closer to the end state. Like combustion vehicles, the fade away will be a slow burn, but you can’t stop progress.
Like transportation, there will always be a need for a horse, but very few of us have ever used one.
The keyboard has withstand the test of time:
printing press,
manual & electric typewriters,
computer (desktop and laptops) and still even in touch screen tablets.
Why?
- it's STILL THE most efficient entry form for those of us that are able bodied and have full control by will of our digits. It's also easily configurable internationally, and in computers allows various language input even if the physical keys cannot be changed after shipping - something avoided during iPhone presentation but didn't matter because software fixed the keyboard presentation.
Voice input suffers and pails in comparison for a few reasons:
- more RAM is needed by the voice input software to translate voice into text and post on screen,
- heavy accents still negatively affect software from understanding and thus far AI doesn't seem to do much better at recognition - nor the intent or tone, let alone context or spelling accurately.
- spelling mistakes to be corrected by voice is MUCH MUCH slower and ads more issues : OS doesn't matter here.
- you CANNOT enter vocal speech to text privately in a setting where someone else can hear you!
- Voice is much slower in dictation (this is why courts and former executive assistants prior to 1990 used to use 'short-hand' for note taking)! Case in point ... Any non-English language is inherently spoken a LOT faster by life-long native speakers and software today is STILL to slow to comprehend word for word accurately.
Now ... combining gestures with typing or vocal input ... THAT is a game changer.
I've said it a few times before in news posts here about Apple Glasses should take advantage of this and gave the example of 'Children of Dune' special TV mini-series on SpaceTV years ago that demonstrates American sign-language but in French while speaking English.
Agree. I’ve seen a lot of movies that depict the future, there is almost never a MacBook in any of them.
In all seriousness, keyboards are archaic as an input device. Jobs did want us typing on the screen as a transition. If voice recognition was further along combined with gestures, we’d be closer to the end state. Like combustion vehicles, the fade away will be a slow burn, but you can’t stop progress.
Like transportation, there will always be a need for a horse, but very few of us have ever used one.
There is hardly a tablet in sight in many science fiction movies - nor AR/VR machinery. Not that any of that guessing is part of the topic of this discussion. I agree however that voice recognition (and especially Siri) are an unfulfilled promise at this time.
Westworld, Parks and Rec, Tera Nova, Star Trek, nearly all depict glass and metal devices with gesture and voice input.
I’ve read and participated in this discussion for quite some time. At this point, it is useless. More than half off us enjoy an iPad as our computer. Others can’t make it work yet, largely because they are stuck, for whatever reason beyond their control, using 37 year old technology.
But the iPad can, does and will replace the laptop the way electric cars and horses will be in use at the same time.
More than half of us? What do you base this on?
And Star Trek, as an example, uses tablet devices if we take TNG as an example, regardless of it being fiction, pretty much solely for reading content. The ships are plastered with consoles and screens. Touchscreens at times, but no tablet is seen on a bridge of a Starship. They have constant voice interactions with the mainframe, which none of the devices do that we discuss here.
Stuck? No, by choice. A broad generalization based on your opinion, not facts.
Maybe.. that’s the case. For all my years of making the iPad my primary computing device and getting skepticism from those who oppose it.
Most of those who oppose it run into a certain task that they don’t care to find a workaround or a different method to successful complete it on iPadOS. I’ll say this… a vast majority can get by with using an iPad as their primary computing device, but they refuse to adjust to computing on iPadOS.
They make the error of applying their existing workflow without trying to work within the parameters of iPadOS. For instances…. I recall seeing someone in this thread discussing how there’s no way to change music metadata and it’s much easier on macOS. But later on found that their is an app in the AppStore to do such a thing.
I don't oppose it; I just prefer using the laptop. It's more efficient for me, I like using it, and I can pair it with a large screen 4K monitor (and have a proper display on that monitor). Why should I feel compelled to use my 2021 12.9 as my main computing device if I like something better? Neither of our choices are wrong, they just fit our personal preferences. It's not a matter of refusal at all.
“Oppose”? Did you read this thread? The iPad simply does not work for many applications.
It’s not about “work arounds”, “getting by” or “adjustment“ to the iPadOS way of computing.
Your vocabulary seems to communicate a narrow-minded attitude - ironically, this is exactly what you criticise yourself.
anectdotes. there are plenty. And again, “errors”?!
I like to believe that many people like to use an iPad… and discover that for whatever reason it doesn’t suffice.
It just happens. It has nothing to do with state of mind.
The thread is about discussing the iPad as a viable option as a laptop replacement and finding ways to complete certain task on the iPad.
So, you are attacking my vocabulary without checking for grammar? What exactly do you mean by criticse myself? I'm confused... do you mean characterize myself?
I gave you a perfect example of what I mean by a situation to whom someone hit a roadblock and found a solution. And I agree with @sparkd, we all have our preferences. But you on the other hand... is the reason behind my post, you oppose the iPad as a laptop replacement.
I meant what I wrote - your vocabulary gives the impression of a certain attitude… seemingly narrow-minded, something which you yourself seem to impute as attitude of people who find that the iPad can not solve all their computational problems.
Making assumptions about someone with little or no data does not usually lead to valid conclusions, doesn’t it? ?
Just for the protocol: since I registered on MR I use almost exclusively iPPs for my personal things… just not when it doesn’t solve or address the problem: wether it’s 3D-animation, 2D/3D visualisation, programming, desktop publishing, reliability of I/O, general management of physical media, &, seemingly arbitrary hardware restrictions, &, & - there are certain programs which I like to use or have to and they are not available on iPadOS. And no, there is no substitute in form of an app available. Or there simply isn’t an app.
And still - besides some real annoyances for which I found some workaround… or not… - I happily do many things on an iPad.
But all? Nope. There simply isn’t an app for that. And MR is full of threads with roadblocks for iOS/iPadOS for which even this kind and knowledgeable community can’t offer a solution or workaround… or at least only to a certain degree.
Sure, iPad is a hammer for various types of nails. And an excellent one thereby - but some things out there simply require a different tool.
My goodness all I'm trying to indicate is that for some an iPad can serve as a laptop replacement, but you solely dismiss it.
Granted, an iPad might not serve as a laptop replacement for YOU. Well, what's the purpose in being in this thread if it doesn't work for you?
I just wanna say that media which depicts input devices as being purely touch based (such as Marvel) aren't trying to be accurate. Most of the time they're going for a specific aesthetic, and there's nothing wrong with that as they are works of fiction. However, most everyone in real world who does a lot of typing seem to prefer keyboards with travel and/or some kind of tactile feedback. Why else do people hate the touch bar?
Tbh I don't believe for a second that Tony Stark doesn't prefer to type on some obnoxious clicky mechanical keyboard ?. Even if a screen keyboard can give some haptic feedback and noise, it won't facilitate travel or touch typing.
It is not the RAM that is problem but how the OS handles RAM. Not saying Apple has to embrace system freezes and crashes because windows and Linux does not kill processes using 90% RAM or more and a none IT person would not know what to do, but sandboxing every processes well purging it will not make it at all be true computer.
Bring up any windows 95 or windows 98 it had no problem running 10 different apps in the background or more. Microsoft and Linux does not purge apps. It up to you to check the task manger to see it is not going higher than 90%
Now open up Firefox or safari yes 5 or 10 tabs and see the tabs refreshing or say Firefox or safari running reading say a website and making notes from that website to say a note taking app than switch back and see it refresh.
Or say the youtube app or safari on say a youtube channel playing music and not able to play sound track well you make notes or using other apps. None of this was problem in 90s using very old OS and hardware.
If you cannot play music sound tract from say youtube well doing basic office apps or note taking app it has major problems. Or playing music sound tract on youtube and you get notification and it stops playing.
There is no way the 3GB of RAM or 4GB of RAM is being all used up doing some very basic task. We are not even jumping into video editing, photo editing or high in AAA games. If it is struggling doing basic web surfing and office tasks.
This is not RAM problem but how OS handles RAM. The iPadOS came from iOS a phone OS back in day you only ran one app not two apps a very different philosophy of other OS’s.
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Those apps you talk of well Apple is probably hoping some one will make app for that and put it say the Apple store. So no even if the OS allowed you to run those apps you know that Apple does not allow side loading. They are probably hoping some one will make apps for that.
And Apple will probably not allow say a file manger to access every where but probably in year or so allow access to say your pictures folder, music folder, documents folder, downloads videos and websites folder.
The game folder well probably some games will allow it and other games not. I don’t think Apple will force game developers to make the folder for the user.
The iTunes app folder and Apple music App folder will be not allowed of fear of copying music. Same with Spotify. Those folders will be not allowed. Of fear of copying music.
That not really Microsoft problem but Intel problem.
Buy any laptop or Tablet and enjoy your 3 hour battery life than shop around and you will be lucky to find some high end one with a say 8 hour battery life.
You want a long battery life and laptop or Tablet with no fans and really cool to the touch forget about Intel or AMD.
Complain to Intel and AMD for not making a great tablet or netbook CPU.