iPad as a laptop replacement

[Isamilis]

On the temperature I can only speculate that it is because it is being charged by the monitor.

I might be able to explain the fact that the battery remains at 80 %. This seems to be the optimised battery charging situation. I assume the monitor you use can charge your iPad. It is not very good for batteries to be charged continuously so I assume what the iPad is doing is basically discharge to 80 % then it uses the monitor to keep this charge level but does not charge it fully to 100 %. Maybe try to go to the Battery section in Settings, it might tell you when does it plan to charge it to 100 %. If you really need it to charge to 100 %, if you disconnect and connect again I think that it will charge up to 100 %. However I do not advise doing this every day as this would impact negatively the battery health.

I have not seen this often with my iPad as my charging habits are very random but I do have this with the MacBook Pro. I use external monitor with thunderbolt that can charge the laptop and for the most part the laptop knows when to remain at 80 % and when to charge up to 100 %.

The iPad keep being charged by monitor (not all displays) is something that stopping me to use external display in the long run.

 

[secretk]

The iPad keep being charged by monitor (not all displays) is something that stopping me to use external display in the long run.

I will ask rather stupid question but what is your concern? Reason I am asking is because same happens with the MacBooks. If I hook up my MacBook to my external monitor, it charges it. This means that I can forget every recommendation on how to use the MacBook on battery to conserve battery life. I do need the external display and when I am at desk at home or in the office I would always add external display.

Is there difference in how MacBooks and iPads handle being charged via Thunderbolt? Is it the case that the iPad's battery is less resilient to such setup compared to the MacBook?

 

[Isamilis]

I will ask rather stupid question but what is your concern? Reason I am asking is because same happens with the MacBooks. If I hook up my MacBook to my external monitor, it charges it. This means that I can forget every recommendation on how to use the MacBook on battery to conserve battery life. I do need the external display and when I am at desk at home or in the office I would always add external display.

Is there difference in how MacBooks and iPads handle being charged via Thunderbolt? Is it the case that the iPad's battery is less resilient to such setup compared to the MacBook?

For MacBook, I installed charge limiter app (like AlDente) to limit charging up to certain level. There is no such app (not possible probably) in iPad.

 

[secretk]

For MacBook, I installed charge limiter app (like AlDente) to limit charging up to certain level. There is no such app (not possible probably) in iPad.

Got it! Thanks for sharing the app! I was not familiar with it.

 

[Digitalguy]

Keeping a device always at 100% is bad for the battery, I did it with a new iPad for 6 months and lost over 15% of battery health with only a dozen cycles....

 

[sparksd]

Keeping a device always at 100% is bad for the battery, I did it with a new iPad for 6 months and lost over 15% of battery health with only a dozen cycles....

Since I got it 6/2021, I generally keep my M1 12.9 at 100% and with 146 cycles it's at 93.4%.

 

[Digitalguy]

Since I got it 6/2021, I generally keep my M1 12.9 at 100% and with 146 cycles it's at 93.4%.

My mini 5 went from 106% new (new devices are not at 100%) to little over 90% in 6 months. Contrary to yours however I didn't use it that much, so it stayed more often pegged at 100%.
Meanwhile my pro 11 in over 2 years (end of 2020) has gone from 106% to 97% with 325 cycles (it has been kept between 50% and 90% most of the time)

 

[Jedimindtrick]

I love my Logitech Combo Touch. Have had it since Nov 2021 when I got my M1 iPad Pro 11. I appreciate the convenience of having a great keyboard and touchpad, but being able to detach it for use as a notepad with my Apple pencil and still having excellent protection, something the MK cannot do. I have dropped my iPad 3 times since I've had it, and the LCT has fully protected it and still looks as good as the day I got it. The LCT has a great typing experience and a large click anywhere touchpad. I also love the full row of function keys, which the MK does not have. For the price, imo the LCT is as good if not better than the MK.

View attachment 2149054

I too like it better than the MK, which I need to sell at this point. Love being able to detach it, while keeping it protected. I use a Magic Mouse with mine though, works great with iPadOS. The new Apple Keyboard Folio for the 10.9 iPad looks fantastic, would prefer a 1st party option like that for the Pro line.

 

[alecgold]

Thanks for all the replies. I don’t have optimised charging on as I find it annoying to have a not fully charged iPad. So I assume this is due to temperature issues with the external 4K display in combination with usb-c charging. The display is able to charge 100W maximum, so it is certainly capable.

I’m in doubt if a 12.9 M2 woud fare any better, so I’ll wait for the M3 update. It might take 12-18 months, but it’s not like the M1 is a slouch. Certainly with the 16Gb memory it should be able to keep up for a while.

I do like how iPadOS 16.3 has become and how iPadOS is evolving…

 

[penlost]

I am so close to using my iPad as a laptop replacement but its the accessories that are frustrating. Magic keyboard is fantastic for lap working, but I love the Logitech combo plus for its function keys and protection but its hard to balance on my lap. I find myself switching between them which is a pain because the ipad is a pain to get out of the combo touch everytime.

 

[secretk]

I am so close to using my iPad as a laptop replacement but its the accessories that are frustrating. Magic keyboard is fantastic for lap working, but I love the Logitech combo plus for its function keys and protection but its hard to balance on my lap. I find myself switching between them which is a pain because the ipad is a pain to get out of the combo touch everytime.

Yep, difficult to get both the best tablet experience and the best laptop like experience with keyboard and thus comfortable usage on your lap.

 

[Digitalguy]

I am so close to using my iPad as a laptop replacement but its the accessories that are frustrating. Magic keyboard is fantastic for lap working, but I love the Logitech combo plus for its function keys and protection but its hard to balance on my lap. I find myself switching between them which is a pain because the ipad is a pain to get out of the combo touch everytime.

for the protection you could get a pitaka case that works with the Magic Keyboard (also very easy to remove contrary to the Logitech)

 

[sparksd]

for the protection you could get a pitaka case that works with the Magic Keyboard (also very easy to remove contrary to the Logitech)

I got the Pitaka for my M1 12.9 + MKB and really like it - I prefer its textured feel over the slick iPad when I remove the iPad from the tablet. It even works leaving it on if I put the iPad in my TORRO case.

 

[secretk]

I got the Pitaka for my M1 12.9 + MKB and really like it - I prefer its textured feel over the slick iPad when I remove the iPad from the tablet. It even works leaving it on if I put the iPad in my TORRO case.

Thanks to both for posting us! I was about to tell you that I hear you but in my country I cannot find Pitaka accessories. However I found some. It seems to be for 2020 iPad Pro (11 inch). Question do you know if this would work for M2 iPad Pro 11 or I should not get it. It is sold online, I can go somewhere see it, hence the stupid question.

 

[sananda]

The Head of Cyber Security has decided that I can have the apps I want (Notes, Things 3, iA Writer, Files, Pages & Weather). So let’s see how much of my job I can do on an iPad!

It’s all going pretty well. I’ve been mainly using the iPad recently. I still have to use a laptop to access a couple of servers (but that’s just because the iPad hasn’t been set up to connect to those servers) but those servers will soon become legacy and most of our work will be in SharePoint which I can access.

There are a few difficulties. Unlike on the PC, Outlook on iPad doesn’t let me save only part of an email chain as a PDF or only use an email signature on the initial email and not on replies. I found that numbering inside tables in Pages isn’t as good as on the Mac. iA Writer works fine with OneDrive on the PC but doesn’t work at all well with OneDrive on iPad (it can’t automatically show all its documents in the library).

To synch your new notes taken in Apple Notes via One Drive:

1. add an Outlook-account in the iPadOS/iOS mail app and sign in.
2. enable »Notes« for that in the Account-Settings in Mail.
3. Open Apple Notes. You will find »Outlook« along with »iCloud«.
4. Tap on the Outlook notes folder and compose a new note from the bottom right corner. These Notes will be saved and synched now via OutLook/One Note/One Drive.
5. You can make »Outlook« the default account for creating notes on your iPad (Settings>Notes>Default Account). View attachment 2145660 That means, it will use iCloud to sync notes between devices. Change the default setting to »Outlook« so that you can easily view them on e.g. OneNote mobile apps and e.g. Sticky Notes on Windows.

Caveat: no Rich Text; you can’t create folders; no tags. The synch occurs for all new notes after setting the above up.

You can probably set up other accounts/services to synch Apple Notes in a similar way - but it’s the weekend and I am to lazy to check. 🤓

I got Notes set up with Microsoft Exchange but I don’t like that features are missing so my Notes are just kept on the iPad.

Thank you!

I’m not sure if I’ll be allowed to use the Cultured Code Cloud. I’ve asked so let’s see what they say.

They said no to using Things 3 cloud. So it’s just set up to keep the data on the iPad.

Overall, I’m pretty happy though. I think I’ll try it with an external monitor next.

 

[Seanm87]

I will give my experience of trying to use the iPad like this.

So my setup was a MacBook Pro 14inch and 11 inch iPad Pro. I thought why not give it a go combining them into one and getting the 12.9 with Magic Keyboard?

I was very excited and thought this would work for me but what I actually found to my surprise was the whole experience felt like a compromise. The 12.9 inch iPad felt awkward and unwieldy to use as a tablet and attached to the MK it was an inferior laptop as well with an awkward top-heaviness and a really weird aspect ratio that I did not like.

So returned it and kept the original setup. There's a place for both but let laptops be laptops and tablets be tablets is my opinion.

 

[penlost]

I have been down this route countless times and ended up with an IPad Pro 12.9, Magic Keyboard and pencil which works for just about everything, but I needed to change some of my work flow to adapt.

The tablet size takes some getting used to, but given time the 11” model feels so small now! The screen is amazing and I do not miss my MacBook at all. Its what you get used to - I don’t even miss function keys anymore !!

 

[GerritV]

Being retired now for a little over 2 years, I could make for an iPad-only person.
I mean, with hardly any "serious" work to do, more time for media consumption... and other arguments that I picked up from this thread.
As it now seems to turn out, this may not be the case for me.

Here's what I've been wondering:

- If I were to attach a keyboard to my iPad (which I never did BTW), it would look like I was trying to turn it into a would-be laptop. So then, why not just go with a laptop?
- Many iPad-only adventurers acknowledge that they still need a laptop/computer for certain jobs, occasionally. So why not just go with a laptop?
- My laptop, when opened, has the keyboard part to put my table or my lap, and the screen always steadily upward at a nice viewing angle. All very comfortable, with no extra accessories needed.
- I love the macOS so much more than the iPadOS, not to mention the overall availability of software.
- A few of my main usages for the iPad were note taking and attending meetings. I still do both, albeit on a smaller scale, and 100% analog. Nothing beats my beloved fountain pen and my Travelers notebook

At this point in time, I haven't touched my iPad for about a month and haven't missed it at all.
My recently acquired MacBook Air and my iPhone (as my communicator) are the only devices I really need.
TBH, a bit surprised myself that I can do without my iPad - but I hope to keep it that way.

 

[Isamilis]

Being retired now for a little over 2 years, I could make for an iPad-only person.
I mean, with hardly any "serious" work to do, more time for media consumption... and other arguments that I picked up from this thread.
As it now seems to turn out, this may not be the case for me.

Here's what I've been wondering:

- If I were to attach a keyboard to my iPad (which I never did BTW), it would look like I was trying to turn it into a would-be laptop. So then, why not just go with a laptop?
- Many iPad-only adventurers acknowledge that they still need a laptop/computer for certain jobs, occasionally. So why not just go with a laptop?
- My laptop, when opened, has the keyboard part to put my table or my lap, and the screen always steadily upward at a nice viewing angle. All very comfortable, with no extra accessories needed.
- I love the macOS so much more than the iPadOS, not to mention the overall availability of software.
- A few of my main usages for the iPad were note taking and attending meetings. I still do both, albeit on a smaller scale, and 100% analog. Nothing beats my beloved fountain pen and my Travelers notebook

At this point in time, I haven't touched my iPad for about a month and haven't missed it at all.
My recently acquired MacBook Air and my iPhone (as my communicator) are the only devices I really need.
TBH, a bit surprised myself that I can do without my iPad - but I hope to keep it that way.

Working with iPad is more stylish, especially if using Magic Keyboard. It looks innovative and beautiful. For its simplicity and different than mainstream, I think people trying to work with iPad only.

 

[GerritV]

Working with iPad is more stylish, especially if using Magic Keyboard. It looks innovative and beautiful. For its simplicity and different than mainstream, I think people trying to work with iPad only.

Thanks for commenting. Clearly we have a different opinion about style, beauty and mainstream

 

[Isamilis]

Thanks for commenting. Clearly we have a different opinion about style, beauty and mainstream

No worries. I didn’t buy in that style and mainstream as well, but yes for some people (at least few my colleagues). I used to try using MKB for few months but it didn’t work for my needs.

 

[teh_hunterer]

I will give my experience of trying to use the iPad like this.

So my setup was a MacBook Pro 14inch and 11 inch iPad Pro. I thought why not give it a go combining them into one and getting the 12.9 with Magic Keyboard?

I was very excited and thought this would work for me but what I actually found to my surprise was the whole experience felt like a compromise. The 12.9 inch iPad felt awkward and unwieldy to use as a tablet and attached to the MK it was an inferior laptop as well with an awkward top-heaviness and a really weird aspect ratio that I did not like.

So returned it and kept the original setup. There's a place for both but let laptops be laptops and tablets be tablets is my opinion.

I had this exact same experience.

Ultimately, anything that made sense to use the giant 12.9" iPad for, it made just as much sense to use the 14" MacBook Pro for. They were basically the same size, except the aspect ratio made videos way smaller due to the giant black bars.

The 11" iPad Pro is actually a unique device as it's small and light enough to be in its own class, whereas the 12.9" iPad and 14" MacBook just make each other pointless.

It'll be interesting to see if Apple do another 12" MacBook. The original 12" MacBook was 2lbs and the 11" iPad Pro + Magic Keyboard is 2.34lbs. That's going to be a really strange comparison.

 

[rillrill]

I work on an iPad full time and make it work, no pun intended, but if they can put 5g in any MacBook, 12” or bigger, I’d probably switch immediately. Or just put macOS on an iPad already, apple.

 

[JamesMay82]

I work on an iPad full time and make it work, no pun intended, but if they can put 5g in any MacBook, 12” or bigger, I’d probably switch immediately. Or just put macOS on an iPad already, apple.

Whats your daily work? And yeah I’m amazed they haven’t done 5G in a macbook as it seems like a no brainier.

 

[Digitalguy]

I work on an iPad full time and make it work, no pun intended, but if they can put 5g in any MacBook, 12” or bigger, I’d probably switch immediately. Or just put macOS on an iPad already, apple.

Glad to be on the Windows side and have 4/5G laptops