Except that you miss the point that for most people it is fine. Especially for outside use. Most people don’t do coding or music production.
It’s really not a big deal that only affects a small group of people (and I am one of them).
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iPad as a laptop replacement
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Except that you miss the point that for most people it is fine. Especially for outside use. Most people don’t do coding or music production.
It’s really not a big deal that only affects a small group of people (and I am one of them).
Most people who only need a device for personal computing and leasure can easily do with just their smartphone in most situations.
Even for Office use the iPad is not always enough if you need some basic office stuff that are not possible on mobile office, like comparing 2 Word documents. The only way I can do any work on the go with an iPad is generally via remote desktop. I use to do just that. Then sometimes I had issues with the cellular signal in some places and could not work, so I decided to stop using the iPad + magic keyboard as my on the go device and got a cellular Thinkpad. At least, if I have no Internet I can do much more on it...
Even for Office use the iPad is not always enough if you need some basic office stuff that are not possible on mobile office, like comparing 2 Word documents. The only way I can do any work on the go with an iPad is generally via remote desktop. I use to do just that. Then sometimes I had issues with the cellular signal in some places and could not work, so I decided to stop using the iPad + magic keyboard as my on the go device and got a cellular Thinkpad. At least, if I have no Internet I can do much more on it...
That is true. Which is an other point of why the iPhone is actually an iPad replacement. But that is a whole other discussion.
I don’t even need to bring a laptop or an iPad with me if I go on holiday, I do everything from my iPhone.
Sure, office on a PC is better ofcourse. And I see people in Starbucks use Office mostly. So fair point on that one. But I believe they are students, so it is not for “personal use”.
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Most people do to be honest. Personally I am part of a minority of people who do very little on their phones (basically notifications, calls and pictures, but no media consumption, barely any writing on the screen at all) and prefer to do everything with a laptop and sometimes tablet. I only bring a phone when I am out with other people (having dinner/lunch, unless it's work related, hiking, walking, dancing whatever) during the day or night. On holidays I always bring a laptop and tablet, but it generally stay home or at the hotel.
Nope, I need a laptop for my education.
I had an iPad since 2018 but never used it, my girlfriend always plays games on it.
Month ago I bought an Apple Pencil and now I use the iPad daily for taking notes and when I’m going outside with beautiful weather I can do some things for my education on the touchscreen.
Nevertheless for now i can not rely on the iPad alone.
I had an iPad since 2018 but never used it, my girlfriend always plays games on it.
Month ago I bought an Apple Pencil and now I use the iPad daily for taking notes and when I’m going outside with beautiful weather I can do some things for my education on the touchscreen.
Nevertheless for now i can not rely on the iPad alone.
It is possible to compare two Word documents on an iPad.. use Office app along with the Word app. Sometimes I wonder if Microsoft did this intentionally to help with this situation.
By comparing I mean getting track changes of the differences between the 2, not looking at them side by side
I believe you can track changes between the two documents.. it has a history feature between both apps.
Are you sure? Is there a way I can take 2 documents (both made in Windows by different people) and get a tracked changes comparison of both on iPad??
Perhaps, you are referring to real time collaboration… then I’m not quite certain about that. But as far as comparing two documents and seeing the history between both.
It's been a while since I've posted in the thread, hopefully everyone is doing fine!
The way I've been using my devices hasn't changed too much, at this point, I've had my Mac Mini for close to 6 months now. And my gaming PC, while in need of new parts, is still around. I've been on my Mac Mini more than my iPad more due to ergonomics but in general, I would say I often have long periods of time where I use them both equally.
My iPad is still my favorite device, but it's definitely more my document viewer and markup device when needed. I take full advantage of hand off between the Mac and iPad to scan things or take pictures onto the Mac. I still use the iPad to write down my feelings and notes for subjects to bring up to my therapist. It's also a means to show things to other people without bringing them to my desktops, like pictures I've taken. I still sometimes read manga and comics with my iPad as well. Once the weather app comes to the iPad, it'll be a nice weather report screen too. I also doodle on my iPad for fun and mental well being.
Yea, my opinion hasn't changed that much, the iPad and Mac compliment each other while being able to do what the other can to varying levels of success. Your needs will change how possible it is to use only one device as your one and only personal computer though.
The way I've been using my devices hasn't changed too much, at this point, I've had my Mac Mini for close to 6 months now. And my gaming PC, while in need of new parts, is still around. I've been on my Mac Mini more than my iPad more due to ergonomics but in general, I would say I often have long periods of time where I use them both equally.
My iPad is still my favorite device, but it's definitely more my document viewer and markup device when needed. I take full advantage of hand off between the Mac and iPad to scan things or take pictures onto the Mac. I still use the iPad to write down my feelings and notes for subjects to bring up to my therapist. It's also a means to show things to other people without bringing them to my desktops, like pictures I've taken. I still sometimes read manga and comics with my iPad as well. Once the weather app comes to the iPad, it'll be a nice weather report screen too. I also doodle on my iPad for fun and mental well being.
Yea, my opinion hasn't changed that much, the iPad and Mac compliment each other while being able to do what the other can to varying levels of success. Your needs will change how possible it is to use only one device as your one and only personal computer though.
Where do you live? I used to take a commuter rail into Boston every day and sometimes 1/2 the laptops I saw were being used for coding. I used to watch what people were doing and try to guess what they were working on (when I wasn’t coding on my own notebook).
Says who? I spend every workday for 8 hours a day and some weekends coding on my M2 MacBook Air (and on a M1 MBA before that). It works brilliantly as a developer tool. Just yesterday I was doing a lot of reactjs exported builds. It takes less than 5 seconds to produce a 20 MB directory. It took longer to scp the .tar files to a server than to build.
It’s hard to imagine how another notebook could be more effective. I also do hobby stuff in Xcode and have never noticed any particular slowdowns. The last time I checked, the M2 MBA was only a few seconds slower than an M1 Pro MacBook Pro on the Xcode benchmark. The M2 is ideal as a developer machine.
I think we are not talking about the same thing....Perhaps, you are referring to real time collaboration… then I’m not quite certain about that. But as far as comparing two documents and seeing the history between both.
I am not talking about version history.
I am talking about a client sending you 2 Word files (by e-mail), an old one (e.g. a contract) and an updated one, with no changes tracked.
You need to know what has changed, so you use the "Compare" function (under Review in the ribbon on the desktop version). This is a very basic thing (not some fancy formatting or macros) I have to do often with my clients. I cannot not do this on the iPad...
Fair enough. But the way you worded in the beginning… saying the iPad cannot compare two of the same documents. I’m just showing you it’s possible whereas it might not have the “compare“ function. But something as basic as comparing two documents… is possible.
However this discussion looks at the bigger picture, always has, and not just those who could in theory also get by with just their iPhones. We do actually want to explore additional use cases with this nice device, outside of the big iPhone cliche.
To be honest putting 2 documents side by side and looking at them it's so basic I wouldn't even think of it.... It's something you don't need a computing device to do....Anyway at least it's clear now...
The point was that iPad (as a laptop replacement) is limited because it either lacks desktop apps entirely or the mobile apps cannot do some basic stuff desktop apps have been able to do for decades.
So the idea that someone who is only "doing word or excel on their laptop" could use an iPad instead is not always true.
That does not mean that some people in some jobs cannot use iPads as their only device, if that job happens to work fine with what the iPad can do...
I'm retired now but the partial implementation of Office365 on the iPad was inadequate for me as a work tool - too many missing elements that I needed for working with more complex documents and spreadsheets. I have the suite on my 12.9 M1 but I don't recall the last time I used it - I still prefer it on my laptop (usually docked to a monitor).
I know the popular thing to do is to critic the iPad on how limited is and mention it’s shortcoming… but something as basic as comparing two of the same documents wasn’t possible before until now. We tend to harp on the negatives, but when we see some gradual improvement it gets swept under the rug.
What I’m realizing now… particular on this thread. There’s this constant nit picking of the iPad… the iPad cannot do this, the iPad cannot do that. It’s the never ending cycle of the iPad isn’t good enough and I get it… we all want the iPad to do more.
But the iPad cannot exist without some rejection thrown its way… it’s the story of its life.
I don't think it's nitpicking, these are just examples of why the iPad is not a laptop replacement for some - direct to the substance of this thread. I pointed out shortcomings, but I still think it's a great device.
To be fair, smartphones have replaced laptops as portable computers. Outside, smartphones are used way more for portable computing than a laptop.
And this again shows that most people don’t care about stuff like formating USB sticks when they are outside as even smartphones cover their needs. Most people do really basic things when outside.
So not sure why the big iPhone cliche is a bad thing.
Desktop + iPad is a valid alternative to a Desktop + laptop setup for most people.
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Smartphones are usually applied to content consumption and some basic tasks. The thread is about people who have a use case for a notebook laptop thingy or an iPad if applicable. It’s not about the Facebook surfing phone user but usually more substantial Workflows. As in, getting work done.
I’m not saying the big phone is necessarily a problem as long as it provides sufficient functionality to replace my laptop. Which for my workflow, it cannot at the moment. Maybe one day down the line.
That's the whole point of this thread, not nit picking. And mentioning the shortcomings for laptop/desktop workflows does not mean that we hate the iPad, far from it. On the contrary we love it for what it can do.
I have been using it way more since iPadOS 13 and have bought several iPad pros and magic keyboards which now sit on my desk next to my Macs and PCs. There is absolutely no rejection.