iPad as a laptop replacement

[subjonas]

Yeah. I must say that I tried this kind of serious minimalism (Base iPad + Logitech K380 KB), and it was very frustrating for me. My needs are not particularly complex.... pretty typical (Mail, Safari, MS Office/iWork, FaceTime, Photos, etc). I went back to an MBA as my primary driver. It just seemed so much easier.

As for cost, I got my MBA for $900. I usually keep my laptops for about 6 years and recycle it, that's $150/yr or less than $3/week, which is less than the cost of a typical cup of coffee at Starbuck. That's a pretty good value for a very useful device.

Yeah I think that level of minimalism is tough to pull off for most, so if one can pull it off, more power to them. I’m a minimalist at heart, but I also hate compromising things that are important to me (I guess that’s true of everyone lol). I have a lot of tech-related activities (work and personal) that are important to me so I have what many of my friends would consider a lot of devices. But I consider it a minimalistic setup because there’s nothing I have that I don’t need or that doesn’t add a lot of value to my life in ratio to the cost (financial, time, space, energy) of having it.

Few things feel better in life than getting amazing value out of a purchase!

 

[bondr006]

Yeah I think that level of minimalism is tough to pull off for most, so if one can pull it off, more power to them. I’m a minimalist at heart, but I also hate compromising things that are important to me (I guess that’s true of everyone lol). I have a lot of tech-related activities (work and personal) that are important to me so I have what many of my friends would consider a lot of devices. But I consider it a minimalistic setup because there’s nothing I have that I don’t need or that doesn’t add a lot of value to my life in ratio to the cost (financial, time, space, energy) of having it.

Few things feel better in life than getting amazing value out of a purchase!

Sounds a lot like me. I love technology, and like you, I have other tech related interests. I also used to collect as much tech as I could. It just seems like these past few years, I have wanted to be more minimalistic in my EDC habits. Don't get me wrong, I still like collecting tech, just in a more minimalistic way. I need the iPhone, Apple watch, AirPods Pro, Mac Mini, Apple TV 4K, and the accessories that go along with them. Because of my new found love and appreciation of my iPad and its ability to do everything I need for my Real Estate businesses, I have been able to start the minimizing process in my computer world. It hurt to let go of my MBP, but at the same time felt good, as it made a big positive change in my person. It feels good being able to do with less and knowing you still have all your bases covered. Simplifying your life is a very good thing.

I appreciate this statement...."Few things feel better in life than getting amazing value out of a purchase!"

One of my other tech interests and the collection from a few years ago. I have paired that collection down also to what I need, with just a bit of redundancy.

High powered handheld LED lights.

 

[Isamilis]

Simplification, minimalism, and financial economy. While I can afford to purchase a laptop and iPad, I have no interest in giving more money to Apple than I need to.

Reading lot of pages in this forum, I would say, this is quite idealistic for many of us here (which need ”advanced” computing in Mac for college, work, etc). But again, you’re on your own, everyone has different situations for sure.

 

[HaddockW]

From my experience, the real issues are as thus:

No command line interface (terminal) - Without this, web development becomes nearly impossible with many modern frameworks. Also makes IT work harder because nothing can be automated via scripts on iPads.

Cannot run VMs (for some of the work I do this is highly necessary)

No local file manager/finder

Restricted apps - for instance if I wanted to check ajax response as a web developer I'd use chrome tools, iPad has Chrome, but no dev tools (aside from viewing JS console logs @ chrome://inspect)

External Monitor support - still can't get the 16:9/16:10 aspect ratio on iPad's that are connected to an external monitor. You're forced to use 4:3 which wastes valuable screen real-estate.

Limited port selection

Multitasking has always been more challenging (for me) on iPads, always less productive mostly due to the inherit restrictions iPad's propose.

If your iPad works for you, right on. It certainly doesn't work for everyone.

OK.Let me try to answer this as a full-stack microservices developer working w/Node & Python with Docker/K8.

Yes, stand-alone, it will not work. But I've made it work with iPad + Raspberry PI4 dongle combo. In many cases, I can do a lot of things JUST on the iPad. I use to carry a 12" Macbook "in addition" to my work issued 16". I have a side consulting business. A SaaS that runs and generates me income on AWS. I can't be doing side hustle on my work laptop and dont want to. The 12" is way long in the tooth but it did the job. Start docker. Git clone, work, commit, deploy.

I can do all of that with the Raspberry PI + iPad . Just plugging in 1 USB-C cable - bridge networking and power. I use Shell Fish, the Git Client and some Docker /K8 management tool. I just point to raspberrypi . local and my K8 cluster is available. ShellFish, I can mount the PI in Apple Files and make edits and commit changes. These are Node, Python and some old PHP. I can work airgapped. Since Files works with ShellFish and Working Copy (git client), I no longer have duplicate copies. All the apps can point to same location. Git clone, Then ShellFish syncs to the PI.



Sure, you can say I am cheating because I am using a PI. But nowadays, I just use Play . JS and some Python environment to test things. Sure, not all the libraries and NPMs are accessible. For whatever reasons. But this is more effective than the 12" Macbook I was running full fat MacOSX. The experience is smoother and if I need to see something, I just commit to git and I have a CI/CD process that will deploy to an AWS instance running Docker/K8.

I also think this has been very useful for me as I ordered a 16 Macbook Pro Max. I've resisted a long time because I still have Docker apps running x86. But my projects seem to work w/ARM. I recently got a M1 Mac Mini from Costco $570 deal and all my apps I did on my iPad, copies over. And docker-compose up, voila, they run and build just fine on Monterey.

Now, I am experimenting with UTM and bypassing Raspberry PI altogether,. I have a 3.5GB instance of Debian XFCE running a full VM with Docker locally on the iPad. So yes, I can run a dev environment.


This guy outlines how it can be done w/ Raspberry PI.

 

[Expos of 1969]

So a third party BT keyboard and standard iPad only? Or iPad Air? Having a <11” iPad as one’s only device is some serious minimalism, especially on a tech forum! Respect ✊
Gonna use pencil too?
Or do you have a desktop too? Still pretty good minimalism not going with Pro.

Please note that I said I hoped to get down to only one device. I did not say it had to be an iPad. It could very well make more sense for the one device to be my laptop. My current iPad is a "nice to have" and far from being a necessity. I do not have a pencil or a desktop, just the MacBook Air, iPad and Samsung phone.

 

[Zazoh]

Cannot run VMs (for some of the work I do this is highly necessary)

No local file manager/finder

I connect to Windows at work with VMWare Horizon.

Files can be stored locally but is app dependent. Full access to all files in Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, SFTP to my ISP thru Textastic.

it’s 2022 and we’re still longing for a command prompt, how insane is that? Some folks still use one but for every one of those use cases I could site one for a touch screen, pencil, LiDAr pro motion, accelerometer etc.

They are not direct replacements and will Not work for everyone.

 

[ShrimpScampi]

I’ve been looking into using my iPad Pro as a laptop replacement as I’m one of those people who ‘does nothing on the computer anyway’ and because at least according to apple marketing (I’m probably the least tech savvy person you know), this seems to be a good way forward. I’m running into some issues though, ironically with apple’s own services.

For one, there’s no way for me to view or change my app store review username on iOS (it apparently requires iTunes on the computer to do so). On top of that, I’m not even able to download files from my apple data requests onto my iPad. Shame that I’ll have to input my username and password into a shared computer to get the data — I get that maybe my iPad won’t be able to read the files but at least give me the option to then send them to a computer! Perhaps it’s time to get a laptop again and let this ‘experiment’ rest.

 

[teh_hunterer]

Every now and than, there are posts like this, where people are completley convinced they “need“ their laptop, yet, whenever I read them I always think they are unaware of the modern iPad capabilities and features.

So, can iPad really never replace the efficiency and the user comfort of the laptop, and if so in what way for you?
Because for me it does. And in fact - it far exceeds it.

You can think that all you want, but who are you to say what people do and don't need? My 11" iPad Pro with magic keyboard is my main device and I love it, but that doesn't mean a 14" laptop, or two external monitors, aren't a much better fit for my job. Sometimes I need to have an RDP session into a server open on one screen with my Mac displaying on the other while I work off both simultaneously. Sometimes I need to have multiple things open in floating windows where I can see them and jump between them easily due to the sheer complexity of the task I'm doing.

If you can't imagine the above scenarios then I think you need a dose of reality - such as spending a day in the life of someone whose job needs floating windows and larger displays or multiple monitors, and experiencing the complexity of the work some people do.

 

[XIO[-]OIX]

You can think that all you want, but who are you to say what people do and don't need? My 11" iPad Pro with magic keyboard is my main device and I love it, but that doesn't mean a 14" laptop, or two external monitors, aren't a much better fit for my job. Sometimes I need to have an RDP session into a server open on one screen with my Mac displaying on the other while I work off both simultaneously. Sometimes I need to have multiple things open in floating windows where I can see them and jump between them easily due to the sheer complexity of the task I'm doing.

If you can't imagine the above scenarios then I think you need a dose of reality - such as spending a day in the life of someone whose job needs floating windows and larger displays or multiple monitors, and experiencing the complexity of the work some people do.

wow thats a very hostile comment.
You can use whatever works best for you - I am completley fine with that
Can you also not talk to me that way again, thank you.

 

[teh_hunterer]

Anyhow, the setup I'm looking at implementing as soon as supply chain allows is this:

- 14" base model MacBook Pro for work (to replace crappy 13" Intel MBP) - not ultra portable, but the 14" screen should mean I'm able to take my work out of the office to any location and work at full capacity when when I'm not at my desk. Getting out of the office and setting up out of sight is often necessary in order to get time out and get stuff done without being interrupted. And the ports mean I don't have to have a dongle dangling off the laptop constantly when I'm walking around doing testing.

I don't need the power of the M1 Pro, nor would I necessarily want to use a somewhat heavyset device or need an HDMI port for my personal life, but the ports and the larger 14" screen sure is necessary for my job. It's a work tool, and so I'm happy to trade some elegance and simplicity for effectiveness for my work. Oh, and I don't have to spend my own money on it, which helps!

- iPad Pro 11" with magic keyboard for situations where I want more portability and don't need to be carting a laptop around with me. I really enjoy the iPad and it tends to be my main device when I can help it. I particularly like how it has its own internet connection and I can take it out at a moment's notice and get some real stuff done anywhere - really comes in handy during work situations. It's also a fantastic travel device. I take it travelling instead of a laptop and I really love how capable it is for the size and weight.

- 2014 MacBook Air 13" that permanently sits on a piano and gets used for the sole purpose of recording piano and vocals. It can handle its single purpose very well even with its ageing CPU and GPU.

---

Having resigned myself to the fact that the iPad can't replace every device for everything, I'm able to enjoy it a lot more. I use it for the stuff it is best at, and when I need multiple screens, or a big screen, floating windows, or to use Logic Pro, I have the two MacBooks to fall back on.

If the iPad got Logic Pro, floating windows, and multi-monitor support (which I guess means support for docking stations, DisplayLink etc), then I could probably replace those two MacBooks though.

 

[Abazigal]

I had another fun session with my students during a math enrichment class on Friday. They were working in groups, I had a set of slides open on my iPad Pro, and when I wanted to share their work, I took photos and inserted them directly into the slides, which I could then annotate with my pencil. All mirrored wirelessly via the Apple TV.

Funny thing though - each photo I took on my iPad took up like 10 mb of space, resulting in a set of slides that was over 50mb by the time I was done with my lesson. I eventually transferred it over to my PC, where I compressed each image down to a few hundred kb, thus shrinking the whole file down to just about 5mb. That was more like it.

It comes back to the theme where I can't get all my work done on my iPad, but there isn't a windows convertible that meets my needs either (because windows tablets continue to suck for what I want to do with them). I am happy using my Mac to do the heavy lifting and prep the resources that go into my iPad for my teaching duties the following week, and then having a light and portable computing device in class.

 

[MacMandy]

I had another fun session with my students during a math enrichment class on Friday. They were working in groups, I had a set of slides open on my iPad Pro, and when I wanted to share their work, I took photos and inserted them directly into the slides, which I could then annotate with my pencil. All mirrored wirelessly via the Apple TV.

Funny thing though - each photo I took on my iPad took up like 10 mb of space, resulting in a set of slides that was over 50mb by the time I was done with my lesson. I eventually transferred it over to my PC, where I compressed each image down to a few hundred kb, thus shrinking the whole file down to just about 5mb. That was more like it.

It comes back to the theme where I can't get all my work done on my iPad, but there isn't a windows convertible that meets my needs either (because windows tablets continue to suck for what I want to do with them). I am happy using my Mac to do the heavy lifting and prep the resources that go into my iPad for my teaching duties the following week, and then having a light and portable computing device in class.

Maybe this setting on the iPad would have reduced the photo file size?

 

[Abazigal]

Maybe this setting on the iPad would have reduced the photo file size?View attachment 1985686

That’s on by default.

To make it clear, I wasn’t taking photos to save in the gallery. I was using the camera function from the PowerPoint app to take photos to insert directly into the slides. I imagine each photo captured this way was having a lot of metadata stored inside by default that didn’t need to be reflected.

Which is strange because a normal photo I take using the ipad doesn’t take up anywhere near as much space. It’s just another one of those idiosyncrasies between Apple and Microsoft that never did get ironed out, I suppose.

 

[MacMandy]

That’s on by default.

To make it clear, I wasn’t taking photos to save in the gallery. I was using the camera function from the PowerPoint app to take photos to insert directly into the slides. I imagine each photo captured this way was having a lot of metadata stored inside by default that didn’t need to be reflected.

Which is strange because a normal photo I take using the ipad doesn’t take up anywhere near as much space. It’s just another one of those idiosyncrasies between Apple and Microsoft that never did get ironed out, I suppose.

Oh I see. Is the file size smaller if you use the photo app on the iPad and then import to PowerPoint?

 

[Abazigal]

Oh I see. Is the file size smaller if you use the photo app on the iPad and then import to PowerPoint?

Yup, a photo taken on my ipad would normally be about 3mb in size. It’s 10mb on my ipad.

I have experienced something similar in the past when I saved a pages document as a word document (with images inside) and it ballooned to 100+ mb in size. I ended up having to redo the entire thing in word.

Not sure what the exact issue is, but I don’t deal with this often enough for it to be a dealbreaker.

 

[bondr006]

Yup, a photo taken on my ipad would normally be about 3mb in size. It’s 10mb on my ipad.

I have experienced something similar in the past when I saved a pages document as a word document (with images inside) and it ballooned to 100+ mb in size. I ended up having to redo the entire thing in word.

Not sure what the exact issue is, but I don’t deal with this often enough for it to be a dealbreaker.

There are 3rd party apps that allow you to reduce the file size right on your iPad. Very easy and no need to use your laptop.

How to reduce photo size on iPhone (4 quick ways)

Reducing photo file size helps maximize storage on your iPhone. Here are quick ways to reduce the size of a photo on your iPhone or iPad.

www.igeeksblog.com

 

[SteveJUAE]

I had another fun session with my students during a math enrichment class on Friday. They were working in groups, I had a set of slides open on my iPad Pro, and when I wanted to share their work, I took photos and inserted them directly into the slides, which I could then annotate with my pencil. All mirrored wirelessly via the Apple TV.

Funny thing though - each photo I took on my iPad took up like 10 mb of space, resulting in a set of slides that was over 50mb by the time I was done with my lesson. I eventually transferred it over to my PC, where I compressed each image down to a few hundred kb, thus shrinking the whole file down to just about 5mb. That was more like it.

It comes back to the theme where I can't get all my work done on my iPad, but there isn't a windows convertible that meets my needs either (because windows tablets continue to suck for what I want to do with them). I am happy using my Mac to do the heavy lifting and prep the resources that go into my iPad for my teaching duties the following week, and then having a light and portable computing device in class.

Nothing complex in the scenario you posted any good smartphone can do this let alone an Ipad or Windows tablet/2 in 1

Enjoy your workflow how you like, but there are plenty of alternatives for those that need more

 

[Arctic Moose]

There are 3rd party apps that allow you to reduce the file size right on your iPad. Very easy and no need to use your laptop.

Pulling each photo out of the presentation and into a separate app for size reduction, and then putting it back? Yeah, that sounds great! So easy, another iPad workflow enhancement win.

 

[Abazigal]

Nothing complex in the scenario you posted any good smartphone can do this let alone an Ipad or Windows tablet/2 in 1

Enjoy your workflow how you like, but there are plenty of alternatives for those that need more

I have tried it with windows tablets as well, and I find that amidst the talk about what a device can do, there often isn’t enough emphasis on how it accomplishes said task.

First, the challenge is finding an 11” windows tablet. It lacks the battery life to last through an entire day of use. The UI just isn’t optimised for touch. Native iOS apps feel easier to navigate compared to windows applications with their desktop elements. Software is a challenge as well.

Performance is another factor, with the A12x / M1 chip running rings around Intel processors, especially ones that tend to throttle easily in the thin form factor of a windows tablet.

I agree there is nothing complex in the aforementioned scenario, which is why I so much prefer using my ipad over a similarly-equipped windows tablet. When I was issued the HP elitex2 by my school, I really only ever used it as a laptop, and I found the tablet experience to be extremely cumbersome and lacklustre.

That’s what drew me to the ipad a decade ago. It was this ideal blend of battery life, ease of use and portability. It was Steve Job’s vision of making computing more accessible to the masses. PCs undoubtedly did (and still do) more, but they are not giving me more of what I want in a computer. I don’t want more complexity precisely because I already have a mac for that.

Fast forward to today, and I find a giant iPod touch is still what I prefer for 70-80% of my computing needs. I wouldn’t want to type this on my phone, and it wouldn’t be as fun replying to this post using a windows tablet perched on my laptop as I am watching Netflix.

This is why I am thankful that the ipad isn’t just another PC.

 

[bondr006]

Pulling each photo out of the presentation and into a separate app for size reduction, and then putting it back? Yeah, that sounds great! So easy, another iPad workflow enhancement win.

If that was a feeble attempt at sarcasm, it was a spectacular success. There are also apps for the iPad that batch reduce photos. I can't imagine that it is any easier to create something on your iPad, then export to your pc to do something that can easily be done on your iPad, then transfer it back to the iPad. Pretty cumbersome task that adds to, instead of reduces workflow. BTW...I was talking to someone that actually enjoys doing things on his iPad. Use what you want. Nobody cares, but kindly keep your unnecessary and uncalled for sarcasm to yourself Mr. Moose. Thank you!

 

[Abazigal]

There are 3rd party apps that allow you to reduce the file size right on your iPad. Very easy and no need to use your laptop.

How to reduce photo size on iPhone (4 quick ways)

Reducing photo file size helps maximize storage on your iPhone. Here are quick ways to reduce the size of a photo on your iPhone or iPad.

www.igeeksblog.com

Thanks. I realise I may not have been perfectly clear - the images were already residing in the ppt slides open on my iPad, and I doubt it would have been feasible to compress them using a third party app.

I am not sure if this could have been done on my ipad, but what I did (because I discovered the size only after I tried to email the slides to my windows laptop, only to realise that it was over 50mb in size. Yay for mail drop managing to send it over regardless).

How to Compress Images in Microsoft PowerPoint

If you want to reduce the file size of your PowerPoint presentation and save disk space, compress the images in the slideshow. Here's how.

www.howtogeek.com

So this was what I ended up doing. Compressing each image manually before saving it into my school's network drive. Thankfully, there were only 4 images, so not too much time spent on this.

It wasn't a perfect system, but looking back, I had fun conducting said lesson with my students, and I attribute this to the fluidity of iOS (but of course the students were a key aspect of it as well). It was well worth the time setting up the Apple TV in the classroom prior to the lesson, the creation of slides on my Mac (I generally prefer keynote on my iPad, but these are resources meant to be consolidated for future use), or the extra time spent on house-keeping afterwards.

I would do it all over again this coming Friday. ?

 

[Arctic Moose]

There are also apps for the iPad that batch reduce photos. I can't imagine that it is any easier to create something on your iPad, then export to your pc to do something that can easily be done on your iPad, then transfer it back to the iPad.

Pulling all the photos out of PowerPoint and into another app and then putting them back is still a hell of a lot more cumbersome than just opening the presentation from OneDrive in PowerPoint on a laptop and fixing it, even if the external iPad app can manage batch processing.

BTW...I was talking to someone that actually enjoys doing things on his iPad. Use what you want.

It should be obvious from my participation in this thread that I use my iPad all the time, and enjoy doing so. I am just annoyed by all the unnecessary iPad limitations that force the use of some other device because the task at hand is either impossible or unnecessarily complex on the iPad. I wish the iPad was better, that’s all.

 

[bondr006]

Pulling all the photos out of PowerPoint and into another app and then putting them back is still a hell of a lot more cumbersome than just opening the presentation from OneDrive in PowerPoint on a laptop and fixing it, even if the external iPad app can manage batch processing.




It should be obvious from my participation in this thread that I use my iPad all the time, and enjoy doing so. I am just annoyed by all the unnecessary iPad limitations that force the use of some other device because the task at hand is either impossible or unnecessarily complex on the iPad. I wish the iPad was better, that’s all.

Well then, I apologize for my uncalled for gruffness. It is hard sometimes to know who the iPad detractors are here, as there unfortunately are many. I prefer finding solutions to help people make their experience with the iPad more fun, as opposed to making fun of them for trying. I love my iPad Pro, and fortunately have been able to transition from a MBP to my iPP for my Real Estate businesses, and personal use. Yes, there are a few things I need my Mac Mini for but my iPP fully covers what I used to need my MBP for out in the field. Makes me happy because I find the iPad is so fun to use and alleviates my need for multiple devices while doing mobile business.

Again, I apologize...

 

[SteveJUAE]

I have tried it with windows tablets as well, and I find that amidst the talk about what a device can do, there often isn’t enough emphasis on how it accomplishes said task.

First, the challenge is finding an 11” windows tablet. It lacks the battery life to last through an entire day of use. The UI just isn’t optimised for touch. Native iOS apps feel easier to navigate compared to windows applications with their desktop elements. Software is a challenge as well.

Performance is another factor, with the A12x / M1 chip running rings around Intel processors, especially ones that tend to throttle easily in the thin form factor of a windows tablet.

I agree there is nothing complex in the aforementioned scenario, which is why I so much prefer using my ipad over a similarly-equipped windows tablet. When I was issued the HP elitex2 by my school, I really only ever used it as a laptop, and I found the tablet experience to be extremely cumbersome and lacklustre.

That’s what drew me to the ipad a decade ago. It was this ideal blend of battery life, ease of use and portability. It was Steve Job’s vision of making computing more accessible to the masses. PCs undoubtedly did (and still do) more, but they are not giving me more of what I want in a computer. I don’t want more complexity precisely because I already have a mac for that.

Fast forward to today, and I find a giant iPod touch is still what I prefer for 70-80% of my computing needs. I wouldn’t want to type this on my phone, and it wouldn’t be as fun replying to this post using a windows tablet perched on my laptop as I am watching Netflix.

This is why I am thankful that the ipad isn’t just another PC.

Whilst I always appreciate that for your workflow you get the best out of your Ipad and there is little or no reason to change

However yours is just one user case and there are plenty of others where an Ipad usage is just not on the cards. You are not suddenly empowered on accomplishing tasks with the Ipad any more than any other device and its a credit to your sustained development you have maximised this with your Ipad over the years

Performance especially on an Ipad is somewhat over kill as is most of our laptops . The Ipad processor has been so underutilised by the lack of largescale programmes for many years. Where most of us can easily deplete our batteries on our laptops regardless of OS by they array of more CPU/GPU intensive software available.

There are plenty of laptops now that rival even the Ipad once exceptional battery endurance. Many can't afford the luxury of multiple devices and this plays to the strengths of multi use 2 in 1's/tablets running a full OS

The right tool for the job is a good thing and you have found yours

Even is you tried a Windows device you know you can achieve the same tasks easily however maybe not as smooth as your honed workflow has evolved. However for many trying the reverse due to the Ipad more limited OS it is not the same

For most the UI is not enough to compensate for all the other shortcomings of the Ipad OS but of course for some like yourself it works well

 

[roblin]

I went from Macbooks Pros to iPad Pro 12.9” to M2 iPad Pro 12.9” as my primary computer as I have been traveling a lot. It’s been great. But now I am contemplating going back to laptop. I sometimes need to do some banking with 2FA that is hard, I miss playing random games with a mouse and I find I procrastrinate a bit too much as the iPad is just so nice for procrastrination.

Anyone gone from iPad -> Macbook? How was your experience?