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iPad as a laptop replacement
- Thread starter Omar Comin' Yo
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Apple TV w/ Airplay also if you walk around while presenting.
Makes me wish Apple would release an airplay stick. I love airplay mirroring but setting up an Apple TV prior to the presentation can be quite troublesome.
Oh that’d Be sweet. Take out all the normal Apple TV stuff. A usb drive stick only for airplay mirroring.
My dream is an Apple TV sized Mac mini. Doesn’t need to be a powerhouse. Just a computer I can throw in my backpack for extended trips. And bonus if I can use an iPad as a monitor and make a BT Keyboard with small trackpad built in. What a portable powerhouse that’d be.
Mini, iPad, BT keyboard/trackpad.... wouldn't it be easier to just carry a laptop? My 11" MacBook Air works well for this type of thing.
Sometimes. But really the iPad Pro does do things the MBa can’t. (I still have And LOVE my MBA11. Best Apple laptop EVER! Well, also loved the 17” unibody and tRaceled around the world with it, but it was definitely huge.Mini, iPad, BT keyboard/trackpad.... wouldn't it be easier to just carry a laptop? My 11" MacBook Air works well for this type of thing.
Back to you, the iPad (I’m transitioning to a IPP only mobile solution) let’s me write , annotate, do tablet things and most important I have learned to use iMovie and lumafusiin. It’s too complicated on OSX. The IPP will let me create quick videos for a channel. Powerful machine too. Scrivener works great on it. I’ll always need a OSX for a desktop. Editing needs multiple monitors There’s times when i travel to a new location for 6 months. If I could add a tiny Apple TV sized computer to the IPP solution you can pick up external monitors fairly cheaply these days. So all I’d be traveling with is an IPP/mac nano and a Keyboard.
Sure i can use an MBA but why pay for a laptop when it’s going to be in clamshell mode all the time at home and secondary to the IPP when mobile?
I wouldn't be able to walk around and interact with a laptop the same way I can with an iPad. Personally, I am at a point where I am more comfortable interacting with iOS over macOS, but that's just me.Mini, iPad, BT keyboard/trackpad.... wouldn't it be easier to just carry a laptop? My 11" MacBook Air works well for this type of thing.
I still can't figure out why this is a debate and so hostile? Is it that hard for people to understand that its possible a person can do things with one device even if you consider it a hindered platform? I have a MBA for work, I purchased a IPP 12.9 for personal and work use. I've traveled with just my IPP, would I use it 40 hours a week, no, does that mean someone else can't no. Lighten up, why not the IPad only people share how they manage work flow the MBA/MBP people listen, who knows maybe you pick something up.
Agree completely. No one in the “I can do all I need on an IPad” camp is saying that applies to everyone but for some reason threads become packed with “It can’t because you can’t do X on it” where the comment is accurate but irrelevant to the original poster.
It’s a very frustrating discussion because the objections always seem to be coming from the direction of “Because I can't do all I need on an iPad, then neither can you” which is manifestly not the case.
It’s a very frustrating discussion because the objections always seem to be coming from the direction of “Because I can't do all I need on an iPad, then neither can you” which is manifestly not the case.
I can accept that, and for the first time I've wondered if maybe an iPad would be enough for many of the basic things I do away from home. Not sure, but it's something I will be thinking about.
However, I think you missed the point of my post (and it certainly wasn't intended "hostile" as others have said). You were asking for a smaller version of the Mac Mini as a computer and would only use the iPad as a screen. So the iPad would not be a "laptop replacement", it would be a "monitor replacement". And you specifically said it "doesn't need to be a powerhouse". This doesn't sound like a good solution for anything to me, you would need several devices to accomplish what a laptop was designed to do and it would also require AC line power (unless your imaginary Mini is also battery powered).
I didn't think it was hostile at all. Curiosity mixed with advice. I'm in the middle of something and will reply a bit later, marking this post to come back to it. Will tell you my reasoning.
I would like to suggest that you read the post I was replying to. @eVolcre said he wanted a small Mac Mini and "use an iPad as a monitor". So the iPad wouldn't be used a computer at all, just a display to connect to an underpowered Mac Mini. That has nothing to do with using the iPad as a replacement for a laptop.
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No, of course not - I thought your response was perfectly fine. Sorry, I was talking about the posts from @Jonr515 "I still can't figure out why this is a debate and so hostile?" and also @Mahasamatman "Agree completely.".
I better jump in with a quick response before it gets derailed. the ipad would be my laptop replacement. Mini sits at home. On longer trips (up to 6 months), Id take the Mini with me. Before I buy an external monitor at the destination, using the iPad Pro as a monitor would be a bonus. Same with 3 week road shows. iPad is my main device. On the OFF chance I need OSX I could just dump my hypothetical AppleTv sized Mini Nano in my gear bag and … use iPadPro as a monitor or project the Mini to the LCD TV in my hotel room.
You're absolutely correct, this can be accomplished with a) only a MBA or b) IPP/MBA. What I'm looking for is an ultra portable DESKTOP.
Here is why the debate feels hostile and frustrating to you: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...uter-as-computer.2115326/page-5#post-26002152
It's because macOS users are scared to death right now that their platform is dying and they have no good options.
Nice post (the linked one). Very reasonably presented. I understand a bit more now and puts a lot of the comments in context. I don' think they'll dump the Mac. Perhaps they'll stop the entry level machines and encourage people to move to iOS. There will always be a market for a proper MBP, iMac and iMac Pro (fingers crossed). Mojave was pretty promising yesterday, there's some progress being made. The ridiculous keyboards do need to go. I'm one of the people mentioned in your post who moved my mobile system to Windows. Ended up getting a ThinkPad in August 2016 because there was NO apple laptop that met my needs .. (mainly .. a frigging keyboard that doesn't hurt my fingers when I type on it!!!)
Craig Federighi categorically mentioned yesterday that MacOS and iOS WILL NOT merge. That tells me that Mac as a platform is far from dying.
Merging is not the only way that macOS can die. It can be killed off entirely, or just continue to suffer in neglect and attrition as has been the case for the past several years. Or macOS can continue to be developed for uncompetitive hardware that is impossible to justify purchasing.
Call it Apple's attempt at "constructive dismissal" of their macOS userbase.
I’m not particularly bothered personally, but a lot of posts in these threads have come across as being negative to the suggestion, and in some cases in other threads downright aggressive, borderline abusive. As usual YMMV but it just seems to be the typical response of the “someone on the internet is wrong” crowd.
And aside from that, if I say that I can achieve all my complete requirements on an iPad Pro, where does anyone get off telling me I can’t? Why is it even open to debate?
My post had nothing to do with any of that. I was reacting to someone who said they wanted to use their iPad as a monitor for a Mac Mini with a keyboard and trackpad. The iPad would just be a screen to display the MacOS desktop. @Jonr515 suggested that I was "hostile" and I should "lighten up"... and you said you "agreed completely".
So I'm just suggesting that you actually read the post I reacted to instead of offering a knee-jerk reaction simply because I mentioned a MacBook Air. There was no suggestion that an iPad was inferior to a Mac, just that a Mini, keyboard, trackpad and iPad for a monitor sounds a lot more awkward than simply using a laptop as a mobile MacOS computer.
And @eVolcre cleared this all up anyway in his followup post: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...scussion-merged.2111432/page-24#post-26123603
So in response to a comment “I didn't think it was hostile at all.” You say “No, of course not - I thought your response was perfectly fine. Sorry, I was talking about the posts from @Jonr515 "I still can't figure out why this is a debate and so hostile?" and also @Mahasamatman "Agree completely." You call me out directly.
Perhaps you could explain what exactly what point you were trying to make by calling me out and quoting me? Because neither the post I replied to nor the comment I made mention anything you’re talking about. And the comments Jonr515 and I made were both general without quoting a parent message so I have no idea what you’re on about with your references to MacBook Mini and MacBook Air.
Perhaps you could explain what exactly what point you were trying to make by calling me out and quoting me? Because neither the post I replied to nor the comment I made mention anything you’re talking about. And the comments Jonr515 and I made were both general without quoting a parent message so I have no idea what you’re on about with your references to MacBook Mini and MacBook Air.
Let's just forget it, this whole exchange has gotten very convoluted and is not very productive. I'll just say that I'm completely open to the idea of using an iPad and iOS for many of the things I do on my Mac. But carrying around a Mac Mini, iPad and keyboard/trackpad sounds very awkward for someone who is using MacOS and not iOS.
I don't think the Mac platform will die anytime in the near future, given that you still need a Mac to develop for iOS. However, if that's all Apple thinks it's relevant for, we may see updates slow down. It then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Fewer people use a Mac because the platform isn't as vibrant as it used to be, and Apple sees this as evidence that the Mac isn't worth pushing, and so on and so forth.
I do believe Apple's claims that the iPad will eventually become the general-purpose computer for the masses (or at least, in Apple's dedication in pushing the iPad in that direction). Question is - where does this leave the Mac? The latest MacBook Pro hasn't been very well-received, between the loss of traditional ports, removal of MagSafe, the gimmicky touchbar and problematic keyboard. The iMac Pro is receiving blowback over it being hard to service and repair. The Mac Pro is still MIA. This leaves only the aging 13" MBA and the 5k iMac as the safer and more reliable Mac options.
Quite alarming for anyone deeply entrenched in the Mac ecosystem.
I have seen that video (even quoted it here a couple of times). I kinda get why Apple is doing things the way they are. Issue is - the pros don’t want this vision. They want the same Macs that Apple has been making for the past decade which have worked so well for them and this is where they and Apple reach a crossroads.
My 2 cents: I have returned the iPad Pro and came back to my macbook, even if it's really annoying using it when I'm relaxing in bed or on my sofa. Couldn't make it work as laptop replacement (as personal computer, not professional computer). I feel the interactions when it's docked to the keyboard (touchscreen + keyboard) are clunky for me. Mouse+trackpad support is much needed for me when it's docked to a keyboard, I hope the announcements with macOS mojave will lead to a hybrid device one day (iPad mode with touchscreen and full screen apps, windowed apps when docked to a station), but I agree mixing macOS and iOS doesn't make sense. But maybe they can "live" on the same device, based on usage.
Oh and by the way I LOVE the idea of an airplay stick a-la-chromecast.
Oh and by the way I LOVE the idea of an airplay stick a-la-chromecast.