M1 12.9 and a Mini 6? Are those iPads, Macs, or what?
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iPad as a laptop replacement
- Thread starter Omar Comin' Yo
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Each can fit nitches the others can't for me - I have some s/w and tasks that can't be done on an iPadOS device that I use the laptop for. I find the 12.9 to be a superior tablet to the Surface Pro used as a tablet. The Mini 6 with its cellular capability is an excellent portable device. I use each in different ways and have absolutely no compulsion to replace one with another.
Intresting. I suspect if you installed Android onto the Surface, you'd find it a better tablet. But why bother with that? You have your two iPads, and you'd be down a Windoes computer (unless you duel-boot).
I bought my Surface Go to replace my ageing Kindle Fire (Amazon's Android tablet). Dispite that, my Fire still has it's uses. My Surface has both Windows and Android installed. It can be a Windoes laptop or Android tablet, but not both at the same time. The Fire lets me have have both at the same time, plus the Fire is easier to hold than the Surface.
What cellular pervidor and plan do you use with your Mini 6?
No - I have 6 Android tablets I never use and do not want to go back. I want/need Windows.
I have a 5GB for 150 days for $10 from T-Mobile. If I need more, I can buy more or use my iPhone hotspot.
Definitely this.
Hotspots from the phone are just not reliable for daily internet for my old MacBook Air. Instant Hotspot my ass. it is a great reason to go cellular for the iPad. It just always works. Having said that, it’s still annoying to have to pay extra for the feature.
I posted several days ago about selling a used iPad on eBay and I have a little update about that. 20 hours left and the bidding is up to $500 so far. Granted I included the magic keyboard with it, but there are "buy it now" listings for that on eBay under $150. Apple sells the same exact model refurbished for $460. I'm really happy with how it's playing out, and I have 10 active bidders with a lot more watching, so I'm expecting a bidding war and for someone to overpay.
Because I included a Magic Keyboard and Smart Folio, but it's all used so I'm surprised how high it is so far. I made the starting bid low, so maybe that helped attract more people and drove the price up.
Have you thought of putting ubuntu on your surface go? the time remaining extension says im getting like 8 hour of battery on full. im at 49% with 3:00 which is 100% battery sometimes on windows for me. As for the p partitoning its tight. I only have 64gb emmc. ubuntu is 13gb and Windows is like 44gb I have tiny 11 installed which is windows 11 but alot smaller. it claims to get rid of the bloat of windows it uses 8gb after a fresh install. Tiny 11 is the only way i could have put linux on it as those 13gb would be in use on a regular install
How is andriod on the surface go? Battery life? sorry if my partitoning math is off but its so tight that ubuntu ran out of space and would not boot. i have to shrink the windows install by the disk mangment tool which gave me like 800mb.gave that to ubunutu and it booted. my spelling is horrible my spell check is not working for some reason.
Remeber, there are diffinet Surface Gos! The lowest end Surface Go 1 will have much less disk space, than the highest end Surface Go 3 (I think mine's a mid-range Surface Go 3). Pluss the Surface Go takes an SD card, so you can get more space that way.
On a related note: It's unfortunate that the major open-source desktop environments don't support Windoes, the most populer desktop operating system! The only desktop environment I know of for Windoes is Windoes Explorer itself.
I use the "FydeOS for You" Android/Chromium OS distribution, which has a version designed specifically for the Surface Go. I can't comment on the batery life, as I leave my Surface pluged in most of the time, but I've notived the back getting hot under Android. I've found that having the MS keyboard cover attatched puts FydeOS into desktop mode, which means I have to detach the cover when I want to use my Android tablet as an Android tablet. That's anoying! I also had to figure out why my Windoes time was broken. Turns out, FydeOS treated BIOS time as UTC while Windoes treated it as local time. There was a patch for that (so Windoes would treat BIOS time as UTC), but I wish the FydeOS instalation instrutions had warnd me about the time problem and gave me the patch! I also had to enable the standered Android navagation buttions (back, homescrean, swich apps) at the bottom of the screan, as FydeOS came with them disabled by default.
So, I can't say it's been all smove sailing. But after sanding off the sharp edges, I've found it a pleasant experience! I can now use my tabet as a tablet.
One warning: I have an Intel-bassed Surface. If memory serves: "FydeOS for You" on an ARM-bassed Surface is not Android! It's just Chromium OS, with no Android subsystem. You will have to find another Android distribution, if you want Android on an ARM-bassed Surface.
I saw a video saying that G.N.O.M.E. (GNU Network Object Model Environment) was a better desktop envierment then Windows Explorer on the Surface, because G.N.O.M.E.'s big buttions are better on touchscreens. I'd like to try that out at someday, but I have other projects I'm working on now. Useing G.N.O.M.E. would requre installing Linux, as G.N.O.M.E. dosen't support Windows.
On a related note: It's unfortunate that the major open-source desktop environments don't support Windoes, the most populer desktop operating system! The only desktop environment I know of for Windoes is Windoes Explorer itself.
I use the "FydeOS for You" Android/Chromium OS distribution, which has a version designed specifically for the Surface Go. I can't comment on the batery life, as I leave my Surface pluged in most of the time, but I've notived the back getting hot under Android. I've found that having the MS keyboard cover attatched puts FydeOS into desktop mode, which means I have to detach the cover when I want to use my Android tablet as an Android tablet. That's anoying! I also had to figure out why my Windoes time was broken. Turns out, FydeOS treated BIOS time as UTC while Windoes treated it as local time. There was a patch for that (so Windoes would treat BIOS time as UTC), but I wish the FydeOS instalation instrutions had warnd me about the time problem and gave me the patch! I also had to enable the standered Android navagation buttions (back, homescrean, swich apps) at the bottom of the screan, as FydeOS came with them disabled by default.
So, I can't say it's been all smove sailing. But after sanding off the sharp edges, I've found it a pleasant experience! I can now use my tabet as a tablet.
One warning: I have an Intel-bassed Surface. If memory serves: "FydeOS for You" on an ARM-bassed Surface is not Android! It's just Chromium OS, with no Android subsystem. You will have to find another Android distribution, if you want Android on an ARM-bassed Surface.
Hi All,
Longtime lurker andcustomer, first time posting 
Is there a "dummies" guide for a desktop setup with an iPad? I'm considering ditching my Mac Mini since my iPad does 100% of what little I do on the Mac. This is strictly for personal use (I've yet to work at a job where you're allowed to BYOD).
1st question: Hardware
I did a test run ($0 cost, the best kind of experiment) connecting my iPad Air to my Ultrafine display, and plugging in KB, Trackpad, and headset to the display's USB ports. All worked well, except the iPad didn't (couldn't?) make use of the display's built-in camera. The only drawback was how "big" the iPad's screen looked on the Ultrafine, like I had to push my chair back at least another 1 ft.
Can this older iPad Air do more or would I need an iPad Pro? Is USB-C a limiting factor (in terms of peripherals and screen resolution) vs. Thunderbolt on the IPP?
2nd question: Transition
This is more general - what are lessons learned in terms of usability when transitioning from a Mac to an iPad? What transition steps (if any) do I need to take?
For example: I have about 1TB of "stuff" (documents, media, etc.) on the Mac's internal drive. I could put this all on my iCloud if I really had to, or move it to a external drive, or get a 1TB/2TB IPP. Also, what about music and photos? Most of my music is ripped from CDs (yes I'm that old, ha!), and my Mac stores all my photos in their full resolution.
3rd (last) question: iPadOS16
I realize the upcoming iPadOS brings more laptop-like support for external displays, along with other aids like Stage Manager. And I further realize that these features won't work without an M1 processor. As a result, should I be looking at an upgrade (iPad Air 5, or likely M2-based IPPs this Fall)? Will I be wishing for these features if I stick with my current iPad?
Apologies if this has been covered already in this now-160 page threadI've yet to find a guide on-line that doesn't approach this question from the home user point of view. Be it a web article or a YouTube video, everyone I've found answering this question does so from the context of replacing a work computer with a work iPad.
Thanks but if there’s “help” in this thread then it’s lost on me
I upgraded to a 2022 (M1) iPad Air. As I said elsewhere, I have neither the use nor the budget for an iPP. (I wish FaceID would come to the Air but that’s another rant.) Really looking to go from 3 devices to 2, especially since as a consumer/end-user, the iPad does nearly everything I could do on the Mini - this is all strictly personal use, since my job provides me with a computer (long story short, employer is very strictly against BYOD, by necessity).
I connected the Air to my old UltraFine 5K, and ran my keyboard (Unicomp’s Mac KB with a USB A-to-C adapter), Magic Trackpad, and an Ethernet to USB-C adapter (the Belkin one from the Apple Store) to the USB-C ports on the back. I quickly ran into a bug - more on that here. I bit the bullet and bought an ASD from Amazon, since they had a decent discount, down to almost the same price new as a refurb unit from Apple. It’s working great, though I hope Apple enables camera support for the iPad in the future.
As for the overall experience: it’s a qualified success. I’ve been running this for a month now and haven’t hardly missed the Mini. The daily personal computing experience is similar to a MacBook with an external display as a second screen. Having Desktop-class Safari and plentiful Apps means missing very little. True, the Files app isn’t as easy to work with as Finder, but it’s not that bad and you get used to it.
The big hang-up is Stage Manager. With an external display, your choices are Stage Manager or a mirrored simply. I gave Stage Manager many tries on my Mac and always went back to Spaces + Mission Control. I wish iPadOS had a similar setup. The closest I can get is setting Stage Manager to always view the Dock, turn off the display of active windows on the side, and enable app-switching gestures on the trackpad. It’s still tricky to manage apps between the iPad and the Display; launching an app can be inconsistent with which display it first runs on.
The only other issue is external display support is still a little buggy. Every once in a rare while, the ASD mirrors the iPad display. This can be re-set in Settings to go back to extended mode (unlike the Ultrafine 5K bug). Hopefully Apple catches this in time for iPadOS 16.4/16.5.
I still have the Mini, and I still need it for the 1% of tasks the iPad can’t do. (You can run a small country from an iPad, but you can’t directly import an MP3 file into the Music app???) So unfortunately the iPad still can’t replace a Mac. But it’s almost there IMO.
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Kudos to you!
I'm glad it all worked out for you... I think there is a post here where you can share your desktop whenever ready.
I think overtime Stage Manager will evolve... not sure if we will get Spaces + Mission Control type features, but it will improve.
I've said it throughout these threads... that this is Stage Manager v1 (critics seem to think it should be perfect) and the next major iPadOS update we will most likely see revisions and improvements to it.
This and the lack of smart albums in photos are the two things I have noticed when trying to go 100% iPad. So close!
It's astounding how unreliable hotspot has been for me. Yes it's annoying to have to pay extra for cellular, but my productivity when it matters is higher, and that ultimately expands my earning capacity anyway.
Yeah, one of the reasons I went cellular with the Mini 6 (I also wanted GPS).
Thanks. Really my only desire at this point for bringing the Mac back to my desk (then using the iPad for Sidecar or Universal Control) is to use the camera in my ASD.
My desktop is nothing to write home about. I’m jealous of all those slick YouTube videos showcasing those Apple Store-like setups! Maybe someday time and money will permit me to revamp my home office with a focus on design while maintaining functionality.
🙌
Glad you pointed out the MP3 issue! I've had my iPad Pro for a year and barely used it but am forcing myself now and its great but there are lots of silly little issues which are deal breakers, my main ones are the mp3 you pointed out
but also, you cant import photos from a external hard drive. Technically, if you've just used Lightroom or kept photos in folders you wouldn't be able to import them into a iPads photos app.
at least for the photo import there is a - quite clumsy 🤪 - workaround using Apple’s Files app to create a
DCIM-folder on the root level of the external HD/SSD containing the photos in whatever subfolder structure (or just rename the parent folder on the root level which contains all the photos). Apple’s Photo will then show the external drive under Devices in its sidebar, from where you can browse, select, import.
You can grab and transfer all the photos you want from an external HD with the Files app. Not only from an external HD, but also from your laptop or desktop with the files app. I do it all the time. You can also transfer photos from your iPad to your HD, laptop, or desktop with the files app. Very easy stuff.
I was talking about the ability to import them from the files app into apple photos which you cant do unless I'm missing something. I think could open a photo and save it to the photos app but that would take forever when you've got thousands of photos
Hm unless I am missing there is such option. Open the photos in the Files app, select them and click on the Share link. You should option like Save Images/Videos. This would save them in the Photos app.
When you open up a folder in the Files app, it gives you the ability to select as many photo files you want, then you can just send them all at once to Photos.