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iPad as a laptop replacement
- Thread starter Omar Comin' Yo
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It was a fun experiment but I brought my Mini back in as my primary computer. While the iPad mostly worked there are just too many small annoyances that piled up. External display support isn’t 100% (ran into some bugs + can’t use ASD’s camera or update firmware), Stage Manager is painful, Safari on iPadOS is 99% of Safari on MacOS, 3rd-Party apps aren’t totally onboard with iPadOS (vice their MacOS counterparts) or Stage Manager. And as noted many times above, there are one too many operations that can only be executed on a Mac, e.g. importing MP3s into Apple Music.
Time and again I’m reminded that the best way to use Apple gear is to use it as Apple intended (in this case let the iPad be an iPad, and leave MacOS to the Mac). Even peeking outside the walled garden has a price.
At least this journey forced me to improve my home office (WfH and Home) - new displays, new keyboards, new lighting, new apps and workflows for the iPad… and a new appreciation for Universal Control.
EDIT I had the Mini in my Home Theater previously. It needed somewhere to go during the iPad experiment. It wasn’t an HTPC but I did bring in an old Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, and webcam (mounted on the TV) + hooked up Ethernet and HDMI, to use as a shared/living room computer. To keep these extras from going to waste, I brought the Ethernet + HDMI + webcam USB together with a USB-C hub. Now I use my wife‘s MBP there in clamshell mode (hub has power pass-through so I added a spare USB-C charger) with the KB and TP, and it works great. Perfect for family Zoom and Facetime, and other “group” computing. We just used this setup to plan our next vacation together
Time and again I’m reminded that the best way to use Apple gear is to use it as Apple intended (in this case let the iPad be an iPad, and leave MacOS to the Mac). Even peeking outside the walled garden has a price.
At least this journey forced me to improve my home office (WfH and Home) - new displays, new keyboards, new lighting, new apps and workflows for the iPad… and a new appreciation for Universal Control.
EDIT I had the Mini in my Home Theater previously. It needed somewhere to go during the iPad experiment. It wasn’t an HTPC but I did bring in an old Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, and webcam (mounted on the TV) + hooked up Ethernet and HDMI, to use as a shared/living room computer. To keep these extras from going to waste, I brought the Ethernet + HDMI + webcam USB together with a USB-C hub. Now I use my wife‘s MBP there in clamshell mode (hub has power pass-through so I added a spare USB-C charger) with the KB and TP, and it works great. Perfect for family Zoom and Facetime, and other “group” computing. We just used this setup to plan our next vacation together
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While I too would like to see the 12 in MacBook return (with Apple Silicon, of course), I consider the 12.9 iPad Pro to be an ultra-portable device with 120hz.
You don't HAVE to buy the Magic Keyboard as the near-full size virtual keyboard works great, provided you can get used to typing on glass. If you can't, then the Apple Smart Keyboard Folio is a good middle ground option -- it offers physical keys, yet the combined weight with iPad is only around 2.30 lbs.
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The 12.9" iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard is heavier than a MacBook Air, which puts it well outside the kind of devices I was talking about. It's a whole pound heavier than the 12" MacBook.
Used to be in Apple's lineup you could buy a very small laptop that was under or even well under 2.4lbs. You could also get an iPad if you wanted. But now if you want that kind of lightness, with a keyboard and trackpad (and we can't pretend that isn't mandatory for many) you're looking only at the 11" iPad with magic keyboard.
That's the difference between then and now.
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Wanted to share an update on my iPad journey.
I took my iPad out of my Magic Keyboard and turned off Stage Manager a few weeks back. Haven't used either since. My realisation was that I just wanted the best tablet experience once again, rather than seeking something that could be a laptop-replacement, but with caveats. In the process, I'm enjoying the iPad in a way I haven't since first getting the iPad 2.
Being much lighter in the folio, it's become the device that helps me stay organised and productive throughout my whole week because I now carry it everywhere. I have created "app parings" in split-screen that I easily access from the multitasking view - I took inspiration from the concept of the Surface Neo and Duo. For example, Calendar + Reminders (organising my life), Duolingo + Bear Notes (language learning) and efficient emailing with the inbox on the left and my draft email on the right. With the Apple Pencil, I take high-quality notes in GoodNotes and design in Affinity suite without limitation. Finally, when I'm next to my iMac, I use Sidecar constantly.
Ultimately, the way I use iPad in my day-to-day life has shifted from making it a laptop-replacement to making it a tablet that helps me organise my life.
I took my iPad out of my Magic Keyboard and turned off Stage Manager a few weeks back. Haven't used either since. My realisation was that I just wanted the best tablet experience once again, rather than seeking something that could be a laptop-replacement, but with caveats. In the process, I'm enjoying the iPad in a way I haven't since first getting the iPad 2.
Being much lighter in the folio, it's become the device that helps me stay organised and productive throughout my whole week because I now carry it everywhere. I have created "app parings" in split-screen that I easily access from the multitasking view - I took inspiration from the concept of the Surface Neo and Duo. For example, Calendar + Reminders (organising my life), Duolingo + Bear Notes (language learning) and efficient emailing with the inbox on the left and my draft email on the right. With the Apple Pencil, I take high-quality notes in GoodNotes and design in Affinity suite without limitation. Finally, when I'm next to my iMac, I use Sidecar constantly.
Ultimately, the way I use iPad in my day-to-day life has shifted from making it a laptop-replacement to making it a tablet that helps me organise my life.
Kudos for you enjoying your iPad in tablet form.
But I’m curious about your thoughts… would you rather Apple not advance the iPad platform with keyboard accessories and features or keep it as is? Because people tend to neglect that it’s great to have options within a product. If I want to use a tablet, I can and if I want to use it as a laptop, that’s possible as well. Heck, if I want to use on a monitor… I now have that capability.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand your point. But I find it as an indictment against Apple for the development of the iPad platform it would seem they shouldn’t add mouse and keyboard support. And although, Stage Manager is polarizing… the idea of window resizing should be withheld from the iPad.
I have my MBP docked to my monitor and iPad (in tablet form) on a stand where I can utilize it with the Apple Pencil to use with various application. I don’t really use Sidecar as much, but I use Universal Control constantly… and there are times when I turn the iPad to main monitor. But I like the idea of taking my iPad off the stand and then attaching the MK when away from my desk.
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What a fantastic question, Ludatyk! I would be thrilled for Apple to continue advancing the iPad platform, as well as refining keyboard accessories to cater to different use cases. However, I do believe it's crucial for such features to remain optional and easily accessible. Particularly for older generations, I've found some unintentionally enter multitasking without comprehending how it happened and panic.
I want to emphasise my viewpoint is solely based on my own preferences regarding how the device fits into my life, and I am not indicting Apple or anyone else's approach to using the iPad. I simply wanted to share my thoughts with others.
An iPad can replace a laptop in the way a motorcycle can replace a car. They’ll both get you to your destination, but the experience along the way will be very different, and in some aspects quite lacking.
That said, a motorcycle perfectly fulfills the needs of some people, just as an iPad is well suited for certain users.
I’m grateful to own, and don’t mind using both devices. And while the MacBook Pro is primarily for “work” and the iPad Pro for creativity and consumption, in my use case there is much overlap between the two.
And in other aspects far more exhilarating.
A motorcycle is not a car replacement for poor people.
Steve Jobs used the car vs. truck analogy instead. Sure, some jobs call for a truck, but most people most of the time just need a car.
For the longest time I had little interest in the iPad because I already had an iPhone and a MacBook. To me the iPad just seemed unnecessary. It's too big to carry in a pocket, and if I am at home or going somewhere with a backpack, why not take the laptop?
My parents ended up buying a 7th gen iPad for me from Costco as a gift. I really didn't use it that much for like two years, but then I started using it a bit more and found that I actually quite like it.
For me, the iPad is basically an ideal "travel computer." If I'm going on a trip I'll take it over a laptop because I generally don't have a desperate need for a physical keyboard when traveling and it is just lighter and nicer to keep in a bag. It's also nice to just take to a coffee shop or whatever, or to move around when I'm at home if I want to, say, watch a video while eating a meal in the kitchen. I can do all of that with a phone or laptop, but it's nice to have a bigger screen than a phone and a less bulky form factor than a laptop.
Would I personally take an iPad over a laptop if I only could have one or the other? No. I'd definitely go for the laptop. The flexibility of a desktop operating system (MacOS or Windows) is just something iPad OS doesn't match, and honestly if you get a Pro and a Magic Keyboard you're approaching MacBook price anyways. Eventually the two lines may kinda merge, but we're not there yet. But I do really like having an iPad. And for some people it's definitely enough. There are people who live with just having smartphones and nothing else, compared to that a tablet is a big step up. My mother uses an iPad as her main computer because she just wants a bigger screen to read and watch stuff on and doesn't care about any of the stuff that makes laptops more powerful.
My parents ended up buying a 7th gen iPad for me from Costco as a gift. I really didn't use it that much for like two years, but then I started using it a bit more and found that I actually quite like it.
For me, the iPad is basically an ideal "travel computer." If I'm going on a trip I'll take it over a laptop because I generally don't have a desperate need for a physical keyboard when traveling and it is just lighter and nicer to keep in a bag. It's also nice to just take to a coffee shop or whatever, or to move around when I'm at home if I want to, say, watch a video while eating a meal in the kitchen. I can do all of that with a phone or laptop, but it's nice to have a bigger screen than a phone and a less bulky form factor than a laptop.
Would I personally take an iPad over a laptop if I only could have one or the other? No. I'd definitely go for the laptop. The flexibility of a desktop operating system (MacOS or Windows) is just something iPad OS doesn't match, and honestly if you get a Pro and a Magic Keyboard you're approaching MacBook price anyways. Eventually the two lines may kinda merge, but we're not there yet. But I do really like having an iPad. And for some people it's definitely enough. There are people who live with just having smartphones and nothing else, compared to that a tablet is a big step up. My mother uses an iPad as her main computer because she just wants a bigger screen to read and watch stuff on and doesn't care about any of the stuff that makes laptops more powerful.
I agree. For me there is nothing portable about the 12.9 inch iPad Pro or even the MacBook Air. I owned the 11 inch MBA and I loved it. I now have the 13 inch MBA and I find it big and not portable at all. My 11 inch iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard is probably the nearest thing to my old 11 inch MBA.
No, Its a necessity for them
I am surprised being in AUS you have not witnessed yourself in Bali, Indonesia , Thailand, India etc etc
It is common to see families of 5 on a scooter and coupled with a simple steel & mesh sidecar its the family truck with unimaginable loads of cases of drinks or 5 Gallon water bottles
You would soon run out of photo storage on your phone if you tried to capture the daily highly imaginative occurrences you see
My favourite one was a Honda click towing a trailer with 10 kayaks followed by his mate with a trailer and 2 jet skis
Best of luck to these people IMO who can't afford to buy cars or trucks
No surprise at all, you need to take into account the curvature of the Earth.
LOL, maybe your one of a handful of Aussie's that has not been to Bali but yes a bit further to go from Sydney
I suspect they are in the same camp as me. Glad the option is there, and still use it occasionally, but were tempted to try to make it their sole device for quite a while just because they could, and ultimately found they preferred not to.
I prefer to use my 11" iPad Pro as a tablet, and my 14" MacBook Pro for most other things. I just like the 14" display better for videos, and for those times when I'm doing a lot of complicated work and the bigger display and better window management of macOS really comes in handy. I also like having a real browser on macOS, and being able to use 2 external monitors at once.
But I appreciate the 11" on a Magic Keyboard if I'm travelling light and flying. I just no longer have any desire to replace my other devices with it.
I wish I could use my MBA for videos as it has a bigger display than my 11 inch pro. However the form factor feels somewhat clunky and less convenient.
I had a similar inclination until I realised how important the screen size is.
I like to watch Starcraft 2 occasionally, and it is so much nicer to watch on a 14" screen, not to mention just easier to see what's actually going on with the bigger battles with the small units everywhere.
Also for the times when my work becomes quite complicated and I really do need multiple windows open in order to do it. I try not to multitask in the sense of doing multiple things at the same time, but sometimes the thing I'm doing focused work on does require multiple tools and sources of information open at the same time.
The portability and niftiness of the 11" iPad is very alluring, but over time and real world use I found the 14" screen size won over that, at least for me. But I was convinced of the opposite for some time.
I can do my work on the iPad. But if I want to perform at my peak and be as effective as I possibly can, I wouldn't do that on an iPad. I could perform adequately enough to be good at my job, and for people to have no idea I was working from an iPad. But I'd be sacrificing my own performance in order to shoehorn a device in that isn't as good for the job I'm doing.
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There's no right or wrong way to use the iPad.
The point I was trying to make is when people try to pigeonhole the iPad into only being a tablet... obviously, it excels at being a tablet. But with added features over the years... Apple is trying to push it further than what people traditional use the iPad for.
And critics seem to focus on the shortcomings yet gloss over how much it has improved over the years. Don't get me wrong, the iPad platform still have a long way to go (particularly iPadOS).. but it has made huge strides especially with latest iPadOS 16.
And I've never been a proponent of using the iPad as a sole computing device, but the iPad is my primary computing device. For years, I've always had a desktop (Windows PC, Mac Mini or iMac) solution in tandem with an iPad and recently I received a MBP... but does that stop me from attaching the Magic Keyboard to my iPad Pro and using that as a laptop, no.
I had and still have a MacBook Air which began running slow due to memory. I have been trying to save money and cut cost across the board. Recently I bought an 11in iPad Pro which I use for online schooling and everyday tasks. My school provided us a free copy of Microsoft 365 and honestly I love how it performs. I get that laptops provide a bit more reliability for some. However in this instance the 11in with the Logitech keyboard with detachable case covering works extremely well for me.
All true, but my point is there was a period of time where MacBooks were hot and loud and annoying because of Intel, and the iPads were starting to surpass them in computing power and making strides towards laptop replacement. And in this period of time, many people tried to make their iPad their main computing device.
I'm seeing a lot of these people switching back to the Mac as their main computing device since Apple silicon came to the Mac, because they've been disappointed by the shortcomings of the iPad when used in that capacity. And I'm one of those.
For me, the iPad was my main computing device for a couple of years, but the 14" MacBook Pro has won me back. Now I use the MacBook 90% of the time. It was a long journey though.
I disagree… I personally never moved to the iPad from MacBooks because they were hot, loud and annoying. MacBook Air was the biggest selling laptop during the Intel era… I believe only reason why people switched to the iPad because of the lightweight factor of the operating system (and battery performance).
iPad users are knowledgeable about what they want out of it, so… I don’t believe being disappointed by the shortcomings of the iPad plays a major factor in moving to Apple Silicon Macs rather than the power efficiency of the Mac.
The major draw with the Apple Silicon Mac is how long the battery last, which is practical when it comes down to traveling. And I said before… it shouldn’t be a matter of degrading one product in an effort to praise another product, when both products are capable of being useful.
I learned many times, and re-learned with my iPad experiment, that it’s a bad idea to go against Apple’s grain. They want the iPad to remain a Mac complement, vice a Mac replacement, and it shows in the multitude of minor annoyances using nothing but an iPad. Similar to you, I tried to use only my M1 iPad, but my Mini (soon to be an M2 Pro Mini!) with ASD won me back as my “real” [sic] computer.
